The Truth About Synth Presets. Is It Okay To Use Ready-Made Sounds?
- Noise Harmony
- Mar 14
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 28
Is it okay to use pre-made synth presets? This topic often comes up in producer circles, and opinions vary. The truth is, it’s all about your personal approach. If you enjoy sound design, you might prefer making your own patches. But presets can also be valuable tools for inspiration and efficiency—every producer and even legends use them in their own way to shape unique sounds. Let’s find out why!
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But if you’re new to music, it’s a great idea to play around with synthesizers yourself—that’s part of the fun! At the same time, listening to how others create sounds can inspire you and help you learn a lot.
So, what exactly are synth presets? They are ready-made sounds for hardware synthesizers like Korg Minilogue XD, Behringer DeepMind 6, Arturia PolyBrute or VST (Virtual Studio Technology) plugins such as U-he DIVA and Repro-5, Xfer Serum, Ableton Wavetable, Vital, and many more. The list could go on forever. Every preset is a complete sound design patch with predefined settings for oscillators, filters, effects, and other key parameters
In simple terms, they are sounds that are ready to use, made by people who know how to get the best out of a synthesizer. Some call them patches, others call them sound banks or tones, but they all mean the same thing: they are tools that help you stay creative.
Even more importantly, presets don’t just save you time—they help you learn. By looking at how a preset is made, you can figure out how it works, find new tricks, and understand how to shape sounds better.
Check out our custom-made presets for Korg Minilogue xd!
NH LD Stellar_Em
NH STH Halcyon_G
To make this clearer, let’s look at a famous example: Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.” Do you know that famous intro drum beat came from a preset on the Roland CR-78 drum machine? No joke. Collins used the “Disco 2” preset, slowed it down, and just like that—you have one of the most unforgettable intros in rock history.
So, if you’ve ever felt like using presets is somehow cheating, just remember: even legends do it.
Most premium preset packs come with MIDI and audio files that are 100% royalty-free. This means you can easily add them to your DAW, change them, and even release your music without any legal problems. These packs include melodies, chords, and rhythms that can help you get new ideas when you’re feeling stuck.
Think of synth presets like photo filters or ready-made brushes in digital art. No one complains when a photographer uses a Lightroom filter or a designer uses a Photoshop brush. These are just tools that help you create faster. What really matters is how you use them.
In the end, synth presets aren’t just about making things easier—they’re about making things faster and more inspiring. They can help you get unstuck, show you new directions for your music, and save you a ton of time.
Get inspired by our custom-built presets for U-He Diva!
NH PAD Evolution_Dm
NH RTH Oliver with Twist_Fm
So next time you’re scrolling through a list of presets, don’t just click past them. Load one up, mess around a bit, and see where it takes you. Who knows? You might just find the sound that makes your next track.
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