Synthwave Tutorial: Best Synths for Making Synthwave Music: Massive, Serum or Spire

What are the best virtual synths for making Synthwave music? With the plethora of virtual synths available on the market, it’s no wonder Synthwave producers find themselves in a bind when deciding which to choose from. While the original new wave movement of the 1980’s relied primarily on hardware synths, today’s music makers produce and mix exclusively in the box. With that being said, let’s examine three widely used synths to discover how they can play a part in creating compelling Synthwave music.

The Case With Massive

For years, Native Instruments’ Massive was the go to for EDM production. The beloved virtual synth gained traction when dubstep artist Skrillex growl-like patches and earth-shattering wobble basses, courtesy of LFOs, burst on the scene to garner chart topping positions.

Since then however, a slew of virtual synths have surfaced offering producers inexpensive alternatives.

For all intents and purposes, Massive does have a unique sound irregardless of the patch being triggered. Its waveforms and accompanying filters offer an identifiable sonic characteristic that is very much audible. For instance, Massive’s Scream filter, an integral module of the synth’s circuitry that has a distinctive sound, is found in a large number of UK Garage, Dubstep and Drum & Bass tracks.

Is Massive Ideal for Making Synthwave Music?

Many would argue that Massive’s sonic quality and old school origins make it unworthy for Synthwave music production. After all a waveform is a waveform. Nonetheless, in the event you’re unhappy with the sound produced by the archaic virtual synth, then add post processing effects such as tape-saturators, exciters and bit crushers.

Many of the classic sounds we’ve come to appreciate in Synthwave are modified Sawtooth, Square and PWM (Pulse Width Modulators) so start there.
Tape saturators provide depth, warmth and ostensible compression to any signal. When the right amount of distortion is applied, the recognizability of Massive’s filters become shrouded.

Massive is also known to be one of the lesser CPU intensive virtual synths so don’t be afraid to stack multiple instances of the plugin on a single MIDI track. If you’re running numerous instances of Massive on a less than adequate computer, then set the quality of the plugin to Normal thereby reducing the CPU’s workload.

The Case With Serum

Throughout the years, Serum has garnered a reputation for being cold and a CPU hog.
Steven Dudas, the brains behind Serum and a man who earlier in his music career, had studied music in college was proficient at coding. His desire to create a synth that offers customizable waveforms with which users could exploit and expand the boundaries of sound is the very reason why Serum is a contender for Synthwave-inspired music.

Even in the marketing of Serum, Steve sheds light, through diagrams, on the differences between Serum and Massive-generated sine waves of which Serum clearly exemplifies the “purest shape” waveform. Clearly, this is someone who pays attention to detail. To be fair though, Massive prides itself on being an analog synthesizer so the “purity” factor may be a deliberate quirk in Massive’s coding algorithm.

Is Serum Ideal for Making Synthwave Music?

All in all, Serum produces some quality patches and its built in effects rack contributes greatly to crafting unique sounds. Users can also instantiate Xfer built effects as individual effects without having to rely on Serum which makes it an added bonus. Don’t like the sound of Massive’s built-in reverb? Try using Serum’s reverb module.

I personally create bass subs and synth bass instruments with Serum as I find it to be more subbier and grounded”. I also ensure that the sub triggers at the same position throughout the waveform cycle by adjusting the cycle’ start time. This ensures that the synthbass sounds consistent irregardless of which note is playing.
As I’ve alluded to earlier, a waveform is a waveform so be sure to add effects to these sounds. Tape saturators and Serum’s extensive filter options can work wonders for carving out Synthwave patches that are warm, endearing and nostalgic.

The Case With Spire

Spire is a synth that ships with many oscillators and effects. It is a workhorse that I personally don’t find as intuitive as Massive and Serum. Patches which are programmed in Spire sound fuller and take up much of a mix. The trick is to use them sparingly.
Is Spire VST Ideal for Making Synthwave Music?
Like most vst synths, Spire comes with multiple oscillators, filers and a plethora of built-in effects like reverbs, delays, compressors and many more. Moreover, many third party patches are outstanding in that they lend themselves to the Synthwave genre. From shimmering leads to soothing pads, Spire offers a wide range of sounds ideal for many musical genres.
Despite being versatile and robust, its interface may be intimidating for new users so be sure to refer to the user manual.

Conclusion

Relying exclusively on any single synth with the purpose of creating a Synthwave track is limiting. Why not choose to use all of them and have them play to their strengths. Through diligent sound design and effects processing, any sound can take on the shape, style and feel of Synthwave. As an exercise, try formulating the same patch from scratch in all three synths and compare their sounds. Pay particular attention to the overall sound, playability and musicality. Have fun and be creative.