The Best Synth Plugins For 90s House

As part of our 90s House series, we recently uploaded a new tutorial going over my favourite synth plugins for creating music in this style.

The plugin space can be a big overwhelming place where you often don't know where to look & there aren't too many options when it comes to those 90s-inspired sounds.

In this video, I covered my top 6 synth plugins, showcasing some of the best sounds available within them and talking about my favourite way to use them all. Here is a brief recap of that list.

1. Meatbeats - Orbhits

The first plugin I want to talk about is one by a company you might not know called MeatBeats. They have loads of cool “underground production tools” including a few sample-based plugins like Orbhits that are heavily inspired by the sounds of the 90s. This one is FREE and comes with loads of cool one-shot sounds like bass, chords, hits, pads, sfx, & vox that are perfect for this style. If you want even more sounds & even greater sound-shaping possibilities, then Orbhits Plus is also an option.

Favourite Example - Chord Stabs

While this plugin has a vast variety of unique sounds, my personal favourite use case for it, is those disco-influenced hits that you can use as sfx to bridge the transitions between sections.

2. Meatbeats - FEM-BASO

The next one is also by Meatbeats called FEM-BASO. This is also a sample-based plugin but specialised for bass. Comes with 100 presets covering loads of different bass types like your Donks, Subs, Reese, Synth Basses etc. with different characters (warm, fast etc.). These patches are heavily inspired by a wide range of genres like classic house, Detroit techno & UK Garage as well.

Favourite Example - Solid/Lately Bass

I particularly like using this one for those classic the lately/solid bass-inspired patches that you tend to hear so commonly in that 90s house style of today. The lately sound is great to use as a starting point as it already has the right amount of fullness to it, and doesn't really need too much in terms of processing.

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD MY FAVOURITE LATELY PRESET HERE: https://www.sotasounds.com/lately-bass-preset

3. Roland Cloud - SRX Dance Trax, JV-1080, Zenology

I’ve shown a few of these Roland Cloud plugins in previous 90s house tutorials, and there’s a reason I’m bringing them up yet again. When it comes specifically to those 90s-inspired synth lead, chords & pad sounds, the SRX Dance Trax & JV-1080 tend to be one of the first places I look. I find there to be a rather specific character within these plugins that does such a good job of emulating those sounds from the 90s which seems to be lacking in other plugins.

If you wish to learn more about these plugins, then definitely check out our Gaskin tutorial 👇

If I’m looking for a more natural instrument like an organ, pads, or strings, then the Zenology provides a solid option. Of course, if it’s only organs you’re after, then our House & Garage Organ sample pack provides 175 of them.

Favourite Example - Synth Leads, Organs, Pads & Strings (Zenology)

I don't really have a favourite use case for these plugins but they would certainly be one of my go-to's for synth leads, organs & pads. Zenology would take my pick for string sounds alone.

4. Rob Papen - Blue II / III

Blue II is another one I’ve shown extensively on this platform. It’s an extremely versatile one that you can use for a vast variety of synth sounds or basses, but it is always the arps & sequence presets that I find myself coming back to.

Favourite Example - Synthy Arps & Texture Layers

These sounds are great because you often don't have to overthink the MIDI. It can literally be the case of playing a single note and skimming through presets to audition the different sequences on offer. Some of the patterns you get from this process alone can be crazy and provide you with insane amounts of inspiration needed to take your tracks forward.

Watch me talk about the more synthy arp & glitchy texture technique below 👇

5. KORG - M1

As I’m sure many of you will be aware of, the KORG M1 is an absolute staple in Electronic Music. If you crave those iconic 90s sounds, then it doesn’t come much better than this plugin. The M1 comes with pads, synth leads, organs and plenty more of those classic sounds that remind you of the 90s. 

Favourite Example – House Piano Chords

My personal favourite are the keyboard/piano sounds that are perfect for those ravey 90s house piano chord tracks.

6. Wavousaur - Rave Generator

If it’s 90s rave stabs & hits, then one of your best bets is the Rave Generator 2 plugin (FREE). This one comes with a lot of those rave inspired synth stabs & hits, but you also get a few voice & bass samples as well. It also features many of those classic sounds like the M1/CZ organs, and, in my opinion, one of the best sounding lately bass samples out there.

Unfortunately, the plugin hasn't been updated in a while so doesn’t work for everyone. But fear not, as I created a Rave Generator Sample Pack with all the samples.

Favourite Example – Rave Stabs

As a plugin which is primarily intended for those rave synth stab sounds, it should be no surprise that my favourite use case is those rave stab layers. I tend to find these sounds work better when used in a more melodic role as the main lead or chord parts. This is in contrast with a lot of those Orbhits hits examples I referred to previously that I tend to use more as SFX impact sounds.

And that concludes our key tutorial takeaways on "My Top 6 Favourite Synth Plugins For 90s House"

If you wish to learn more about these plugins, and better yet, hear some of their sounds, I would definitely urge you to check out the full tutorial below.

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN?

If you're interested in 90s sounds, then you might also like our latest preset pack, 90s House V1.

Whether you're looking for classic sounds like the M1 & CZ Organs, retro synth leads & stabs, warm atmospheric pads, mesmerising vocal synths, or fat analog basses, this collection is as versatile as it comes. 

And the best part of it all is - every preset is made using just Ableton Stock, allowing you to get the best quality 90s-inspired sounds for even greater value.

90s House Presets Vol.1

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