EDM music production moves fast: one day it’s festival-sized supersaws, the next it’s minimal grooves and ultra-clean mixes that still hit loud. The right plugins help you build bigger sounds in less time—without drowning in menus or fighting your DAW.
In this guide, you’ll find 10 of the best plugins that cover the full EDM workflow: sound design, drums, harmony, kick creation, effects, surgical mixing, and final mastering. Each section includes practical features and how producers typically use the tool inside real EDM sessions.
Quick list: the 10 best plugins for EDM
Xfer Serum 2
UJAM Beatmaker EDEN
UJAM Beatmaker HYPE
Scaler 3
Sonic Academy KICK 3
Minimal Audio Current 2.0
Polyverse Comet
FabFilter Pro-Q 4
Valhalla Supermassive
iZotope Ozone 12
How we picked these EDM plugins
The selection prioritizes plugins that are widely used in EDM workflows, fast to dive in under deadline and capable of modern, loud, clean results. We also aimed to cover every step of the chain—from idea generation to the final master—so you can build a complete EDM toolkit.
1. Xfer Serum 2
Best EDM synth for modern leads, basses, and evolving wavetables.
- Wavetable workflow made for aggressive EDM timbres
- Deep modulation for movement and “alive” sounds
- Great ecosystem of presets and packs for fast inspiration
Serum has been an EDM staple for years because it makes complex sound design feel visual. The wavetable view encourages hands-on shaping: you can build everything from bright supersaws to metallic FM tones, then animate them with envelopes and LFOs to keep drops from sounding static.
In practice, Serum 2 shines for modern leads, basses, and evolving textures. Producers often start with a strong oscillator pair, route movement to filter cutoff and wavetable position, and then finish with distortion/compression inside the synth—or keep it clean and push it through your favorite saturation and multiband tools.
EDM tip: set up macro controls for “drop performance” (brightness, drive, width, movement) so you can automate the whole patch with a few lanes and keep arrangements energetic.
2. UJAM Beatmaker EDEN
Fast EDM drum grooves, buildups, and drop-ready patterns.
- Instant EDM drum patterns and fills (no programming required)
- Drop-friendly kits designed for festival / big-room energy
- Fast arrangement: drag-and-drop MIDI into your DAW
Beatmaker EDEN is built for producers who want fast results without digging through a million one-shots. You load a kit, pick a style, and you immediately have a groove that sits in the right BPM range and feels “EDM-ready” for builds and drops.
Where EDEN really helps is speed: it’s easy to audition variations, add fills for transitions, and then drag the MIDI into your own drum rack if you want full control. That’s perfect when you’re sketching ideas or when you need a solid rhythmic foundation before you start layering sound design.
EDM tip: use EDEN to prototype the groove, then replace key hits (kick/snare) with your signature samples while keeping the MIDI and swing.
3. UJAM Beatmaker HYPE
Progressive-house/EDM drums with polished mix presets.
- Polished EDM / progressive-house drum sound out of the box
- Mix presets for quick “radio-ready” drums
- Great for tight claps, bright hats, and energetic builds
Beatmaker HYPE focuses on modern, high-energy drum production. Instead of spending hours balancing hats, claps, and top loops, you get a curated set of kits and grooves that already feel like they belong in a club mix.
For EDM producers, HYPE is especially useful in the early stages: you can lock the vibe, write the hook, and then decide later if you want to fully replace elements. The included mix presets are a big time-saver when you’re trying to get the “impact” right without over-processing.
EDM tip: automate intensity by switching patterns or adding built-in FX in buildups, then mute elements for a tight drop impact.
4. Scaler 3
Chord progressions, scales, and songwriting tools for EDM hooks.
- Find scales, chords, and progressions that fit your melody fast
- Generate chord sets for EDM hooks and emotional builds
- Great for writing toplines over harmonic movement
Scaler 3 is the “music theory shortcut” many EDM producers rely on when they want better harmony without losing momentum. You can detect chords from MIDI or audio, explore compatible scales, and build progressions that feel intentional—especially useful for melodic house, trance, future bass, and pop-leaning EDM.
The real win is workflow: once you’ve got a progression, you can experiment with voicings, rhythms, and variations, then route MIDI to your synths. It’s a simple way to turn a loop into a full song section with lift, tension, and release.
EDM tip: build two related progressions (verse/build vs drop) and keep one or two chords shared between them to make transitions feel smooth.
5. Sonic Academy KICK 3
Design hard-hitting kicks (synth + sample import/analyze).
- Design kicks that fit your track’s key and loudness target
- Import & analyze kick samples for precise control
- Layer click + sub with shaping tools for punch
If EDM is built on one sound, it’s the kick. KICK 3 is popular because it gives you control that’s hard to get with pure samples: you can sculpt the sub tail, manage pitch movement, and craft a transient that cuts through busy drops.
A standout feature is the ability to import and analyze kicks. That means you can take a kick you already love and rebuild it inside the plugin—then tune it, shorten it, or change the transient without starting from scratch.
EDM tip: match your kick’s fundamental to the track (or a musically related note), then carve space in the bass with sidechain so both can be loud without mud.
6. Minimal Audio Current 2.0
Hybrid synth platform with powerful engines + modern workflow.
- Modern hybrid synth built for fast preset browsing and deep editing
- Multiple engines + premium effects for finished sounds
- Great for cinematic EDM textures and experimental bass design
Current 2.0 is a powerhouse for producers who want modern sound design with a streamlined workflow. It’s flexible enough to go deep, but the interface encourages quick creation—ideal for EDM sessions where you’re constantly auditioning ideas.
The strength of Current is how it combines engines, modulation, and effects into a cohesive platform. You can start from a playable preset, then push it into more aggressive territory with modulation and processing—without feeling like you’re patching together ten separate plugins.
EDM tip: use Current for evolving pads and risers in builds, then resample the results and chop them for unique fills and transitions.
7. Polyverse Comet
Characterful algorithmic reverb with morphing for transitions.
- Lush algorithmic reverb with a character that stays clear in mixes
- Morph between multiple presets for animated spaces
- Excellent for transitions, uplifters, and vocal atmospheres
Polyverse Comet isn’t just “a reverb”—it’s an EDM-friendly ambience tool that can move. Instead of setting one static space, you can morph between different reverb states, which is perfect for builds, breakdowns, and cinematic transitions.
Producers often use Comet on leads and vocals when they want size without losing intelligibility. It can create wide, glossy tails that feel expensive, especially when you automate the mix or morphing features across sections.
EDM tip: automate reverb size and wet level in the last bar of a phrase, then snap back to dry at the drop for maximum contrast.
8. FabFilter Pro-Q 4
Precision EQ + dynamic control for clean, loud EDM mixes.
- Surgical EQ for cleaning harshness and making room in dense drops
- Dynamic EQ for problem frequencies that only appear sometimes
- Fast workflow: spectrum view + precise filter control
FabFilter Pro‑Q is a go-to in EDM because it helps you get loud without getting painful. Dense synth stacks and bright cymbals create frequency buildup fast, and Pro‑Q makes it easy to identify collisions and clean them with minimal damage.
Dynamic EQ is especially useful in EDM: you can tame a harsh resonance only when it spikes, or control low-mids in a bass patch only when the sub hits. That keeps your mix clear and consistent while still sounding aggressive.
EDM tip: use gentle dynamic cuts around 2–5 kHz on sharp leads, and clean low-mids in stacked synth buses so the kick and bass remain dominant.
9. Valhalla Supermassive
Free huge delay/reverb for atmosphere, risers, and space.
- Free delay/reverb that goes from subtle echoes to huge “space washes”
- Perfect for pads, plucks, FX, and atmospheric breakdowns
- Can create motion with feedback/density-style controls
Valhalla Supermassive is one of those rare free plugins that’s genuinely pro-level. It can do clean echoes, but its real identity is massive: swelling ambience, long trails, and otherworldly textures that make breakdowns feel larger than life.
In EDM, Supermassive is a secret weapon for ear candy. Put it on a send, feed it with small one-shots or vocal chops, and automate the send level during transitions. You’ll get width and depth without smearing your entire mix.
EDM tip: high‑pass the reverb return and sidechain it lightly to the kick so the space breathes without muddying the low end.
10. iZotope Ozone 12
All-in-one mastering suite to hit loudness targets cleanly.
- All‑in‑one mastering chain for loud, modern EDM
- Assistant + modules to control tonal balance and dynamics
- Useful metering and referencing to match commercial tracks
Ozone is popular because it turns mastering into a repeatable process. EDM demands loudness and clarity, and Ozone gives you a structured chain—EQ, dynamics, exciter, imaging, limiting—so you can hit targets without guessing.
Many producers use Ozone on the master while mixing to monitor the end goal, then refine the final master at the end. The assistant features can help you get started quickly, but the real power is in dialing modules to match your genre and reference tracks.
EDM tip: don’t chase loudness first—clean the low end and control harsh highs, then push the limiter. Your master will get louder with fewer artifacts.
Final thoughts
These 10 plugins cover the main building blocks of EDM: big synth sounds, fast drums, musical harmony, kick design, lush effects, surgical mixing, and mastering. You don’t need hundreds of tools—just a small set you know deeply.
If you’re building a starter EDM toolkit, begin with one flagship synth (Serum 2 or Current), one kick solution (KICK 3), one “music theory helper” (Scaler 3), and one clean EQ (Pro‑Q 4). Add a reverb/delay flavor (Comet and/or Supermassive) and a mastering chain (Ozone) when your mixes are ready to compete.
FAQ
What are the best plugins for EDM beginners?
Start with one versatile synth (Serum 2 or Current 2.0), a reliable EQ (FabFilter Pro‑Q 4), and an easy drum solution (UJAM Beatmaker EDEN/HYPE). These cover sound design, cleaning your mix, and getting grooves fast.
Do I need a dedicated kick plugin for EDM?
Not strictly, but a kick designer like Sonic Academy KICK 3 can save hours—especially if you want kicks tuned to your track and consistent across songs. It’s a big upgrade over random sample hunting.
Which reverb is best for EDM drops and transitions?
Polyverse Comet is great for lush, controllable spaces, while Valhalla Supermassive is fantastic for huge, experimental tails and delays—especially on sends for breakdowns and uplifters.
Should I master with Ozone or send to a mastering engineer?
If you’re releasing commercially, a mastering engineer can bring objectivity and specialized monitoring. But Ozone is an excellent solution for producer‑masters and demos, and it’s more than capable for independent releases when used carefully.
How do I keep EDM mixes loud without harshness?
Clean frequency clashes (especially low‑mids), control resonances with dynamic EQ, and treat your high end gently. Then push loudness with a transparent limiter. Loudness is easier when the mix is already clean.
