I'm sure you have seen similar posts ad nauseum regarding the "must have" virtual instruments, but I could certainly use your advice and wisdom. Any recommendation on the half dozen or so instruments you might recommend would be appreciated. I compose in many styles using style as content actually in the Post Modernist sense. And I'm running a fairly highend Windows XP machine with Cubase SX and WaveLab Essential. Imagine two scenarios: 1. Money no object, 2. Limited budget

Thanks again,

PS I am posting a similar request under the Effects heading.

Open ended question, and as my fellow Perl programmers would say TIMTOWTDI. I can only offer my recommendations. If I was building a setup from scratch TODAY, I would get the following plugs as a minimalist Studio

z3ta+
MMV
B4
Kontakt (loaded with Sonic Station)
XPhraze
Reaktor
Crystal
Sonik Synth 2 (OK its not out yet, but on my agenda)
Drum9 (also not out yet, for now RM IV or Dr-008)

Of course, a nice set of sample libraries for Kontakt. If you like soundfonts, look no further than sfz+

prog

hmmmnnn ... this old chestnut ...

entirely subjective of course but imho a good base setup (ie - trying to get one vsti in each important category) might be -

fxpansion dr008 (drum synth / sampler)
concreteFX dicer (loop slicer / mangler)

rgc audio sfz+ (.sf2 / giga player)
maz vsampler3 or NI kontakt (bells and whistles samplers)

rgc audio z3ta+ (monster VA synth and more)
big tick rhino (VA / FM / additive synth)
discoDSP vertigo (additive synth)
linplug cronoX2 (sample based / VA synth)

jorgen aase energyXT (modular vsti / fx)

slainte rob

What, rgc have released a soundfont player

I didn't know that...just off to take a look

Does this mean SF2's are trendy again

Pro-Sounds wrote:

What, rgc have released a soundfont player

its a BIT more than just that

Pro-Sounds wrote:

I didn't know that...just off to take a look

you should

Pro-Sounds wrote:

Does this mean SF2's are trendy again

if rene gets his loco argentine way they will be (actually - he talks a LOT of sense about the capabilities of the soundfont format)

slainte rob

from the limited budget side of things one copy of computer music contains the basic muzys with all the cm intsruments and fx

bugs wrote:

Any recommendation on the half dozen or so instruments you might recommend would be appreciated.

reaktor. far, far more than a mere dozen

Synth 1 (sooo good on cpu!)
rgcAudio z3ta+
Linplug Albino (Great for dance)
PPG Wave (warm)
Nusofting Astrobelt (Nice Pads, low price!)
rgcAudio Pentagon 1 (Great for dance)
M-Tron (people seem to really like it)
And a sampler.

Hydra
EGOKILLER
JX-Synth
WaspXT



=René

Uh-oh... BONES has taken over Renés body!

Sample Tank 2 XL, with Sonic Synth as an add on.

Thousands of good quality sounds at your fingertips...

René wrote:

Hydra EGOKILLER JX-Synth WaspXT

OT:

you forgot to say that all other synth's filters suck.



--------------------

NON-OT:

lets see.. what i'd use/want/have.. note I globbed them all into one heading instead of the nobudget/budget headings since I think you can pull out the ones that cost too much or dont..

besides I have no clue what you consider to be a limited budget

Powercore
Virsyn Tera 2
Linplug Albino 2 (someone please give me a copy )
Spectrasonics line of VSTi/sampler modules
Native Instruments Reaktor
EMM Knagalis
Synth1 (really)
maybe even Freealpha, Triangle II, and the load of other free vsti/vst plugins (like the fish fillets)

----------------------------------


OT to the OT: maybe we should include stuff like this in our profiles:

303: LOVE/DONT LOVE
Are you one with Meeetel: YES/NO
What Filters are the best: BLAH
What Synths do you recommend?: BLAH 3.5
What Effects do you recommend?: BLAH FX 3.5

then we can just say... 'click the profile button, mannn'

Ah...the minimalist question.
High end...
Reaktor
Absynth
Xphraze
Now,I'll get flamed for this one -Reason.Run it via ReWire,and you've got a great sampler,a unique synth in Malstrom,and the easiest drum module to use for those coming from a hardware background.
If I were starting over,I could get by very easily with that as my rig.
Low end...
the NuSofting bundle(Astrobelt,Astrolead,Trimmetry and Morphing Delay)
Cronox2
sfz+
DR-008.The most expensive thing on the low end rig,but definitely worth the bucks.
One of the ConcreteFX bundles-Jon's got lots of cool toys-choose the bundle that fits you.
With either,there's some essential freeware such as Crystal and the Elogoxa stuff.
ew

An everything box with a monster FM synth:
FL Studio XXL (Sytrus, 3xOsc layers, Formula Controller automation, SF player, sampler, Granulizer, etc.)

A big, delicious subtractive synth:
ImpOscar, Discovery, or Z3ta

A cheap fat-monster substractive synth that's crazy-easy to program:
JX Synth, DaAlfa2K, or Vanguard (when it get's done)

Thanks Rene! I wasn't actually gonna bother 'cause the guy's using Cubase and I would have put 'em in a different order but it was a lovely thought on your part and I do appreciate it.