If you ask a dozen beatmakers to define hip hop, you’ll get a dozen different answers. Hip hop may have started as its own music subculture in the 1970s Bronx, but it’s a universal genre now. On the radio, the club, the gym, sports programs, and across the world in other languages, hip hop has transcended its origins and become a truly global phenomenon.
In the 21st century, great hip hop is built using the most modern tools, and there’s never been a better time to dive in. If you’re a hip hop producer and you’re just getting into making your own tracks, you need strong software as a starting point. So what software do most hip hop producers use? What is the best VST for hip hop and rap beats?
Top Features You Need in a Hip Hop VST
Before we start listing our suggestions, let’s talk about why these are the best.
Hip hop production relies heavily on drums, bass, melodies, sampling, and more. Beatmakers benefit from having a wide range of tools and VSTs at their disposal. High-quality samplers can often be found as a stock option within your DAW. Other tools for drums and basslines can be found in our list below.
While a good selection of presets is great, you of course still want your hip hop VST to be flexible enough for you to have the freedom to be original in your music production—and go beyond what’s been done before, so you can leave your own mark.
The hip hop VSTs here include crucial features: numerous sound sources, bass sounds, and more. They often include their own effects, such as reverb and more—though I always recommend processing simple effects with your DAW, or a separate plugin.
Below is a list of just some of the tools you need for high-quality beat making.
Serum
My friends and readers know I’m a huge fan of the Serum synth VST. It may just be the best wavetable synthesizer you can find, and loads of presets to give you a great starting point. The fact that Serum is the most flexible tool on the market is what makes it so powerful. You can use it for just about any genre of music, whether it’s Trap, EDM, trip-hop, or hip hop and rap beats.
That being said, is it the best VST for hip hop and rap beats? A dedicated community also means you have tons of information. There are loads of presets and VST plugins available so you have a place to start—and the ability to customize your sound.
Pros
- Versatile and powerful wavetable synthesizer
- Great presets, mainly for EDM
- A great way to learn sound design
Cons
- Can be a CPU hog
- Most presets aren’t geared toward authentic hip hop
Check Price on Plugin Boutique
Spire
Spire is a favorite of EDM music producers, but its features can work just as well for hip hop production. It uses four oscillators and a wavetable to give you tons of flexibility. You can easily get lost for hours tweaking your sounds and making them unique. For my money, Serum’s wavetable allows a little more control, but Spire’s is really good for most purposes.
What really amazes me about Spire is just how polished everything is, even the presets. You can create tracks that truly sound like a finished product.
Pros
- Enormous preset library that is a huge help to new (and expert) producers
- Wavetable gives you lots of freedom
- Richness and depth of sound production are well above average.
Cons
- This VST requires plenty of processing power, so you’re going to need an above-average CPU
- The user interface also takes a little time to learn
Check Price on Plugin Boutique
Omnisphere 2
Spectrasonics doesn’t do anything halfway. Omnisphere 2 is widely regarded as one of the most impressive VSTs on the market, and for good reason: 14,000 sounds, 65 unique synthesizers, a great arpeggiator, and a monster library put so many options right at your fingertips.
The recent 2.6 update includes 600 new patches, as well as expanded hardware integration, arpeggiators, pitch slides, and more. You can also now alter chord voicings and inversions per step.
Pros
- Enormous library lets you start creating music today, without having to spend a lot of time learning
- Versatile sound selection
Cons
- It has a higher price point than others on the list but it’s worth it
- Requires a large amount of hard drive space for storage
Check Price On Amazon
Trillian
Bass—and all kinds of it. Hundreds of bass guitars, with every style incorporated. It will sound like you have a bass player in the room. Trillian is an incredibly powerful virtual instrument and bass synth. Although I don’t include Trillian on all of my other lists, in this case, it absolutely deserves a spot.
There are two things that make Trillian a necessary plugin to own: high-quality sounds, and particularly amazing bass sounds that are key for hip hop production. The bass synth is top-tier. The user interface is engaging and easy to learn, making it ideal for new producers. If your personal style relies heavily on rich basslines, then Trillian is your tool.
Pros
- 34 GB library is over 10 times the size of Trillian’s predecessor, Spectrasonics Trilogy
- As good as REAL bass guitars—model by model
- Includes a great selection of vintage synth sounds you can’t find elsewhere (without the original that is!)
Cons
- Its focus is bass—you won’t find everything you need here
- Requires a large amount of hard drive space for storage
Check Price On Amazon
Output Exhale
At 9GB, Exhale’s size is considerably smaller than Trillian. Still, it manages to accomplish a similar goal, except in this case, the focus is vocals. If your style relies on vocal backups, and you don’t have your own personal choir handy, then Exhale is going to be a huge help. 500 presets, insert fx, and a versatile sequencer all let you quickly add human-sounding vocals with a minimum of fuss.
Exhale is not a complete solution, and if you only can afford one piece of software, you may want to look elsewhere. Exhale is pretty limited in scope, but it does this one thing very well.
Pros
- The best vocal VST available. Fairly priced (not absurdly expensive, but also not dirt cheap)
- Versatile selection of atmospheric and synth-like sounds—incredible library truly beats the real thing
Cons
- Uses a considerable amount of CPU—but simply flatten your tracks to audio if you need to free up some memory
Check Price on Plugin Boutique
Keyscape
Another triumph from the creative minds at Spectrasonics, Keyscape is absolutely a labor of love. Like Trillian, this is the best virtual instrument of its type, but in this case, we’re looking at pianos and keyboards. Instead of a bass synth, you’re getting a world-class keyboard and piano synth. The sound quality is absurdly good. The detail that Spectrasonics goes into is truly astounding, as they spent years perfecting high-quality versions of rare and classic keyboards. The uncompressed library is 200GB.
Keyscape runs on both Mac and PC, but because it is a CPU hog and requires a huge amount of storage, your best bet may be a Mac. For my money, Macs can be just a little better at running instruments like this one. Again, this isn’t a complete program, but if you want to achieve a perfect keyboard sound, this is your answer.
Pros
- The most versatile selection of piano and keyboards available
- Incredible sounds for all genres
Cons
- Requires a large amount of hard drive space for storage
Check Price On Amazon
Kontakt Komplete 12
It’s not uncommon for Native Instruments’ Kontakt Komplete to be recommended for film score production. Its deep library lets music producers emulate an entire orchestra. It works on any DAW, provides over 25,000 sounds, and has some of the best VST plugins available. All this gives you an enormous selection to choose from.
From the perspective of hip hop production, this tool can give you a lot of options. It’s especially useful if you’re looking to produce something orchestral in nature, using classic instruments to give your tracks a high-quality dramatic sound.
Pros
- Deep 170GB library with loads of instruments and effects
- Versatile and great for any genre—even scoring a film
Cons
- Requires a lot of storage
- Pricier than other options
Check Price On Amazon
Beat Machine 2
Beat Machine 2 is your plugin for boom bap drums and percussion goodness. Whereas Beat Machine 1 was a treasure trove of drum sounds from the 70s and 80s, the sequel features classic sounds from the 90s, 00s, and 10s.
Boom bap hip hop beatmakers will love this one. 600 drum kits give you unprecedented breadth. A hip hop track can thrive or die on the strength of its beat. If you really want to swing for the fences, get Beat Machine 1 and 2, but if you have to pick just one, Beat Machine 2 will give you the best selection for creating a track that sounds current.
Pros
- Great user interface
- Works on multiple DAWs, Mac, or PC
- Unlike so many on my list, it’s also not a CPU hog
- Great value
Cons
- Not compatible with Pro-Tools
- Buggier than most plugins—but gets the job done
Check Price on Plugin Boutique
Best VST for Hip Hop: A Few Final Thoughts
So which one of these standouts is the best VST for hip hop?
Basically, I think about these programs in two categories. On the one hand, you have special programs that are designed to do one thing really, really well. These would be Keyscape, Trillian, Exhale, and Beat Machine.
On the other hand, you have more complete programs to give you versatility, like Spire, Serum, Omnisphere, and Kontakt Komplete. If I were a beginner, I might recommend going with Spire or Kontakt as my starting point, and then branch out to Beat Machine or one of the other more specialized programs depending on my goals. If you’ve got a little more experience, Serum and Omnishpere are about the best tools you can own.
