KVR Audio

Xenos · Post by **Xenos** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 6:53 pm

Anyone notice it seems the vast majority of commercial soundsets sold everywhere are for those 2 synths? I'm not complaining as they're both great programs- massive is extremely versatile and sylenth just sounds great to my ears. But, there is a wide world out there beyond those. U-he Diva, just my own opinion, is far superior to either of them for good retro sounds. Sylenth lacks real pulse width modulation and sounds very current, while massive is proudly digital and makes no apologies for that lol.
Madrona Labs Aalto is absolutely heaven for special effects and mechanical soundscapes which simply cannot be done on the 2 big ones.. Korg MonoPoly is cheaply priced, but can do sounds very similar to sylenth and, IMHO, is more stylistically versatile. Definitely a better choice for darker, more abstract ambient textures...just my opinion, though. Rob Papen Predator is another winner out there. Not the best choice for "kicking it oldschool", but does a stellar job at trap, hip hop, house and dubstep stuff. Enzyme is now a contender for Massive's throne as king of dubstep thanks to the addition of 16 macros and other new features. Waldorf Largo is another powerhouse synth that deserves praise. The list goes on and on.
Just wondering why the market for commercial presets is so heavily skewed in favor of those 2 synths. Again, not complaining. I enjoy Massive a lot and plan on doing more for it, but am always happy to see it when people take an interest in banks for the lesser known synths, like Reaktor Spark or ReFX QuadraSID, which are often harder to program than the Big 2.

BBFG# · Post by **BBFG#** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 7:08 pm

Personally don't care much about either of those synths.
Sylenth is especially meh to me.
Massive is just okay.
Yes, there are many better synths.
But since Massive came in the bundle, I keep some hope in it.

Lately, I find Gladiator2 is meeting the expectations I've had for Massive.

Chapelle · Post by **Chapelle** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 7:11 pm

tehlord · Post by **tehlord** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 7:17 pm

Chapelle wrote: I think that those are the two synths that most people use, especially EDM-producers for which most soundsets are aimed at, and that's why most soundsets are made for these.

Pretty much this.

If I make a soundset, it's for a synth that a lot of people use.

pdxindy · Post by **pdxindy** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 7:17 pm

The past 3-4 times I've listened to a Sylenth soundset demo, they sounded just like previous Sylenth soundset demos I've heard. It is not a very sonically diverse synth. I think it is tapped out.

Kriminal · Post by **Kriminal** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 7:20 pm

pdxindy wrote:The past 3-4 times I've listened to a Sylenth soundset demo, they sounded just like previous Sylenth soundset demos I've heard.

there's a good reason for that

Ghostwave · Post by **Ghostwave** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 7:21 pm

I think the problem with Sylenth is that a vast majority of the banks are for EDM and similar electronic genres. That's why when I released my bank for it last year, I thought there was room for something different.
The synth I enjoy making presets for the most is Synplant. It takes a while to master the DNA parameters but well worth doing.

DJMashbot · Post by **DJMashbot** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 8:03 pm

Well, with soundsets, your market is limited to the people who own the specific synth it is for. After that, it's narrowed down to the types/genre of sounds in the bank, and then again to the people willing to pay the asked for amount of money for it. So, logically it makes sense to start with the largest market possible, hence the most owned synths. Personally, I think Spectral blows both of those synths away in terms of what it can do, so I'd love to see more banks for that.

Xenos · Post by **Xenos** » Mon Feb 03, 2014 5:17 am

Karten wrote:I think the problem with Sylenth is that a vast majority of the banks are for EDM and similar electronic genres. That's why when I released my bank for it last year, I thought there was room for something different.
The synth I enjoy making presets for the most is Synplant. It takes a while to master the DNA parameters but well worth doing.

Same here, bro. My first Sylenth set was a hybrid of hip hop and underground dubstep sounds. Was definitely shy about making yet another edm set since the synth had already been around for years. As for Synplant, I definitely agree with you. The utter randomness of it is a major creative whack upside the head which forces you way outside the comfort zone. Programming synplant feels more like a videogame that challenges you to make good sounds by manipulating the DNA of all the bad sounds the plants throw at you.

jeffb01 · Post by **jeffb01** » Mon Feb 03, 2014 5:38 am

Massive and sylenth are definitely the top two, but zebra is definitely in the top tier at a distant third. Surprisingly, the virus TI is fairly common, too (for such an expensive hardware synth)...

I just bought a nice gladiator set from xenos...

xamido · Post by **xamido** » Mon Feb 03, 2014 5:41 am

Sylenth : low cpu, crack all over the internet, every edm video tutorial use it, widely used

Massive : associated with harsh digital wob that the kids like, also every edm video tutorial use it.

C-note · Post by **C-note** » Mon Feb 03, 2014 8:27 am

Vengeance just came out with Sylenth soundset # 7

JAN 2014 - new Soundset: Sylenth Trilogy Vol. 7 - DJ THD Signature

Boom, here it is! With 64 new Dance, HandsUp, and Hardstyle presets, Vengeance Soundset Sylenth Trilogy Vol.7 has everything you need. Designed by genre specialist DJ THT, this new signature soundset contains everything you love about HandsUp: soaring leads, phat chords, wide pads, rising effects, massive bass lines, and tiny little plucked sounds. Are you ready to party? Then let's party on!

BBFG# · Post by **BBFG#** » Mon Feb 03, 2014 5:31 pm

C-note wrote:Vengeance just came out with Sylenth soundset # 7

JAN 2014 - new Soundset: Sylenth Trilogy Vol. 7 - DJ THD Signature

Boom, here it is! With 64 new Dance, HandsUp, and Hardstyle presets, Vengeance Soundset Sylenth Trilogy Vol.7 has everything you need. Designed by genre specialist DJ THT, this new signature soundset contains everything you love about HandsUp: soaring leads, phat chords, wide pads, rising effects, massive bass lines, and tiny little plucked sounds. Are you ready to party? Then let's party on!

And there you have it, yet another set for a specific genre and its sub-idioms.

BBFG# · Post by **BBFG#** » Mon Feb 03, 2014 5:33 pm

What gets me is that most of these 'new sets' of sounds by different designers for these two synth don't amount to much more than tweaks of a previous set.

Xenos · Post by **Xenos** » Mon Feb 03, 2014 7:05 pm

BBFG# wrote:What gets me is that most of these 'new sets' of sounds by different designers for these two synth don't amount to much more than tweaks of a previous set.

Let's hope that isn't literally true

. These days it'd be so easy to download a cracked version of someone's work, make a few tweaks, call it your own and sell it. With the sudden influx of new blood coming out the last 2 years, I'm almost positive at least someone is already doing it. Honesty is the best policy, and with all the competition out there, integrity counts for A LOT. Thankfully the bulk of my income comes from 3rd-party projects, and anything done for the online store is mainly personal enjoyment + filling in time between projects + whatever supplemental income comes from that.

Commercial soundsets...always Massive and Sylenth...