*Urgent Plea For Help* - What Are The Top Synths Today?

[wagtunes]

I didn't want to do this but I'm kind of desperate.

Allow me to explain why.

On Sept 3, 2025, I got into an auto accident and broke my neck in 2 places. I almost died and I could have been paralyzed. Fortunately, I'm not but the recovery process is long and the medical bills are off the charts. So I am forced to come out of retirement.

To that end, I'm going to start making patch libraries again but I don't want to waste my time in synths that nobody cares about.

So I'd like a list of the top synths today. I am sure I own them all. I will then take this list (whatever gets recommended the most) and make libraries for them.

As incentive to help me, those of you who recommend the libraries that I end up using (whoever gets the most votes) I will give a complementary copy of the library to.

The library will be a minimum of 250 patches and will probably sell for about $20.

I hate doing this but given my circumstances, I don't really have much choice.

I'm not asking anybody here to spend any money. Just give me a few suggestions. That's all. I will repay you for your kindness.

Thank you.

[oobesan]

I mean, obviously Serum 2, Pigments, Zebra 3, maybe Kontrast

[wagtunes]

I mean, obviously Serum 2, Pigments, Zebra 3, maybe Kontrast

Okay, I was thinking Zebra 3 but it's only in beta. What if there are so many changes between now and when it's officially released that the patches I make now no longer work as intended or worse yet, don't work at all?

[El°HYM]

Also dont sleep on Zebralette 3, since its free and sounds great.

[Surgo]

Pigments and Serum 2 are very safe bets. Your concern with patch stability is very valid with Zebra 3, also it's a little too new to be broadly popular compared to the other two mentioned. I would avoid the free synths like Vital and Zebralette 3, not because they're not popular (Vital is very popular!) but because people are already primed to not pay anything for them.

[wagtunes]

Pigments and Serum 2 are very safe bets. Your concern with patch stability is very valid with Zebra 3, also it's a little too new to be broadly popular compared to the other two mentioned. I would avoid the free synths like Vital and Zebralette 3, not because they're not popular (Vital is very popular!) but because people are already primed to not pay anything for them.

Thanks. That's what I figured.

[NAD]

Okay, I was thinking Zebra 3 but it's only in beta.

That's a valid concern and I don't claim to have any insider knowledge, but my guess would be that any patches you create with the beta will require at worst only minor adjustments come the official release. That being said, the Zebra line has always been somewhat niche with limited widespread appeal, as evidenced by the relative scarcity of commercially available soundbanks. I absolutely love it but I'm also a massive nerd. The safe bet if I had to guess would be Serum, which has consistently given me the impression of being by far the most popular synth in existence. I don't use it but it seems like everybody else does, so that's the platform I would recommend creating for. There are some other trendy synths around but I'm not sure I would be as confident about their longevity or how potentially lucrative they might be for commercial sound designers. So while I'd personally rather you made sounds for Zebra, if your looking for fast cash Serum is probably where it's at. I'm really sorry to hear about your accident and the resulting difficulties and as hollow as this might sound I'm really hoping for your full recovery and success.

[wagtunes]

Okay, I was thinking Zebra 3 but it's only in beta.

That's a valid concern and I don't claim to have any insider knowledge, but my guess would be that any patches you create with the beta will require at worst only minor adjustments come the official release. That being said, the Zebra line has always been somewhat niche with limited widespread appeal, as evidenced by the relative scarcity of commercially available soundbanks. I absolutely love it but I'm also a massive nerd. The safe bet if I had to guess would be Serum, which has consistently given me the impression of being by far the most popular synth in existence. I don't use it but it seems like everybody else does, so that's the platform I would recommend creating for. There are some other trendy synths around but I'm not sure I would be as confident about their longevity or how potentially lucrative they might be for commercial sound designers. So while I'd personally rather you made sounds for Zebra, if your looking for fast cash Serum is probably where it's at. I'm really sorry to hear about your accident and the resulting difficulties and as hollow as this might sound I'm really hoping for your full recovery and success.

Thank you. FWIW, my original Serum library is my 3rd best selling library. Only Softube Modular and Falcon have sold more copies. Softube Modular is in 1st by a mile probably because (1) how difficult it is to program relative to non modular synths and (2) there aren't a lot of libraries out there.

I will do a Zebra library. My Zebra 2 library is my 6th best selling library so I'm sure I'll do well enough with Zebra 3 that it will be worth putting in the time.

[shonky]

I'm not asking anybody here to spend any money. Just give me a few suggestions. That's all. I will repay you for your kindness.

Thank you.

I don't really buy patch libraries myself but it's probably worth looking at sites like Loopmasters as you can probably search by VST to determine what the biggest sellers are and allocate your resources accordingly. Remember though that many of these are "flavour of the month" sounds so probably also worth looking at genres with more longevity, classic styles, etc.

Sorry to hear about the accident, glad you're making good progress and hope everything works out. It's a bad system where a man ruined physically can then be ruined economically by the healthcare institutions.

[wagtunes]

I'm not asking anybody here to spend any money. Just give me a few suggestions. That's all. I will repay you for your kindness.

Thank you.

I don't really buy patch libraries myself but it's probably worth looking at sites like Loopmasters as you can probably search by VST to determine what the biggest sellers are and allocate your resources accordingly. Remember though that many of these are "flavour of the month" sounds so probably also worth looking at genres with more longevity, classic styles, etc.

Sorry to hear about the accident, glad you're making good progress and hope everything works out. It's a bad system where a man ruined physically can then be ruined economically by the healthcare institutions.

Loopmasters. Does that give the biggest synth sellers or the biggest library sellers?

[MillerSam]

If you don't have an active sound shop, I would recommend using Gumroad (it's open-source) and YouTube.. for promoting. Maybe after that shops because Loopmasters etc. takes % of the asking price so it's maybe worth starting on your own before

Alternatively, ask plugin developers for a team up that they sell them over their shop but they pay you for the patch bank.

[wagtunes]

If you don't have an active sound shop, I would recommend using Gumroad (it's open-source) and YouTube.. for promoting. Maybe after that shops because Loopmasters etc. takes % of the asking price so it's maybe worth starting on your own before

Thanks Sam.

[MillerSam]

Tom not Sam (User account named differently)

I do the same way with my patches:
https://synthanatomysounds.gumroad.com/

If you don't have an active sound shop, I would recommend using Gumroad (it's open-source) and YouTube.. for promoting. Maybe after that shops because Loopmasters etc. takes % of the asking price so it's maybe worth starting on your own before

Thanks Sam.

[buffalo roam]

Sorry to hear about your horrible accident, but glad to hear you survived it.
I'd add to the suggestions of Serum 2 and Zebra 3
In my own playing around with Serum 2's standard sounds, they sound surprisingly boring for a very capable synth. It needs more interesting, complex sounds, including more that take advantage of its unusual "clipper" capability. No "bread and butter", of course.
I may be wrong, but I get the impression that the general timbres of Zebra 3 sounds won't change much in the launch. And Urs has said the current library of 300 or so sounds in the beta probably will be doubled in the launch--still not that many. In listening to the presets, I hear a lot of soft sounds and sounds that make use of the "mapper" and msegs for interesting rhythms. Zebra 3 could use a pile of more aggressive sounds and more interesting ones that provide a template for learners to use to deconstruct and figure out uses for the various--and sometimes hidden--submenus the synth has to offer. And I don't see anything interesting yet that makes good use of its oscillator-shaping capabilities.
Hope that's helpful....

[wagtunes]

Sorry to hear about your horrible accident, but glad to hear you survived it.
I'd add to the suggestions of Serum 2 and Zebra 3
In my own playing around with Serum 2's standard sounds, they sound surprisingly boring for a very capable synth. It needs more interesting, complex sounds, including more that take advantage of its unusual "clipper" capability. No "bread and butter", of course.
I may be wrong, but I get the impression that the general timbres of Zebra 3 sounds won't change much in the launch. And Urs has said the current library of 300 or so sounds in the beta probably will be doubled in the launch--still not that many. In listening to the presets, I hear a lot of soft sounds and sounds that make use of the "mapper" and msegs for interesting rhythms. Zebra 3 could use a pile of more aggressive sounds and more interesting ones that provide a template for learners to use to deconstruct and figure out uses for the various--and sometimes hidden--submenus the synth has to offer. And I don't see anything interesting yet that makes good use of its oscillator-shaping capabilities.
Hope that's helpful....

Thank you. This helps a lot. If I do a Zebra 3 set, you'll be getting a copy.