Electronic dance music is hardly new. People have been dancing to electronic music since the 60s. Still, in the new millennium, the EDM genre has exploded in popularity. Music producers find inspiration in dance music, hip hop, dubstep, and synth-pop. Thumping basslines and beats to get people moving to the rhythm. From Tycho to Tiesto, EDM defines the modern club and dance festival scene. So what’s the best EDM VST to use?
EDM (electronic dance music) is a VERY broad term. But no matter what you’re attempting to create, the VSTs and synths you use will ultimately guide your production. Whether you’re creating music for a great party night, or just to post your creations to Soundcloud, there’s an EDM VST for you. With the right VST, some high-quality sample packs, preset packs—and a little know-how—you can take your music production to the next level.
Best EDM VST for the Beginner Music Producer
Synthmaster One
For years, KV331 has been known for their signature synth “Synthmaster.” With Synthmaster One, they created something more compact and a little different. Synthmaster One has extra wavetable sound design elements and two LFOs. It’s easy for beginning music producers to learn, and works on PC or Mac. But while you can pick it up quickly, the program will continue to keep you hooked, and expand your music production horizons. Play with modulation. Teach yourself a little old-school subtractive synthesis. You can even load Serum-compatible wavetables if you’re using both VSTs.
Overall, I have to say this is a fantastic option. It’s especially good for anyone new to EDM. You can learn a lot from it, but you don’t have to know everything in order┬áto get started.
Pros
- Tons of high-quality presets
- Great effects, including reverb and compressor
- Lots of options—it’s great value
Cons
- Not quite as versatile as Serum for wavetable sound production
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Best Low-Fuss EDM VST
Hive 2
The folks at u-he have put out some great products, like the much-loved Diva. Recently, they also updated their 2015 synth plugin, Hive. That’s what we’ll look at here. Hive 2 has an amazing 2300 presets, and a wide choice of features. One thing u-he does really well is support. Timely updates and a great manual will be useful for anyone who wants a bit more guidance.
Pros
- Thoughtful layout makes the process intuitive
- Timely updates, great manual
Cons
- Can be an intimidating first VST for sound design
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Best VST for Maximizing Your Choices
Omnisphere 2
Spectrasonics created a monster with this program, and I like it. If what you want is options, this may be the VST for you. It comes with insane versatility. It has wavetable features. It has over 14,000 high-quality sounds. It supports over 65 different synthesizers. The newest version adds a hardware library with over 600 new patches. There is even a specific EDM library with modern sounds.
Pros
- Enormous resources and libraries
- Versatile sounds for any genre
Cons
- The most expensive of the group, but still provides a selection that can’t be beaten
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Best EDM VST for Composition and Plugins
Kontakt Komplete 12
Wavetables and sound design aren’t for everyone and isn’t necessary for every genre of music. Although, if you have wavetables and sound design figured out, you’ll find that the sky is the limit when you combine it with a powerful arsenal like Kontakt.
But that doesn’t mean that an arsenal of real instruments should be avoided! Kontact Komplete 12 from Native Instruments might be your choice in terms of real instruments and samples. Kontact Komplete 12 boasts 25,000 individual sounds. It also works with any DAW, making it a great addition for any music producer’s collection.
Pros
- This has a simply amazing library. The full production suite has 170 GB of instruments and effects.
Cons
- Takes up a lot of storage space, especially if you download additions (which you will want to do, no doubt about it).
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Best Overall EDM VST
Serum
Serum is a fantastic synth VST. The main feature here is that its a high-quality wavetable synthesizer. The sheer flexibility of Serum is what makes it stand above the rest. It starts you off with 450 presets and 144 wavetables. Having Serum is like having a sound design partner collaborating in the room with you. Its Warp process lets you manipulate a sound’s waveform to give you complete control.
For the money, Xfer Serum has a lot to offer. Omnisphere 2 and Synthmaster One are also great options, though they are in a different price range. Its versatility means it can work on any form of music. Serum’s incredible wavetable gives you the most freedom, even allowing you to load in your own samples.
Pros
- A great set of presets to start with
- Load in third-party sound banks for any genre
- Load your own samples into the wavetable synth
Cons
- Can be an intimidating VST for beginners, but a great place to start learning
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Which One Is Right For You?
There are tons of ways you can mix and match these tools. If I was just starting out in the game, I might suggest picking up Synthmaster One to learn the ropes. When you move up to Serum, you can start tweaking those same wavetables.
While some VSTs look vastly different from one another, they are all generally doing the same thing. So whatever VST you choose, learn it well, and you’ll be even more ready to learn your next choice. Any one of the VSTs above makes a great VST for EDM—it’s just a matter of getting started.
