Serum 2 Review: What's New in Xfer's Latest Synth Plugin?
| Hot Grooves
Serum 2 Review:
Although Serum 2 from Xfer Records has received praise for its improvements, several users and industry insiders have voiced their disapproval and criticism of the release.
Extended Timeline for Development
Serum 2's development has been noticeably drawn out, with talks and teasers regarding its release going back a number of years. Serum developer Steve Duda announced in December 2020 that Serum 2 was in development, with an initial release date of 2021. However, customers who were waiting for the upgrade became frustrated when the real release took place in March 2025.
Performance Requiring a Lot of Resources
Serum 1 was frequently criticized for using a lot of CPU power, which made it difficult for producers to work on projects involving several instances of the plugin. Although Serum 2 adds additional capabilities, preliminary reviews indicate that it still requires a lot of resources, which might limit its applicability on systems with lower processing power.
Competition in the Market and Feature Set
Other synthesizers came to market during Serum 2's prolonged development phase, bringing cutting-edge features that raised the bar for the industry. Although Serum 2's upgrades are useful, some users believe they fall short of the improvements made by rival synths that were released in the meantime.
Workflow and User Interface Modifications
Some long-time users have noticed that the changes take some getting used to, even though Serum 2's revamped interface seeks to improve workflow by eliminating the need for tabbing. Users must adjust to the modified design because the new layout is different from the old, even though it is more efficient.
Limitations of Backward Compatibility
Although opening presets from the first Serum can be used with Serum 2, some sophisticated settings have been reported to not translate flawlessly. Producers that depend on particular sounds created in Serum 1 have expressed concern about this.
In conclusion, Serum 2 offers significant improvements, but it also has drawbacks that users and industry watchers have pointed out. These criticisms highlight how difficult it is to update a popular software tool in a market that is changing quickly.
