We're barely three months into 2024, and we've already seen a veritable smorgasbord of synth plugins arrive on the software scene.
Today's synthesists are spoilt for choice, so we thought we'd narrow things down and round up six of our favourites to be released this year so far...
1. Tracktion/Dawesome Kult
Price: $129 | Buy
From the brilliant and warped mind of Dawesome (aka Peter V) comes a synth that stands out from most of our choices by trying very deliberately to do something different. Here we get ‘Strangely Attractive’ oscillators, and a fantastic UI that makes AM and FM synthesis easy. Throw in some mad modulation and you can see – and hear – a synth come alive in front of you.
2. FabFilter Twin 3
Price: £109 | Buy
This might be the latest update of a synth originally released in 2005, but its UI, sound and easy workflow still give it a cutting-edge and contemporary edge. Its beautiful interface gives it a lovely hands-on feel that results in easy synthesis – so often forgotten by developers – and the kind of tweaking that has you reaching for the save button and creating aplenty.
3. Cherry Audio Harmonia
Price: $49 | Buy
Harmonia delivers a rich sound by way of a harmonic version of subtractive synthesis. It adds flexible and very powerful modulation by way of an easy Modulation Matrix. But it’s the oscillators at its core that make this one of the most creative soft synths released in (very) recent years. An absolute beast of an instrument.
4. Sound Particles SkyDust 3D
Price: £166/£333 | Buy
SkyDust is the first 3D synth, which means you can modulate sounds so that they move all around you using spatial audio. As good as this is, it almost overshadows the fact that this is a very powerful synth in its own right. With eight oscillators, each with 16 waveforms, you can layer all sorts of sounds, and yes, have them spin around if you like.
5. Arturia Pigments 5
Price: $199 | Buy
This VA, granular, wavetable and sampling synth has graduated to version 5 and stands out in Arturia’s collection of emulations as a unique softsynth. It features incredible modulation, a slick workflow, easy setup, great UI and lovely sound, all of which still makes it a desirable, great-sounding product and enticing entrée to patch creation.
6. D16 Lush-2
Price: $169 | Buy
Our final 2024 choice is a recreation of a monosynth released in 1982; that’s the power of software. Lush 2 uses the Roland SH-101 as inspiration, but adds cues from other Roland classics like the JP-8000. This latest update takes the synth to what we called (in our review) a “massive-sounding VA with enough flexibility to be the only one you need”.
