Sylenth
Sylenth
Sylenth isn’t a new plugin by any means, but it’s still one of the best on the market. It’s probably safe to say that most music producers will have this plugin installed on their computer.
Sylenth can make almost any sound you want. It’s a top plugin and a must have for any EDM music producers out there. Released in 2007, this plugin is used by The Chainsmokers, Skrillex and Alesso, to name but a few.
Serum
Serum
Serum is a relatively new plugin and is known as the must have EDM synth plugin. Released in 2014, it is the brainchild of Steve Duda, and in just a few years this wavetable synthesiser has created a cult like following. It hosts hundreds of sound banks and comes with over 400 presets.
Serum lends itself well to dubstep, future bass and trap, although I use it on pop all the time too. With its unlimited use of LFO’s, it’s very powerful in creating atmospheric landscapes. Another one to add to your arsenal if you plan on making EDM or pop.
Deadmau5 and Skrillex have both mentioned that they use this plugin.
Spire
Spire
Spire by Reveal Sounds is maybe not as well known as Sylenth or Serum, but it’s still a contender for the best synth plugin out there. Spire was brought to my attention by Sigala, who used it quite heavily on his track Came Here For Love. It offers almost everything that Sylenth and Serum do but in a whole different package and is certainly well worth looking into.
Spire is known for making trance like sounds and lush pads. It is a workhorse when it comes to loud, bright, punchy sounds. It’s also good at making the standard EDM big room leads that are present on most EDM anthems.
Music producers known to use spire include Sigala, Armin van Buuren and Gorgon city.