Xfer Records Shrub Beta Adds Free VST3 and Web Editor
6 hours ago
4 min read
Xfer Records Shrub is now in beta as a free VST3 and browser synth built from a smaller version of Serum’s engine. The release also gives M-VAVE FM-1 owners a full web editor and librarian, while DAW users can run the device engine without the hardware. Here is what Shrub keeps, what it cuts and where preset conversion can trip you up.
Table of contents
What is Xfer Records Shrub, and where does it run?
Xfer Records Shrub is a small, stripped-down version of Serum available in three forms. It runs as custom firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1, as a synth and editor in a modern browser, and as a VST3 instrument for macOS, Windows and Linux. The browser version works without the hardware and becomes its editor and librarian when an FM-1 is connected. The VST3 puts the same engine inside a DAW, but Shrub is not available as a separate standalone app.
Shrub keeps two wavetable oscillators, a sub oscillator and five noise colors from the Serum family. Its 64 built-in wavetables sit alongside user tables and an additive mode, while the filter offers 76 types. Three envelopes, four drawable LFOs, two chaos generators and a 16-slot matrix handle modulation. The seven-slot effects rack draws from Serum 1, while Voice Control, scales and the algorithmic arpeggiator come from Serum 2.
Xfer Serum 2 | 155+ Presets | „Multiverse Bundle” [BUNDLE]
€64.00€22.40
Buy Now
The main limit is the shared stereo filter, which means every note uses the same cutoff, resonance and ENV 2 sweep. Shrub plays up to four notes, but thick unison patches can reduce that number because its 16-voice pool also covers up to eight unison voices per oscillator. This is why “little Serum” fits better than “free Serum,” especially when chords hit that shared filter. Our You’re Probably Missing These Serum 2 Features video gives the full synth some useful context if Shrub leaves you wondering what the larger instrument can do.
This Noise Harmony video explores less obvious Serum 2 features for readers comparing Shrub with the full synth.
The web editor does more than manage presets
The Shrub web editor works as a browser synth without an FM-1 and manages the hardware when one is connected. Its OSC, FX, MATRIX, GLOBAL, SEQ and LIBRARY tabs expose the engine more clearly than the small hardware panel. The library covers all 128 preset slots, while sound and lane edits get 100-step undo and redo. Chrome or Edge is only required for hardware installation and Web MIDI connections.
The editor can import Serum 1 FXP files individually or as a folder, but converted patches may not sound identical. It reports anything it cannot translate, including features that have no Shrub equivalent. Shrub can then export its sound and wavetables as a Serum 2 preset, although its arp, scale and Voice Control settings do not follow. Serum 2 presets cannot travel back the other way, so keep your original files instead of feeding the preset drawer another mystery format.
Also check
The VST3 brings the device engine into your DAW
The Shrub VST3 runs the same device bytecode and is intended to sound 1:1 with the firmware. Every parameter can be automated, and the DAW project stores the current sound, wavetables, library and MIDI map. Xfer warns that the engine is not especially CPU-efficient, despite the light-looking interface. Its main job is still editor and librarian duty, although it works as a software instrument.
The plugin currently omits the SEQ tab and cannot connect to an FM-1 or install firmware. Those jobs still belong to the browser editor. Installation is manual, with Shrub.vst3 placed in the standard VST3 folder before the DAW rescans its plugins.
Price and Availability
Shrub 1.00 is available now as a free beta, with the current build dated November 13, 2026. Downloads cover macOS Universal, Windows x64, Linux arm64 and Linux amd64. The official release is VST3 only, with no AU, AAX, CLAP, VST2 or standalone version listed. Xfer has not published Shrub’s source code or an open-source license. You can play it in a browser or download it from the official Shrub page.
Try Shrub in Your Browser
The beta is free, and the browser version lets you hear the engine before installing the VST3 or changing an FM-1. The official page also links the Shrub Club Discord.
More information
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Xfer Records Shrub free?
Yes. The current Shrub beta, web editor, VST3 and FM-1 firmware are free from shrub.audio. The official material does not list a paid edition or activation system.
Can Shrub open Serum 2 presets?
No. Shrub can convert Serum 1 FXP presets with some limits, then export Shrub sounds to the Serum 2 preset format. Serum 2 presets cannot be imported into Shrub.
FOLLOW US ON
Comments