Really, has there ever been a better time to be a computer musician? Practically every imaginable kind of instrument and effect can be had gratis - you needn’t spend so much as a penny to outfit the virtual studio of your dreams.

From virtual analogue synthesizers and realistic sampled instruments to classy modelled mix processors and cutting-edge creative effects, every step of the production cycle can be taken without any involvement whatsoever on the part of your wallet.

But, with so much free gear out there of wildly varying quality, downloading and sifting through it all to find the genuine plugin gems is a Herculean task. It’s almost not worth the bother when you could be spending that time doing other things - actually making music, for instance.

No, what the modern computer musician really needs is a directory of the absolute best free gear out there, saving them time and effort in addition to cash. In 2016, we find ourselves knee-deep once again in more free plugins and samples than our hard drives can handle. Which are the keepers and which aren’t worth the bandwidth?

You’re looking at the answer right now: our guide to the very best free plugins that have been released or updated over the last 12 months or so.

For more on 2016's best free music software - including tutorials on many of the plugins featured here - check out Computer Music 230 (June 2016) which is on sale now.