Last updated on January 2nd, 2024 at 03:08 pm
Today we will cover some of the best plugins for creating Industrial music.
Among these, there will both Instruments and Effect plugins.
Please note that these are not the only Plugins available for Industrial music and that many more could certainly be used, so make sure to check out this post I wrote where you will be able to find over 600 plugins, both free & premium.
Let’s dive into the list, starting with…
iZotope Trash 2 ($99)
Let’s start with some a nice distortion/saturation effect.
With this plugin you will be able to bring more saturation and distortion to your leads, pads, chords, etc.
Even if you’re a beginner, you should be able to get it up and sounding great in a matter of seconds since it’s quite easy to use.
It can be used to get more thump in the lower mid frequencies and a soft crunch in mid to upper frequencies.
This plugin also has a unique wave-shaper that will allow you to create your own distortions and tailor the sound in many different ways.
Find out more about iZotope Trash 2 here.
Serum by Xfer Records ($180)
From the most basic sounds to the most complicated and bizarre sounding effects, Serum is there to cover it all.
This is a top-notch synthesizer and sound design plugin, coming with over 450 presets to cover all of your production needs.
When it comes to design, this plugin offers ultra clean sounding oscillators, effects, and real time modulations.
It also allows creating custom wavetables and importing them into the plugin, and even use images to create wavetables, which I find super weird yet fun!
Find out more about Serum here.
Oddity 2 by GForce Software ($99)
I wanted to mention this plugin while still on the topic of instruments VSTs;
This is a digital replica of a hardware Arp synthesizer introduced in 1972 called Odyssey, which was used by artists such as Herbie Hancock and Kraftwerk.
It is available as a VST and as a standalone plugin.
When it comes to the sound, this plugin will give a more analog feel to your productions as well as help achieve that ‘Industrial’ sound.
It has 2 oscillators plus one sub oscillator to play with.
Other features include: A Ring modulator, Different waveforms to choose from, Monophonic, Duophonic and Polyphonic mode, Resonant filters, and much more.
If you’re looking for an extremely faithful recreation of the Odyssey, then this plugin is certainly for you.
Find out more about Oddity 2 here.
Zebra 2 by U-He ($199)
Zebra 2 is a very powerful synthesizer that comes with over 500 presets, and if these don’t suit your needs then you can create your own sounds from scratch with 4 oscillators, 11 voices for unison and both stereo and mono effects.
You can also get the “Dark Zebra”, which is a soundbank created for Hans Zimmer that he used for the music in the movies “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises”.
If you’re looking for a great plugin to help you create new sounds, then definitely check out Zebra 2.
Find out more about Zebra 2 here.
Analoger by Plug and Mix ($9.99)
If you make Industrial music, you can’t go without an analog tape VST effect, and one that I would definitely recommend is Analoger.
This is a plugin that is really simple and easy to use, yet it will provide your mixes with a great sounding tape effect and saturation.
It only has 5 knobs, which allow you to control the Drive, Lows, Highs, Wet/Dry Signal and Output levels.
Alongside this, it offers a Tube, Tape and Tube-Tape sound design.
Find out more about Analoger here.
Predator 2 by Rob Papen ($149)
The Predator 2 is a great VST synthesizer that offers a broad spectrum of presets and features for sound design.
The user interface has been designed so that almost all main controls are visible on screen, making it fun and incredibly easy-to-use.
However, the itnerface looks a bit crowded and overwhelming, which is why I wouldn’t recommend it to absolute beginners.
Here are some of the features that are worth mentioning: Waveform Drawing, Waveform Morphing and WaveSet Play Mode, oh and let’s not forget that this plugin offers over 6000 presets.
Find out more about the Predator 2 here.
Prophet V by Arturia ($149)
This is not one, not two, but a three- synthesizer plugin that emulate the original Prophet 5 and the Prophet VS, two revolutionary synthesizers from back in the day.
You get access to the Prophet V, Prophet VS, and the Prophet Hybrid, which is a combination of the two, giving you all the warmth and thickness of the Prophet V with the hard edge digital sound of the VS.
Many producers state that this plugin has a brighter and harsher sound than any other synth plugin, so many of them use it for creating massive sounding basslines.
Find out more about Prophet V here.
Technol HN1 by G-Sonique ($29.99)
This is a plugin generally used for “minimal techno” and “industrial techno”, and the whole point of this plugin is to get you going fast, without having to spend days on sound design.
It offers bells, synths, plucks and basslines that sound very professional.
In addition to this, this plugin also includes a special Drum Kit and Orchestral techno drones.
If you like using weird Percussions and FX, this plugin got you covered. Here are a few of them;
Industrial Kit, Vintage Minimal DX Percussions, Sci-Fi Percussions, Long Dusty Percussions, Shamanic Drums, Edgy Sharp Energic sounds, Vintage Computer Drum Machine, Electro Sounds, Submarine Percussions and much more, featuring a total of 192 production banks.
You can create a whole track with this one plugin and it will sound extremely good, plus it’s super affordable.
This is why I think that it’s the ideal plugin for beginners since it’s cheap and sounds great!
Find out more about Technol HN1 here.
Beatfactory Drums by BeatSkillz (Free)
Beatfactory Drums is a free drumkit/drum machine plugin that works in any DAW on Mac OS X and Windows 32/64-bit.
The kits included in the plugin were created using the MPC 2500 passing through high end outboard EQ, compressors, tube and solid state gear, for a gritty and punchy sound.
It’s a very fun plugin to use and it sounds absolutely fantastic, especially for industrial music!
Here’s the to where you can download the Beat Factory Drums.
Lastly, although it’s not a strictly industrial-music plugin, here’s my recommended plugin for keeping your low-end as tight and punchy as possible.
THR LowEnhance
Specifically designed to process low-end quickly!
Price: $39.99.
The THR LowEnhance compressor was designed specifically to process the low-end of your tracks and mixes with the idea of making the whole process as simple as possible, helping you work at a faster pace without having to fiddle around with dozens of plugin parameters.
Its automatic gain makeup functionality works extremely well and lets you to dial in the needed compression without having to worry about the output volume, and contrary to other compressors, it doesn’t only take into account the threshold and ratio in order to calculate the makup, but also attack and release times.
In order to keep things simple, only fast & slow attack and release times are built in, which should cover most of your needs, but in addition to that, the LowEnhance features tempo-sync functionality, which sets the release time to 1/8th noters, 1/4 notes, etc., based on the project’s tempo.
THR LowEnhance also comes with a distortion module that lets you choose between two types of distortion (Overdrive and soft clipping), and the output volume also gets automatically compensated so that you don’t have to manually set it.
Some audio recording software, such as Audacity, don’t notify the plugin about the project’s tempo, which is why you can also set the tempo manually in the plugin to achieve the same results.
Lastly, THR LowEnhance allows you to select the exact frequency range you want it to process (from 40Hz and below, up to 250Hz) so that you can accurately affect the sound how you want to, and it also lets you solo that frequency range (or band) to have a more thorough listen.
User Interface: The LowEnhance was designed to look and feel simple. It offers simple controls that do what they are supposed to and all of this in an intuitive manner.
Character: While LowEnhance can sound quite mean and dirty when the saturation is cranked, I wouldn’t say it naturally adds character (unless you’re adding saturation, of course) since the compressor itself has a very clear sound that doesn’t add any coloration.
Distinctive Features:
- Automatic gain makeup.
- Compression plus distortion modules.
- Tempo-synced release.
- Low filter band that lets you adjust the specific frequency range to process.
Uses: LowEnhance, as the name implies, was designed to make adding compression and saturation to the low-end as simple of a process as possible: It can be used to add thump and power to you kick drum, help your bass guitar sit better in the mix, or to add some grit and power to your synth lines.
Lastly, LowEnhance comes with a 7-day free trial, so make sure to give it a try!
Find out more about LowEnhance here.
Top 3 choices
- Technol HN1: It’s very affordable and sounds great. Ideal for beginners.
- Serum: Probably the most used synthesizer in the world.
- Trash 2: All around a great plugin!
Conclusion
I’m a big fan of free or really affordable software, especially if it’s good.
I’d recommend any beginner to try out Technol HN1 since it’s an overall great plugin that will get you going in no time.
If you want to get your hands on over 200 free plugins, then check out this huge list I created.
I hope this information was useful!
Have a wonderful day!
