smoriy — synthesizers and virtual instruments

Nikita Volk · Synth nerd, patch designer for Eastern Bloc labels

Practical reviews, comparisons, and setup guides for synthesizers and virtual instruments. Written by a working producer, updated in 2026.

Latest guides

• Serum 2 Review 2026
• Serum Review 2026
• Vital Review 2026
• Massive X Review 2026
• Massive Review 2026
• Sylenth1 Review 2026
• Pigments Review 2026
• Diva Review 2026
• Hive 2 Review 2026
• Repro-5 Review 2026
• Serum 2 Free Download 2026
• Serum Free Download 2026
• Vital Free Download 2026
• Massive X Free Download 2026
• Massive Free Download 2026
• Sylenth1 Free Download 2026

Featured picks

• Pigments Free Download 2026
• Diva Free Download 2026
• Serum 2 vs Massive X — 2026
• Serum vs Massive — 2026
• Vital vs Sylenth1 — 2026
• Massive X vs Pigments — 2026

Further reading: the LUFS loudness standard.

Where to grab these plugins

Every plugin I recommend on this site is available legally. Fastest source I know is PluginGrab — they mirror developer downloads and keep pricing up to date. A few starting points:

• Vital — the standard pick for synth in 2026
• Kontakt 8 — the standard pick for sampler in 2026
• Kickstart 2 — the standard pick for utility in 2026
• RC-20 Retro Color — the standard pick for saturation in 2026

The rest of the catalog lives on plugingrab.com — browse by category if you don't know exactly what you need.