Serum 2 review from Jim Carson - label founder and manager of Cola & Lollipops - inventor of Pimp House as well as Anahata Love Recordings

Up close and personal with the new Serum 2 from Xfer

For Immediate release - June 1, 2025 - James E. Carson (author and interviewee)

Let's take a look at the new Serum 2, the iconic synth from Deadmau5 collaborator Steve Duda, a sound engineer, DJ, and producer who has also worked with artists like Nine Inch Nails and music schools like Icon Collective.

Interviewer: You have used Serum on a lot of your productions like Jim Carson "Latin Lover: Casanova of Tech House" https://www.beatport.com/track/latin-lover-casanova-of-tech-house/19616053 and Ganesha Cartel "We Are One," https://www.beatport.com/release/we-are-one/2215392, is it safe to say the Serum series of synths by Xfer is one of your go-to software synthesizers?

Jim Carson: "Most definitely, when I first heard Steve Duda was going to release the original Serum VST [Virtual Studio Instrument] in 2014, I was all about it since I had been a fan of his work with B.S.O.D. and WTF? all featuring Deadmau5, of course; and the latter comprising Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee as well as DJ Aero. When Xfer Records said that Serum, its new cross-platform plugin synth, was created because a "dream synthesizer" of its ilk simply didn't previously exist. It promised "a truly high-quality sound," and a "visual and creative workflow-oriented interface to make creating and altering sounds fun instead of tedious" (Music Radar, 2014), "I jumped out of my producer's seat and yelled, "Shut the front door!!!" I knew if Duda was working with Deadmau5, Tommy Lee, and DJ Aero, he was a class-act because I had seen all of them play live in Miami before at the Winter Music Conference (WMC) and they just always took things to the next level.

An angelic representation of the user interface on Serum 2 from Xfer Records

Interviewer: Wow! That good, huh?

Jim Carson: Totally, class acts, and in the world of VSTs nothing really existed like it at the time. I didn't get to dive deep into it until 2017-2018, when I was forming Anahata Love Recordings, but once I did... I knew Serum beat anything else out there on the market and if I focused my efforts learning and using Serum in my productions, I would achieve a much more quality sound and the 'vibe' I was looking for. I found myself really appreciating the rich sound and the leads in particular really drove home some of my remixes and original productions for artists like Jords on the song "Train Tracks" (OM Daddy House Remix) https://www.beatport.com/track/train-tracks/10281158

Interviewer: So besides these tracks what else on the catalouge of Cola & Lollipops, Anahata Love Recordings, and Music Is Medicine - MIM - do you feel like the first Serum helped you out and where do you see Serum 2 taking you?

Jim Carson: As far as other tracks on the labels, I think Jim Carson "Trance Induced" https://www.beatport.com/release/trance-induced/4062613 must have gotten a boost from Serum in there somewhere along with my buddies Sylenth1 by Lennar Digital and VPS Avenger 2. During that time of production in 2023 those three synths were my powerhorses. I think the "House Music Saved Me" (Remixes) https://www.beatport.com/release/house-music-saved-me-remixes/4187177 also benefited from all three of those synths as well as Jim Carson "Loving Hearts" https://www.beatport.com/release/loving-hearts/4137035 I layered a lot of sub-bass from the Serum sub oscillator.

As far as Serum 2 is concerned I am super excited about it and also a little worried about it....

Interviewer: Worried? What what would you have to be worried about?

Jim Carson: "Oh man, it is just so bad ass. You take a look at this VST (Serum 2) / software synthesizer and it is like gold sitting at your fingertips. The first thing you notice is that the factory library is just so much more massive than the previous version and this version includes everything from the original library of sounds as well and labels it S1. All the new sounds are in the section titled "Factory." I was so excited after I downloaded it, I had to share the exciting news on my personal Facebook page with all my friends and family.

"I haven't gotten too deep it into yet, but I am slapping an arpeggiator on everything from Ableton Live and building a nice groove with bass, pads, plucks, a solid kick, and jackin’ tops. A couple of my friends responded and DJ Mullie Graf said, "Loving it already!" Subcoder, who is a Los Angeles OG raver like me, said, "Been using it since it first released. It's the best. Serum 1 has been my main for several years, so the transition was nothing but fun. It's a powerhouse and easily my favorite VST and favorite single tool for anything audio. Nothing compares to it now."

I told him how I felt it was like next level shyt and he said, "Yup! Just be careful... especially if you're a sound-design freak like me, it will 100% distract you from making music. Oh lawdy! Them hours will fly right by you!"

"Yeah, so I guess, I am just worried about keeping Cola & Lollipops going with all these new exciting sounds and patches to discover; along with the new ways to come up with new and original sounds and the presets in there to explore! I guess I am just going to have to layer up some super thick and juicy arps, basses, synths, FX, misc, and sounds to come up with my next magnum opus! Hahaha. But it will be fine. I am sure I will be using Serum 2 on most new songs. In fact, I forgot, there are some newer songs that I also used Serum on like Jim Carson "Daka Duka Shake" just a couple of weeks ago https://www.beatport.com/release/daka-duka-shake/5064004 and the Daddy Cola dub mixes and version https://www.beatport.com/release/daka-duka-shake-daddy-cola-dub-mix/5067647

"Not a day goes by where I am not using Serum and now Serum 2!!! I just started another new project today with Serum 2 and so far, so good!!!"

"I really love Serum 2 for the exciting possibilities plus the wavetable synthesis with advanced editing capabilities, the high-quality resampling and interpolation, the drag-and-drop interface for easy sound design, Built-in effects like reverb, delay, distortion.... modulation capabilities with envelopes, LFOs, and other sources... plus advanced filtering options... the list goes on and on.... It really has a unique sound and character to it that is still true to the original but also more appealing to multi-genre producers like myself who just don't want loud noises, bleeps, and blops. Straight out of the box, but inside the box, it is ready to go."

Interviewer: Any key differences between Serum 1 and Serum 2 we should know about?

Jim Carson: To summarize, there a few main differences you should be aware of and excited about...

- Oscillators: Serum 2 introduces new oscillator types, including granular and spectral modes.

- Modulation: Serum 2 offers advanced modulation capabilities, including new LFO modes and improved modulation routing.

- Effects: Serum 2 features an expanded effects rack with new effects like the Bode frequency shifter and convolution reverb.

- User Interface: Serum 2 has an updated interface with improved workflow and visual enhancements.

- Performance: Serum 2 is optimized for better performance and CPU efficiency.

- Factory Library: Serum 2 comes with an expanded factory library featuring new presets and wavetables.

These updates make Serum 2 a more powerful and flexible synthesizer compared to Serum 1. If you're already familiar with Serum 1, upgrading to Serum 2 could be worth considering, and I would highly recommend it.

Interviewer: Anything else?

Jim Carson: That's it is about it for now. I think we covered what most people want to know. I wouldn't be a very good producer, DJ, and label manager if I didn't mention, that this next week we have an all-brand new Pimp House, Vol. 12 dropping on Cola & Lollipops, and new music forthcoming from myself, Daddy Cola, Jim Carson, DJ MOTA (US), DJ Snowden, Nico Salazar, Monstr Drop, Mizter Bonezz, DJ Killa B, OM Daddy, and a few other international superstar DJs. Exclusively on Beatport for two weeks and then available everywhere else including but not limited to Traxsource, Juno Download, Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, YouTube, Deezer, Beatport streaming, and download stores.

*We are not affiliated with Xfer Records or Serum or Facebook or Instagram or Threads or any other record labels, social media platforms, artists, & musicians other than Cola & Lollipops. We are passionate about making music and review gear, software, music, events, people, and news we are interested in.

Try Serum here: https://xferrecords.com

Try out our songs made with Serum and other VSTs here at Beatport: https://www.beatport.com/label/cola-lollipops/84800

To get back to the home page, go here: https://www.colaandlollipops.com