Ever since they appeared, in the early 80s of the last century, synthesizers have caused a real revolution in the music industry. But the forerunners of this instrument showed up along with the development of telephony, about a century ago. You can learn more about at this link.

This new electronic sound, which made composing much easier, literally reshaped popular music. Even today, synthesizers rule the scene. It’s just that they are no longer real keyboards, but VST software that is much more diverse than any physical instrument.

If you are engaged in music production, a synthesizer, in any form, is a must for you. The significant advantage of online plugins is that some of them are entirely free. And they provide all the options as well as a real instrument. The choice of these apps is vast. Even paid plugins are a cost-effective and convenient, given how many useful options you get for the price.

Know the Type of Sounds You Want

The first thing to know is the methods of sound synthesis. Without this, you can’t start the search for the VST plugin you need (or more of them). Synthesis is the way your instrument will produce sound waves. Further, these waves will replace real tones or create the basis for a whole new sound.

It is up to you to choose which way of generating the music you prefer. The basic types of synthesis are analog and digital, but several other subgroups are in use. Subtractive, FM modulation, and sample synthesis are most common. The latter is very popular in modern music genres, such as hip-hop, trip-hop, dance, or electronics. It makes very realistic sounds, but takes up a lot of RAM.

More information on how sampling is done find below:

https://medium.com/@jhallwrites/sampling-101-the-basics-of-flipping-samples-for-hip-hop-production-dddd4bb4428d.

Subtractive plugins are often the most complicated to use, due to the multitude of elements. They are reminiscent of the original, modular instruments that were literally a box with a large number of controls. So these plugins can be an excellent solution if you’re used to making music in an old-fashioned way.

Frequency modulation (FM) is a system for obtaining sound by changing the frequency of oscillators. These are the sources of all tones obtained by the synth. FM synthesis can make a wide variety of sounds compared to other methods. But not anyone can work with it, as it can be pretty complicated and unpredictable.

Number of Elements Matter

The oscillator is the basis of every synthesizer. It is the component that carries the most energy of sound. It repeats sound waves periodically, which you hear as a continual tone. With the use of other elements, this uniform sound wave changes its performance.

Amplifiers, sequencers, envelopes, LFO modules, and so on, are controls that turn the indefinite tone into sound. That is, you make these changes with the help of the mentioned components. They give the music its volume, intensity, and frequency.

Always look for VST plugins with more elements if you do music production. For example, it is still better to have two oscillators. You can always disable one as needed, but it is impossible to add a new sound source if installed VST has only one. More LFO modules will give your tone a better vibrato. More amplifiers even out the tone and prevent sudden changes in frequencies.

For Beginners – Simpler Is Better

The problem with many components and controls can be that it will confuse you. A few dozen amplifiers are useless for those involved in music production as a hobby. If you haven’t worked with VST synths before, always opt for simpler software. You can always install extra plugins to make further changes and make sounds even better.

For starters, free plugins offer everything they need. You can combine several free VSTs. There’s no need to pay for a single synth plugin with a large number of options. Of course, this requires a lot of RAM on your computer and even a distinct DAW. Here, you can check what digital work stations (DAW) stands for.

Almost No Difference between Real and Digital Software Synth

Don’t think that the whole world went digital, now that technology gives us so many possibilities. Some music studios still use authentic analog synthesizers. That doesn’t mean they have outdated equipment – today, the modern analog synths are as good as digital.

An increasing number of producers prefer VST plugins. These apps need computers to run on, which allows them more memory space for file and sample storage. Also, the number of parameters you will use for sound synthesis is much higher with synth software.

What should not be overlooked is the price. Especially if you are building your home studio on a budget, you must invest money wisely. Why buy a real synthesizer when you create a handy VST list for much less money?

For the money you spent only on an analog synthesizer, you can buy VST plugins, a powerful computer to host this app, quality speakers, microphones, and plenty of other equipment. And when you master synth plugin, you can do wonders with your music.

Technology made such progress that it is almost impossible to find the difference between digital and real sounds. And that’s what you should take care of most. Although nothing can replace the sound of a real instrument, VST plugins are taking over the music industry.