Getting free samples vs getting free plugins

[Vojvodinosaurus]

So basically when i try to download samples for free i often stumble upon a catch, like there being nag screens or popup ads or redirect or registration required, however there seems to be much more places where i can download free vst plugins within seconds without any catch (for instance, plugins4free). Many quality samples actually also seem to be paid and i'm just not entirely sure, why all this?

What's your 2 cents on this? Do you prefer samples or vst instruments and perhaps tell me why? I actually use both but when it comes to samples, i mostly create my own in audacity using built-in and ladspa generators and effects, even though it usually takes a lot of time to make decent ones

[Saga Musix]

I can't say I have observed this difference, but then again I don't download sample packs that often. One thing you realize sooner or later is that just having more samples and plugins at hand doesn't automatically make you more creative, in fact it slows you down. Often a new sample or plugin can spark some ideas, but 99% of them don't. These days, my list of go-to sound sources is pretty small, and it contains most of the things I'd need most of the time to get going very fast:
- A bunch of hardware synthesizers. I bought each one for its particular sound so I know where to go if I have a specific sound in mind.
- A very small set of VST instruments (less than 10) that I have explored and know well
- samples.kb6.de for drum samples
- freesound.org for the occasional real-world sound effect.
- A couple of commercial sample packs for effects such as transitions and more drums (risers, downers, impacts, etc.)
- Very rarely, I look at other sample sources or plugins just to get a new idea. But those are not "go-to sources".

In the end, that means I paid for most of my sound sources at some point (though there's still a lot of stuff to discover even in sample packs I bought ten years ago, so the price distributed over each year I've used them is very low). Creating samples and instrument patches takes a lot of time so the best and most easily usable ones are often not free, and I can understand why.