A Serum alternative: WT-3 Wavetable Synth
If you’re looking for a wavetable synth other than Serum, WT-3 Wavetable Synth is Studio 56’s. Here is what it has, how it differs from Xfer Records’ Serum 2 and when Serum is still the one to buy.
Three wavetable oscillators, a sub and noise on every voice
WT-3 Wavetable Synth plays sixteen voices at once. Each voice runs three wavetable oscillators, a sub and a noise layer through two filters, shaped by four envelopes and three LFOs, and each preset then switches on up to six of its sixteen effects, 518 controls in all.
Its oscillators pick from 323 wavetables, and any of them can bend another with FM, phase distortion or ring modulation. Each one stacks up to sixteen unison voices, and the two filters run one after the other or side by side.
It plays inside the Studio 56 plugin, a VST3 and AU that works in Ableton Live, Logic Pro, GarageBand, FL Studio and other DAWs except Pro Tools. You can hear its presets on the WT-3 Wavetable Synth page.
Its presets and four knobs
It comes with 231 presets sorted into Leads, Bass, 808s, Plucks, Chords, Pads, Keys, Arps and FX, each named for how it sounds. Four knobs change any of them:
- Morph
Shifts the tone as each oscillator moves through its wavetable, and opens the filter to brighten it. - Warp
Bends the waves harder, so the sound gets rougher and brighter as it turns. - Width
Makes the sound wider and thicker by spreading and detuning its unison voices. - Space
Brings up the reverb and the echoes.
In Studio 56, Write 4 more like this writes four new presets close to the one you’re on. It works on a plugin you bought as well as with Pro.
How it differs from Serum 2
Serum 2 is Xfer Records’ hybrid synthesizer. Beside its wavetable oscillator it has multisample, sample, granular and spectral oscillators, and it lets you create, import, edit and morph wavetables. WT-3 Wavetable Synth’s three oscillators are all wavetable oscillators, with a sub and a noise layer under them.
Serum 2 is a plugin of its own in VST3, AU and AAX, so it runs in Pro Tools too. WT-3 Wavetable Synth plays inside the Studio 56 plugin, which comes as VST3 and AU but not AAX.
Serum 2 comes with more than 626 presets and 288 wavetables, and Xfer Records’ own site sells preset packs for it from other sound designers.
Who should still buy Serum
Serum 2 is the one to get if any of these is true for you:
- You make music in Pro Tools, where Serum 2 runs and WT-3 Wavetable Synth doesn’t.
- You want to play samples, multisampled instruments or granular and spectral sounds from inside your synth.
- You want to make, import or edit wavetables of your own.
- You buy Serum preset packs or follow tutorials made with Serum, since those are made for Serum itself.
- You already own Serum 1, because Serum 2 is a free upgrade for you.
Or make your own synth
If you’d rather have a synth of your own, describe it in the chat inside Studio 56 and Studio 56 builds it as an instrument with its own controls and presets. Making one takes Pro, which makes about 20 instruments or effects a month, and each build runs in the cloud and usually takes about 5 minutes. You can keep changing it after it’s built and ask for new presets, and the guide to making your own synth VST shows what to ask for.
What they cost
WT-3 Wavetable Synth costs $99.00 once, and it keeps playing with all of its presets whatever your plan. Studio 56 Pro also comes with it and everything else on the shelf for $10 / month, and it lets you make instruments and effects of your own.
Serum 2 costs $249.00 from Xfer Records, with lifetime free updates.
You can try both first. Xfer Records has a Serum 2 demo for Mac and Windows that is limited to 15 minutes, and Studio 56 Pro starts with a free trial. Whichever way you get WT-3 Wavetable Synth, it plays in Studio 56: Get Studio 56, add it to an instrument track in your DAW and sign in, then choose WT-3 Wavetable Synth on Home.
More guides
Serum is a trademark of Xfer Records. Studio 56 is not affiliated with Xfer Records, and Xfer Records does not endorse Studio 56.