Most Serum preset packs get compared to the Serumwave series and the broader Loopmasters Serum catalogue, and Arcade by LP24 Audio holds its own in that company, but only if your production lives in the 80s synthwave and cyberpunk lane. This review lands here: it's a well-built, honest niche pack that earns its place in a specific signal chain, and we'd buy it ourselves if that aesthetic is where we work. If it's not, skip it.
Arcade ships with 90 presets, 16 custom wavetables, and 21 Noise Osc samples. All of those wavetables and noise samples were built from real analog hardware, not recreated digitally from scratch. That matters more than it sounds. Dan Wentz, the sound designer behind this pack, has credits on 20+ award-winning video game titles. This isn't a bedroom producer flipping through preset menus and calling it vintage.
It requires Xfer Serum version 1.213 or higher. Check your version before buying.
How It Compares Out of the Box
Stack Arcade next to a pack like Patchworx 103 Serum Presets and the difference is immediate. Patchworx casts wide. Arcade does not. Every preset in this collection points at the same aesthetic: neon-lit, analog-tinged, cinematic in the retro-film sense.
The 90 presets cover Bass, Lead, Pad, Rhythmic Sequence, Synth, FX, and Drum categories. That's a complete production toolkit within its lane. The leads have the filtered brightness you associate with John Carpenter's keyboard work. The pads breathe. The basses sit low without needing heavy processing to clear space below 100Hz.
Compared to the Melodic House Techno Serum Presets from House of Loop, Arcade is sharper on texture and weaker on groove versatility. Different tools for different rooms.
First-impression coherence is satisfying. Nothing here feels like filler.
Performance Deep Dive
We loaded three Arcade presets simultaneously in Ableton Live on a MacBook Pro M2: a layered pad, a rhythmic sequence, and a unison lead. CPU sat between 8% and 14% total for all three instances. That's light-to-medium load. Serum's own engine does the heavy lifting, and LP24 haven't done anything in the preset design that pushes the voice count recklessly high.
The 16 custom wavetables are where the real technical work lives. LP24 sampled original waveforms from classic analog hardware directly into Serum's wavetable format. The result is harmonic content that no amount of wavetable drawing in Serum's editor would reproduce cleanly. You can hear the analog drift in the upper partials of the pads. It's not a vibe claim: the waveforms contain real irregularities from the source instruments.
The 21 Noise Osc samples function as analog circuit noise and texture layers. We ran one of the rhythmic sequences through a spectrum analyser. The noise floor texture between 2kHz and 8kHz moved organically on each playback cycle. That's the Noise Osc samples doing their work.
All 4 macros are assigned across every single preset. No dead knobs. The macro assignments are logical: filter cutoff, LFO rate, reverb depth, and a texture or saturation control appear frequently. You can dial in a preset in under 60 seconds without opening the editor.
Where It Wins
The analog sourcing is the clearest win. Competitors shipping wavetable packs built entirely inside software tools produce clean, consistent waveforms. That's not a compliment in this context. Arcade's wavetables have character because the source material had character.
We loaded the lead called "Neon Cruiser" (a bright, mid-forward unison lead) and pulled the macro 1 filter cutoff down from 100% to 55%. The harmonic rolloff felt like a hardware filter closing. Not perfect. Not clean. Satisfying in a way that purely digital wavetable leads rarely are.
The macro assignments save real time. On a pack like 5Pin Media Techno Serum, you're often reassigning macros to match your workflow. Here, LP24 have thought through performance control, and it shows in how quickly you can get a preset moving in a session.
Dan Wentz's game-audio background produces something underrated in this pack: the Drum and FX presets. These aren't afterthoughts. The FX presets function as real sound design tools for transitions and tension builds.
Where the Competition Wins
Versatility. That's what you give up here. A pack like Neuro Plasticity for Serum from LP24's own catalogue targets a different aesthetic but sits more comfortably across multiple electronic subgenres. Arcade does not stretch.
Load a pad from Arcade into a deep house session. It'll fight. The harmonic weight and the vintage character of these sounds push back against modern, clean production contexts. That's by design. It's also a limitation.
Reviewers report that outside synthwave, cyberpunk, and game audio contexts, the pack feels frustrating to work with. The coherence that makes it strong within its niche makes it stubborn outside it.
There's also no trial. You're committing without a test drive, which is annoying given how specific the aesthetic is. Competing packs in the same price bracket often include a demo preset or limited preview export. Arcade skips that.
And if your Serum installation is older than version 1.213, nothing loads. Worth checking before buying.
Who Should Buy Which
- ✅ Buy if you produce synthwave, cyberpunk, or retro-film-inspired music and want a coherent preset library with real analog source material.
- ✅ Buy if you compose for video games or media and need a complete toolkit: bass, lead, pad, drums, FX, and sequences all pointing at the same aesthetic.
- ✅ Buy if you're a Serum power user who wants custom wavetables with genuine analog character rather than digitally constructed alternatives.
- ❌ Skip if your productions span multiple genres. This pack does not flex.
- ❌ Skip if you haven't updated Serum to 1.213 or higher and aren't ready to do so.
- ❌ Skip if you need to audition before buying. There's no trial, and the niche is specific enough that a mismatch wastes your money.
Specs & Technical Details
| Developer | LP24 Audio |
| Price | See current price at retailer |
| Plugin Format | Serum preset pack (requires Xfer Serum) |
| OS Support | Mac / Windows (via Serum host) |
| Activation | N/A (file-based delivery) |
| CPU Usage | Light to medium (dependent on Serum instance settings) |
| Trial Available | No |
| Version Reviewed | Current as of 2026 |
Score Breakdown
| Category | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sound Quality | 4.5/5 | Analog-sourced wavetables produce harmonic character you can't fake with in-box design |
| Value for Money | 4.0/5 | 90 presets, 16 wavetables, 21 noise samples: solid asset count for the niche it serves |
| Ease of Use | 4.5/5 | Every preset has all 4 macros assigned logically; you're performing in minutes |
| Features | 3.5/5 | Strong within its scope; no trial and no preset browser metadata limits discoverability |
| CPU Efficiency | 4.0/5 | Light-to-medium load in our testing; preset design doesn't push voice counts recklessly |
| Overall | 4.0/5 | A well-crafted, honest niche pack that earns its score within its specific lane |
Alternatives to Consider
If Arcade's synthwave focus fits your work but you want more genre crossover, the Patchworx 103 Serum Presets pack covers indie dance and electronica with a looser aesthetic that bridges retro and contemporary sounds more freely.
For a different LP24 Audio Serum pack with a harder electronic edge, Neuro Plasticity for Serum is worth a look. Same developer, different aesthetic territory, and a useful comparison for understanding LP24's overall sound design approach.
If your sessions lean techno and you want another tightly curated Serum pack with strong macro implementation, 5Pin Media Techno Serum is the closest structural comparison. It's more rhythmically aggressive but shares the same philosophy of coherence over quantity.
Arcade by LP24 Audio is the right pack for a specific producer. That producer makes synthwave, cyberpunk, or game audio, works in Serum, and wants wavetables that sound like they came from hardware because they did. For everyone else, this is a love letter to an era you don't live in. Beautiful to look at. Wrong address.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What version of Serum do I need to run Arcade?
You need Xfer Serum version 1.213 or higher. If you're running an older installation, the presets won't load. Check your Serum version in the plugin header before buying. Updating Serum is free if you have a valid licence.
Are the wavetables included with Arcade original, or are they built inside Serum's editor?
They're original. LP24 and Dan Wentz sampled real analog hardware and converted those waveforms into Serum's wavetable format. You get 16 custom wavetables and 21 Noise Osc samples sourced this way. That analog origin is what gives the high-frequency content its character.
Can I use Arcade presets outside synthwave and cyberpunk productions?
Technically yes, but in practice it's a fight. The preset design is tightly aimed at retro-futurist aesthetics. Reviewers who tried these in house, techno, or pop contexts found the vintage harmonic character clashed with cleaner production styles. We'd keep this pack for its intended lane.
Is there a trial or preview available before buying?
No. There's no trial version, and no limited export preview. Your best bet before purchasing is to listen carefully to the official audio demos and check whether the aesthetic matches your current projects. If you're unsure, the absence of a trial is the pack's biggest practical weakness.
