Essential VSTs.. What's on your list?

 
Just curious which VSTs are on your 'couldn't live without them' list. Currently mine has (more or less) stabilised on:-
 
Free:
ePiano
Mr. Ray for Rhodes/ Mr. Tramp for Wurlitzer. Mr. Ray 2.2 is particularly good, and although possibly there are better emulations these seem to come close enough - especially for the price.
 
Hammond Organ
 
Nubi and Spinner. If you can find it, the later 'plus' version has a particularly wide range of controllable parameters
Organized Trio is also well worth the zero cost
 
Synth
 
Crystal - seems to be capable of a wide range of sounds - there are many other free alternatives in this area too, but this is rock-solid and fairly simple to program.
 
Sonar stuff
Although I no longer use Sonar, Perfect Space from Sonar 8 is still very definitely a must-have. Dimension Pro has also survived - it does have some wonderful pads, though many of the other samples are a bit weak in comparison to Kontakt. Rapture unfortunately I had to give up on. It is too unstable and takes out whatever host, including Sonar, I use it with. (at least the LE version bundled with Sonar 8).
 
Effects
 
A bunch of excellent free plugins from Voxengo and others. Seems to me if you need compressors, EQ and reverb you don't need to be paying for any of these unless you have pretty specialised requirements.
 
Non-free
 
Guitar
I will never regret purchasing Musiclabs Real Guitar, Real Strat and Real LPC. These are probably the most played instruments I have. Plugged into Guitar Rig 3 LE (as bundled with Sonar) they are incredibly playable and entirely convincing. And totally solid and glitch-free.
 
Drums
EZDrummer. And Geist. Together they make the world's most powerful drum machine. Geist's samples tend to the electronica/hiphop end of the spectrum but the pattern and sequencing functionality are just awesome, and it is quite capable of triggering any other drum samples or plugins.
 
Piano
I have two PMI sample sets; the Bosendorfer and the Steinway. Between them I couldn't ask for more. They are played back via Kontakt.
 
Sampler
 
Kontakt. NI finally offered an unbeatable crossgrade deal. It is a superb sampler and the bundled instruments are of very high quality.
 
Orchestra
 
I have Garritan Personal Orchestra and it does complement Kontakt quite well.
 
Wishlist
 
I would like a decent choir - especially one that could sing whatever I wanted - but that's not essential. It's disappointing that Vocaloid never got particularly convincing, it'd be amazing to have a computerised vocalist.
 
Also a decent pedal steel guitar would be nice.
 
So what's on your 'must have' list?. I'm trying now to stop just adding things - you end up wasting so much time. And I have several real physical synths, including a Yamaha FS1R, which really is unique, and an old Kawai K5m I picked up for next to nothing in a charity shop, but which again is a unique instrument. So I'm trying to focus on getting the best out of what I already have. Unfortunately, always open to temptation......

VST'S on the most 'must have' list.

currently used:
Limiter - Waves L1 and L2
Compressor - Waves Linear Phase Multiband
Deesser- Waves Renaissance deesser
EQ- Waves  Linear Phase equalizer
reverb- Truverb
Delay- Supertap
Bass - Maxxbass
Meters - PAZ analyzer

Alchemy! Can't imagine life without it anymore ...

Can't think of any "must haves" that I literally couldn't manage without, or that couldn't be easily replaced by something similar.

OK, maybe just one: Kontakt. But that's only because all of its competitors have been vanquished, so there are no direct replacements. And because I have a lot of Kontakt libraries, most of which are useless without Kontakt.

UAD Pultec. That is the only one.

My FabFilter plugs.

Kontact
Omnisphere
Trillian
Superior Drummer 2
Guitar Rig 5

TX16W Sampler (free version)
Alchemy (most of the time)

Of course Sonar X1d to host them all.  Sometimes Albeton 8/9 (still learning)

Most of what's included in 8.5

Kontakt
Addictive Drums
Ozone
PSP MixPack

plus many FX and synths from Computer Magazines cover DVD
Kjaerhus Classics

only recently added, but already not to be missed: komplete 8 ultimate (what a tremendous resource for whatever you want to accomplish)

other usuals suspects that would be missed: T-Racks, Sonitus

I don't know if there's anything that can't be replaced, but the ones I use the most (and would miss the most).

Drums
Superior Drummer
punch (now that I know how to use synthesis to make sounds)

Synths
UhE - Diva (just got but loving the sound)
Rob Pappen - Predator
Z3ta
Also really liking the tone2 rayblaster, but will need to play with it more to make sure it makes the cut
Camel Audio - Alchemy
For orchestra stuff I love the Hollywood series from EastWest

Effects
Nomad - Magnetic (love what it does to the mix)
Lexicon -  LXP
PSP Delay
Soundtoys - Decimator (I love the edge this will give to a sound)
Izotope - Alloy

Waves/JJP- Puigchild
DMG- Equilibrium
Quantum Leap- Spaces
Steven Slate- FG-X

I can't live without:

- Steven Slate Drums 4 - Waves SSL, API, CLA Classic Compressors, JJP Analog Legends and the Kramer Master Tape collections.


I'am not using much more than that lately, just bundled sounds for ambience and background sounds and bundled delays, and fx.

Compression: Waves CLA Compressors
Delay: Waves H Delay
EQ: Waves VEQ and REQ
Reverb: Valhalla Reverbs (Room and Shimmer)
Drums: EZ Drummer and Superior Drummer
Correction: Melodyne

Oh, lawdee-lawd!!

mda Piano, Superwave P8, Dreamstation DXi2, and ShortCircuit 2, fo shizzle.