The 10 Best Vintage Synth VSTs: Stunning Retro Synth Emulation, Free and Paid

If you’re keenly seeking that classic warmth, fuzz, and analogue goodness from the world’s best vintage synthesisers, but are painfully aware that they can cost hundreds or even thousands to buy from shops or the second-hand market, fear not. 

A fantastic option is to start out using the best vintage synth VSTs in your DAW, which do an incredible job of emulating the greatest synths of all time at a fraction of the cost and without taking up any extra space in your home. Let’s get retro and look at the best classic synth VSTs, starting with the free and most affordable options.

DiscoDSP OB-Xd

• VST3 Version Free — yay!

• Based on a coveted hero of the synth world

Based on the legend that is the Oberheim OB-X synth, this retro synth VST plugin is a brilliant analogue emulating VST that will cost you diddly squat to get onto your DAW. It has a user-friendly interface, which is so often not the case with free plugins. It might not have as many advanced features as other vintage synthesiser plugins such as the Arturia V Collection, but ultimately, it sounds fantastic. It’s right up there with some of the expensive big boys. Features include the filter design and voice controls, which will keep you nice and busy if you don't need sound editing that’s mega adventurous.

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Cherry Audio Sines

• Very cheap, while sounding excellent

• Strong presets

Cherry Audio’s Sines isn’t a free vintage synth VST plugin, but it practically is, priced at around £/$30. Despite this, it sounds on the same level as some retro synth VSTs that cost five times as much. It uses four sine wave oscillators, which all have plenty of controls to create the sounds of your dreams. With the ability to reshape, combine and shift these synths, while using them to modulate each other, you’re onto a winner if you need a very affordable option. Then there is FM synthesis, effects, and fantastic filters, which are the cherry on top.

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TAL-U-NO-LX

• Detailed emulation of the Roland Juno-106 with a smooth, lush sound

• Offers the iconic dual chorus effect and a zero feedback delay filter

One of the most beloved vintage synths out there is Roland’s Juno 60, which has really come back into vogue in recent years thanks to ambient artists such as Sigur Rós and Nils Frahm. For the hardware, you’re either looking at one of Roland’s digital emulations of the Juno series, or spending two grand or so in the second-hand market. Or, there’s the option of going with TAL-U-NO-LX for around £/$50, an affordable vintage synth VST based on the original analogue Juno synthesiser. Each oscillator, filter, and envelope has been lovingly modelled to recreate the beloved synth and honours its rich, warm, and nostalgic sound.

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Native Instruments Monark

• Captures the iconic sound of a legendary monophonic analogue synthesiser

• Features a straightforward layout with three oscillators and a smooth filter for powerful basses and leads

Hail, the monarch of classic synth VSTs! Native Instruments brings us Monark, based on the analogue synth even non-synth heads have heard of, the Minimoog. NI put years of research into the instrument itself and recreating it in this digital VST instrument. The Minimoog is famed for its bass and lead sounds, and that legacy lives on in Monark. Running in the free and paid versions of Reaktor, NI have also optimised it to work beautifully with their Maschine MIDI controllers.

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Arturia Analog Lab

• Vast library of curated presets from Arturia's acclaimed vintage synth emulations

• Intuitive browser for easy sound selection and the ability to combine two instruments

Arturia are a very safe pair of hands because in all areas of synthesis, whether it’s analogue hardware, or digital synth VSTs — everything they touch turns to gold. And the beautiful thing about one of their more retro synth VSTs, Analog Lab, is that it sounds brilliant for the vintage vibes, but it’s so versatile that you can use it to create starkly modern and contemporary sounds also. With thousands(!) of presets to choose from, this is a vintage synth VST that is for life, not just for Christmas. There are a few price packages to choose from, and you can even try it for free first with Analog Lab Play and Intro.

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GForce Minimonsta

• Accurate emulation of the legendary Minimoog with its fat and punchy sound

• Captures the classic filter characteristics with added modern features

The mighty Moog returns, with another vintage synth VST that pays it homage in the shape of GForce’s Minimonsta. It captures the analogue synth’s iconic fat and punchy sound with remarkable accuracy, placing it directly in your DAW. The Minimoog Model D would set you back around five grand, so £/$50 for this retro synth VST sounds a lot more palatable. The Minimonsta expands its capabilities with features like assignable LFOs and ADSRs to almost any parameter, opening up big modulation possibilities not found on the hardware.

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u-he Diva

• Exceptional analogue emulation with models of various classic oscillators, filters, and envelopes

• Known for its high sound quality and ability to recreate the warmth of analogue hardware

Word on the street is that a certain Hans Zimmer is a huge u-he fan, and that all of the electronic synth elements in both his Dune scores used the company’s Zebra library alone. And Diva, our prima donna entry in this best vintage synth VSTs list, is u-he’s brilliant take on retro synths distilled into DAW-friendly VST form. The name stands for ‘Dinosaur Impersonating Virtual Analogue synthesiser’ (why wouldn’t it), and puts all the oscillators, filters, and envelopes you could dream of to create those classic synth VST sounds. You can mix and match modules to create your own unique and brand-new sounds.

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WINNER: Diva meticulously models the oscillators, filters and envelopes of classic synthesizers while allowing users to mix and match modules. Its authentic analog tone and flexible architecture make it the definitive vintage synth plugin. - Headliner Awards

Arturia V Collection X

• Comprehensive suite of meticulously modelled vintage synthesisers and keyboards

• Includes emulations of iconic synths like the MiniMoog V, Jupiter-8V, and Prophet-5 V

Let’s say bonjour once more to Arturia, with the larger prospect that is the V Collection X. With 39 instruments, three expansion packs, and more than 9000 presets (yes, you read that correctly), it’s safe to say the value is well and truly packed in here. As well as several packs recreating some of the world’s best-loved classic synths in VST form, you also get a grand piano, keyboards, brass, and woodwind sounds, so you can really mix things up. Included are retro synth VST versions of the MiniMoog V, Jupiter-8V, and Prophet-5 V, promising you enormity in sound.

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Softube Model 84

• Another excellent emulation of the Roland Juno-106, offering a distinct sonic flavor

• Provides the characteristic chorus and filter of the original with high accuracy

In any classic synth conversation, the 1984 Roland Juno-106 is bound to get a repeat mention, and this time it's Softube honouring its great legacy with the Model 84 vintage synth VST. Softube says they’ve used ‘rock and roll science’ to turn an original, fully-serviced and calibrated Juno into this retro synth VST. The presets sound startlingly close to the real thing. As well as this reimagining, there are plenty of features to help you create your own, modern sounds, also: a Eurorack platform, Modular, and pro audio guitar and bass platform, Amp Room.

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u-he Repro

• Highly detailed emulation of the Sequential Circuits Prophet-5

• Captures the warm and powerful analogue sound of the original polysynth

And to wrap up our trip through the retro synth VST gauntlet, we revisit u-he. This time, it’s one of the greatest synths of all time, Dave Smith Instruments’ Prophet-5, that we are looking at. And if you can’t currently drop three grand on that classic synth, fear not, because u-he has given it the vintage synth VST treatment here, using component-level modelling technology to lovingly recreate it digitally. Some of the stunning features include two multi-wave oscillators, a latch mode arpeggiator, a 32-step sequencer, 64 steps if chained, and a brilliant effects package.

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Vintage synth VST plugins versus hardware synths

As you set about finding the right classic synth VST set for your music, you may come across naysayers telling you not to waste your time, as the original hardware synths are superior. But don’t worry, it’s more complex than that argument makes it seem.

As the classic synthesisers are mostly analogue synths, this leads us back to the age-old digital vs analogue debate. Some swear the true analogue sound can’t be bettered, while digital advocates argue it’s almost impossible to tell the difference these days as the vintage synth VSTs have reached such a level of quality.

The one thing a retro synth VST can never truly replace is having a physical hardware synth to play on, that tactile feel as you play the keys, and live editing with the physical knobs and buttons. Ultimately, it’s important to follow your own intuition, preferences, workflow, and budget. Buying multiple hardware synths could cost you a lot of money. A great hybrid approach is to choose one or two physical synths that you love, but also have a toolkit of synth VSTs, especially bearing in mind they are so quick to fire up in your DAW and get going with. Whatever gets you making music is the most important thing

Further reading:

10 Of The Best Classic Synthesizers