Last updated on December 31st, 2023 at 07:59 pm
I decided to create this post in the hopes that it will help you find the plugins you need in order to create some cool Hardstyle music.
This is only a list of the ones that I found to be the best, but I will also leave a couple links below where you can find loads of other plugins for your projects, both free & premium.
Now, without further ado, let’s get into the post.
Trash 2 by iZotope ($99)
When it comes to making Hardstyle you can’t go without having a proper distortion on your Kicks and Basses.
This is where the iZotope Trash comes in.
This plugin offers a great distortion sound with little effort, and it has various presets to make your Kicks, Guitars and Bass stand out.
If in any case you like sound design and playing with effects, it does offer various filters, LFOs, modulations, delay, multiband compression and various other features.
It is currently available for 10-day free trial download on their website, but in case you want to buy this plugin it will cost 99 USD.
Find out more about iZotope Trash 2 here.
Sylenth1 by Lennar Digital ($139)
Now that you have a great Kick and Bass to ride the song, you will need a proper lead, chords, pads and plucks.
This is where I would suggest using Sylenth 1 as it has various presets available
already built into the plugin, or you can download some others as well.
Also, don’t forget that there is an option to do your own sound design and play with existing presets.
This plugin is my favorite as it sounds great right off the bat with little to no additional work/FX needed.
Find out more about Sylenth1 here.
Helix by Audjoo ($75)
This is one more plugin that I love using for sound design.
It has great in-built features that will keep you interested and invested.
It has a great ‘Industrial’ and ‘Grainy’ sound, and if you are looking for this kind of sound, you will be on the right track with this one, that’s for sure.
As for the other features, it has over 100 wavetables available and you always have an option of importing your own.
This Plugin is stereo in and out, which means that it will give you a wider sound.
There are also 3 stages of distortion per voice in the channel, and this is perfect for creating hard leads.
As far as the price for this plugin goes, it’s currently available for 75 USD, but it’s one of the best synth VSTs you can currently get your hands on.
Find out more about Helix by Audjoo here.
Pro Q by FabFilter ($150)
As far as hardstyle music goes, the lower portion of your mid frequencies can get muddy.
This would be the perfect place and time to use some EQ and cut out unnecessary noise and mud.
I recommend this plugin mainly because of its ease of use, sound quality, and just overall awesomeness!
I am certain you will be amazed by how it can affect your music, since it will allow you to hear more room in the mix and make your tracks stay on the normal side of ‘FULL’ sound.
Find out more about the FabFilter Pro Q here.
Ozone by iZotope ($99 – $250)
At some point, you will have to finish and master your song.
I know you guys love to spend weeks, if not months, on one project and I love it too, but we have to wrap up and collect our fame and earnings we deserve.
Here is great place to insert iZotope Ozone 8/9 and let it do its magic.
It has various mini plugins available inside this plugin – Equalizer, Maximizer, Compressor, Stereo Widener, Dynamics, etc. which are all absolutely fantastic mastering VST plugins.
Also, with this plugin you can just copy the way your favorite tracks are mastered by having it analyze the song, and it will tweak the settings accordingly to master it in a similar fashion.
The price for the advanced version of Ozone 9 is 249 USD.
Find out more about Ozone by iZotope here.
Battery 4 by Native Instruments ($99)
Hoping to find some great kicks for Hardstyle? Don’t worry, I’ve got
you covered.
This plugin will give you massive amounts of samples and drum sounds to choose from.
In fact, you could spend days playing around with them and you still won’t be done testing them all.
Also, it offers various features and effects, such as; Pitch modulation, Filters,
Compression, and much more.
This plugin will leave you speechless with how many different features it comes with, and you can even tweak the most basic Kicks and end up with the sound you need.
This plugin is available to try as a Demo version, or you can buy it for 99 USD if you like it.
Find out more about Battery 4 here.
Serum by Xfer Records ($180)
Let’s start with some sound design for your leads, plucks and chords.
This is where Serum is at its strongest; it offers many presets that are great sounding right from the start, and you can always create your own sounds fif you wish to do so.
There are multiple waveforms available and you can also insert your own custom images (yes, images – you and your dog) and it will use those images to create wavetables.
Serum also offers various effects for you to play with, and I would recommend trying out the distortion and some chorus modulations, just to see how you like those.
Find out more about Serum here.
Massive by Native Instruments ($75)
Let’s not forget that you will also be needing to add some basses, and this is where Massive comes in;
Much like Serum, Massive offers various sound design options and presets.
It doesn’t come with as many features as Serum, but for creating nice sounding basslines, it is definitely worth a shot.
Find out more about Massive here.
Valhalla Room by Valhalla DSP ($49)
This is a reverb plugin meant not only for Hardstyle music, but for any type of music.
It’s not a coincidence that many producers in the whole industry use it.
It can go well with you bass sounds, lead sounds and even add a bit of flavor to your kicks.
Give it a try and tell me what you think!
Find out more about Valhalla Room here.
Kombinat Tri by Audio Damage ($49)
This is a three multi-band distortion plugin that you could use if you were looking for a replacement- or cheaper version of iZotope Trash.
This plugin has a price of 49 USD, half of what iZotope Trash is at, yet it offers the same high quality distortion effect and will basically yield a great sound at cheaper price.
As this is a multi-band plugin, you can always choose which portions of the sound will be distorted and which ones won’t.
It can be used as a slight saturator or for creating full blown distortion.
It’s one of those tools that you might end up using a lot more than you think.
Find out more about Kombinat Tri here.
Conclusion
All of the plugins on this list are absolutely fantastic and worth the money.
However, if you prefer to try free software first, make sure to check the posts I listed at the start of the post!
See you one the next one!
Have a wonderful day!
