Sound All Stars: The Greatest Wavetable Hybrid Synths
Discover the best plugins on the market right now
Variety is the spice of any music makers' life. We think that Equator2 — our critically-acclaimed flagship synth — is a must-have for any studio, but we also know that most synth fans don't own just one synth! So we've gathered together a collection of our favorite wavetable hybrid synths. Each synth is fantastic in it's own right, so dive in and take your productions to the next level:
ROLI: Equator2
Since its release, Equator has been celebrated as one of the world's leading MPE synthesizers. Equator2 adds to the legacy of the original with wavetable synthesis, a deep-sampled sound library, granular synthesis, FM, and virtual analogue tools — making it a versatile chameleon in any studio. It's also just as effective paired with traditional MIDI controllers as it is with MPE-compatible instruments. Whether you need delicate acoustic instruments, hard-hitting modern dance sounds, cinematic sound design or vintage synths, Equator2’s library of 1400 sounds, and a growing collection of expansion packs has you covered.
Xfer Records: Serum
Back in 2014, Serum brought wavetable synthesis into the future. Serum can import WAV files and convert them to wavetables with sophisticated algorithms like spectral morphing, additive generation, formula functions, automatic re-ordering, and even drawing your own waveforms. Wavetables created in Serum can also be imported into Equator2.
Once you've created your wavetables, there are comprehensive ways to modulate and manipulate them in real-time, apply effects and much, much more. In short, if you're after modern synthetic wavetable sounds, Serum is king.
Arturia: Pigments 3
Pigments was first released in 2019 — and Arturia are already on version 3! Arturia's commitment to regular updates has turned Pigments from a great wavetable synth into a powerhouse capable of many synthesis types, including granular and additive.
Although it's a synthesizer at heart, Pigment's also supports basic sample playback. While there are no huge multisampled instruments, Pigments is a versatile synth with a great library of presets. It has MPE support too, so it’ll work great with your Seaboard or LUMI Keys.
UVI: Falcon 2
Falcon 2 might just be the most capable synth on the planet. It does it all: virtual analogue, drum synthesis, FM, deep sampling, granular synthesis, wavetables, additive synthesis, and several types of physical modelling.
Open Falcon and start exploring a modular style playground for creating complex hybrid instruments. It's MPE compatible too, although not many MPE presets are included — you have to create your own!
Vengeance: VPS Avenger
Avenger has so many features they don't call it a synth - it's a Production Suite. Synthesis types include virtual analogue, multi-sample playback, wavetable, FM, granular, and even drum kits. Sophisticated sequencing and arpeggiators means that this plugin lives up to its name - you can almost write entire songs with a single preset.
Many of Avenger’s sound and preset library are designed for electronic dance music, with excellent modern sounds ready to put straight into your productions. If you love club music, Avenger will deliver.
Spectrasonics: Omnisphere
There can't be many people in the music industry that haven't heard of Omnisphere or its creator Eric Persing - one of the most famous sound designers in the world. Omnisphere is a sound design playground. If cinematic sounds are your thing, look no further.
Omnisphere is another hybrid monster covering wavetable synthesis, granular, sample playback, FM, and more. But Omnisphere's real power lies in its massive, well organised sound library. With over 14,000 sounds included, it'll keep even the most demanding producer busy for a very long time.
Native Instruments: Massive X
Massive has a good claim to be the first virtual instrument superstar. Released back in 2007, it became the synth for modern electronic dance music producers thanks to its deep synthesis architecture. Massive was primarily a wavetable synth, but its huge library of presets and soundpacks kept it at the top of the producers' favourite lists for a decade.
The latest version - Massive X - offers completely updated wavetable oscillators with multiple blending modes, phase modulation, modular style routing, feedback, multi-point modulation sources and much more. With all that, it's bound to be a force to be reckoned with for some time to come.
Kilohearts: Phase Plant
Despite being the new kid on the block, Phase Plant has made an impact in the world of virtual instruments, winning many well-deserved awards. Phase Plant is another synth that combines sample playback, wavetable, and virtual analogue synthesis.
Its modular approach allows you to add as many sound generators and modulation sources as your CPU will allow. Like Serum, Phase Plant also contains a fully-featured wavetable editor with export functionality. In fact, it was used to create some of the wavetables you hear in within Equator2 library.
