The Best Synth VSTs To Make Hyperpop Rage Trap
Since Yeat tracks have been taking TikTok by storm, synthetic trap has been all the rage (pun intended.) The mix of wavy production and raw synth waves are inspired as much by a producer like Pi’erre Bourne as they are by the cutting-edge stylings of hyperpop. Much like Playboi Carti before him, Yeat has captured the perfect balance between high-energy beats and effortless vocals, which is why in the past few years he has become as respected as peers like Trippie Redd and Ken Carson. So, maybe you’re wondering how to recreate that exciting sound in your own DAW. If so, you’ve come to the right place! I’ve prepared for you a list of plugins that will help you get the rage sound and mix it like your fave tracks.
miniBit - AudioThing
Maybe this will betray my age, but when I listen to rage rappers like Yeat, I’m thrown back to the chip tunes of the late 00s. Something about the synth sound in hits like Sorry Bout That and Gët Money makes me think of artists like Crystal Castles and Anamanaguchi.
In case you don’t know, chiptune is a style of electronic music made with chips from old gaming consoles. If it sounds like the old 8-bit Mario, it’s probably chiptune.
Lucky for us, you don’t have to become a soldering iron jedi to have access to those sounds today. There are plenty of VSTs that can replicate the sound, including miniBit. This little gem from AudioThing is extremely fun to use and it sounds like it was made for synthetic beats.
Also, it’s incredibly cheap, so it’s a must-have for your trap beats.
Download miniBit here
Serum - Xfer Records
Serum is probably my favorite synth in the world. It’s incredibly powerful, and a bit underrated in the beatmaker community imo.
Serum offers infinite permutations of sound design and modulation, but if you’re after those raw oscillator sounds that are at the core of hyperpop rappers like Yeat, of course, Serum has those too.
Honestly, you can probably get all the synthetic sounds you need with the basic presets, although if you want something more specific, you can buy expansion packs and all sorts of preset bundles. Serum is often the standard synth for creators, something about its ease of use and its versatility makes it the weapon of choice for designers like Synthetic and Dynox (to name a few).
Serum is much more affordable than Omnisphere, and to be honest. I own both and Serum is definitely my go-to, so if you’re just starting out and you want to invest some cash, get Serum and you can decide if you need more synths later.
Download Serum here
Vital - Vital Audio
If you can’t afford Serum just yet, you can always try to crack it Kanye-style, but since I know you’re an honest person who would never do such a bad, bad thing, Vital is the next best thing for you.
Vital is a new wavetable synth that shares many common traits with the Xfer plugin, but one big difference is that it’s free. And since it’s free, it’s been widely adopted by the producer community, which means there are plenty of free presets out there.
Vital is a valuable tool to have in your arsenal, whether you’re rich or not. Download it, what do you have to lose?
Download Vital here
SubLab XL - Future Audio Workshop
Synthetic beats are surprisingly low on bass, but the type of bass they use varies from one track to the next. Sometimes you have to come out here with blown-out 808s à la Pi’erre Bourne, other times you have a reese bass or an FM stab.
To make sure you have all the low-end options you need, I’d recommend getting SubLab, a gorgeous bass synth I decided to get on Black Friday 2022.
This little guy does ‘em all, and then some. The interface makes it really fun to use, and you won’t have too much trouble getting cool sounds for your tracks out of this one.
Download SubLab XL here
Scaler 2 - Plugin Boutique
To make your melodies, you can easily rely on MIDI files and samples. but the theory behind most beats in the style of Yeat isn’t that hard to understand.
Basically, you can take any triad (a 3-note chord) and remove the third. From there, you can add a top note to form a sus chord. Even if you don’t know which note to use, you can probably figure it out by ear…
But if what I just said is too nerdy or confusing, there are some really cool tools out there to help you generate slick chord progressions. I’d recommend Scaler 2, a MIDI generator that lets you play around with genre-specific chords. It also has all the sus chords you need.
It’s fun and easy to use, and it offers a ton of creative possibilities. Check it out.
Download Scaler 2 here
OTT - Xfer Records
Hyperpop and rage type trap is characterized by that super compressed and exciting sound that makes the sound feel like your headphones are shooting rainbows in your skull through your ears.
I know you’re thinking: “Surely, a mix plugin that sounds this good must cost a small fortune. How many organs do I need to sell in order to be able to afford it?”
Well, actually, the best way to achieve that sound is with a multi-band compressor called OTT (as in “over the top”). And you don’t need to sell a thing to get it because it’s free. If you use Ableton, it’s included as a native tool, but I’d recommend heading over to Xfer’s website to get their version of the VST because it looks much cooler and it’s also more fun to use.
Download OTT here
Auto-Tune - Antares
I’ve noticed Yeat uses Auto-Tune as an instrument on a lot of his tracks. Of course, he’s not the only rapper who does that, but the way he uses it is really creative.
Even if you're a beatmaker (and not a vocalist), you should pick up Auto-Tune, plug in a cheap mic and start jamming using your voice instead of your synths. Auto-Tune vocals have a warmth and a soulfulness that’s hard to replicate with any other instrument.
Another vocal processor that can yield interesting results is Soundtoys’ Little AlterBoy, which offers a rudimentary auto-tuner as well as a bunch of really cool effects for vocals.
For budget producers, you can grab a free copy of United Plugins’ TrapTune and start vibing right now on the cheap!
It’s not about the software, it’s all about that creativity!
Download the OG Auto-Tune here
Vybz - Thenatan
Rage type beats are usually pretty minimalist, so the modulation plays a big part in the feel of the beat. Because there are only a few select sounds, every sound you use is that much more important.
Of course, you could use awesome multi-effect tools like RC-20 or Lifeline Expanse, but once again, your boy hooks you up with inexpensive options. If you want to make your music sound cool, of course, check out the aforementioned, but perhaps you can start with the much more affordable Vybz from the good folks at Thenatan.
Vybz has similar qualities to other VSTs of the same type, but I found its presets to be a little darker and weirder. A bit less vintage-y and edgier, which is perfect for trap.
Download Vybz here
Samples
Last but not least, you’ll need some drum samples if you want to make beats. I’m assuming you already have all the trap drum samples you need, but you always need more drums. And of course, the best kind of drums is free drums. You can get all the free drums your heart desires over at the ProducerGrind website. They even have a free pack inspired by Yeat. I mean, what more could you want?
If that’s not enough, pick up a Splice subscription and start collecting some cool samples and loops. For me, Splice has been an endless source of inspiration and fun. I love collecting loops and finding inventive ways to use them in my beats.
For rage beats, I can recommend packs like Hype, Hyper Pop Rage or Wavy. Anything by charting developers like Origin Sounds, Drums That Knock, and X10 is worth a couple of credits.
A lot of good stuff out there, and the basic subscription is affordable. Don’t miss out!
Check out Splice here