The 9 Best Synth Plugins for EDM Producers
When it comes to EDM production, synths are the heart and soul of your sound. Whether you’re crafting euphoric melodies for a progressive house anthem or designing face-melting basslines for dubstep, having the right synth plugins in your arsenal can make all the difference. Modern EDM relies on bold, dynamic, and innovative sound design, and today’s synths offer unprecedented creative freedom. From the industry-standard Serum to the versatile Omnisphere, these tools allow producers to push boundaries and craft the massive, polished sounds that dominate festival stages and playlists alike. In this post, we’ll explore some of the best synth plugins for EDM producers, breaking down what makes them essential for crafting everything from sparkling leads to atmospheric pads. Whether you’re a seasoned producer looking to expand your toolkit or a beginner searching for the perfect synth to start your journey, these plugins will give you the power to create tracks that stand out. Let’s dive into the synths shaping the sound of modern EDM.
Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links, which means Internet Tattoo may receive a commission if you purchase through these links at no additional cost to you.
Serum by Xfer Records
Serum by Xfer Records has cemented its place as an EDM staple, thanks to its intuitive interface and powerful sound design capabilities. At its core is a wavetable synthesis engine that allows you to morph and shape sound with incredible precision. You can even import your own wavetables or create them from scratch, making Serum the ultimate tool for crafting personalized sounds. Whether you're designing sharp dubstep growls, shimmering trance leads, or textured pads for melodic house, Serum offers unparalleled versatility.
What sets Serum apart for EDM is its drag-and-drop modulation system, which makes complex sound design both approachable and fun. The built-in FX rack, complete with high-quality reverb, delay, and distortion, is tailored for big, polished sounds. Plus, the real-time visual feedback helps you understand exactly how your sound is evolving, a feature that’s particularly helpful when dialing in intricate modulations. Serum is also incredibly CPU-efficient, so you can stack it in your sessions without bogging down your workflow. It’s no wonder Serum is often the first synth EDM producers reach for.
View current price
Kilohearts Phase Plant
Phase Plant by Kilohearts is a modular synth powerhouse designed for producers who want complete control over their sound. It’s not just another synth—it’s a sound design playground. The modular architecture lets you combine wavetable, virtual analog, and sampler oscillators with filters, envelopes, and modulators, all within one interface. Whether you’re creating earth-shaking bass for dubstep or lush, atmospheric pads for progressive house, Phase Plant’s flexibility makes it perfect for crafting the unique, high-quality sounds EDM demands.
One of the standout features of Phase Plant is its streamlined workflow, which offers drag-and-drop modulation and visual feedback that’s intuitive even for beginners. The included factory presets showcase its versatility, offering everything from aggressive leads to experimental textures. With Phase Plant, you’re not just tweaking sounds—you’re building them from the ground up, which makes it ideal for producers who want to stand out in a crowded scene.
For those looking to expand even further, Snap Heap and Multipass—Kilohearts’ modular effects tools—integrate seamlessly with Phase Plant. This allows you to stack effects chains and add multiband processing directly to your patches, taking your sound design to another level. Phase Plant is an essential tool for any EDM producer who craves endless possibilities and a forward-thinking approach to synthesis.
View current price
u-he Hive 2
Hive 2 by u-he is the perfect synth for EDM producers who want streamlined, powerful tools without sacrificing sound quality. It’s a lightweight plugin, optimized to be easy on your CPU, but it punches far above its weight class. Hive combines subtractive and wavetable synthesis, giving you the flexibility to create everything from warm analog-style sounds to modern, digital textures. Its fast, fluid workflow is ideal for producers who need to get ideas down quickly.
Hive’s sequencer and arpeggiator tools make it particularly suited for EDM genres like progressive house and melodic techno, where rhythmic complexity can elevate a track. The synth also comes loaded with a wide range of presets crafted by industry experts, giving you instant access to festival-ready sounds. The modulation matrix and shape sequencers let you add movement and life to your patches, ensuring they evolve dynamically in your mix. Whether you’re crafting pumping basslines or intricate leads, Hive 2 offers a polished, professional sound with minimal fuss.
View current price
SynthMaster 3 by KV331
SynthMaster by KV331 Audio is a synth plugin that does it all, making it a must-have for any EDM producer. Combining wavetable, additive, and subtractive synthesis, SynthMaster offers a level of versatility that few other plugins can match. Whether you’re after thunderous basslines for dubstep, lush pads for trance, or sharp leads for electro house, this plugin has you covered. It’s particularly well-known for its massive library of thousands of presets, which serve as perfect starting points or instant inspirations.
What makes SynthMaster stand out for EDM is its dual-layer architecture, allowing you to create intricate, layered sounds. Each layer can have its own oscillators, filters, and effects, which means you can design patches that are as complex or simple as you need. The modulation system is another highlight, giving you the freedom to add dynamic movement with LFOs, envelopes, and step sequencers. SynthMaster even includes high-quality built-in effects, like phasers and choruses, so your sounds come out polished and mix-ready. For producers looking for a single plugin that can handle almost any task, SynthMaster is hard to beat.
View current price
Output Arcade
While Output Arcade isn’t a traditional synth, it’s a game-changer for EDM producers who want a fresh approach to music creation. Arcade is a sample-based instrument with a constantly updated library of curated sounds, loops, and kits, perfect for quickly building tracks or adding unique textures. Its workflow is streamlined: you load a kit, tweak it with real-time controls, and play or sequence it directly into your project. For genres like future bass, melodic house, or even experimental trap, Arcade’s library of content offers instant inspiration.
The magic of Arcade lies in its playable interface and creative tools. Each kit includes customizable macros that let you manipulate sounds in real time, whether you’re stretching a vocal chop, tweaking a bass loop, or adding glitchy effects. The modulation tools and on-the-fly processing ensure that every sample feels like a personalized instrument rather than a stock sound. Arcade also shines as a time-saver for producers juggling multiple projects—its quick setup and ever-expanding content library mean you’ll always have fresh ideas at your fingertips.
View current price
Spectrasonics’ Omnisphere 2
Spectrasonics’ Omnisphere 2 is a titan in the world of soft synths, and for good reason—it’s both a sound designer’s playground and an EDM producer’s best friend. Its hybrid engine combines synthesis and sampling, meaning you can layer organic recordings, like human voices or field sounds, with traditional oscillators for entirely unique patches. Omnisphere’s 14,000+ presets span virtually every genre, from ethereal pads perfect for melodic house to heavy, cinematic textures ideal for festival-ready builds.
What truly sets Omnisphere apart for EDM producers is its multitimbral capabilities, allowing up to eight layers of sound. Imagine blending plucky trance leads with rumbling basslines and shimmering atmospheres, all within a single instance. The Orb feature, a real-time sound morphing tool, adds another dimension of creativity, making it easy to create dynamic, evolving sounds that stand out in a mix. With its expansive library of sonic sources and the ability to import your own audio, Omnisphere is unparalleled in helping producers craft genre-defining tracks.
View current price
NI Massive
When you think of the iconic dubstep growls and festival-sized supersaws that dominated EDM in the 2010s, Native Instruments’ Massive likely had a hand in their creation. Even though it’s been outshone by its successor, Massive X, the original still holds its ground as a go-to synth for crafting powerful, aggressive sounds. Its wavetable synthesis engine gives producers immense control over shaping their sound, making it perfect for everything from deep, wobbling basslines to cutting leads.
What makes Massive timeless for EDM is its macro controls and intuitive modulation system. Producers can assign modulation to nearly any parameter, creating movement and depth that makes sounds feel alive. The massive selection of filters, effects, and oscillators lets you dive deep into sound design while keeping the interface approachable. Massive remains a staple, particularly for bass-heavy genres like dubstep, trap, and hybrid bass music, where clarity and punch are king.
View current price
Rob Papen Predator 3
Rob Papen’s Predator 3 is a synth that’s designed to be both powerful and approachable, making it a favorite for EDM producers who want to dive deep into sound design without getting lost in complexity. Built around a triple-oscillator engine, Predator 3 delivers everything from lush analog-style pads to searing, modern leads. It shines in genres like big-room house and trance, where its ability to craft complex, evolving sounds helps your tracks stand out. The extensive wavetable options and built-in modulation tools make it easy to add movement and depth, ensuring your patches sound alive and dynamic.
Where Predator 3 really excels for EDM is in its user-friendly interface paired with advanced features. The synth includes an impressive array of filters, including Rob Papen’s signature distortion and comb filters, which are perfect for shaping aggressive basslines and dramatic drops. Its arpeggiator and step sequencer are also highly customizable, allowing producers to create intricate rhythms and patterns that fit seamlessly into genres like progressive house or techno. With over 6,500 presets designed by Papen himself, Predator 3 is not just a tool—it’s a creative playground for producers who want to push their sound to the next level.
View current price
Arturia Pigments 5
Arturia Pigments 5 is a synth that dares to do it all—and does it beautifully. Combining wavetable, virtual analog, granular, and harmonic synthesis, it offers an unprecedented level of sonic flexibility. Whether you’re crafting bright, futuristic leads or dark, experimental textures for techno, Pigments delivers a palette of possibilities that feels endless. The color-coded interface gives producers a clear, visual way to manipulate complex patches, making advanced sound design feel intuitive and engaging.
What makes Pigments exceptional for EDM is its built-in sequencer and randomization tools. These features allow you to create unpredictable patterns, perfect for genres like melodic techno or glitchy future bass. Its effects section is another standout: tools like tape saturation, multiband compression, and granular delay help you shape your sound with studio-quality polish. Pigments also integrates seamlessly with Arturia’s ecosystem, so if you’re already using their virtual instruments or hardware, it becomes a natural addition to your setup. For EDM producers who want cutting-edge sound design in an approachable package, Pigments is a game-changer.
View current price
The Best Effects for EDM Production
When it comes to crafting standout EDM tracks, effects plugins play a crucial role in adding movement, depth, and polish to your sound. From creating pulsating rhythms to transforming simple elements into dynamic masterpieces, the right effects can elevate your production to professional levels.
ShaperBox 3 by Cableguys is a favorite for adding rhythmic interest and creative transformations. Its modular approach lets you shape volume, pan, filters, and time, perfect for crafting sidechain effects or glitchy transitions that keep your track evolving. Similarly, Xfer LFO Tool offers precision in creating rhythmic effects, often used for sidechaining or adding motion to pads and leads. These tools are essential for EDM genres that rely on energetic and hypnotic movement.
For producers aiming to push the boundaries of their sound design, Polyverse Manipulator provides extreme pitch and formant shifting, ideal for creating alien-like vocal effects or twisting synths into unrecognizable textures. iZotope Stutter Edit 2 is another powerhouse, enabling you to add granular stutters, risers, and drops with ease—perfect for intricate buildups and breakdowns in dubstep or trap.
Reverb and spatial effects are equally crucial in EDM, and Eventide Blackhole delivers expansive, otherworldly reverbs that turn ordinary sounds into cinematic moments. Whether you're designing ethereal breakdowns or atmospheric intros, Blackhole adds depth and dimension. On the other end of the spectrum, Sugar Bytes Effectrix 2 combines delay, reverse, and time-stretch effects in a programmable sequencer, offering endless possibilities for glitch-heavy drops and experimental textures.
Finally, no EDM toolkit is complete without OTT by Xfer Records, a free multiband compressor that’s perfect for adding punch and clarity to your basslines, leads, and drums. Its aggressive compression style is a staple in modern EDM, helping sounds cut through even the busiest mixes.
With tools like these, you have the creative and technical power to craft tracks that captivate listeners and dominate dancefloors.
The Power of Simplicity and Staying Unique
When producing EDM, it’s easy to get caught up in the endless possibilities of modern tools and effects. However, the real magic often lies in simplicity. A track doesn’t need dozens of layers or every plugin in your arsenal to hit hard. Instead, focus on refining a few strong ideas and building a clean, balanced mix around them. Thoughtful use of tools like reverb, compression, and rhythmic effects can elevate your sound without overcrowding it. Simplicity allows each element to shine, ensuring that your track resonates clearly with listeners and delivers maximum impact on the dancefloor.
At the same time, standing out in a crowded EDM scene requires more than technical proficiency—it demands a unique voice. While it’s helpful to draw inspiration from current trends, don’t shy away from experimenting and pushing boundaries. Use your plugins and effects to explore new textures, arrangements, and techniques that reflect your individual style. Remember, trends will come and go, but crafting a sound that’s authentically yours is what creates a lasting impression. Keep it simple, stay true to your vision, and let your music do the talking.
Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links, which means Internet Tattoo may receive a commission if you purchase through these links at no additional cost to you.