Jul 29, 2022
The music scene is just as dynamic and diverse as the people who work in the industry. From solo indie artists to award-winning producers, every person involved in a song’s creation brings their own unique style, inspirations, and cultural influences to the table.
As artists experiment with different music styles and genres, something new and innovative is created in the process.
To put “something new” into more perspective, think back to how the earliest jazz, country, and rock and roll artists were influenced by blues music. Even though each of these genres stand on their own with a distinctive sound and style, the blues roots are undeniable.
This is just one example of how contemporary artists get inspiration from the musicians who came before them. The creation and popularization of synth music is another.
In this guide, we’ll dig a bit deeper into this genre’s history and then share several of our most recent and trending synth tracks in Soundstripe's royalty free music catalog.
What is synth music?
Around the late 1970s, artists started using advanced synthesizer technology to create what we now know as synth pop music. This genre was largely influenced by punk rock and electronic music, and nowadays, it’s known for its retro and energetic feel.
Fast forward several years to the early 2000s and a new variation of synth music emerged: Synthwave.
Synthwave is made with the same types of instruments as synth pop (i.e., the essential synthesizer tech), but the main difference is that this genre is inspired by the action-packed and sometimes dark-themed soundtracks of 1980s films.
If you’re curious what synthwave sounds like, just listen to the music in films like Drive (2011) or the Netflix series Stranger Things (2016). You can also watch the video below to see how the composers of Stranger Things made synth music behind the scenes:
Fortunately, you don’t need a fully outfitted recording studio or tons of audio production experience to use synth music in your own projects. In under five minutes, you can find and license all of the synth music you want from our catalog.
To jumpstart your search for the right music, here are four playlists that feature our most popular professionally-produced synth tracks:
Synthwave
Listen and license here.
I Love The 80’s
Listen and license here.
Retro Pop
Listen and license here.
Dark Cinematic
Listen and license here.
Stranger Synths
Listen and license here.
10 trending synth tracks in our catalog
Whether you’re licensing royalty free synth music for a film, YouTube video, or other project, there are many options to choose from in our library of 7,000+ songs. By including and/or excluding filters in our catalog, you’ll get curated results and find the right songs in less time.
To make this process even easier for you, we’ve put together this list of 10 trending synth tracks in 2022:
1. “The Night Drive” by Reel Life
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Ambient tones and electronic drums
Listen and license here.
2. “Castles” by Daniele Musto
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Guitar and electric guitar
Listen and license here.
3. “Colorway” by Lone Canyon
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Electronic drums and claps / snaps / stomps
Listen and license here.
4. “Victory” by Elision
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Electronic drums and synth
Listen and license here.
5. “Synthy Waves” by Sammy Seeds
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Electronic drums and synth
Listen and license here.
6. “Paint The Sky” by Matt Wigton
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Drums and electronic drums
Listen and license here.
7. “Our Lives” by Strength To Last
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Synth and drums
Listen and license here.
8. “Kill The Noise” by DaMarcus VanBuren
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Electronic drums and synth
Listen and license here.
9. “Clear” by Fairlight
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Synth and electronic drums
Listen and license here.
10. “Lightbeams” by MJ Cook
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Electronic drums and synth
Listen and license here.
New synth music for 2022
Every day, our team works with nationally and internationally-based artists to produce new music across 20+ genres. Among our most recent releases in 2022, you’ll find these eight tracks:
1. “Halogen” by Neon Beach
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Drums and electronic drums
Listen and license track here.
2. “Cache Car” by Transmuter
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Synth
Listen and license track here.
3. “Raw Aesthetic” by Falls
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Drums and bass
Listen and license track here.
4. “A Million Years” by Bobo Renthlei
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Bass and drums
Listen and license track here.
5. “Moon Traveling” by Neon Beach
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Drums and bass
Listen and license track here.
6. “Pillow People” by Mikey Geiger
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Synth and big drums
Listen and license track here.
7. “Synthetic Minds” by Delbony
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Guitar and electric guitar
Listen and license track here.
8. “Aesthetic” by PALA
Genre: Electronic
Instruments: Samples and synth
Listen and license track here.
Looking for more royalty free synth music?
Maybe you’re still looking for that perfect song after reading through this guide and listening to the featured music — and that’s okay. We’ve optimized our library to give you a more streamlined search experience, so there are several ways you can find the best song for your project.
Here are a few of those options:
- When you find a song you like, click the “Similar Songs” icon to get a dropdown list of recommended songs with a similar tone and feel.
- Select as many of our advanced filters as you want to get a highly curated list of your best options.
- Choose any playlist and then filter by “Electronic” and “Synthwave” to isolate this type of music.
As a subscriber to one of our music plans, you’ll be able to download an unlimited number of songs and sound effects with a touch of a button. To find out which plan would be the best fit for you, you can compare your options here.
If you’d like to get more familiar with our catalog before signing up, the following resources can help you do just that: