Last Updated on February 12, 2021.
- Finding great synth plugins can be a challenge, this is why I decided to create this list of the best 15 synth VST plugins that I think sound great. If you’re interested in plugins in general, then check out this HUGE list I created with over 600 plugins, both free & paid.
- The 10 Best Synth VST Plugins of 2021 include: Native Instruments Massive. Lennar Digital Sylenth1. Reveal Sound Spire. Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2.
- The synth also includes a small effect section with a reverb, chorus and a simple bit crusher effect. Download: TAL-NoiseMaker. The U-NO-60 vst plugin is a polyphonic virtual analogue synth with a unique filter sound. An original JUNO 60 is used as reference for the oscillators and filters.
- Perfectly apt for trap, hip hop, EDM and trance boppers, Superwave P8 is considered one of the best synth VST plugins on the freeware market. It does help that it was remotely modelled off of the Roland JP 8000.
Finding great synth plugins can be a challenge, this is why I decided to create this list of the best 15 synth VST plugins that I think sound great.
If you’re interested in plugins in general, then check out this HUGE list I created with over 600 plugins, both free & paid.
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Let’s get straight to it!
Diva by U-He (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Diva is a synth that captures the spirit of various analoguesynthesizers by letting the user select from a variety of alternative modules.
The oscillators, filters and envelopes closely model componentsfound in some of the greatest monophonic and polyphonic synthesizers.
Diva is pretty easy to use despite of the Interface looking a bit complex, with the only downside being that it’s quite CPU intensive.
However, this is worth it since it sounds absolutelyfantastic!
You can find out more about Diva by U-He here.
Are you looking for a new DAW? Here’s a list of the best DAWs currently available!
FM8 by Native Instruments (Windows, Mac)
Native Instruments is known for creating excellent pluginslike ElectricGuitar Amp Simulators, however one of their most iconic plugins must be theFM8.
The FM8 soft synth uses frequency modulation synthesis, justlike the Yamaha DX-7 which was responsible for the iconic sound of the 80s.
This isn’t a plugin that I would recommend to the absolute beginner since it’s not the easiest to use, but if you have the time and the patience you should be able to get some interesting sounds out of it!
This synth was even used by Skrillex, which is a cleartestament to its quality.
You can find out more about Native Instrument’s FM8 here.
Note: FM8 can be bought on its own or as part of the Komplete 12 Bundles.
These bundles are far more expensive than the single FM8 plugin, but you get loads of high-quality instruments when purchasing one of them.
Spire by Reveal Sound (Windows, Mac)
Used by famous artist Armin Van Buuren, Spire is a simpleyet great sounding hybrid synth that covers everything from analog to Hard FM.
It comes with loads of presets as well as all the onboard mixing tools you could ever need.
Spire may be mostly geared towards trance and other electronic music; however, it is also very capable of creating more unusualsounds which you didn’t think were possible for the typical virtual analoguesynth.
You can find out more about Spire by Reveal Sound here.
Related: Looking for guitar VST/AU plugins? Here are the 21 best ones.
Hive 2 by U-he (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Hive 2 is quick and uncomplicated, without sacrificingflexibility or audio quality.
It is a lightweight multipurpose synth with tons of functionality that is also super easy to use, which means that you’ll be creating great sounding patches in no time.
You can add movement and life using the shape sequencer, orinstantly record, rotate and arpeggiate note sequences.
The 12-slot matrix even lets you modulate effectparameters, encouraging you to explore a whole new world of creative options.
Hive 2 includes Wavetables which appear as multiple waveforms, and are controlled in the central hexagon.
You can manually select wavetables, modulate the waveposition via the matrix, or even scan through them automatically using theenvelope and loop options.
You can find out more about Hive 2 by U-he here.
Massive by Native Instruments (Windows, Mac)
Native Instruments is one of the best plugin companies out there, and Massive is no exception to this rule. In fact, I find myself recommending it a lot lately!
It has been around since the early days of soft synths andis one of the people’s favorites.
Massive was designed to create basses and make them asMassive as possible.
The interface is fairly clean, easy and intuitive to use, at least when compared to other synths, which means that if you’re completely new to the world of synthesizers, this one might be a good choice.
Massive is one of the go-to synths for bass music as well as electronic music.
You can find out more about Massive by Native Instruments here.
Important note: Native Instruments came out with Massive X recently.
Massive X is a completely rethought and rewired version of Massive which you should also consider.
Serum by Xfer Records (Windows, Mac)
Serum is one of the most famous soft synths out there; It is a Wavetable synthesizer and it has virtually no processing limitations, which makes it incredibly powerful.
It can load up sounds and transform them into wavetables,plus it’s super easy to use since the UI is very easy to understand andnavigate.
Serum also features 10 effects, drag and drop routing, and loads of presets.
You can find out more about Serum by Xfer Records here.
Circle2 by Future Audio Workshop (Windows, Mac)
Circle2 is a wavetable synthesizer that focuses on a streamlined workflow and creativity, and which has been consistently used by artists such as David Guetta and Deadmau5.
One cool thing about Circle2 is that everything you need isin the main window.
This means that you don’t have to go “menu diving” in order to get to the settings you need.
The UI is super intuitive since it allows you to drag anddrop anything you need.
Easy dialogues for esl students. Not only does Circle2 feature 110 wavetables, loads ofeffects and over 300 sounds, but it also offers a step sequencer, NativeInstruments NKS Support, an arpeggiator, and a lot more.
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You can find out more about Circle2 by Future Audio Workshop here.
SEM V by Arturia (Windows, Mac)
Blessing super artist trumpet serial numbers. The Arturia SEM V is an emulation of the classic OberheimSEM.
The SEM module was originally made to compliment othersynthesizers but later came into its own as a great sounding synth.
At the time the unique filter that allowed continuouslyvariable operation from low pass to high pass gave it a sound that no otherhad.
SEM V delivers all the deep analog sounds that made itsancestor so unique and praised by recreating the tone, waveshapes, and otherdetailed characteristics.
If you want to be able to have some of that analog goodnessfor your music, then give SEM V a shot.
You can find out more about SEM V by Arturia here.
VPS Avenger by Vengeance Sound (Windows, Mac)
Avenger is a very powerful synth that unites analog,wavetable, and sample-based synthesis.
It comes with over 1000 presets, loads of effects and filtertypes, and more…
Not only is it a powerful synthesizer but it also features an onboard drum sequencer, arpeggiator, step sequencer, chord detection module, and a lot more, and you can import and convert ANY 1 cycle waveform sample into an Oscillator shape.
Once the waveform is imported, you can transform it in everydirection possible.
You can freely draw your own OSC shapes – use a pencilor draw lines, use smoothening parameters or normalize, fade in/outs tohelp create every shape imaginable.
In regards to the drum kits, Avenger comes with more than160 Drum-Kits from all possible genres, while each drum-kit holds 12x perfectlymixed and matched drum samples.
You can find out more about Avenger by Vengeance Sound here.
Native Instruments Reaktor 6 (Windows, Mac)
If you like building patches from scratch, then Reaktor 6 isdefinitely for you.
Its previous version, Reaktor 5, is one of the few pieces ofsoftware that could survive for up to ten years without receiving any updatesand still be relevant, which is impressive.
Reaktor 6 also provides a platform for modular synthesis inthe form of Blocks – a range of sound generating and sound shaping modules.
You can patch them together to create new and unique modularsynthesizers, effects chains, complex sequencers, and more.
With its various oscillators and filters, which soundfantastic, as well as its analog-style sounds, Reaktor 6 is one of the bestSynthesizers you could ever get.
The only cons I can think of with this plugin is that it canseem a little complicated to use at first, and it’s a bit CPU intensive as well…
You can find out more about Reaktor 6 by Native Instruments here.
Synthmaster One by KV331 Audio (Windows, Mac)
SynthMaster One is an easy to use wavetable synthesizer withan intuitive workflow.
Although it shares the same engine with its bigger brotherSynthMaster, it comes with new features like wavetable synthesis.
With its simple layout, rich wavetable/waveform content andinspiring factory presets library, designing new sounds with SynthMaster One isextremely easy to do.
This is one of the most affordable plugins on this wholelist, plus it’s so easy to use that anyone, even without prior experience, canuse it!
This is why I’d absolutely recommend it to all the beginnersout there.
Not only that, but if you like it and you want some added functionality, you can purchase upgrade bundles.
You can find out more about Synthmaster One by KV331 Audio here.
Pigments by Arturia (Windows, Mac)
Pigments is an immensely powerful wavetable and virtualanalog software synthesizer.
It features a twin audio engine, letting you mix virtualanalog and wavetable oscillators to create the perfect starting point for yourpatch.
You can even morph wavetables, or import your own.
Experiment with 3 envelopes, 3 LFOs, and 3 functiongenerators…
Process your patch with contemporary effects like wavefolderand multifilter, or vintage studio reverbs, delays, and EQs.
If you can imagine a sound, Pigments can probably create it!
Find out more about Pigments by Arturia here.
Repro-1 by U-he (Windows, Mac)
Repro-1 would be the lightweight counterpart of U-he’sfamous plugin “Diva”, which is the first one of this list.
When you download Repro you not only get Repro-1 but alsoRepro-5.
Repro-1 is a monosynth: Two oscillators,self-oscillating 4-pole lowpass filter, arpeggiator, step sequencer, the uniquemodulation section, and five stomp-box effects which can be arranged in anyorder.
Repro-5 shares a lot of sonic DNA with Repro-1, butadds new flavors and characteristics.
First of all, it’s Polyphonic: Play rich pads, shapethem using the resonant lowpass filter, drive the polyphonic distortion unit ashard as you like, and finally polish your sound with five built-in effects.
Repro-5 adds new dimensions to the familiar classicsound while keeping analogue authenticity.
You can find out more about Repro-1 by U-he here.
Absynth 5 by Native Instruments (Windows, Mac)
Absynth 5 is one of those synthesizers that has earned thereputation of being one of the go-to choices for any serious music producer.
It’s one of the most powerful synths out there, with theonly issue being how difficult it is to use since the interface doesn’t reallyallow you to navigate it easily.
Having said that, if you know your way around synthesizersor if you don’t mind investing some time into it, then Absynth 5 is an absolutemust.
You can find out more about Absynth 5 by Native Instruments here.
Harmor by Image-Line (Windows only)
Harmor, which was developed by the same people who createdFL Studio, is driven by a powerful additive synthesis engine.
Its modules will look familiar to subtractive synthesizerenthusiasts: oscillators, filters & phasers, these are featured in Harmorbut, because performed through additive synthesis, offer more freedom.
Just like with the previous synth on this list, Harmor canseem a bit intimidating on first sight.
However, what it lacks in ease-of-use it more than makes upin overall quality of the sounds.
You can find out more about Harmor by Image-Line here.
Free alternatives
I wrote another post where I listed the free synth plugins that I considered to be the best ones, here are three of those;
Dexed by Digital Sub Urban (Windows, Mac)
Dexed is a Free multi platform and multi format frequency modulation Synth which is based on, or closely modeled to, the Yamaha DX7.
It isn’t the simplest synth to use… there is definitely a learning curve to it, but I honestly think that it’s well worth it to do the effort and learn it properly.
It is also a MIDI cartridge manager for the DX7 meaning that any of the .syx files in the cartridges will be available from the “Cart” window.
You can access this directory by pressing the “Cart” button and then the “Show Dir” button. Neighbours from hell 1 for mac.
You can find out more about Dexed by Digital Sub Urban here.
Surge by Vember Audio (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Surge is an opensource Synth VST that sounds fantastic and is considered by many to be the best free synthesizer plugin currently available.
It is a hybrid subtractive synthesizer with a dual synthesis engine.
Each patch contain two ‘scenes’, which are separate instances of the entire synthesis engine that can be used for layering or split patches.
In addition to this, it also features three oscillators per voice, 8 oscillator algorithms, Two filter units in 8 different configurations, 12 LFO units available0 (6 are per voice and 6 are global for the whole scene), 7 deformable LFO waveforms plus a drawable/step sequencer waveform, and more.
As far as effects go, it features Delay, Reverb, Chorus, Phaser, EQ, Distortion, Conditioner (EQ, stereo-image control, and limiter), Rotary speaker, Frequency shifter and Vocoder.
Surge used to be a premium plugin and sold for roughly $99, but now it’s free and opensource.
It’s even getting updated consistently, meaning that there will be bug fixes over time and the plugin itself will get better and better.
Download it for free here.
Synth1 by Ichiro Toda (Windows, Mac)
Despite its old age, Synth1 is still extremely relevant today, and this is why I included it in this list, plus it works on both Windows and Mac OS on 32bit and 64bit systems.
This is one of those synth plugins that you should always keep in your arsenal since it sounds absolutely fantastic; it’s right up there with Surge and Dexed, at least as far as freeware synths go.
Synth1 is modeled on the Nord Lead 2 Synthesizer and you can download hundreds of presets for it.
It features two oscillators and one sub-oscillarot, FM modulation, ring mod., synchro, 4 types of filters, distortion, two LFO, arpeggiator, and much more.
It’s extremely light on the CPU and works on almost any OS and DAW.
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Give it a try!
Download it for free here.
Top 3 Choices
If you don’t mind investing time into learning a complex but extremely good synth, then Absynth 5 is a great choice.
If you are completely new and want something that’s easy to learn and also affordable, then Synthmaster One might be the one.
Lastly, an overall great synth plugin is Serum.
And last but not least…
How can you learn to use a Synth the right way?
If you really want to learn as much as possible about synthesizers without wasting too much time, then I’d recommend enrolling in an online course like Beginner’s Guide to Synthesis.
This course covers all the basics and all the essential knowledge you need about synthesizers in order to produce modern music.
You’ll need a MIDI Controller
In order to be able to use these plugins properly, you will need some sort of MIDI Controller.
While you can use your mouse to map the MIDI in your DAW, it’s a lot faster and easier to do it with a keyboard/controller.
My recommendation here is for you to get something like the M-Audio Oxygen 25 MK IV MIDI Controller which you can find at Amazon at a very affordable price, plus it comes with some extra software like Pro Tools First.
Conclusion
No matter which of these synths you choose, they are allextremely good.
Some of them are extremely affordable while some other arequite pricy.
Which one you decideto go with entirely depends on your needs and budget.
I hope this information was useful…
Have a wonderful day!
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F.A.Qs.
What is a synth VST?
Virtual Studio Technology (VST) is an audio plug-in software interface that integrates software synthesizers and effects units into digital audio workstations.
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