Do you like making music on a computer? If you answered yes, congrats because a) you live in the 21st century, and b) you're probably already familiar with virtual studio technologies (or VST, for short). That clunky and nerdy designation is used as an umbrella term for pretty much any program that helps you make dope music on your computer. From a smooth analog compressor to a wild filter, VSTs have been on some kind of crazy quantum leap lately, getting better-sounding and more creative by the day.

Of course, there will always be purists that think you can’t make authentic electronic music without hardware instruments, but whether you're just starting out in the world of beatmaking, or you're trying to update your sound, there's no shame in using plugins and their presets as a jumping point for your musical journey.

Personally, I'm always on the lookout for new and cool synth sounds, whatever is out there. I like to tweak the sounds of my favorite presets and make them my own. Using sounds prepared by pros also really helps me streamline my creative process and stir my beats in unexpected directions.

Here are a few of the VST synths I've been using in all my productions lately. There are 3 things that make those instruments dear to me: 1) their power, 2) their quality, and 3) the variety of their presets.

Credit: ArtStation — *Credit:* *ArtStation*

Serum | Xfer Records

This article could end here. Serum is “da bomb”.

Yet, I was skeptical when I first got Serum. At the time I was enamored with analog synths and in a committed relationship with the Arturia V Collection. At first sight, Serum doesn't give you that intuitive knob-per-function experience you'll get from the synths of yore.

Serum doesn't look like a synth from the past because it's not a synth from the past. This is the synth of the future, baby! This thing is straight out of Blade Runner 2049.

This being said, even though there’s a bit more menu-diving than with your typical vintage emulation, most of Serum’s parameters are only a few clicks away, and pretty easy to access.

With a nearly infinite amount of modulations, this is a thing where your imagination is the only limit to the sounds you can create. I'll admit I'm not great at programming my own sounds from scratch. I'm a simple guy and I like to work from presets, which is perfect because there are a bunch of affordable preset packs out there, on top of the ones included.

I've purchased many preset packs adapted to my needs from great providers like Echo Sound Work, Studio Sounds, and even Splice. They often come with custom wavetables and noises that expand the sounds you have access to even further. You can easily recreate classic synth sounds, but Serum shines when you use it for flashy pads, edgy plucks, and any other type of futuristic, mind-bending sound.

Serum is my ultimate go-to, but it's not the only synth I mess with. Here are a few more…

Get Serum here.

Analog Lab V | Arturia

As I mentionned earlier, if you know Arturia, you’re probably aware that the V Collection is a treasure trove of vintage VST synths, giving you the possibility to carry your favorite machines with you virtually, everywhere you go. It also gives you the possibility to skip the maintenance fees and soldering headaches, which is always a plus.

If you want an easy entry point to the world of virtual synthesis, please give Analog Lab V a go.

This plugin combines thousands of presets created across the whole range of classic synths available in the French company's range, as well as their modern original instrument, Pigments. It might seem like a cop-out to say that one of the best synthesizer plugins out there is "all the classic synths rolled into one'', but I feel confident doing so because Analog Lab truly feels like an instrument in its own right, especially for a guy who relies on presets, like me.

The interface is really simple and made for performance. The presets are plenty, and you can really dig up some weird ones. If I had a small criticism, I’d say that some presets might be going a little too heavy on the reverb and the delay, but that’s a matter of taste…

That being said, you can tweak the sounds pretty easily, and if you own the V Collection, you can also open the presets in their respective interface and really get down to some business. All in all, it's a good way to have access to some crazy sounds and get the most out of vintage forms of synthesis.

If you’re looking for something really modern and weird, you should give Pigments a shot.

Purchase Analog Lab V here.

Massive | Native Instruments

I have a love-hate relationship with Massive. For starters, I'm still stuck with the old version of this synth because Massive X - a new version with a more comprehensive interface - isn't compatible with my M1 mac.

Massive is the flagship synth of Native Instruments, a company that really made its mark on modern music with so many great production tools. If you've ever used Kontakt, Maschine, or any of the genius products included in the Komplete suite, you know what I'm talking about. Massive could arguably be considered their flagship synth, which says a whole lot.

Massive can produce a lot of thick, layered, and musical synth sounds, which makes it ideal for composition and sound design. Whether you need fluttering pads, squelchy basses, or anything, Massive is there for you. It might be a little laborious to modify your sounds, but frankly, there are so many great Massive presets out there that I rarely need to go under the hood.

NI put some thought into making some of their instruments compatible with each other, which is really useful. For instance, you can easily access the sounds of Massive in Maschine, or navigate your whole Native Instruments library in Komplete Kontrol.

Pair that with one of their affordable, top-quality hardware controllers and you're in business.

Astra | Splice

This one is a new addition to my workflow, and I haven't used it enough to be able to form a solid opinion, but I think it's worth mentioning for a couple of reasons.

Astra isn't the product of some new software manufacturer. It's simply a stock plugin offered by Splice, the sample store that has slowly but surely disrupted the world of beatmaking. From Doja Cat to Dominic Fike, chances are the latest hits of your favorite artists probably (but most likely CERTAINLY) contain samples that were purchased on Splice for a few pennies.

Astra is included in the Creator and Creator+ memberships, which makes it kind of a bonus if you're already using Splice, but it shouldn't be discounted as another freeware. It's a pretty powerful synth. Just going through the presets, I can tell this thing has a lot of potential.

My only criticism so far concerns the interface. Everything is there, and visually, it’s not without charm, but I think it could gain from being streamlined. Maybe I just need to get used to it, but since most virtual knobs are the same size, I’ve spent some time looking for essential functions every time I need to tweak a parameter.

The synth comes with a few hundred plugins, but you can download more presets on Splice's platform, for a few credits each. That's where this synth becomes really interesting.

That means there might be a near-infinite amount of presets coming our way, custom-made for different popular genres. This way you can download the specific patches you need, and not have to pay for the ones you don't.

Astra is still a humble challenger in the world of virtual synthesis, but with the help of creative preset developers out there, it could become the plugin to rule them all. (That is, as long as you're ready to pay for a monthly Splice membership…)

As I said, I've just started using Astra, and I'll probably have to write a full review soon, but in the meantime, don't be afraid to give it a shot, and let me know what you think.

Check out Splice here.

If this post didn’t quite scratch your itch, check out my article about the best synth VST plugins for trap and type beats.

Cover photo by Vollume

All products featured in this post are independently selected by myself. However, when you buy something through my retail links, I may earn an affiliate commission.