Xfer Records Serum 2 is finally released
- Noise Harmony
- Mar 18
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 27
Serum 2 is finally here, and it’s packed with upgrades that make it more powerful and flexible. If you’ve used the original, you’ll notice the changes right away. Xfer Records has refined the engine, added new synthesis tools, and made workflow improvements.
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One of the biggest additions is multi-sample support. Serum was always known as a pure wavetable synth, but now you can load real instrument recordings into it. This opens up a whole new world of sound design.The multi-sample engine supports SFZ files, so you can bring in high-quality sample libraries.
The wavetable engine itself has been upgraded too. There are new warp modes, improved phase modulation, and spectral morphing options that make sound design even more creative. A new “smooth interpolation” mode lets you move seamlessly between waveform frames without needing traditional morphing. If you love detailed, evolving textures, this makes a huge difference. The unison engine has also been improved, making stacked voices sound richer and wider while using less CPU.
Xfer Serum 2 oscillators
Speaking of performance, Serum 2 is much more efficient. One of the biggest complaints about the original was how CPU-intensive it could be, especially with high unison settings. The new version is optimized to run smoother, so you can layer more sounds without overloading your computer. That’s a massive win for producers working with complex projects.
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MPE support is another huge step forward. If you have an expressive MIDI controller, like the ROLI Seaboard, you can now control pitch, modulation, and other parameters per note, adding a whole new level of expressiveness to your sounds.
The user interface has been modernized too. You can now resize the GUI to fit any screen, which is great for users on ultra-wide monitors or smaller laptop screens. The preset browser has been completely redesigned, making it much easier to find and organize your sounds. If you have a huge preset collection, this will save you a ton of time.
Serum 2 also introduces new oscillator types beyond the classic wavetable approach. There’s a granular oscillator, which lets you stretch, fragment, and manipulate audio in new ways. A spectral oscillator enables real-time resynthesis, allowing you to process sounds at the harmonic level. The sample oscillator has also been improved with better looping, slicing, and transient detection, making it more flexible for working with audio files.
The effects section has seen a major overhaul as well. You now have more control over routing, and the quality of built-in effects has been refined to better integrate with Serum’s synthesis engine. One of my long-standing gripes with Serum was that U-he Diva always felt ahead in this area, with richer delays, a more immersive reverb, and even a simple but effective built-in arpeggiator. With this update, Serum 2 is finally stepping up in both departments, introducing not just upgraded effects, but also new sequencing tools that add more depth to sound design.
The built-in arpeggiator and step sequencer, each with 12 slots for storing custom patterns, bring an entirely new rhythmic and melodic dimension to Serum. This was another advantage Diva had over Serum, but now the playing field is leveling. Whether these additions will fully tip the balance remains to be seen, but they make Serum 2 a far more complete instrument than before.
Xfer Serum 2 comes with an exciting new feature—the Mixer, allowing for an easy and intuitive way to balance between channels, filters, and FX buses. With clear controls, you can set routing, panning, and levels for oscillators, adjust filter cutoff and resonance graphically, and bypass individual FX modules in the FX bus. The Main/Direct Outputs also let you fine-tune levels and manage effects efficiently.
Check out our custom-made presets for U-he Diva!
NH ARP Bell Sequence (MW)_Bm - stem
NH KS Listen To Your Keys_D
The best part? Serum 2 is a free upgrade for existing users. Xfer Records has stuck to its promise of lifetime free updates, so if you already own Serum, you can download the new version without paying anything extra. And don’t worry about losing your old patches—Serum 2 is fully backward-compatible, so all your existing presets will load perfectly.
For more details, you can check out the official information on the Xfer Records website or read the full list of new features in this PDF.
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