Trance music, known for its dynamic beats and uplifting tunes, continues to captivate audiences globally. As a producer in this genre, having the right tools can elevate your creative prowess, especially when selecting virtual instruments and VST plugins. These plugins, which include both VST instruments and VST effects, play a crucial role in defining the quality and character of your music. Having the correct set of VST plugins can fundamentally enhance your production process. This article will highlight the top 9 indispensable VST plugins for producing superior trance music.
Need Some Free Plugins To Get You Started? Try These
While the appeal of third-party plugins might be tempting for beginners, it’s often more beneficial to start with the stock plugins included in your DAW and incorporate some free plugins. This way, you can hone your skills and understand the intricacies of your DAW before branching out. However, as you advance, integrating premium plugins can accelerate your workflow and elevate the quality of your music, mainly when you’re producing genres like trance that have to sound MASSIVE AF on club speakers.
The plugins discussed in this article are not merely popular among top producers but can potentially streamline your studio processes, making them worthwhile investments for dedicated producers.
Spire
This synth aims to redefine virtual instrument standards, and it certainly succeeds. As a self-proclaimed plug-in synth addict, I’ve explored numerous options, and Spire has the potential to rival even the most iconic synths in the market. Its exceptional features make it a fantastic choice for any music producer looking to create captivating trance compositions.
Spire’s strength lies in its versatility and sonic capabilities. With four oscillators offering various types, including Classic virtual analog, Noise, FM, and AMSync, you have an extensive palette of sounds. The unique control knobs allow you to shape and morph waveforms effortlessly, adding depth and complexity to your tracks. Additionally, the filter section in Spire is genuinely exceptional, featuring three algorithms, including the outstanding analog model called Perfecto. These filters bring a new level of clarity and smoothness to your sounds, akin to the impact guitar amps have on guitars. Spire delivers outstanding results if you need a low pass, high pass, band pass, or notch mode.
Spire was used heavily in my track, ‘Desperate Only,’ and can most prominently be heard on the lead sound. With a bit of processing, the overly digital bite of Spire can be warmed and rounded to allow you to get the best of both worlds; digital precision and analog warmth!
Spire’s X-Factors Are:
- Oscillator shaping using control knobs provides unparalleled flexibility and creative potential.
- High-quality filters, particularly the Perfecto analog model, enhance the sonic experience with exceptional clarity and smoothness.
In addition to its powerful oscillators and filters, Spire offers many modulation options. You can shape and animate your sounds with envelopes, LFOs, Step Sequencers, a modulation matrix, and an arpeggiator. The effects section is equally impressive, offering many options to add energy and depth to your tracks. With 512 built-in presets covering various genres and exceptional sound quality, Spire is a must-have plugin for trance music production.
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Diva
U-He Diva, a virtual analog synthesizer plugin, provides a remarkable synthesis experience perfect for crafting trance music. Known for its top-notch analog sound quality, Diva successfully replicates the nuances of classic hardware synths. The plugin enables users to combine elements from various legendary synths, offering 5 oscillators, five filter modules, and three different ADSR envelopes for ultimate customization. The sound produced is authentically analog, making it an irresistible choice for producers looking for that genuine analog feel. Moreover, Diva boasts over 1200 high-quality presets that allow users to quickly find a perfect match for any track, further enhancing the workflow.
The modular aspect of Diva allows users to mix and match elements from various iconic synthesizers, making it a versatile tool for sound design. The sound quality is undeniably top-tier, convincingly emulating real analog synths’ warmth and natural drift, further amplified by the oscillator voice detune section. Not only that, but Diva also outshines its competitors with superior-sounding filters and envelopes, achieved through meticulous emulation of the circuits used in vintage synths using PSpice technology.
U-He Diva’s X-Factors Are:
- Authentic Analogue Emulation: Diva provides an actual analog experience, thanks to the inclusion of detailed oscillator voice detune settings. These enable the warm, natural drift in vintage hardware synths, resulting in a distinctive analog sound surpassing other plugins.
- PSpice Technology Implementation: This feature allows Diva to replicate the complex circuitry of old synths in real time. Coupled with zero-delay feedback in filters, it results in more authentic resonance behavior and more accurate analog synthesis emulation.
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FabFilter Saturn 2
This plugin offers both single-band mode and a ‘nested’ multiband architecture, dividing incoming audio into multiple frequency ranges for distinct processing. Although mastering this feature requires some skill, it provides detailed control over your sound with up to six frequency bands, each configurable with its saturation type, choosing from 28 diverse ‘styles’ in Saturn 2. Waxman, releasing music on David Hohme’s Where The Heart Is Records, highlights its versatility: “One of the best features of Saturn-2 is that it’s a multiband saturator so that you can affect extremely specific frequency bands with different saturation and modulation.”
Discover more about the transformative capabilities of FabFilter’s Saturn 2 in our exclusive interview with Waxman. Dive into the details of how this plugin can elevate your trance productions, and don’t miss the chance to get inspired by Waxman’s track, showcasing the distinctive impact of Saturn 2 in action.
Saturn 2’s X-Factors Are:
- Versatile Modulation Management: Saturn 2’s modulation sources and macro controls system is unparalleled in its category. The plugin’s user-friendly design and clear visual feedback enable producers to craft complex, nuanced sounds relatively easily.
- Nested Multiband Architecture: The plugin’s unique multiband architecture allows users to divide and process audio in multiple frequency ranges independently. With the capacity to manage up to six bands, each with its saturation style, Saturn 2 offers unmatched control over the tone and dynamics of your music.
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Oxford Inflator
Over the past two decades, the Sonnox Inflator plugin has made a name for itself as an indispensable tool for music engineers. Existing somewhere between a compressor and a limiter, the Inflator’s standout feature is its unique capability to amplify perceived loudness without compromising the dynamics of a track. It offers a fresh approach to the loudness wars, transcending conventional methods of level enhancement, such as compression, limiting, and saturation. In essence, the Inflator can improve the loudness of any material, regardless of the remaining dynamic range or previously used compression, while also emulating the emotional excitement and character of beloved analog systems.
The technical workings of the Inflator involve altering the relative probability of samples in the material to increase the likelihood of larger values than the original signal. This process, which does not utilize compression, avoids pumping, dynamic level change, loss of presence, or flattening of transients. In a way, it is a distortion generator that impacts harmonic cues associated with loud and emphasized sounds, enhancing the harmonic richness of the material in a manner that appeals to the human ear. Furthermore, the Inflator can generate harmonics that enhance an instrument’s dynamic impact and impart a tube-like warmth to the sound. It can mimic quality tube systems to create overdriven but pleasing material when pushed to its limits, making it a unique artistic tool for individual performances.
Sonnox Inflator’s X-Factors Are:
- Dynamic Preservation: The plugin’s ability to enhance loudness without compromising the dynamic integrity of a track is quite extraordinary. It retains the full dynamic range despite increasing average density and level, an invaluable feature in any audio processing tool.
- Harmonic Enhancement: Sonnox Inflator stands out with its capacity to create harmonics in the signal. This unique feature increases the dynamic impact and imparts a pleasing tube-like warmth to the sound. When overdriven, it can emulate quality tube systems to produce aesthetically pleasing audio, offering music producers an additional layer of creative control.
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KSHMR Reverb
The collaborative creation of KSHMR and WA Production, this advanced reverb plugin stands out as a superb tool for producing trance music. Offering customizable settings and a plethora of high-quality reverb presets, this plugin allows music producers to generate a controlled, stadium-ready reverb sound effortlessly. It boasts remarkable features such as a Volume Manager panel, which gives you command over shaping your reverb tail with ducking, fade-in, and gating controls. The Tone Manager panel removes harsh attacks from the reverb signal and refines its tonality. Also, its Special FX panel introduces the Reverse mode and an additional harmony Octave control for a richer timbre, coupled with a 6-node EQ for fine-tuning your reverb tail frequencies.
Despite having a clear and predictable reverb sound, this plugin’s strengths lie in its practicality and ease of use. It presents a unique Volume Manager feature that allows unprecedented control over the reverb tail, providing flexibility typically absent in other reverb plugins. Moreover, it comes packed with a vast collection of presets that adapt responsively to your production, owing to the plugin’s robust volume and tone-shaping features. These impressive qualities easily overshadow its modest reverb sound, providing a quality-of-life feature set that makes it an essential tool for music production.
KSHMR’s Reverb Plugin’s X-Factors Are:
- Volume Manager: This feature allows you to shape your reverb tail with ducking, fade-in, and gating controls. It gives you a degree of control and dynamism over your reverb, which is rarely seen in other plugins, thereby enabling you to tailor it precisely to your track’s needs.
- Impressive Presets: The plugin comes with an expansive collection of presets. These presets are built upon the plugin’s powerful volume and tone-shaping features, making them adapt fluidly to your productions. This unique capability means different producers can use the same preset and achieve wildly varied results.
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Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb
For lovers of vintage digital reverbs, the Universal Audio (UA) Lexicon 224 plugin captures the unique character and charm of the original Lexicon 224 reverb unit, a staple in many 80’s pop productions. Despite being derived from a technology considered primitive today, the Lexicon 224’s bright, grainy sound and unique algorithms added magic to music productions. UA, known for its superior modeling of classic analog gear, has incorporated the original digital algorithms from the Lexicon hardware into its plugin, offering eight diverse reverb types plus one chorus setting. Furthermore, they have meticulously modeled the character and coloration of the input and output stages of the original unit, including the input transformers and the 12‑bit, gain‑stepping A‑D and D‑A converters, offering both a nod to nostalgia and a cleaner, more modern sound.
The Lexicon 224 plugin is intuitive, and its interface resembles the original hardware unit. The design incorporates buttons for program selection, groups of buttons, and faders for adjusting parameter values, with added usability improvements over the original. The plugin also includes the facility to disable the System Noise modeling for a cleaner sound. It offers the option of ‘with or without bugs’, just like the original ‘Hall B’ and ‘Chorus’ programs. Not only does it sound as you’d expect a Lexicon 224 reverb to sound, but it also manages to sit perfectly in a pop mix without overwhelming the source sound, even when used at quite generous levels.
UA Lexicon 224’s X-Factors Are:
- Authenticity: The plugin maintains the authenticity of the original Lexicon 224 hardware unit, including the sound and user interface, even replicating some of the original unit’s faults. This gives users an experience that is very close to using the original hardware.
- Versatility: It offers the perfect blend of vintage and modern reverberation options, with the ability to switch between old-school character-filled sounds and cleaner, contemporary reverbs. This flexibility allows users to find the perfect sound for their music, regardless of the genre or era they aim to emulate.
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Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper is an unparalleled tool for creating intricate and unique modulations in trance music production. It’s unique offering of 8 simultaneous yet independent envelopes, each with adjustable time, amplitude, and pan parameters, sets it apart from other plugins. The ability to design modulations with the pencil tool further enhances Gatekeeper’s appeal. Whether taking a groovy loop and transforming it into something new or performing more surgical operations like pseudo-sidechaining, Gatekeeper is a versatile tool. The bonus of it working incredibly well on a reverb return track, transforming a sound laden with ‘verb, testifies to its impressive capabilities.
The user experience is equally commendable. Cycling through myriad presets on any audio source, Gatekeeper offers instant inspiration and facilitates creative exploration. Its intuitive design allows for easy tweaking to refine the sound to your liking. Even though it’s primarily a volume automation tool, the versatility of the 8 envelopes and over 100 presets ensures an endless flow of new, creative and exciting ideas, making it a go-to tool for any producer looking for inspiration.
Gatekeeper’s X-Factors Are:
- Complex Modulations: Its strength lies in its unique offering of 8 simultaneous but independent envelopes, each with adjustable time, amplitude, and pan parameters. This capability gives producers enormous flexibility in designing intricate and unique modulations.
- Inspiration Generator: Gatekeeper stands out with its ability to spark creativity and facilitate exploration. With over 100 presets, it offers a treasure trove of sounds that can lead producers to create spaces they wouldn’t typically venture into, thereby aiding in developing unique soundscapes.
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FX Collection 3 From Arturia
Arturia’s FX Collection 3 is an impressive plugin bundle that is a fantastic resource for producing trance music. It includes an extensive library of effects inspired by classic hardware, such as vintage compressors, tape echoes, preamps, and reverbs, along with some unique modern additions. The newly included Efx Fragments stands out as a powerful creative tool that can reshape the sound of any audio source, with 60 new presets further enhancing its appeal. Another standout is Tape Mello-Fi, a Mellotron-inspired tape emulation that adds a touch of vintage flavor to any track.
Two new additions, Dist Opamp-21 and Dist Tube-Culture, center on distortion, adding warmth and grit to your audio. Dist Opamp-21, a digital representation of Tech 21’s SansAmp Classic, offers anything from gentle saturation to high-gain effects. It’s versatile, working not only on guitars and bass but on synths and drums too. Dist Tube-Culture emulates Thermionic Culture’s renowned Culture Vulture rack effect, prized for its ability to bring out the higher frequencies of drum parts with a subtle crunch. Despite focusing primarily on distortion, both plugins offer advanced modes with additional input and output filtering features.
Arturia’s FX Collection 3’s X-Factors Are:
- Versatile and Expansive Collection: With its broad library of classic and modern effects, the FX Collection 3 offers producers unparalleled versatility. The Collection caters to a wide range of production needs, from vintage compressors and tape echoes to unique current plugins like Efx Fragments.
- Exemplary Distortion Plugins: The newly added Dist Opamp-21 and Dist Tube-Culture offer a range of distortion effects, filling an essential gap in the Collection. Their versatility and precision make them an invaluable asset to any producer, enhancing the texture and warmth of any audio source.
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Fluid Chords
Fluid Pitch, developed by Pitch Innovations, is an innovative plugin that transforms pitch bending into an intuitive and musical experience, ideal for producing trance music in a new and fresh way. It might sound like a bit of a curve ball being on this list, but hear me out… Trance is a genre heavily dependent on heartstring-pulling harmonies, and many would argue that the conventional chord stabs of yesterday have grown stale… so what better to breathe some fresh air into the sound than by playing those same chords but with a bit of a twist?
This plugin revolutionizes the traditional pitch bend wheel by letting you set a musical scale for your pitch-bend changes, resulting in more harmonically pleasing bends. Fluid Pitch enables the creation of bends locked to the key of your track, ensuring consistent tonality across all adjustments. It also boasts features like ‘No Last Bend’, which cleverly handles the ‘return to zero’ issue, and true polyphonic pitch-bend for multi-note bending.
Fluid Pitch’s X-Factors Are:
- Scale-Based Pitch Bending: Fluid Pitch stands out with its innovative pitch-bend solution, allowing users to set a musical scale for pitch-bend changes. This allows for much more harmonically correct bends, enhancing the overall musicality of the production.
- Polyphonic Pitch-Bend: Fluid Pitch’s ability to execute true polyphonic pitch-bend sets it apart. This feature allows the simultaneous bending of multiple notes, enabling complex, harmonically pleasing pitch adjustments that can add new dimensions to trance music production.
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