List of the Best Synth VST Plugins for 2024
At the center of any producer’s arsenal is the plugins they use, but what are the best synth plugins available today? There are literally thousands available to choose from, which can be a little overwhelming, so in this blog we’re going to break down what the best soft synth plugins actually do, and give you our suggestions for the best synth plugins for 2024.
In this article
- What are software synthesizers VST plugins, and why use them?
- Different types of synthesis
- Our list of the best synth VST plugins. Their features and benefits.
- Conclusion
What are software synthesizers VST plugins, and why use them?
Synth plugins are virtual instruments that you can insert into a track in your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). They come in many different shapes and sizes, some of the best vst synth plugins emulate hardware like the classic Korg and Moog synthesizers, while others forge their own unique fields. They are used to allow producers to create a wide range of amazing sounds from lead lines and chord sequences to basslines, weird FX and everything in between. Using the best software synthesizers available can really kick start any production.
Different types of synthesis
Before we look at the best software synths, let’s have a look at what synthesis actually means. The process of “synthesis”, in music production, is when sounds are electronically generated, by a physical synthesizer or virtual synth plugin - commonly known as a vst synthesizer plugin. There are a number of different types of synthesis, and the majority of the best software synths use at least one of them to generate sounds or combinations of sounds. The four main types are;
Subtractive
Where filters are used to take away parts of a sound i.e. when you subtract sections of the frequency range
Additive
The creation of songs by adding different sine waves together
FM (frequency modulation)
The use of one signal (the modulator) to modulate another signal (the carrier)
Wavetable synthesis
A sample based type of synthesis where an oscillator reproduces a waveform of a sampled sound.
As many of the best synth VSTs use variations of these types of synthesis, it can be hard to unpick what is the best soft synth for beginners, so in the next section we’re going to give you our top selection of the best virtual synths in 2024.
Our list of the best synth VST plugins. Their features and benefits.
So here we go with our list of the best synth plugins available right now.
ANA 2.5
This will probably come as no surprise but we believe that our very own ANA is hands down the best synth VST available right now and as a brilliant starting point for producers, is also one of the best soft synths for beginners. ANA 2.5 is a powerful 6 voice soft synth with a full suite of sonic tools, featuring a Chord Memory Device, a 64-step Polyphonic Arpeggiator, and Analog-Modeled filters. It includes 26 FX Units, three Multisamplers with velocity control, three Wavetable Oscillators and over 500 amazing presets, across many different genres. What else can we say, it really is one of the best synth plugins out there.
Check it out over on our website and see if you agree with many big name producers, that ANA is the best virtual synthesizer on the market today.
U-He Diva
Next on our list of best software synths is a VST that is beloved by many of the world’s biggest EDM producers, U-He’s Diva. Diva aims to emulate five decades of the best synthesizers from global giants like Korg and Moog. It’s one of the best soft synths out there if you’re looking for a rich analogue sound.
Xfer Serum
Next on our list of the best synth plugins is one that is arguably responsible for many of the biggest sounds of the last few years, Serum is an advanced Wavetable synth used by the likes of Deadmau5, Skrillex, Martin Garrix and many more. A powerful synth with a visually appealing interface, making it a perfect choice for real time manipulation of its waveforms and modulators. One of the biggest players in the game right now and hands down one of the best synth vst plugins of the past few years.
AAS Chromaphone 3
Looking for the best soft synth that takes its sounds from real world acoustic instruments? Then Chromaphone 3 is the one for you. It has two resonators that are modeled on real life acoustic sounds, giving the synth a unique sound, perfect for creating drum and percussion sounds that sound like nothing else around. It also has an absolute stack of built in FX racks to allow you manipulate your sounds in any direction you like inducing reverb, delay, distortion, phaser, chorus, flanger, filters, equalizer, compressor, guitar amplifier, tremolo and more. On our list of best synth plugins, this one is really unique.
Kilohearts Phase Plant
Next up on our best synth plugins countdown is another one of the more recent players on the block, Kilohearts amazing Phase Plant takes a modular approach, allowing you to create your own synths from simple patches to complex modulating sounds. For anyone wishing to dive any deeper, Kilohearts also offer access to their amazing Content banks, a library of exclusive presets and patches designed by creators around the world, for a monthly fee. Used by Netsky, Noisia and Matt Zo, amongst others, this is definitely one of the Best EDM synth plugins out there today.
Audio Damage Continua
Audio Damage headed straight for our list of the best synth plugins when they launched their Continua synth in 2020, with the aim of supplying producers with an analog sounding synth with a twist, a three oscillator synth with continuous morphing ability. Perfect for sculpting ever evolving limitless soundscapes, Continua is one of the best software synthesizers for chilled out ambient and downtempo vibes.
Surge XT
Besides simply being a great synth, there are two other reasons why the Surge XT has ended up on our best synth VST plugins list. Firstly, it’s free, and who doesn’t love free stuff? Secondly it’s open source, meaning it’s constantly under development by tons of designers from around the globe, all chipping in to improve the look and functionality of the synth. So you can download it, use it in your tracks, but also be part of the future of one of the best synth plugins.
Newfangled Audio Generate
Generate brings something new to the table, chaos! Its unique generators allow you to shape complex sounds from randomness, leading to some of the most awesome cinematic sounds we’ve heard in a long time and perfect for both sound design in the studio and performing live.
Roland ZENOLOGY Pro
It’s probably no surprise that Roland have ended up on this list as their Zenology synth draws on decades of high level physical synthesizer production. Roland are synonymous with some of the most iconic sounds and devices in EDM history, so a place on the best synth plugins list was always a shoe in. And get this, the basic version of Zenology is free, with a Roland account, so a brilliant way to kick things off and have a play around before committing to an upgrade. One of the best producers of hardware in music history can now claim to be producers of one of the best synth VST plugins.
Conclusion
So finding the best music synthesizer software can be a mammoth task just down to the sheer volume of synths out there on the market. So click on some of the links above to check out some of our choices for best synth vst plugins, download a demo version if you can, and get stuck in.
Also don’t forget that we have many hours of video tutorials on our website where some of the most amazing producers in the world show you how they use some of the best synth plugins in their own productions.
