Plugin comparison
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which synth to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
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Contenders
Materia is AudioThing's additive re-synthesizer: it breaks any sample into up to 96 harmonic partials and rebuilds it as a playable, editable instrument.
Serum 2 is Xfer Records' wavetable synthesizer plugin with five oscillator engines, flexible effect routing, an arpeggiator, and a clip sequencer.
Score verdict
On the Dubspot Score, Serum 2 comes out ahead (9.2). That said, the right pick depends on your workflow and budget — read both reviews before deciding.
Technical matrix
| Signal | Materia | Serum 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 39 euros (intro, from 69) | $249 |
| Dubspot Score | — | 9.2 |
| Formats | VST2, VST3, AU, AAX, CLAP | VST3, AU, AAX |
| Engine | Additive resynthesis, up to 96 harmonic partials | — |
| Per-partial control | Frequency, amplitude, phase and a 128-point envelope each | — |
| Analysis | Advanced Analysis, Sync Partial Edits, Add Empty Partials | — |
| Filter | 10 types (low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, notch, formant and more) | — |
| Effects | Resonator (pipes/plates/springs), echo, phaser, waveshaper | — |
| Modulation | 2 envelopes, 2 LFOs with drawable shapes | — |
| Platforms | macOS 10.13+, Windows 7+, Ubuntu 20.04+ | Windows 10+ and macOS High Sierra+ (Intel) / Big Sur+ (Apple Silicon) |
| Oscillator engines | — | 5 (Wavetable, Multisample, Sample, Granular, Spectral) |
| Factory presets | — | Over 626 presets |
| Wavetables | — | 288 wavetables |
| Plugin formats | — | VST3, AU, AAX (64-bit) |
| Additional tools | — | Arpeggiator, clip sequencer, flexible effect routing |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.