Common VST for production beginner?

Hey all, thinking about getting an Akai Mini 3, would be my first midi controller. Lifelong drummer here, getting into DAW and recording during quarantine.

I currently use Reaper DAW (free) and my Roland V Drums and Superior Drummer 3 to create grooves and songs with my buddy. What this does not excel at, though, is creating drum loops and patterns, much less adding synth parts etc.

Enter the MPC. My question, though, is what do people use for good, solid, affordable (if that is a thing) VST sound packs for drums and synth? I saw Roland Cloud, but the 808 is $150, and a membership that includes it starts at $10 a month (not bad).

Just curious if there are other options out there.

Thanks!

the easiest thing is just to search the web for a list of good rated vsts. then, check them out on youtube. You like how they sound? then get it, if it's affordable.

There are also a lot of these lists with free vsts. just search the web.

And remember, have fun.

If you're not very familiar with VST synths, why won't you just start with what's included in One/X/Live? Bassline, TubeSynth and Electric are surprisingly good and - at the start - will cover a lot of ground, while you'd learn about synthesis basics. This should also give you a feel for what you need - whether it's something you'll program yoursefl, or perhaps a synth with huge & versatile preset bank you can choose from.