In the fast-moving world of electronic music production, it’s easy to wonder: is Serum still relevant in 2025? With new synths constantly hitting the market, producers — from beginners building their first studio recording home setup to seasoned engineers teaching at online music production schools — are asking if it's time to move on.

After years of teaching with Serum and across our 1-on-1 music production lessons over at FSA, here’s our honest, experience-based breakdown.

Certainly Still looking sleek but how is it really holding up in 2025?

🧠 What Made Serum So Popular?

Launched back in 2014 by Xfer Records, Serum became a near-instant classic. It offered clean, aggressive, and flexible wavetable synthesis, intuitive modulation, and a sleek UI that made sound design more approachable than ever.

Even in 2025, its core appeal hasn’t aged:

Drag-and-drop modulation
Custom wavetable import
Powerful filters & FX
Tons of free samples music* and presets available online

Many modern music production programs still start students on Serum because it’s simple to learn, but deep enough to master.

Real-World Use: Who Still Uses Serum?

At Drum Collective, we see three main types of producers using Serum:

Beginners

If you're building your first tracks in a home recording studio, Serum is ideal. It helps you understand core concepts like envelopes, LFOs, and modulation routing — skills that translate to almost every synth.

Intermediate Producers

If you’re producing house, techno, or EDM, Serum’s high-quality oscillators and built-in FX rack still make it a go-to for basslines, leads, plucks, and atmospheres. We’ve had students release label-ready tracks built entirely on Serum inside our music producer programs*.

Advanced Sound Designers

While some may lean toward modular systems or newer synths, Serum still holds its own in pro workflows — especially with the endless third-party wavetable packs available.

What’s Better Than Serum in 2025?

Let’s be honest — Serum isn’t the newest toy anymore. And there are some powerful contenders in the scene:

Phase Plant (by Kilohearts)

Modular, flexible, deep
Combine wavetable, granular, sampler, and effects in one
Steeper learning curve, but incredibly powerful

If Serum is an electric guitar, Phase Plant is a full modular rig.

Vital (Free + Paid)

Also wavetable-based, with visual modulation
Open-source feel, high quality, easy to use
Arguably better for beginners (and free)

Ideal for new producers in online music production schools* or anyone on a budget.

Pigments 5 (Arturia)

Combines wavetable, analog, sample-based, additive, and granular engines
Great for cinematic or hybrid electronic producers
Stunning UI and flexible modulation

Great for composers, ambient producers, and those interested in sound engineering courses or hybrid scoring.

Pros & Cons of Serum in 2025

Pros:

Still one of the best-balanced synths for clarity, punch, and ease of use
Massive community and resource library
Fits perfectly into any home studio microphone or home music studio workflow
Teaches fundamentals that apply across all synths

Cons:

UI and feature set haven’t evolved much since launch
Not as modular or future-facing as newer synths like Phase Plant
Some producers find it too “clean” or digital for their taste

How It Fits Into a Home Studio in 2025

If you're building out a home recording studio or working through music production schools online, Serum is still a smart investment. It plays nice with most DAWs, integrates well with Ableton courses*, and won't kill your CPU like some newer synths.

Even in professional setups, it's often used for layering with analog gear or as a clean digital sound source in hybrid mixes.

Final Thoughts

Serum is still 100% worth using in 2025 — especially if you're learning, teaching, or producing in genres like house, techno

Visit our brand new site www.drum-collective.com which launched in 2025 for sample packs, templates, ableton stems and more

Is Serum VST Still Worth It in 2025?