If you’re shopping for a supersaw, you have more good options than ever, and several of them are free. I make SuperSerrated, so read this with that in mind. I’ve tried to be straight about where it’s the right pick and where something else will serve you better.
In short, SuperSerrated is a focused supersaw instrument. It’s centered on one family of sounds, it’s quick to program, and it runs on macOS, Windows, Linux, and iOS. If you want one synth that does everything, try looking at Serum or Vital instead.
What makes a supersaw synth good?
Almost every modern synth can stack detuned saws. The difference is how much control you get over the stack and how fast you can get from a blank patch to something usable. The things worth comparing:
- Voice count and detune curve. How many saws per note, and whether detune spreads them evenly or keeps a strong center voice.
- Stereo width and mono compatibility. Wide stacks sound great solo and can collapse in mono.
- Filter character. A raw saw stack is harsh. The filter adds that extra dimension to a synth, whether you’re making a lead, a pad, or a bass.
- Polyphony cost. Supersaw chords with unison eat voices fast.
- Speed. How many moves it takes to get from init to a finished patch.
The quick comparison
| SuperSerrated | Serum 2 | Vital | Sylenth1 | Surge XT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synthesis | Supersaw + sub + noise | Wavetable, plus more | Wavetable | Virtual analog | Hybrid, many oscillator types |
| Saws per voice | 1 to 11 | Up to 16 unison | Up to 16 unison | Up to 8 per oscillator | Varies by oscillator |
| Built-in effects | None | Extensive | Extensive | Yes | Extensive |
| Linux | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Learning curve | Low | High | Medium to high | Low to medium | High |
| Price | Paid, 14-day trial | Paid | Free | Paid | Free |
SuperSerrated
What it is: a polyphonic supersaw synth. One supersaw oscillator with 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11 saws, a sine sub-oscillator, and a noise layer, into a ladder filter with low-pass, high-pass, and band-pass modes at 12 or 24 dB/octave. Two envelopes, two LFOs, and a 7-slot mod matrix.
Where it’s strong:
- It’s quick to program. Everything is on one panel of sliders, so you can read a whole patch at a glance. There’s no oscillator browser or effects rack to dig through.
- The filter has controls made for saw stacks. Drive adds grit, and Bass Boost keeps the low end solid when resonance and a wide stack would otherwise thin it out.
- Voice-level unison on top of the saw stack. Besides the 11 saws in the oscillator, you can stack whole voices with their own detune in cents. It’s an easy way to get a huge mono lead. The catch is that those voices share the same pool of 16 as polyphony.
- The mod matrix reaches further than you’d expect. Sources include velocity, keytrack, mod wheel, and aftertouch. Destinations include detune, width, unison volume, envelope times, and LFO rate and depth. Mapping velocity to Env 1 decay, for example, makes harder hits ring longer.
- It runs where you run. macOS, Windows, Linux, and iOS (standalone and AUv3), with a 14-day desktop trial.
Where it isn’t:
- No built-in effects. No chorus, delay, or reverb. Most supersaw patches you’ve heard on records lean on effects, plan on adding your own. (We’d suggest Gaussian Blur as a nice, big reverb.)
- One sound family. It doesn’t do wavetables, FM, or samples. It’s for soaring leads, techno stabs, huge pads, sub-heavy basses, and classic analog-style patches.
- 16 voices. Make your chords even bigger with voice unison. But you will run out of voices if you turn it all the way up. Prefer voice unison for mono leads.
- No arpeggiator or sequencer. Use your DAW’s.
Pick it if you want a fast, dedicated supersaw that stays out of your way, especially on Linux or iPad.
Serum 2
What it is: Xfer Records’ wavetable synth, and one of the most widely used plugins in electronic music. Serum 2 added more oscillator types and a larger effects section.
Where it’s strong: it can make almost any sound, it has a huge preset and tutorial ecosystem, and its built-in effects mean a finished-sounding patch inside one plugin. Its unison controls are deep, with several detune and stacking modes.
How it compares: Serum makes a great supersaw, but you’re building it inside a much larger instrument. If supersaws are one sound among many in your work, Serum is the better buy. If they’re the main thing you reach for, SuperSerrated gets you there with fewer decisions, and at a lower price.
Pick Serum if you want one synth for everything and you’re on macOS or Windows.
Vital
What it is: a wavetable synth by Matt Tytel with a capable free tier.
Where it’s strong: it’s free, it’s powerful, and it runs on Linux. Its unison and stereo controls are good, and the visual modulation workflow is excellent.
How it compares: if budget is the deciding factor, start with Vital. It will make a convincing supersaw. You’ll spend more time getting there, because the detuned stack is one corner of a large wavetable synth rather than the whole instrument.
Pick Vital if you want a free, deep synth and don’t mind a learning curve.
Sylenth1
What it is: Lennar Digital’s virtual analog synth, a longtime favorite for trance and EDM leads.
Where it’s strong: its sound is all over a generation of dance records, and it’s light on CPU. Patches are quick to build, and there are a lot of presets in the trance lineage.
How it compares: Sylenth1 is the closest in spirit to SuperSerrated. Both are focused virtual analog instruments that are fast to program. Sylenth1 gives you more oscillators and its own effects. SuperSerrated gives you more saws in a single stack, a sub and noise layer, Linux and iOS support, and a newer mod matrix.
Pick Sylenth1 if you want that specific sound and its preset library.
Surge XT
What it is: a free, open-source hybrid synth maintained by the Surge Synth Team.
Where it’s strong: it’s free, open source, and on Linux, with an enormous range of oscillator types, filters, and effects.
How it compares: Surge XT can do everything SuperSerrated does, and much more. The trade-off is the interface. Finding your way through Surge takes time, and the supersaw is several screens deep in a very large synth.
Pick Surge XT if you want maximum depth for free and enjoy exploring.
Roland JP-8000 (and its software versions)
The JP-8000 put the “Super Saw” name on a front panel in 1996, and its seven-saw sound still defines the genre for a lot of people. Roland offers a software version through Roland Cloud.
Pick the Roland if you want that exact original character. SuperSerrated doesn’t try to clone the JP-8000. Its detune curve, filter, and sub are its own.
So which one should you get?
- You want one synth for everything: Serum 2.
- You want a deep synth for free: Vital or Surge XT.
- You want the classic trance sound with a big preset library: Sylenth1.
- You want the original: Roland’s JP-8000 software.
- You want a dedicated supersaw that’s fast, inexpensive, and runs on Linux and iOS: SuperSerrated.
The best way to decide is to hear it in your own track. SuperSerrated has a 14-day free trial on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Load it on a chord progression you’ve already written, or create a new lead line, and see if it earns a place.