5 Best Banjo VST/AU Plugins: Updated 2023!

Last updated on December 31st, 2023 at 08:07 pm

When it comes to Banjo VST/AU plugins, they are pretty hard to come by.

And some of them are pretty damn bad…

So, this is why I created this list to save you the time of having to do the research.

I only found 5 which seemed pretty good to me, so if you have a couple more which you think I should include in the list, then please leave a comment below telling me which one it is.

Now, let’s get straight into the post…

YoJo Free Banjo (Windows, Mac)

Reflekt Audio and Eumonik have worked together to bring music makers across the globe a 100% free VST plugin that they called the “YoJo“.

The YoJo is a free virtual banjo instrument that consist of 4 layers that you can blend together to create a full and awesome banjo sound.

Eumonik feels that banjo instruments should be used more outside of its respected classes, so here you all go.

Fratures

• 1 Free Virtual Banjo Instrument.
• Windows/Mac Compatible.
• All Daw Compatible (Excluding Pro Tools).
• Unzipped File Size: 1.24GB.
• Zipped File Size: 634MB.
• 4 Blend-able Layers.
• Envelopes A, D, S, R.
• Filter W/Filter Type.
• Reverb.
• Pitch.

Find out more about YoJo here.

If you’re looking for the best Free VST Plugins ever, check out this huge post I wrote on that subject!

Banjodoline Free Banjo VST (Windows)

This software was originally produced by Syntheway and it’s a relatively good sounding banjo VST that’s easy to use.

Best of all, it’s free!

Not only does it include a Banjo, but also a Mandolin and an Electric Mandolin.

It’s not one of those plugins that will blow your mind, but it does get the job done.

Find out more about Banjodoline here.

Are you also looking for the best Guitar VST plugins? Here’s a list of the 21 best ones.

Banjo V2 (Windows, Mac)

Banjo V2 is a five-string banjo emulator plugin with down and up-picked samples to give your tracks an authentically resonant twang.

Banjo V2 provides high-quality samples that were recorded from a real banjo and it has three dynamic levels with two round robins giving it an incredibly realistic sound and it will bring your tracks to life with the quality of a real five-string banjo.

This instrument is widely used for playing county, folk and Bluegrass as well as Blues, Jazz and Pop.

Banjo V2 is PC & MAC compatible and is available in 32-bit & 64-bit VST, Mac VST and Audio Units formats.

Find out more about Banjo V2 here.

RealiBanjo (Windows, Mac)

RealiBanjo is a Kontakt library which includes an intuitive Pattern Player and unique animated GUI (The graphics dance when patterns are played).

Notes can be played normally as with any other Kontakt sample instrument, but RealiBanjo’s Pattern Player also allows the user to play chords (major, minor, dominant 7th, minor 7th or sus4) in the upper two octaves, triggering RealiBanjo to automatically play authentic banjo patterns (“rolls”) for that chord.

RealiBanjo includes legato note transitions (slides up or down) as well as an Auto-Legato feature that handles typical banjo slides automatically.

This Auto-Legato feature can be turned off if desired, in which case legato transitions can still be triggered manual through a keyswitch.

There is a fret position selector to trigger samples higher up the neck, as well as an articulation selector to select between normal notes and mutes.

RealiBanjo requires Kontakt 4 or Kontakt 5 (Free Kontakt Player is not supported).

Find out more about RealiBanjo here.

Misfit Banjo (Windows, Mac)

This might be one of the most realistic banjo VSTs out there, and the plugin itself is really easy to use.

However, it does sell for $28 which for a banjo VST might be a bit much.

Additionally, you will need Kontact 5.5 or better in order to run it, and again, this just adds to the price quite a bit.

If you really need a good banjo VST that sounds realistic, is easy to use, and that will give you the best experience overall, then Misfit Banjo is a great place to start.

Find out more about Misfit Banjo here.

Conclusion

I know this is a very short list compared to the ones I normally post on this blog.

But I have to say that it was actually pretty hard to find Banjo VSTs that sound at least decent.

I hope this information was useful!

Have a great day!