are all the suggestions still "current"? a lot of current musicians are trying to make their synths sound "vintage" so  it could be more about the sound rather than the synth... but for a "do all" i'd suggest synthmaster (it really does all, pretty much) and zebra2 from u-he (rather than diva, which is an analog emu)

msmcleod

razor
Thanks, all! Between this forum and one other, here is the list I put together to check out:
 

• Synthmaster
• Hybrid 3
• Dmitry Sches Thorn and Diversion
• Serum
• Sylenth
• Diva
• Rob Papen synths

 

Synthmaster would be my first suggestion, but also checkout AIR Xpand! 2, which is quite often on sale... like it is now for under £4:  https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/1-Instruments/64-Virtual-Instrument/1560-Xpand-2
 
 

Wow, $5 US. Can't beat that. I'll check it out too.
 
Thanks!

All of them. Also check your Kontakt library.

First, it would be helpful to know your anticipated price point.  Secondly, it would be useful if we know how proficient you are with tweaking sounds vs just wishing using presets with minimal tweaking.
 
Synthmaster, for example, is a huge value for raw bang for the buck.  But to take full advantage of a large collection of presets, you would want to purchase quite a few of the expansion packs (and there are some very fine ones available).
 
Rob Papen Predator 2, on the other hand, costs more than Synthmaster and doesn't have the range of Synthmaster in terms of types of sound production possibilities (no sample playback for example), but it comes with thousands of immediately usable presets (and a good browser for finding types of presets you are interested in).  You could easily make an argument that Predator 2 is the better value based on the presets it ships with.

All great info. I agree, there are a lot of soft synths that you can tweak to make current sounding patches, but with my production schedule, I would rather start off with presets that are already fairly close to the mark and then just make some minor tweaks, add layers, etc.
 
Most times it comes down to a matter of taste, but the suggestions you've all provided were very helpful--and I do appreciate it.

I can't help but hear 80's synth pop in some of the current pop music.
 
Here's a list of the vintage gear that made those vintage sounds.
https://www.musictech.net/2018/09/the-10-synths-that-made-synth-pop-and-2-samplers/
 
Arturia Analog Lab 3 has 6500+ preset sounds from many of those vintage machines, taken from the Arturia V Collection (modeled virtual versions of those vintage synths).  The user friendly browser in Analog Lab will let you search across the library for the type of sound you are looking for.  Then you can use the smart controls within each preset to tweak the sound to your liking.  No deep editing here, but just quick adjustments to things like filters, envelopes, FX, etc.  Check out the free demo! https://www.arturia.com/products/analog-classics/analoglab/overview
 

Dune 2? Soon to be Dune 3. I couldn't say how "current" it is but I like it and think it sounds more "hi res" than some of the others. 
 
I have xPand which is so cheap and dirty and useful, but not top-shelf sounding. I have Sylenth, which is old fashioned goodness. Pretty rich sounding as well. 
 
It's probably more important to write a good song or arrangement, than to quibble over any of the tools at this level.
 
cheers,
-Tom

emeraldsoul
 
It's probably more important to write a good song or arrangement, than to quibble over any of the tools at this level.

I agree, and I think that is the point of the OP's question.  If you have tools that you can quickly dial in something roughly sounding close to what you have in mind, you can stay on track.
 
Otherwise you can easily go down the rabbit hole of sound design, and forget about writing a song.
 
There is plenty of time (and tools) for finding the "perfect" sounds to mix your song with later.