9.2Essential
Serum 2 is Xfer Records' wavetable synthesizer plugin with five oscillator engines, flexible effect routing, an arpeggiator, and a clip sequencer.
Plugin comparison
Serum 2 vs Ultra
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which synth to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
Contenders
The side-by-side
Ultra is a flagship multi-synthesis software synthesizer built around the UltraWave engine, combining five sound sources, dual filters, deep modulation, and 32-voice polyphony.
Score verdict
Which should you buy?
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
Specs compared
| Signal | Serum 2 | Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $249 | $149 intro / $249 full |
| Dubspot Score | 9.2 | — |
| Formats | VST3, AU, AAX | VST3, AU, Standalone |
| Oscillator engines | 5 (Wavetable, Multisample, Sample, Granular, Spectral) | — |
| Factory presets | Over 626 presets | — |
| Wavetables | 288 wavetables | — |
| Plugin formats | VST3, AU, AAX (64-bit) | — |
| Platforms | Windows 10+ and macOS High Sierra+ (Intel) / Big Sur+ (Apple Silicon) | — |
| Additional tools | Arpeggiator, clip sequencer, flexible effect routing | — |
| Type | — | Multi-synthesis synthesizer |
| Sound sources | — | UltraWave, sampler, virtual analog, Supersaw, noise, plus sub-oscillator |
| UltraWave | — | Blends up to 4 stereo wavetables; adds pitch, amp, and timing data |
| Analog engine | — | 3 multi-wave oscillators, cross-modulation, dual-engine Supersaw |
| Filters | — | Dual-filter section |
| Modulation | — | 4 LFOs (A/B crossfade, 4 modes), 3 ADSR with hold, velocity/aftertouch/random |
| Effects | — | 3 sections (Global/A/B): distortion, bit-crusher, chorus, delay, reverb, OTT, gate |
| Polyphony | — | Mono to 32 voices |
| Expression | — | MPE compatible |
| Import | — | WAV import with cycle extraction; multi-sampling with pitch/velocity morphing |
| System | — | macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows |
| Licensing | — | Perpetual license, lifetime free updates, no subscription |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.