Progressive Trance for ImPerfect is a 60-preset pack for W.A. Production's ImPerfect synth, and if you don't already own ImPerfect, stop reading now. This pack does nothing without it. That's not a criticism of the content, it's just the reality you need to know before you spend $19.90.
If you do own ImPerfect and you're trying to build progressive trance tracks that sit somewhere near Above & Beyond or Armin van Buuren territory, this pack is designed exactly for that job. The developer says every preset has been fine-tuned to cover soaring leads, shimmering pads, throbbing basslines, and ethereal atmospheres. All 60 are 100% royalty free.
At $19.90, the value question is real. Sixty presets for a single synth is a focused purchase, not a broad one. We'd say it's worth it if you're already in the ImPerfect ecosystem and you want a shortcut to genre-specific sounds. It's frustrating if you're not, because there's no workaround.
The Catch Up Front
The requirement is non-negotiable. You need W.A. Production ImPerfect installed and running. The pack doesn't load in any other synth, it doesn't come as WAV samples, and it doesn't function as a standalone tool.
That's not unusual for preset packs, but it's worth being clear about because ImPerfect is not one of the five synths every producer already owns.
Beyond the compatibility wall, the gap in independent editorial coverage is annoying. There are no detailed third-party benchmarks, no long-form workflow breakdowns from outside the developer's own channels. The 4.7 rating on Plugin Boutique is encouraging. But every visible testimonial traces back to official or highly positive sources, so there's no critical counterweight to lean on.
Users report the presets are ready to drop straight into a session. One reviewer described ImPerfect itself as intuitive with an easy GUI, which is good context. But the same reviewer flagged it as different from other synths, something they rarely reached for. If that's your relationship with ImPerfect too, sixty more presets won't change it.
What You Get If You Clear It
Sixty presets. That's the whole inventory. The developer breaks them into four broad sound categories: soaring leads, shimmering pads, throbbing basslines, and ethereal atmospheres.
That coverage makes sense for the genre. Progressive trance tracks live or die on the quality of their lead synth and the depth of their pad bed. If both categories are well represented here, the pack earns its keep.
The developer says these presets encapsulate the quintessential progressive trance sound and are tailored to inject that vibe into your productions. That's marketing language, but it points in a useful direction: this is a genre pack, not a general synthesis toolkit. Don't load it expecting to find drum machine sounds or experimental textures. Load it when you're building an 8-bar drop and need a lead that locks into that 138bpm progressive groove without three hours of sound design.
Everything is 100% royalty free, which matters if you're releasing commercially. No clearance issues, no split headaches. See how this pack fits into a broader synth presets workflow before committing.
Where It Shines
The breadth of 60 presets across four named categories means you're not patching gaps from other packs. You have leads when you need leads, and atmospheres when the drop needs breathing room.
The 4.7 Plugin Boutique rating is the strongest independent signal we have. That's not a number you get from three reviews, it takes consistent positive sentiment to land there and hold it.
Users report the presets feel ready to use straight away, without needing deep editing before they sit in a mix. For producers who want to stay in arrangement mode rather than sound design mode, that's a genuine time saver. You load a lead, it sounds like a lead, you move on.
The developer's positioning against artists like Above & Beyond, Armin van Buuren, and Ferry Corsten is ambitious. That's a high bar. But it tells you the sonic direction clearly. If you're building that style of progressive trance, this pack is aiming at your exact target.
For more on how W.A. Production handles genre-specific preset packs, check the Progressive Deep 2 for Babylon 1 review.
Against the Field
No pack matches this one note for note, but two reference points are worth knowing.
Splice has genre-tagged preset packs for common synths through its subscription. If your synth roster is broader than ImPerfect, Splice may give you more flexibility across different instruments. The trade-off is that genre curation on Splice varies wildly in quality.
W.A. Production's own Progressive House for Babylon 2 is worth comparing if you own Babylon 2 instead of ImPerfect. It targets adjacent territory. Pick based on which synth is already in your signal chain.
Neither alternative is obviously better. This pack wins if ImPerfect is your synth and progressive trance is your genre. If either of those isn't true, look elsewhere.
Who Should Buy This
- ✅ Buy if you already own W.A. Production ImPerfect and want a fast progressive trance starting point.
- ✅ Buy if you're releasing commercially and need 100% royalty-free sounds with no clearance risk.
- ✅ Buy if you're producing in the Above & Beyond or Armin van Buuren style and want preset-ready leads and pads to build around.
- ❌ Skip if you don't own ImPerfect and aren't planning to buy it.
- ❌ Skip if you want a format-agnostic sample pack or WAV-based content you can drag into any DAW.
- ❌ Skip if you need independent reviews and benchmark data before committing. That evidence doesn't exist for this pack yet.
Specs & Technical Details
| Developer | W. A. Production |
| Price | $19.90 |
| Plugin Format | ImPerfect Presets (ImPerfect synth required) |
| OS Support | N/A (determined by ImPerfect compatibility) |
| Activation | N/A |
| CPU Usage | N/A (dependent on ImPerfect host synth) |
| Trial Available | N/A |
| Version Reviewed | N/A |
Score Breakdown
| Category | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sound Quality | 4.0/5 | Developer claims strong genre fidelity; 4.7 Plugin Boutique rating backs it up, but no independent benchmarks exist |
| Value for Money | 4.0/5 | 60 presets at $19.90 is a fair ratio if ImPerfect is already in your setup; poor value if it isn't |
| Ease of Use | 4.5/5 | Users report presets are ready to drop in without heavy editing; ImPerfect's GUI is rated intuitive |
| Features | 3.5/5 | Four sound categories covered, royalty free, but no modulation macros or additional documentation mentioned |
| CPU Efficiency | N/A | Dependent on ImPerfect synth, not this pack |
| Overall | 4.0/5 | Solid genre pack for ImPerfect owners; the hard gate is the synth requirement |
Alternatives to Consider
If you own W.A. Production's Babylon 2 rather than ImPerfect, the Progressive House for Babylon 2 preset pack targets a very similar stylistic space. Different synth, comparable genre focus.
For a broader look at how preset packs work across different host synths, the synth presets guide is a good place to understand what you're actually paying for before committing to any single pack.
If you're coming from a Predator-based workflow, the Andy Lee House Synth Presets for Predator shows how a genre-focused preset pack handles a different target synth. The comparison is instructive even if the sounds aren't identical.
Splice's preset library is the other realistic option. Broader synth compatibility, but curation quality is inconsistent. You'd need to filter carefully for progressive trance-specific content.
Our take: if you own ImPerfect, skip Splice for this genre and buy the dedicated pack. It'll be faster.
The Bottom Line
At $19.90, Progressive Trance for ImPerfect is a clever, focused purchase for a narrow group of producers. Sixty presets, four sound categories, royalty free, genre-specific. The developer's claims are ambitious, the Plugin Boutique rating is strong, and users say the sounds are production-ready without heavy tweaking.
But the synth requirement is the whole story. Load it on your lead channel in ImPerfect, push the filter until the melody breathes, drop it into your arrangement and see how fast you close the gaps. If that sounds like your actual workflow, buy it. If you're hoping to use it anywhere else, you can't.
The lack of independent critical coverage is frustrating. We'd love a proper teardown from someone outside the developer's orbit. That doesn't exist yet. What does exist is a 4.7 community rating and a clear brief: progressive trance sounds, ImPerfect synth, nothing else.
Wrong synth? Hard pass. Right synth, right genre? It's an easy call.
Related reviews: FM8 Presets Icicle Drum & Bass Still Beats the Pack
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to buy ImPerfect separately to use this preset pack?
Yes. W.A. Production ImPerfect is required. The preset pack contains no standalone audio files and won't function in any other synth or DAW without ImPerfect installed. If you don't own ImPerfect, you'd need to factor in that cost alongside this pack before the purchase makes sense.
How many presets are included and what types of sounds do they cover?
The pack includes 60 presets. The developer covers four core progressive trance categories: soaring leads, shimmering pads, throbbing basslines, and ethereal atmospheres. That's a broad enough spread to support a full track from intro to drop to breakdown.
Are the presets royalty free for commercial releases?
Yes. All 60 presets are 100% royalty free. You can use them in commercial releases without licensing fees or clearance requirements. That's standard for W.A. Production packs and it's one of the cleaner advantages of buying directly from the developer.
Is Progressive Trance for ImPerfect suitable for beginners?
If you're new to ImPerfect but want to produce progressive trance, this pack is a fast way to skip the sound design learning curve. Users report the presets are ready to use without deep editing. The ImPerfect synth itself is described as intuitive with an accessible GUI, so the barrier to getting sounds into a session is low. The genre knowledge to arrange them well is a separate skill.