What are your favorite VSTis? Which are your most used? Why? Please limit to two of each catagory

Favorites
Absynth - it is what I hoped computers would be able to do with audio since I first got involved in the field 1990. Gorgeous sound, near infinite possibilities, versitile but for those that like adventure in their sound it is a real bonus with a much easier path than Reaktor and other modular softsynths, also CPU friendly and easier to learn than has been hyped.

Pentagon - this is a very flexible synth that happens to fill almost any analog and some FM style timbres I wish for. Beautiful filters, all kinds of options, good effects and teriffic customer service. All the features and knobs can be intimidating until you realize this is what pro analog hardware is like. Outstanding value for money too.

Most Used
Sonic Synth - could easily have been in the other catagory but the longer I have SS the more uses I find. Nothing touches it for ready to go versitile sounds. Great customer service and excellent value for money.

Kontakt - the things I can do with it's sampling engine has chaned how I sample and what I can do with sound. It can be as simle or complex as you like. Though many don't care for the interface I like it. If you connect with it you will be thrilled, otherwise there are other samplers including the alpha of VSamler 3.

Hosts:
Cubase VST 5.1
Orion Pro 3.03

There are so many others I love using! FM7 is another I hope to work with some time...

Bruce

[ 25 July 2002, 22:17: Message edited by: x_bruce ]

Fav: 1. SonicSynth (and the bundled goodies...)
2. FM7

Most used:
1. SS
2. FM7 + PPG

Sonic/Sampletank/Akai collection for the toonz, Phatmatik for the beatz.

Everything else is like my wife's massive Black and Decker tool kit ... used sometimes.

Favs (in no particular order): DR-008, pHATmatik PRO, Pentagon 1, Delta III, Vaz 2010, JunoX2, Sonic Synth .

Is that too many favourites...I couldn't decide coz these are all mind-blowing

Most used: JunoX2, DR-008

I just can't help loading these two up (in fact they are pre-loaded in my def file )

[ 25 July 2002, 22:18: Message edited by: Alex ]

Yikes! Only two for each category...?
That's not an easy one to decide, as it changes a lot and the categories overlap often for me!

Hmmmm...umm....well...perhaps...
Faves:
* Pentagon
* M-Tron

Most used:
* Kontakt
* Triangle II

....but that's just today. Tomorrow, all four of those might switch categories, and the next day the lists could include the B4, Crystal, pHATmatik Pro, Energy Pro, mda ePiano...

[ 25 July 2002, 22:30: Message edited by: Har ]

Favorites

Sonic Synth
Phatmatik Pro

Most Used

Sonic Synth
RM III

* adding new category
Most Wanted

Pentagon
B4

favorites
* absynth
* fm7

most used
* fm7
* ppg

Favourites:

Absynth – it's just the best synthesizer I have ever seen/heard/used.

Battery – For me, it's the most functional, most usable VSTi sampler available.

Most-used:

Battery (see above).

Er...I don't know which is the second most-used. It might be Tau Pro...

cant simply mention 2, rules are there to be broken.

1.FXpansion DR-008, why ? it,s the best.
2.Phatmatik Pro, why ? It,s the best.
3.RGC Pentagon-1, why ? see a pattern emerging ?
4.RGC Triangle2, " "
5.NI Kontakt "ultra sample mangling"

Most used,.
all the above..

also HUGE respect to VAZ2010
the ultimate standalone vsti host (for my 2nd pc)
all the above plus every other vsti work so great in VAZ.

topaz

lol, why not,

most wanted
FM7
VirSyn Terra
More Sonic Synth programs
M-Tron
Amplitube

who says boys can't have their toys?

[ 25 July 2002, 22:51: Message edited by: x_bruce ]

Most wanted?

Easy ... the next generation of computers so we can have machines beyond belief.

Most used/Favs:

Mercury 1
EVP73
Fruity VSTi
Slayer

ooh.. most wanted:

VSTi ES2
VSTi Waldorf A1 (with a sub osc)
other synths like these

too bad we'll never see either.. *sob*

favourites
Pentagon - great sound, low cpu useage.
Vaz2010 - easy to program, gorgeous sounds especially basses and pads.
Phatmatik pro - more I use it, the more I love it (mainly for chopping up acapellas)

most used
same

Favourites:

JX10!!!! I keep trying not to use it and it miraculously ends up in every track

Muon Atom!! The best free synth no one ever talks about....Don't let that hum drum preset buzz fool you or put you off, this jobby has some amazing sounds. Try, Bob, try.

Most used:

Umm...no comment

Cheerio,
Marco

Since I am a logic user:

Favourites: Mercury 1
Because it is Heavy Duty

Pro-52
Easy Automation

Most Used: ESX24
Best sampler

EVP88
Warm keys-deluxe

Cheers

Since I am a logic user:

Favourites: Mercury 1
Because it is Heavy Duty

Pro-52
Easy Automation

Most Used: ESX24
Best sampler

EVP88
Warm keys-deluxe

Cheers

Most Used:
MDA epiano - crops us in most of my stuff
TauPro - SuperBASS!

Favorites:
..the above 2, plus
Mercury 1 - very "vintage" sounding
Waldorf Attack - a superb analogue drum machine
QuadraSID - truly unique sound-sculpting capabilities

toppa

Hehe, only 2 in each catagory!!!! Hehe I only use 4 in all! Samples are generally better for the way I work but I love these 4 and generally, with me wall of shite being what it is any VSTi which shows more than 10% on the old cpu gets lobbed out straight off, no matter how good it is!

And here we go:

Cheeze machine: Need I bother explaining? This has a sublime sound. If I want a pad sound just click on preset number 8, there we go! No editing, or owt, you will hear this preset on almost everything I ever do. A bit of absolute genius on Big Ticks part. Call me unimaginative! (hmmm, you may get more than tha bargained for tho!!!), VSTis dont get better than this

MDA epiano: I was a bit slow on the uptake with this one, but once I found it it was pure heaven, you can keep yer evp73 , lounge bugger or whatever they're called, this does the biz, takes about 4% cpu and sounds sublime!

Muon Tau; Hehe, another leetle one but with a distinctive tone, lob a bit of distortion on it and wang, bang, bobs yer uncle, nasty synth!

Triangle 1: much prefer it to v2 sounds warmer somehow (sorry motu!) Great for the occasional time I might want a lead synth sound, and super for the old basses too!

P P G

A T T A C K

most used, therefore favourite VSTi´s:

exs24
b4
reaktor

..but I´m also interested in phatmatik, kontakt and sonic synth.

peace, moritz

Favorite: Slayer, or, the rest of my band, if you will . . .

Most Used: Cheeze Machine. I am with Tugger on this one.

2nd Most Used: Delay Lama. Really, if you can get past the GUI of a praying bald man, this thing makes some really nice, resonant tones that sound great, and I don't have to spend 30 minutes twiddling with a bunch of knobs to get those nice tones.

Layyyter . . .

mda epiano
'tis the best

[ 26 July 2002, 00:46: Message edited by: Pantsdown666 ]

Favorite:

Crazy Diamonds- I really love synth strings, and it does do a nice "Shine On" impersonation...

Triangle 2- it looks pretty cool, it sounds very cool, and it's free.

Most used:

Triangle 2- see above

CM-101- good for all-around synth stuff, also free.

Most wanted:

Virtual Sampler (esp. after trying the new alpha version)
DR-008
Reaktor

Favorites: Sonic Synth, Crystal

Most frequently used: Sonic Synth, FMHeaven

Most wanted: ES2, Reaktor, Absynth, FM7, ....

Favorites: Pentagon, Sonic Synth, Lounge Lizard, Daorgan, M-Tron

Most Used: Lounge Lizard, and Sonic Synth (currently, and that's because I spend a lot of time just playing with them, not necessarily recording)

Most Wanted: ??? I dunno the B4 still looks nice, and it's getting ever so slightly more affordable, but DaOrgan does the job of filling in that gap nicely. Aside from that I can't think of anymore commercial instruments I'd buy right now.

[ 26 July 2002, 01:58: Message edited by: Funkybot ]

Favorites:
I've not been able to get out of Sonic Synth since I got it. (Actually, not been able to get much past the pianos. They are fantastic!)
Reaktor. There is always something new to do with it!
Most used:
PhatPro - Since I have no sense of time, I must rely on the loops.
Crystal-has popped up on a lot I've been doing lately.
Most wanted - Well, since I've been on this "buy every fucking vst I can, even if I can't afford it" lets say: Absynth (which took so long to finally get out on PC, that I've almost lost interest).
VirSyn Terra - Someday!
Fm7
Then I'll be satisfied. Oh but wait - PPG!

bluedad

Favs: PPG, FM7

Most used: HALion, PPG

I'm so glad PPG Wave and Cheese Machine are making a lot of lists, these are favorites and frequently used as well.

Most used,

1. plugsounds
2. Sampletank
3. Crystal
4. Pro 52
5. Tc mercury
6. dr- 008

7. fm7

With cubase 5.1 and fruityloops this completes
my virtual studio at last

Mush

FAVOURITES:

1. JX SYNTH - Nothing comes close to its fatness [except my belly]
2. JUNGLIST - For its huge bottom end and gnarly x-mod

MOST USED:

1. SAMPLER - No need for Kontakt or anything else if you have ORION
2. WASP/WASP XT - An incredible workhorse

MOST WANTED:

Nothing - I am perfectly content with what I have.

Fav :
1. B4 : When I load this babe, I often forget that I have some recording to do. I just sit there, playing, and dreaming of the real thing.
2. FM7 : I just love the sound, and the possibilities of this synth. Sounds like the real thing, if you load original SysEx.

Most used :
1. VSampler 2.74 (soon to be 3.0) Workhorse !
2. LM4, because I need drums for most of what I'm doin'

FAVORITE:
ES1 (not a VST)
reaktor VST
Crazy Diamond

MOST USED:
Tau Pro
QuadraSID
ES1
MDA ePiano

Most used then:

MDA ePiano - how can anyone describe how lovely this thingy is?

Triangle I - i have to agree with Donkey, I like this more than II [but Triangle II is excellent as well, just different... ]

ZR-1 - cool organ for us poor souls...

Tobybear Bordeliner - my best way of fucking up innocent compositions - sometimes just for the sake of it.

Muon Tau - as CM said in a recent article, a swiss army knife.

Ninja - as lethal as a real ninja or as soft as a ninja in bed(?)

What, only two?

Most used and loved:
-Sync Modular (man do I love the Dualty ensemble!)
-MDA (E)piano
-Crystal
- Synthedit (i know not a plug, but imo the best musicsoftware since Orion)

Most Used:
WASP-Never tire of this synth
CRYSTAL-Awesome atmospherics
JUNGLIST-Bigger bottom end than Jade from Big Brother
JX10-Electro heaven

Most Wanted:
Nothing.

Most used:

dr-008--my default drum machine
Junglist--my default bassline

Favorite:

Junglist--so warm, so deep, so sexy...
B4--STILL thrilled at having a B4 with Leslie
Honorable mentions: mdaPiano/mdaEpiano--I can't believe they're free!

Most wanted:

Slayer
Delta III update

Favourite:
Absynth
Lounge Lizard
JunoX2
Crystal

Most Used:
EXS24

Waiting Impatiently For:
Kontakt Mac
Reaktor Mac stable VSTi (4.0?)
EXS24 Upgrade
Real-Time ReSynthesis Hybridizer

Fav´s and most used:

MTron
EXS24
EVP88
PhatMatik Pro
Absynth
B4
Attack
The Grand
Amplitube (demo)

putte

I have been relying on the CM-101 and the
SR-202 a lot. I must admit they are very powerful
for a "free" release on CM Mag.

I have also been having a lot of fun with "Delay Lama". I just stick him in the mix here and
there and put a bit of Logic's "ensemble" plugin
on him and play with the pitch bend!

rachel

REaktor , Tau , Battery

I've yet to buy any as I don't have a credit card and the one's in the music stores are beyond my price range, but I'd have to say that primarily I like MDA piano! I also dig Crystal and Triangle I and II. If you count it as free(though it's just part of infinite upgrades)Fruity VSTi is in there. I like many of the other free ones, but these are at the top of my list. If I ever come into money I'd like to have Kontakt, Virtual Guitar, and Roland's new Orchestral....

favs:
ppg
es2
evp88
ninja (really wicked, though it tends to use to much cpu)
synthedit

most used:
exs24
ppg (I don't conciously try to use it it just gets on everything)
synthedit

[ 26 July 2002, 17:56: Message edited by: penguin dude ]

only 2 ?

faves . . .
1.droo8 . . . absolute beast of a drum machine / sampler [will be on the most used list too once i get to know it a bit better] . . . with the new 'melodic sequencer' module might also become a cool simple sampler too
2.cronoX . . . love all the linplug stuff ive tried [it took a machine as good as droo8 to push out rmIII as my fave drum machine] . . . this thing can make some awesome noises as long as you dont mind the digital quality of the sound [i dont ] . . . real cool for mangling samples too

most used . . .
1.machineII . . . while i learn the ins and outs of droo8 jorgens drum sampler takes care of all my beats needs . . . easy to use . . . quite capable of fucking up youre samples a bit if you want . . . and the ability to play complete patterns with one 'note on' is a complete blast
2.tau . . . for all your synth bass needs [granted . . . triangleII will prolly do this better but is a tad too full on if all you want is a simple saw wave to dirty up and mangle]

most wanted . . .
1.a decent soft sampler . . . waiting to see what ds4o4 has to offer before saving up for something else [would have to be kontakt . . . virtual sampler has never appealed . . . something about the interface]
2.the long-awaited 'talent' plugin . . . come on devs . . . where is it ?

. . . cheers pHuzZ

[ 26 July 2002, 19:59: Message edited by: experiment.four ]

I finally found a free synth with quick envolopes!

Lin Plug's Free Alpha! This is now my fave synth!(And the modulation matrix is very handy too)

Previously my favorite was Triangle II but the envolopes aren't quick enough for percussive basslines and stuff...

I also echo eveyone's sentiments about Big Tick's Cheese machine and MDA's e-piano. Both excellent 'modules'.

Most lusted after synths? Well it's a tossup between NI's FM7 and Pro52...

Most desired synth that dosent exist yet: A VSTi Casio CZ101 (Really!)

And I'm also eagerly waiting for the 31st July and the DS 404....

favorites:

M-Tron
PPG Wave 2.2

most used: (at the moment)

M-Tron
Reaktor with Dash's synths

The top of my list is virtual sampler. It was affordable and I was able to use its quirks to my advantage for some unusual loops.
I went hog-wild after getting it and did a massive search and download of all available soundfonts and even coughed up the dough for a few cd-roms.
Sometimes when searching for a certain sound I wind up constructing my own soundfont for the occasion.
some of my synths are actually mutant synth fonts.

As I get more and more into all this I can see its not enough and lately I'm not satisfied with 16 bit wavs either.I've become covetous of people working with 24.

all the free vsti I could find and get to run in fruityloops.

I love the stuff from big tick too.

Fav's Plugz:

EXS-24 (Bye Bye Roland S-760's - unless it's for string or choir samples)

Absynth - nothing else sounds like it

Beast - nothing else sounds like it

Waldorf Attack - nothin' else sounds like it

NI Pro 52 - phatest VSTi for bass I've found

Logic's EVD6 - complete DSP String model that does much more than just Clav

NI Dynamo - lots of different synthesis methods that all sound truly amazing

and VST Effects:

Waves
PSP Vintage Warmer - Oh my GOD
OhmForce
Universal Audio UAD-1 - Oh my GOD

Realkuhl

Am I a regular member now ??? !!!

fav vsti:

fm7,pentagon,mecury1

most used:

pentagon (i'd almost say: ofcourse)

Vsampler3 looks like it can be an upcoming favorite VSTi for me...

I mean, just look at the sheer featurelist of this thing

[ 30 July 2002, 14:03: Message edited by: B i T ]

FAVORITE & MOST USED

EXS24
LiSa
(neither are VST)
Absynth
Crystal

MOST WANTED

Stylus
ES2
Sonic Synth

Favs:

Pentagon
B4

Most Used:
Pentagon
Dynamo

Hon. Mention

MDA epiano
Crystal
Ganymed

faves,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

virsyn terry
ES2
super quartet
amplitube
B4

most wanted,,,,,,,,,,,,()_*&^%$£"!::;;,

all of the above plus all the spectrasonics offerings and maybe orchestral. oh and sonic synth

like kevvvv some suitably powerful machines to do all of this work,.

oh and BJ-VSTI working in conjunction with fuck you/fuck me http://www.fu-fme.com/

These are all the vst-i i use often

number 1 : Mistyron (FXpansion)
number 2 : Cheese Machine (big tick rules)
number 3 : Ticky Clav (big tick still rules and got imitated by emagic)
number 4 : Angelina ( this is getting scary )
number 5 : MDA Piano (combined with psp pianoverb)
number 6 : Grazy Diamonds (am i the only one who likes this ?)
Number 7 : Galactix (smart electronix)
Number 8 : Tau (muon)
Number 9 : ZR3 (Rumpelrausch Täips)
Number 10: vivaldi (Stefan Jeworowski)

1 : just for those mistyric high whistles on my funk stuff
2: for them smooth pads in the back ( i use the flutelike pad often)
3: for the growling byting keys in the middle
4: for the soft anchanting choir to add a holy sphere
5: A free steinway at my fingertips ..clean to digital but with psp it gets realistic
6: Organ pads ... strange effect ... i find it cool
7: Galactix ... dark synth ... sounds extremely cool
8 : tau ... does the base job ok ... it all depends on how you tweek the buttons
9 : i have no money for the B4 .. i know the B4 is much better but this one is a great drawbar too
10: nice easy to use gui ... nice synth for creating edgy sounds

would like to have : all the non shareware stuff from big tick / b4 / absynth / a contrabase simulation ... dunno any vsti that does that

remco

1. Triangle II (getting me some fab euphoria sounds out of it).

2. JX16 (for more euphoria shenanigans).

3. Crystal (just because it is fantastic).

4. Free Alpha (glad that LinPlug overhauled the gak engine...my old gakstoar alpha sounds soooo old next to it!)

5. SR202 (best ever free drum machine).

Fingered Bass preset in the Pentagon VSTi. It deserves to be an VSTi on its own merits and it should have a webring fanclub devoted to it´s greatness.

number 6 : Crazy Diamonds (am I the only one who likes this ?)

Recently aquired I think I'm gonna like this one too.
After finding this spot I pillaged the quick instrument links and am now flipping around from synth to synth having a blast and barely skimming the surface of what they can do.

Most used:

EVP 88: This sounds really weak compared to my rhodes 73, but if I just want to sketch out a composition, it's what I use.
M-Tron: What can I say?
FMHeaven: I spent way too much time programming the DX-7 years ago, FMHeaven sounds exactly like the DX, as far as I can tell, and costs about 1/4 of FM7.
Phatmatik PRO: OK, I just got this today, but I've got the feeling it's gonna get a lot of use, amazing piece of software for the $'s.
Pluggo Instruments collection: Great collection of weird, quirky instruments for real cheap.

What's the A1?

quote:

---

Originally posted by VitaminD:
ooh.. most wanted:

VSTi ES2
VSTi Waldorf A1 (with a sub osc)
other synths like these

too bad we'll never see either.. *sob*

---

its one of the free Vsties that comes with CubaseSX

Favourites:

1. Green Oak : Crystal

Ye ultimate soundtripping tool. Much easier to approach than AbS, I just love the interface with sliders! This is a synth that just screams to explore it's boundaries (which I haven't met yet). Glenn has succeeded in providing the scene with an Instrument possessing a lovely & unique character, not just another VA-H/W-wannabe synthie.

2. RGC Audio : Triangle II

The looks, the feel, the onboard efx. The sound is big, the UI is superb... Midi-learn is something all the softies shoud have, connecting multiple parameters to a single knob justifies the existence of my midi controller . I want my instruments to be inspiring, and here Triangle really delivers: together with it's intuitive UI, Triangle II takes me right to the tek zone.

Most used:

1. Waldorf Attack

Together with Hammerhead, the Spine of my drumtracks. Samples are good, own sounds are better. Attack doesn't sound like real drums, which makes it the perfect thing for tekno. IMHO music made with machines should sound like machines.

2. Crystal

Perfect for psychotic groovy sizzlehazzle background sounds, rEvolver soundscapistic pads, pounding, melodic basslines and made for creating some neverheardbefore oddities.

Most Wanted:

AbSynth and Pentagon I - for obvious reasons.

Favourites:

Cheeze Machine
Crazy Diamonds (I'm going through a real Floyd phase)
B4 (Everywhere)
Tau

Most Used:
HALion (for playing soundfonts mostly...oh well)
Battery - using the HALion samples!

Would like to get:
Sonic Synth (but I'll wait and see what Squids is up to)
Atmosphere
Absynth
Waldorf Wave
Lounge Lizard

Would like to get working:
Crystal (anyone else had trouble here?)
HALion (c'mon, make it better for crying out loud)

Wish they would make:
EVP88 VSTi for Windows
Dedicated PCI cards to run VST instruments

Wish I could understand:
Reaktor. Seriously. I'm up at 5:30 every morning trying to figure this one out.

Well over the limit for this post, but I'm a bit of a VSTi junkie, can't limit myself to just two...I JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF

[ 06 August 2002, 17:07: Message edited by: richardb ]

cystal

mono one

battery

delay lama

most used:

crystal
fm7
battery
triangle
galactix

[ 07 August 2002, 06:29: Message edited by: mykal ]

Sonic Synth hands down for me

What I really enjoy about this thread is people choose to use freeware like Crystal - admittedly a great synth - over their more expensive counterparts.

It's great to see. I hope the developers are paying attention. It's great that many of the developers who are getting a vote of confidence from end users are active here.

Latest most favorite
M-Tron - I dreamed of having a mellotron. This is the closest I'll get and it's incredibly close. Also, it's the lightest on the CPU of any VSTi I have.
Absynth - Expensive but worth it if you like making your own patches. This is the simplest "complex" synth I've ever experienced. Wanted to make synths with Reaktor but are intimidated? Try this.

Most used:
Sonic Synth/Omni Synth/Symphonic Strings - yeah, it's limited in programability which is true. So it better have some kick ass sounds which it does.
Absynth
Kontakt - I play guitar. Give me one sample of a phrase and I'll give you one incredible sound that sounds like a synth and has all the characteristics of a guitar. The best sampler for synthesis. It's also a great straight sampler that makes the borings tasks easy.
Pentagon - A great synth by one of the most helpful designers on the net. Useful for almost any sound in the analog realm
Trionic - had a bad rap here, does have a couple of bugs but is a great little synth that has good CPU useage and can make the simplest sample weird and beautiful to massively fat. This is a great synth for what it is and is woefully slighted.

Wewh! Stepping off my soapbox and chilling out.

[ 08 August 2002, 01:15: Message edited by: x_bruce ]

Tell us more about TRIONIC. I grabbed the demo when it came out and again after an update but I couldn't get anything more than a distorted hiss out of it. Pity, because it looked like it could be pretty cool and easy to use.

Fav:
pHAT pro
Crystal

Used:
Attack
T2

Want:
Delta III

and yes more bloody time in front of my own computer: VST-time fix anyone?

Thanks

My fav is Reaktor. That is vintage!

Glenn, I'm glad you get some good from the folks here, myself included, that admire Crystal. I'm an Absynth user as well and Crystal holds it's ground nicely. Athough there are similarities Crystal does some things better than Absynth and it's design is probably easier to deal with for a lot of people. Keep up the great work!

BONES, Trionic is a 3 oscillator synth. All three oscillators can be mono waves or pulse, saw and noise waves all of which can be fine tuned into a number of different waveforms.
Each osc has a filter, low, high or bandpass with frequency and resonance adjustments. You can also mix signals from the various waveforms up or down, in this synth's case the amount of interaction between waveforms can be subtle to very wild, it's a pretty good industrial synth.
The envelops are ADSR and visual, there's a small but interesting routing system for envelope volume, key velocity, pitch and mouse x & y position. There's also glide, eq and osc range.
It's fairly simple but it takes a bit of time to get the hang of it. There are no demo patches although I could make a couple available.
Mind you, my tastes tend towards pads and odd little sounds.

I use Trionic when I don't want to fire up Kontakt and because it has a different sonic character than CronoX which I like a lot as well.

Bruce
(patiently waiting for OPlatinum)

[ 09 August 2002, 05:55: Message edited by: x_bruce ]

I don't have a lot of VSTi since I'm a Pulsar user, but I have been getting a few - and playing the demos of dozens.

I bought Absynth and am extremely happy - it's lush and emotional. That's definitely number one.

But Absynth can't seem to handle the basic synth sounds too well, so I've been hunting for a nice versatile "traditional" synth. The two big contenders at present are Pro-52/53 and Delta III, so they're the "most wanted".

The Pro-52 has a big, thick, heavy sound, but it's a bit simple.

The Delta III has absolutely phenomenal modulation possibilities. As time goes on I think the modulation is easily the equal to - or maybe even better - than Absynth. It also has a juicy, wet and twisting feel that neither Absynth or the Pro-52 can match.

I also bought Kontakt and although I love it and it's done some good things for me, strangely enough I don't actually use it that often . . .

Most wanted VSTi ? A ported version of the Creamware Prisma !

Spirit, you might also want to take a look at Pentagon I. I would put it in the same class as the Delta III and Pro52. I have all three demos and PI is definitely tops on my list.

prog

If you're looking for a more analog style sound, to my ears close at times but more versitile than a Supernova II then check out Pentagon. It's an incredible synth.

Pro 52 is a great simulation but IMO Pentagon is far more versitile. Unfortunately I don't have Delta III although the demo sounds promising.

I totally agree Absynth is it's own niche. What it does it does exceptionally well. Check out Green Oak Crystal it is probably the finest freeware synth you'll find.

Pentagon is warm by nature, can stray to FM territory as it has FM capabilities but it sounds lush and is frugal with the CPU. Check out Delta though, and make sure to read up on it as there are many features that do not meet the eye.

I have tried the Pentagon, and this is going to sound REALLY lame, but I don't like the knobs. The GUI is a bit hard to distinguish and the knobs travel in an odd way. That's just me . . .

Hi Caleb. The Prisma is my favourite CW synth. And you know how it is: you can have two machines with exactly the same specs and they'll sound completely different. I haven't found a VSTi yet like Prisma - or Celmo's BassmanIII.