Trap music has come a long way from its early hip hop roots. Music producers are blending sound design elements from hip hop, EDM, dubstep, and even country, as Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus proved with the insanely successful “Old Town Road” remix. But to have success, it’s vital for beatmakers to have a solid arsenal of VSTs: synthesizers, drum machines, and samplers. If you want those high quality hi-hats or unforgettable basslines, you need the right tools. This is especially true when it comes to your VST or VST plugins. So let’s dive in and take a look at my picks for the best trap VSTs available today.
The Best Trap VST for Producers on a Budget:
SubLab
My first pick for our best VST synths is this recent synthesizer from Future Audio Workshop. It’s a “new class” of synth for hip hop, future bass, and trap. Just as the title sounds, its purpose is for creating solid 808s and sub basses essential for trap music.
SubLab relies on three sound sources. You can blend synth, sampler, and X-sub, Future Audio’s sub-bass oscillator. It’s the sub-bass tech that really stands out on this one. Future Audio designed it to sound amazing, no matter what speaker it’s played on.
Of course, there are always drum kits. You get a ton of samples from classic drum machines like the TR-808 and others. The high quality sample packs include six bass pack and 250 kick samples to get you started.
Pros
- Excellent low-end preset sounds and sound quality
- Low price point for music producers who can’t afford to spend their life savings on one synth.
Cons
- If anything, I’d say the weak point is the lack of music production tips, manuals, and resources for new users. But the community will figure out all of SubLab’s tricks fast enough.
Check Price on Plugin Boutique
Best Trap VST for Hi-Hats:
Hats
If creating or tweaking your own hi-hats are your thing, this is one of the best VST plugins you can get. Even if your DAW has a drum sampler, this synth lets you craft your own hi-hats, taking your sound design beyond samples.
The noise generator is similar to a TR-808 drum machine, and you can blend these uniquely homemade sounds with samples to create something totally new. Hats also comes with a reverb, bit crusher, and ring modulator. The addition of an onboard LFO gives you extra options.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Intuitive controls
- You won’t have to spend ages learning how to make this synthesizer plugin work
- You also get an amazing library of drum samples from classic drum machines.
Cons
- I think it might be a bit pricey for some music producers, considering what it does. But if you’ve got the cash, go for it—it can save you time
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The Best Trap VST for Unusual Retro Sounds:
Sawer
This VST synth evokes Polivoks, a classic Soviet synthesizer from the 1980s. The designer basically created it accidentally, as the result of a coding error, and then started to turn it into something that would work.
The result is a synth unlike any other you’ll find. It’s fun and easy to use, and you’ll lose track of time tweaking your filter with this LFO. I love Sawer because it’s just so different from the standard options.
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Incredible presets
- Great built-in effects, like reverb
- Overall great sound quality
Cons
- Sawyer is somewhat limited, so it probably won’t totally replace your main VST instruments. But if you’re looking to add to your arsenal, you’ll be happy.
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The Best Trap VST for Completely Original Sounds:
Serum
If you asked me “what’s the best synth VST?” I’d be tempted to answer Serum. Serum is a high quality wavetable synthesizer that gives you plenty of options for tweaking your work. Unlike many VSTs that rely on libraries, native instruments, or drum kits, Serum lets you create your own sounds from scratch, or load in a wave file to tweak.
For the music producer who cares about having lots of options in sound design, this will be like being a kid in a candy shop. While there’s something to be said for synth plugins that bring a full library of virtual instruments, there’s nothing like making your own.
The Serum Xfer Wavetable Synth is one of the most popular soft synths around, frequently mentioned in the same breath as Sylenth1 or Omnisphere 2. There’s a reason for it.
Pros
- A high quality synth with great presets
- Great wavetable editor that gives your inner perfectionist all the control it desires
- There are a number of great trap preset packs as well
Cons
- Can be intimidating if this is your first time experimenting with sound design.
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The Best Trap VST for Instrumental Sounds:
Khords
Loopmaster is already well known for their earlier Bass Master. Khords is their latest creation. It’s a virtual instrument that uses 550 presets and 315 samples to put an entire orchestra on your DAW. I like that you can mix and match sounds endlessly. The expansion packs only give you more options.
Pros
- You get a wealth of instruments, samples, and presets
- Great effects: 6 chorus and reverb options each
Cons
- Limited opportunity for modulation—but you still get so much for the price
