Build An Electronic Music Toolkit: Top Plugins for Sound Design

The world of electronic music production is a playground for sonic exploration. But with countless plugins promising to shape and sculpt your sound, choosing the right tools can feel overwhelming. This guide delves into the top plugins for electronic music sound design.  

Before we get into specifics, we should also discuss some key differences between their purposes — either sound generation or audio manipulation. The term “Sound Design” is often used as a catch-all to describe the entire soundscape creation process. To make it even more complicated, TV/film audio engineers use the term sound design in a much different way than electronic music producers. For the sake of this post, we’ll stick to the music world, although there may be plenty of tools that overlap.

Something From Nothing

In the electronic music world, producers have an incredible array of tools for creating sounds that fit into their compositions. Some samplers can play back and manipulate audio recordings, and some synthesizers generate all new sounds. Most productions will likely use a mixture of both, but let’s start with the synth world.

Synth Nirvana

Synthesizers are the beating heart of electronic music (pun intended), forming the foundation of your sonic palette. We no longer need giant modular analog synths to get big sounds, so here are some essential players:

Serum (Xfer Records): 

A powerhouse virtual analog synth known for its intuitive interface, versatile wavetable oscillators, and powerful modulation capabilities. Serum excels at crafting everything from classic analog leads and basses to complex, evolving textures. Its built-in effects, like distortion and filters, allow for further sculpting within the plugin.

Serum has been used on countless electronic music records and continues to be a powerhouse in the genre. Producers like Deadmau5, Skrillex, Zedd, Matthew Bellamy, Armin Van Buuren, and many more use it.

Massive X (Native Instruments): 

This wavetable synth is renowned for its massive, evolving sounds and aggressive sonic character. Massive X boasts a unique interface that prioritizes sound over technical details, making it perfect for producers who prefer a more intuitive approach. Its wavetables and complex modulation matrix unlock a universe of growls, basses, and other impactful elements.

You can find Massive X on the productions of Alan Walker, Mike Shinoda, Kill The Noise, Arca, and more.

Sylenth1 (Lennar Digital): 

A virtual analog legend, Sylenth1 is known for its warm, vintage tones and analog character. Its classic filters and broad oscillator options make it ideal for crafting deep basses, lush pads, and arpeggiated synth lines. Sylenth1’s interface is streamlined and user-friendly, making it an excellent choice for beginners and seasoned sound designers alike.

Users of Sylenth include Avicii, Martin Garrix, Deadmau5, Skrillex, and Zedd.

Harmor (FL Studio): 

This versatile additive synth from Image-Line pushes the boundaries of sound design. Harmor utilizes a unique spectral approach, allowing you to manipulate individual harmonics within your sound. This opens doors to crafting otherworldly textures, metallic leads, and complex evolving soundscapes. Harmor requires a bit more investment in learning its workflow, but its sonic potential is unmatched.

Harmor has been spotted in the wild alongside the likes of Madeon, Audien, Ummet Ozcan, and Virtual Riot.

OpZilla (2gether audio): 

A mighty FM (frequency modulation) synthesizer that creates sounds by modulating the frequency of one oscillator with another, resulting in complex and evolving timbres. Opzilla boasts a powerful engine with 64 different algorithms and a variety of features for sound design, including loopable envelopes, built-in effects, and sampled attacks. It also offers a user-friendly interface and a library of presets to get you started quickly. If you’re looking for a versatile FM synth to create everything from classic basses and leads to intricate soundscapes, Opzilla is worth checking out.

At only $10, this is a fantastic way to dive into the world of FM synthesis.

Samplers: The Masters of Transformation

Samplers are powerful and flexible tools that allow you to take sounds which already exist and are familiar to your audience and then surprise them with new twists. They allow you to manipulate and transform existing audio into entirely new sounds. Here are some top choices:

Kontakt (Native Instruments): 

The industry standard for samplers, Kontakt offers a vast library of pre-built instruments and the ability to create your own. Its powerful scripting capabilities allow for deep customization and complex sound design possibilities. Kontakt excels at creating realistic acoustic instruments, ethnic sounds, and manipulating audio samples beyond recognition.

Battery (Native Instruments): 

This drum sampler extraordinaire is a staple in many electronic music producers’ arsenals. Battery boasts a massive library of drum sounds, intuitive slicing and editing tools, and powerful effects for shaping your drum kit. Its drag-and-drop functionality makes building and customizing kits easy, while advanced features like step sequencing and beat repeat cater to more intricate rhythm programming.

Serato Sample (Serato): 

This user-friendly sampler excels at live performance and on-the-fly sound manipulation. Serato Sample offers a streamlined interface, intuitive slicing and triggering options, and powerful effects for real-time sound sculpting. Its tight integration with Serato DJ software makes it perfect for DJs who want to incorporate live sampling and sound design into their sets.

Sculpting The Soundscape

After you’ve crafted your raw sounds, it’s time for the audio manipulation plugins to take over.  They will shape, refine, and expand your sounds into a three-dimensional soundscape. With careful placement of volume, panning, tone, dynamics, saturation, and time-based effects, the music becomes an immersive landscape to get lost in.

EQs (Equalizers): 

These plugins allow you to boost or cut specific frequencies within your sound. Essential for sculpting clarity, removing unwanted resonances, and carving space for different elements in your mix. 

Popular choices include:

• FabFilter Pro-Q 3
• iZotope Ozone EQ
• Slate Digital’s Infinity EQ

Compressors: 

Compressors control the dynamic range of your sound, reducing the difference between loud and quiet peaks. This can add punch, sustain, and glue your sounds together. 

Popular compressors for electronic music include: 

• FabFilter Pro-C 2
• Xfer OTT
• SSL Buss Compressors

Filters: 

These plugins allow you to selectively cut or boost specific frequencies, creating dramatic tonal shifts and shaping the overall character of your sounds. 

Popular filter plugins for electronic music include: 

• Soundtoys Filter Freak
• Ableton Live’s Auto Filter
• Valhalla Freq Echo

Distortion & Saturation: 

These plugins add grit, warmth, and character to your sounds. Distortion creates a harsh, clipping edge, which can help low or dull sounds become bright and energetic. Frequently, sub-basses and 808s are heavily distorted to generate upper harmonics, which helps the music hit even when you don’t have a massive subwoofer.  

Some common tools include:

• Fabfilter Saturn
• SoundToys Decapitator
• iZotope’s Trash 2

Time-Based Effects: 

These tools will help define the space and size of your music through ingenious manipulation time delays. Noticeable effects include reverb and delay, which help your ears locate the sound’s walls.  When your electronic sounds should remain less familiar, wild effects like phasers, flangers, and phase effects can disorient the listener to wonderful effect.

Some common tools include:

• Fabfilter Timeless
• Valhalla Vintage Verb
• Altiverb 8

Conclusion: Building Your Sonic Arsenal

The world of sound design is vast and ever-evolving, and there are no rules or boundaries. With the right tools and a dash of creativity, you can craft unique sounds that stretch genres and captivate listeners. 

This guide has explored some of the top plugins for sound generation and audio manipulation, but remember, this is just the starting point. Experiment, explore different workflows, and, most importantly, have fun shaping your sonic identity!

If you are interested in a career in the Music Industry, Dark Horse Institute’s music programs: Composition and Songwriting, Audio Engineering, or Music Business are a great way to take things to the next level!