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5 Synth Plugins You Absolutely Need to Know!

Let’s be honest: Synths are one of the most versatile instruments a musician could have by their side. With their versatility, they can really be for everyone and every genre. They don’t necessarily need to be just keys based, but you can enhance so many instruments’ sounds, like guitar or bass. You just need to find THE ONE, that you can literally tailor yourself based on your needs.

So, here’s a list of synth plugins you can consider in finding your ONE, some a little pricey and some more accessible to anyone!

Omnisphere by Spectrasonics is an award-winning software known for its extreme versatility and for being the only software in the world to offer a Hardware Synth Integration feature (basically, it can be used also on physical keys, to bridge the gap between software and hardware). With its vested sound library and FX units, it becomes a journey to discover all its features.  For this reason, its cost varies from 399$ to 499$, not an investment everyone can make on two feet, but that can be worth the price if you make heavy use of it. 

Wonder where you can hear Omnisphere at work? Try listening to Alright's background vocals by Kendrick Lamar, and produced by Pharell Williams. They come from Omnisphere’s Jazz Stacks preset, which uses samples from Vocal Planet, a sample library released almost twenty years ago. 

OMNISPHERE BY SPECTRASONICS

PRICE: 399$ to 499$

Some refer to it using the words “dream synthesizer” for how simple it is to create and alter sounds and wavetables in your own way, all by maintaining the sound extremely clean, which is something you shouldn't give for granted. Serum really becomes a second skin software when you have 450 presets and 144 wavetables at your fingertips. There’s a demo version available and it comes at a little more accessible price: 189$. 

Talking about versatility, this plugin is used by Martin Garrix, but has tons of presets that are just so sweet for metal music. 

SERUM BY XFER

PRICE: 189$. 

With its peculiarity of being an 8-Voice synth (so that makes it an octaphonic synthesizer), the Oberheim OB-E is the VST Emulation of a popular synthesizer from the mid-80s. Its emulation resulted in the end so good that even its original producer, Tom Oberheim, officially endorsed the product as it turned out to be faithful to the original. 

This synth has been so used and has characterized so many music eras that I think you might have CASUALLY already heard it: Never heard of Jump by Van Halen? I think you should give it a listen (lol) 

So if you love a good old synth, this is the ONE. Also because the price is quite good considering its fame: 149$

OBERHEIM OB-E BY G-FORCE

PRICE: 149$

Accordingly to his name, the Pigments VST from Arturia is a plugin that literally allows you to build your sound starting from a visual and colorful interface, with real-time visual feedback, as if you were painting with sound.

In addition, a 1200 presets library, various sound engines, oscillators, filters, and FX algorithms, allow you to build sounds under your terms and for every genre. 

It’s famous for being beginners’ friendly, but it costs 199$. You can give a listen to it by listening to the famous Dutch DJ, Nicky Romero: it is his piece de resistance.

PIGMENTS BY ARTURIA

PRICE: 199$

Talking about not wanting to use synths only on keys, here’s a dope plugin thought to transform your guitar into a MIDI synthesizer: MIDI GUITAR 2 by Jam Origin. The process is simple, once you have connected your guitar to your computer, the plugin transforms it into a customizable synth, but also gives you access to great deep guitar effects too, and it gives wonderful results both on any DAW and Live on stage! 

If you are looking for a way to change your approach to your guitar and all kinds of creative boundaries, it’s perfect for you, and it’s 149$. If you want to know more, the dutch guitar virtuoso Richard Hallebeek can give you a tour of it in his song Crashing Apps.

MIDI GUITAR BY JAM ORIGIN

PRICE: 149$