I really like the Waldorf A1 in SX, which i will be purchasing shortly. Do i really NEED another analog-style VSTi? I actually like the A1 better than Pentagon 1.

Besides A1 for analog synth, Battery and Attack for drums, what are some other must-haves? I will most likely either get Absynth or VirSyn Tera, leter. Help?

FM7 and/or PPG Wave

Absynth & FM7
both of these can take a lifetime to learn - endless possibilities

EVP73 if your into that sound

Maybe QuadraSID

I picked these because they are all very uniqe and sound very good!

depends on what music u make..what about B4 Organ?

cheers, moritz

Lanstar Zero wrote:

Besides A1 for analog synth, Battery and Attack for drums, what are some other must-haves?

Absynth, definitely.

Also...Muon's Tau Pro.

Really, a very useful little synth, which costs next to nothing.

Oh yeah, I also have Sonic Synth - i do Bjork-style-ambient-beat-based-electronica

I'm looking for dreamy, etheric pads and organic sounds - i've played with Absynth, and think it will do the trick.

How could you have missed Crystal by Greenoak?

Lots of programming, but lots of unique sounds - probably the nearest you'll get to a Wavestation with VSTi, and it's for free!

thehumanPlugin wrote:

EVP73 if your into that sound

If you're only working with 44.1kHz. If you're working with say, 48kHz, don't get this.

Sorry... just couldn't resist warning others.

kritikon wrote:

How could you have missed Crystal by Greenoak? Lots of programming, but lots of unique sounds - probably the nearest you'll get to a Wavestation with VSTi, and it's for free!

I'm talking strictly about commercial products - i have most of the freebies.

I HAVE/ WILL HAVE SHORTLY: Cubase SX w/ A1, Battery, Attack, Sonic Synth, Clavia Nord Lead 3

I need something for etheric pads and ambient/dreamy sounds.

So i'm deciding between Absynth and VirSyn Tera, although Delta III is a prospect and could save me some dough!

Lanstar Zero wrote:

I need something for etheric pads and ambient/dreamy sounds.

Just out of curiousity, is there something you're looking for that you didn't find in Crystal? I'm always looking for ideas on things to add.

- Glenn

Lanstar Zero wrote:

I'm talking strictly about commercial products - i have most of the freebies. I HAVE/ WILL HAVE SHORTLY: Cubase SX w/ A1, Battery, Attack, Sonic Synth, Clavia Nord Lead 3 I need something for etheric pads and ambient/dreamy sounds. So i'm deciding between Absynth and VirSyn Tera, although Delta III is a prospect and could save me some dough!

Between Absynth and Virsyn Tera, I'd go with Tera, no question about it.

Hey Glenn0,
I think Crystal is great, and have used it - however, i find that it sounds somewhat "metallic" - i know many people that love that type of sound, but i'm not one of them. It's the same reason i don't like FM7, or any FM synths (i know Crystal isn't FM) - they all sound slightly metallic. But thanks for asking - definitely a great-sounding, very deep synth - and amazingly, free!!

Let's not forget JUNGLIST. Bottomless bottom end, useful FM, unison mode it its surprisingly good for pads. I also like CronoX for weird, ambient pads because you can load samples into it.

its all about the junglist. i think only absynth competes with it in sound fullness. of course its my opinion. unison mode is blissful.

Lanstar Zero wrote:

It's the same reason i don't like FM7, or any FM synths

Did you check out the new FM7 sounds at the NI website. They have a quick online browser for some demosounds. It's completely amazing what FM7 can do for analogue sounding, evolving pads.

Lanstar Zero wrote:

Hey Glenn0, I think Crystal is great, and have used it - however, i find that it sounds somewhat "metallic" - i know many people that love that type of sound, but i'm not one of them. It's the same reason i don't like FM7, or any FM synths (i know Crystal isn't FM) - they all sound slightly metallic. But thanks for asking - definitely a great-sounding, very deep synth - and amazingly, free!!

Newer FM synths don't have to sound metallic, not even slightly. Due to the greater collection of waveforms and feedback for all operators it's no problem to make sounds one would't even remotely recognise as typical FM.
You probably would fail to find the sounds of the two FM-Synths I used in my latest song...

FM7 is great, Absynth too, Vaz 2010-it's factory of sound, Reaktor another big synth and more....

.....it's so many post above but nobody writes about simple and cheap good sounding junox2.

You may consider these:

- A softwaresampler. Couldn't live without one anymore. But then, I am into sampling own stuff, so maybe thats only me, but it's certainly the instrument I'd choose if I had to reduce them down to one. If you're getting Kontakt it's almost like a fullblown synth in addition as it has very powerful synthesis functions as well.

- Absynth. I wouldn't know any other synth being able to produce such sounds. Pretty high on my purchase list (now, if they only would fix the UI issues, integration into your host is the lousiest I could imagine for a year 2002 VSTi).

- FM7. Others allready said so, it really doesn't sound exactly like an FM synth. And it's got those KICKASS syncing envelopes. Plus, you have access to a sheer endless number of sounds from all those original DX patches.

- pHATmatik Pro. If you are into any sort of loopmangling, this is the one to go for, IMO a defenite must-have!

- B4 if you are into retro, house, disco, soul, funk, rock, whatever.

Apart from that I can't second your opinion on A1 over Pentagon 1, but that might be personal taste. Also, P1 has a voice modulator mode, allowing it to work as a vocoder too!

Cheers,
Sascha

OK - i've decided:

I WILL get Absynth

and

I'm deciding between between Muon Tau Pro and Junglist (for the basses).


I've played B4 - but i don't need the most realistic organ (I usually run my realistic sounds through effects to 'warp' them; Sonic Synth would take care of my organ needs).

i have PLAYED FM7, and liked it alot at the time - i just never used it in a track - i'm trying to simplify my set-up. I'm getting away from trying to find the "perfect sound" to writing more music, and i think you know what i mean!

The problem i have with Pentagon is that the Release in the AMP ENV doesn't "fade out"; it kinda cuts off. This is compensated by the built-in delay, but i don't like the fact that delay is on virtually every patch. Plus, Pentagon is almost TOO thick, warm and "phat" for me. People go on and on about how phat a sound is - however, when i'm writing music, i use a lot of sounds - which means they have got to sit in a mix well. I know you can make Pentagon thinner sounder by tweaking it, but it's tendency is to be warm and thick. That's why I like A1, better- it's a little thinner and not too warm, and pretty ANALOG-sounding.

Just my HO on the matter!

Any more thoughts on VirSyn Tera?

Oh, and I don't use samples very much - although i will work up to getting Kontakt eventually.

Lanstar Zero wrote:

Any more thoughts on VirSyn Tera?

I like it a lot more than Absynth, but only if you are comfortable programming synths. Sure, Absynth has pretty presets, but having worked with it, I'd much rather program Tera. You also get 16 part mutlitimbrality with its own mixer, a step sequencer, all sorts of cool stuff.

If it want to play pad presets, I'll use Absynth. If I want to construct my own sounds, I''ll use Tera. I can quite honestly see Tera being the only softsynth I use by default, even with the other synths I own.

Go download the demo and the manual for Tera. Play and read- tab back and forth. You'll be hard put to find a better use for $240 (from audiomidi.com).

Lanstar Zero wrote:

OK - i've decided: i have PLAYED FM7, and liked it alot at the time - i just never used it in a track - i'm trying to simplify my set-up. I'm getting away from trying to find the "perfect sound" to writing more music, and i think you know what i mean!

No, I actually don't know what you mean because I find it very easy to get "working" sounds out of FM7. The easy edit page very often is just good enough to do the job.

Quote:

The problem i have with Pentagon is that the Release in the AMP ENV doesn't "fade out"; it kinda cuts off.

?!?!?!?!?
You surely haven't checked it out properly... P1's release is just working as on *any* synth, if you raise the value it fades out, just as expected.

Quote:

Plus, Pentagon is almost TOO thick, warm and "phat" for me. People go on and on about how phat a sound is - however, when i'm writing music, i use a lot of sounds - which means they have got to sit in a mix well. I know you can make Pentagon thinner sounder by tweaking it, but it's tendency is to be warm and thick.

Switch on the EQ, drag the lows down and there you are.
Seriously, it's dead easy to get less fat sounds out of P1.

Regards,
Sascha[/quote]

VirSyn Tera is simply amazing. Maybe it's not for the uninitiated, but still, even a novice can elicit good sounds from it. An experienced synthesist will be ecstatic. There are over 800 preset sounds to start with, and it's a simple matter to customise these to your liking. Quite honestly, VirSyn Tera knocked Absynth off of my "must have" list (but rest assured, it's still on my "I still want it" list!), as it has SO much flexibility. The sequencers and arpeggiators make it quite easy to get the same sort of "rhythmic pad" sound that are a major part of Absynth's appeal to me. They can control sequences of controllers as well as notes. Lovely. Whatever form of synthesis you might want, VirSyn has got it (barring sampling). It can do FM, PM, analog and even some additive. Worth every penny. Check out my in-depth review at www.traxmusic.org for more details.

Angelina is good for etheral pad sounds.

I think Delta III and Pentagon I will both manage etheral pad sounds with ease as well.

If Nexus ever comes out I think that will probably be great at the etheral pad sounds.

There's also a synth out there called Astrobelt which is probably worth a look in for pad sounds.

An additive synth would be good but there's not really present except maybe in a Reaktor or Dr Sync ensemble.

Orion's Wavedream is probably a good choice and Ultran could possible be even better if you have the Platinum, but they're both unfortunately host-bound devices.

OK, that's me for the moment.

Sascha Franck wrote:

No, I actually don't know what you mean because I find it very easy to get "working" sounds out of FM7. The easy edit page very often is just good enough to do the job. ?!?!?!?!? You surely haven't checked it out properly... P1's release is just working as on *any* synth, if you raise the value it fades out, just as expected. Regards, Sascha

[/quote]

1st of all, when i said i'm simplifying my set-up - it has nothing to do with FM7 - i was speaking generally, which i didn't make very clear. FM7, from what i have found, HAS working sounds and is very flexible - but everything that i've heard from it also has a slight metallic edge: some people like that - I don't, and i think that should be respected.

2nd of all, Pentagon doesn't have the same release as others - it does fade out, but fades out more abruptly than other synths, with whatever settings - every time i took off the delay AND played with the AMP ENV, i couldn't get the sustain i wanted on many of the pads - it didnb't fade out extremely smoothly. In addition, my opoinion is that a synth should sit well in a mix without EQ, and many times without fx, or with only minor fx like delay and reverb.

Thirdly, everything is subjective.


Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.

Is it still true, BTW, that when using Tera as a VSTi in a host, it carries with it the sequencer and mixr - is their any way to turn these off manually, yet?

Yup, I'm afraid that if you DON'T want to bring along Tera's mixer and sequencer into your VST host, you're out of luck. It hasn't really bothered me. If I don't want to use them, I just don't use them (but I usually WANT the sequencer, for modulations). It may be adressed in the future, however. For a synth of this size, I don't see any trouble with it consuming too much CPU, even with the extra baggage.

Oh, and I second the comments on Delta III. An excellent alternative to Pentagon 1 (though I wouldn't like to give up either!), and the mod matrix makes for some WONDERFUL pad sounds...

Lanstar Zero wrote:

Is it still true, BTW, that when using Tera as a VSTi in a host, it carries with it the sequencer and mixr - is their any way to turn these off manually, yet?

You don't need to. They don't really consume any additional CPU. Plus, there's something nice about launching one instance of Tera and having 16 synths there, either submixed to one stereo track in your sequencer or output separately to 16 discrete tracks.