- Best Software Synths 2019
- What Is The Best Synthesizer Software For Beginners
- Best Soft Synths 2019
- Best Free Synthesizer Software
- Free Virtual Synthesizers For Pc
It’s 2018 and there are literally hundreds & thousands *maybe*, of VST synth plugins in the market. Some are free, some are expensive and some cost very little.
Some software synths are emulations of hardware models, but others are completely original. You’ll hear software synths being referred to by a variety of different names - virtual instruments, software instruments or just plain old VSTs - but on a basic level, they all operate in the same way. Read more: Universal Audio Apollo x6. R/synthesizers: Obsessed with synthesizers: hardware & software. Check out the native instruments m32 controller. You’ll get a 32 key usb controller with pitch and mod plus some virtual instruments (one of which is monarch which is basically a Minimoog d), daw (ableton live lite), and the keyboard has 8 knobs mapped to the parameters to control the virtual synth you’re using.
Not every VST synth is made equal. On some synths, you may find big and usable sounds, right on the get-go. And on some other synths, you could get sound that sounds too amateurish until you spend time tweaking and inserting effects into it.
We could have attempted to write a list of the top 100 best free & paid VST plugins in the world today, but I really wanted to focus on the real best 5 must-have software VST synths, that should consider installing in your setup – as a music producer, whether you produce electronic music or hip-hop music.
Let’s get started.
The 5 Best Software VST Synths To Install Today
Check out this video, where Tim Cant (a really hilarious producer) shows us insights into the five of probably the most popular software synths in the world today. He’ll explain the five synths below, shows a quick walkthrough of each and explains what made them popular.
1. SynthMaster 2.9 (KV331 Audio)
SynthMaster, an award-winning synth may have been around for a long time, but every update has kept it fresh for the competition with the world’s best soft synths.
Now at version 2.9, SynthMaster has practically every sound generation feature you could want in a synthesizer: wavetable oscillators, loads of voicing parameters, dual filters, multistage envelope generators and a modular signal flow – all times two with two synthesis layers. On top of that, there’s also four LFOs, an effects section including a Vocoder, and loads more.
SynthMaster’s Killer Feature? It’s oscillator waveforms include samples of classic hardware to use as sources.
Its seen to be used by DJs like Armin van Buuren, Martin Garrix and Zedd.
Buy SynthMaster at Plugin Boutique – $99
2. Spire (Reveal Sound)
The Spire does not come cheap. (Almost the price of a DAW!).
But it brings an impressive range of oscillators and synthesis types, and an even more impressive range of third-party preset developers. Spire is an extensive VST plugin as it allows for complicated modulation options while sounding extremely big.
Choose one of 49 waves in a Spire oscillator, and you can morph it using the CtrlA and CtrlB knobs. What these two do to the waveform is determined by the synthesis type, which is selected at the top of the oscillator. And that’s without mentioning the dual filters, the four LFOs, the four envelopes and effects.
Spire’s Killer Feature? It’s five-page modulation matrix, giving access to over 200 mod destinations. Reveal Sound, the maker of Spire also claims that the plugin is used by artists such as Dash Berlin and Hardwell.
A quick thing you should know about Spire is that it uses quite a bit of CPU processing and in our opinion, we think that could be improved – perhaps in its upcoming version updates.
Buy Spire at Plugin Boutique – $199
3. Avenger by Vengeance Sound
You probably have heard its sounds in lots of music pieces on the radio. This monstrous, top-of-the-line synth is the first instrument released by plugin and sound household legends, Vengeance Sound.
It has eight oscillators, which host classic analogue shapes, samples, a choice of digital wave cycles and wavetables. ThThere areM and AM options, and each oscillator can be run through a unique combination of filters, amps, arpeggiators and effects, meaning that you could make an entire track in one instance of Avenger.
Elsewhere, there’s a spectral filter, macro controls, and far too many features to even namecheck.
Avenger’s Killer Feature? It’s got an entire drum machine – and drum sequencer – built in! Put simply, Avenger is excessive and would fit the tweak-hungry music producer.
Apple flash drive. Buy Avenger at Plugin Boutique – $220
4. Diva (u-he)
Synths made by u-he (like Zebra synth), never fail to disappoint. Diva is a classic analogue synth takes the best bits of hardware history and puts them into one incredible-sounding plugin. It’s also the type of synth to reach for to make big rave music anthems.
With Diva, you could pair a Minimoog oscillator with an MS-20 filter, and then pipe the signal through a Jupiter-6 style envelope, or swap out any of the elements for any other. Diva’s also got two LFOs, two effects slots, a Modifications tab to make advanced tweaks, and a kickass oscilloscope visualiser.
Diva’s Killer Feature? Divine Mode – this menu control cranks Diva up to maximum quality, making it its most analogue, but with a hefty CPU hit. You could use it if you have enough CPU power under the hood of your computer.
U-he’s Diva is no stranger to the world of music production and has been around since late 2011.
Buy Diva at Plugin Boutique – $179
5. Serum (Xfer Records)
My personal favourite to the list of synths here. Serum is a modern looking wavetable VST synth, that has become a staple to many electronic music producers. Out of the box, the presets itself sounds super big and usable. You’ll enjoy using them in your tracks and will only look at tweaking them, to create your own unique sounds.
Serum’s two wavetable oscillators are actually superweapons, with 3D wave morphing, additive synthesis, wavetable interpolation, wave cycle morphing, and loads more complicated-sounding powers. But the trick is, in reality, every one of Serum’s features is completely straightforward to use, and there are countless third-party preset packs available that showcase its incredible potential.
Serum’s three Killer Features? It’s got up to eight multipoint LFOs, PNG Wavetable import, and everyone with Serum gets a copy of Serum FX, an effects-only version with only Serum’s FX tab.
Native Instrument’s Massive is something of an alternative to Serum, but having experienced them first-hand, I’ll be first to tell you that you’ll find it easier to program on Serum compared to Massive.
Buy Serum at Plugin Boutique – $189
What are your takes on the 5 VST soft synths that I featured here in this post? Let me know and contribute some of your thoughts to the other readers!
Best Software Synths 2019
If you are someone who has never had a synthesizer before in their life, then it can be pretty intimidating to get into it. Even if you have some experience, being a beginner is challenging. As with anything, it always helps to have the best tools to work with from the start, that way you have your foundation set. With the best synthesizers for beginners, (almost) anyone can go from a helpless newbie to a musical genius. Over time, you will get better and having an awesome synth will make the process a whole lot easier. Take a look at the greatest beginner synthesizers you can get in this calendar year. You can also see which the best synthesizers are, period. Keep in mind however that they may be too advanced for beginners.
What Is The Best Synthesizer Software For Beginners
Best synthesizers for beginners to buy:
Unfortunately, not every stage of being a beginner is the same, and some are more advanced, yet they are still by definition beginners. This small synthesizer keyboard is perfect for those who are not yet at an advanced stage of their musical journey, and it is great for first timers as well. The best way to describe it would be to say it has an excellent balance of simplicity in its user interface and functionality, yet it has a level of complexity to it too. If for some reason you don’t totally love this keyboard, then a good alternative that keeps many of the same components would be the Korg MS20 synth.
It is rather odd to list a synthesizer brand on a list that I have little experience with, but this MiniNova synth by Novation was good enough in my experience with it to have it here. By most peoples’ standards in this industry, the sound quality isn’t too fabulous, but for the price it’s phenomenal. It isn’t fair to compare it to something like the JUNO DS88 or the Moog Sub Phatty. It is fair to state however that if you take into account all synths under $500, then this is definitely one that has some of the most powerful and rich sound quality. Novation’s MiniNova doesn’t come as loaded with features as most 88-key synthesizers, but it does have 256 awesome onboard sounds, which are surprisingly diverse and versatile. Check out the MiniNova review.
Yamaha is known to make some pretty spectacular synthesizers – just take a look at some of my reviews, or see the Montage 8. But can they make good synthesizers for beginners? In my experience, the answer to that question is yes, yes they can. The REFACE is an instrument that I unfortunately did not get a chance to spend too much time with, but in the time I did use it I learned a couple of things. First, this keyboard comes with built-in speakers. At first, you might not think that means much, but actually most synthesizers don’t come with this feature, and are heard only on an external platform or through a headphone jack. What I do like, is that the sounds are vintage and the quality is above average.
Roland does not only make super high-end products (even though that’s what they’re generally best known for), they also make more affordable products. The great thing is that these products are no less wonderful when you take into consideration what and who they were made for. This JD-Xi might catch you off guard. The menu interface isn’t the best, but let’s face it; you aren’t going to get a great UI on smaller devices anyway. All things considered, the JD-Xi is a fascinating product and Roland should be very happy with what they have here. Check out the JD-Xi review as well.
Anyone who has had the chance to read any of my prior work with Synthesizer Guide knows that I am a huge fan of the OP-1 synthesizer. It’s manufacturer – Teenage Engineering did an absolutely outstanding job in creating this small, yet huge masterpiece. Compared to the other products here, this one is well above the average price-point, but it does so much more while being visibly smaller in size. Not only is it a simple product, but it does more than every one of the products listed above it, and the sounds are just fantastic. Directv now apple tv not working. If you’re serious about producing, then the OP-1 might be for you. It’s even great for beginners, and many talented artists such as Childish Gambino use or have used this synthesizer.
Best Soft Synths 2019
Narrowing It Down
Depending on what level you expect to play/perform at, you will have different instruments which are better suited for beginners that can last all the way through an intermediate level. Such is the case with the OP-1 and Roland JD-Xi, as they are slightly more capable and complex then something like the MicroKorg. If you aren’t sure where this road will take you and you would consider yourself to be more of a casual artist, then you can definitely look at a cheaper and less performance-oriented option. Price is obviously something that has to be considered, so even though you might want to one day be an intermediate artist, you might not have the funds for the Teenage Engineering synthesizer right now.
Best Free Synthesizer Software
What Is Most Important?
There are many different aspects to synthesizers and as a beginner, you might not yet know what is the most important part of choosing an instrument. Is it the sound quality? The sound variation and features, or the user interface and style of the keyboard? In most cases, the best synthesizer for a beginner will be one which lets the user explore the instrument the most and experiment with the most amount of sounds and features. Sound quality is not as important for a beginner in most cases, because actually learning how to play the synthesizer and become a good producer is more important at the beginner level.
Conclusion
Free Virtual Synthesizers For Pc
While I was only able to list a handful, there are tons of synthesizers for beginners and many of them are not worth purchasing. As a beginner, choosing the right synth is important; this is the instrument that will propel your learning process after all. As someone who has once been new to this world, I can honestly say that the best synthesizer is the one that helps you learn the most.