Best soft synth for beginners? Reaktor 6/Dune 2/Omnisphere/Zebra 2?

[fluffy_little_something]

If you are interested in classic subtractive synthesis, a pretty good and complete, yet compact and intuitive synth is Waves Element. There is nothing modular about it, though

[exmatproton]

If you are interested in classic subtractive synthesis, a pretty good and complete, yet compact and intuitive synth is Waves Element. There is nothing modular about it, though

When a synth has a mod-matrix, it is to some extend (semi-)modular

[fluffy_little_something]

If you are interested in classic subtractive synthesis, a pretty good and complete, yet compact and intuitive synth is Waves Element. There is nothing modular about it, though

When a synth has a mod-matrix, it is to some extend (semi-)modular

Why is that? Modular to me means that I can add modules as I please, that I can built my own synth basically. That is not the case with Sylenth1, Dune, Retrologue, Element, Hive, etc.

[ew]

People give odd advice.

Reaktor 6 is the worst possible plugin to recommend to a beginner. It is hugely powerful, it does sound amazing, but it is a modular system, that requires a lot of time to get to know and understand. And in the end, it may not provide the kind of sounds the user is after.

90% of the people who use Reaktor don't build their own instruments; they use factory creations or the user library. Used that way, there's nothing complicated about it at all.

ew

[chk071]

Still, to learn synthesis, i'd also recommend something more simple. Sylenth1 actually would be great. If it wasn't so freaking expensive for what it does. I'd rather get Spire.

[wurschtel]

That's so much for all your advice!

Kadenze has a great free course for learning synthesis using Reaktor:

https://www.kadenze.com/courses/sound-s ... aktor/info

I watched like the half video course and I have to say its really good! I get a better understanding of everything! I'll watch the rest tomorrow
And now I am sure, that I'm not ready for Reaktor because:

[...]
Furthermore as much as I love the quirky stuff in the UL, I think that some of the best sounding reaktor ensembles are ones that require you to pay extra for (Monark, Razor, Form, etc). So if you want something with the quality of Zebra2, Dune2 or even Omnisphere, then you need to buy those because trying to program something similar in Reaktor would be incredibly difficult (maybe even impossible).

The OP could start with Reaktor, learn it's quirks and then eventually get Dune2 or Zebra2 for a quick workhorse VA. But If they want a quick but powerful synthesizer system to learn i would NOT recommend Reaktor in the beginning. Don't get me wrong, Reaktor is a MUST-HAVE Imo, but it can be an intimidating thing to start with.
[...]

but I will get Reaktor definitely later!!!


so basically just 2 synth are left on the shortlist:

Dune 2
and
Zebra 2

Omnisphere 2 is out, because:

Just my 2 cents, for what it's worth...

I own both Z2 and Omni and I'd say Z2 is better for learning. Omni has a very traditional subtractive layout and you can only change the filter routing. Don't get me wrong, the modulation in it, excellent presets, and sound sources are all top notch but if you really want to understand synthesis it's not where I'd recommend starting.

I think you are right... Omnisphere is a great tool! And maybe I'll get it later if I have the feeling, that I need more sounds/samples stuff...

[...]
want the most basic features ,great sound and simple interface? tal noisemaker is the answer:
[...]

I realy like what this synth is capeble of for free thanks for the hint!

Still, to learn synthesis, i'd also recommend something more simple. Sylenth1 actually would be great. If it wasn't so freaking expensive for what it does. I'd rather get Spire.

I played the last days a bit more with spire and I have to say, that it's getting more intuitive... actually its right now on sale and cheaper then dune 2...

so could I go with Spire 1.1 instead of Dune 2?

[chk071]

Still, to learn synthesis, i'd also recommend something more simple. Sylenth1 actually would be great. If it wasn't so freaking expensive for what it does. I'd rather get Spire.

I played the last days a bit more with spire and I have to say, that it's getting more intuitive... actually its right now on sale and cheaper then dune 2...

so can I go with Spire 1.1 instead of Dune 2?

If you like the sound more, i'd say, definitely go with it. One of the 5 best sounding soft synths for me (out of those i tried ).

[exmatproton]

If you are interested in classic subtractive synthesis, a pretty good and complete, yet compact and intuitive synth is Waves Element. There is nothing modular about it, though

When a synth has a mod-matrix, it is to some extend (semi-)modular

Why is that? Modular to me means that I can add modules as I please, that I can built my own synth basically. That is not the case with Sylenth1, Dune, Retrologue, Element, Hive, etc.

what (semi-)modular means, is that you have the option to "wire" (change/remove/etc) different parameters to other parameters (in synths that is). Instead of 'hardwiring' a LFO to a filter cutoff, you could 'wire' another LFO, or ENV (etc..). The mod-matrix is just another way of doing (semi-)modular stuff.

The big difference ofcourse is, how it looks. There are no wires. Most of the time mod-matrices work with drop-down menu's. That's all. Another way of doing the same, is with a patchbay grid (XILS3/4) for instance.

Ofcourse, a mod-matrix (in most synths) isn't as versatile, or modable. So the term semi-modular fits better (some parts might be hardwired as well). But still, it is a modular concept.

[KBSoundSmith]

IMO, starting with a free synth or two is a good idea. Why spend money until you know exactly what you're looking for?

But for what it's worth, I think Zebra would be an excellent option. The interface is simple (seriously, it only takes a few minutes to learn the concept of the GUI -- Sound generators are on the far left, signal flow is in the middle, and modulators are on the right), and it basically covers all the bases. And learning each module, one by one, will teach you just about everything you need to know about synthesis.

If you enjoy sparse, economic setups, you may find that Zebra is the only synth you need. Certainly others have strengths in other areas, but as an all around, single option, it gets my vote.

[Distorted Horizon]

so could I go with Spire 1.1 instead of Dune 2?

Dune2 is a lot easier for your cpu and basically that means more synth tracks before the need to bounce.

Soundwise I'd maybe lean a bit to Spire but IMO Dune2 is more versatile. Though I'm not as familiar with Spire than I'm with Dune2.

[Greenstorm33]

IMO, starting with a free synth or two is a good idea. Why spend money until you know exactly what you're looking for?

Alternatively, spend like $5 on an issue of Computer Music Magazine and get Dune CM (Dune 1 without the effects and with 1 page of mod matrix instead of 2, but otherwise identical to the full Dune 1), Curve 2 CM, Synthmaster CM, Bazille CM, and a bunch of other cool stuff.

[quincy]

I'm going to throw something into the mix here - The Legend from Synapse Audio.

It's got 3 oscillators with basic waveforms, a filter with envelope, an amp envelope and some basic FX. And the 3rd Oscillator can be used for LFO/modulation. I would argue that this is a good introduction to basic subtractive synthesis sound design and it's actually capable of a fairly wide variety of sounds.

One potential issue - CPU usage. That said, I found that running multiple instances didn't actually cause massive CPU abuse.

Oh yes, and it sounds fantastic.

[rod_zero]

If you want to learn synthesis there is nothing better than Syntorial, very good investment.

Later you will be able to choose synthesis based on your needs.

[Echoes in the Attic]

IMO, starting with a free synth or two is a good idea. Why spend money until you know exactly what you're looking for?

Alternatively, spend like $5 on an issue of Computer Music Magazine and get Dune CM (Dune 1 without the effects and with 1 page of mod matrix instead of 2, but otherwise identical to the full Dune 1), Curve 2 CM, Synthmaster CM, Bazille CM, and a bunch of other cool stuff.

I agree with this totally. If you are learning synthesis, you should start with the extremely powerful freeware available, such as the CM bundle, which are very powerful. Also throw in Tyrell N6, Synth1, Dexed, Charlatan. Also be sure to download the free Reaktor player which gives you several blocks ensembles which are amazing.

There is so much power there with a variety of synthesis (VA, FM, PD, Modular, watevtable etc.) Once you've got your head around these, you might know where you want to expand your synthesis options, if at all. For example you might say Bazille CM is great, but I wish there was another filter and a couple more oscs - Tehn you upgrade to Bazille. Similar for Synthmaster etc.

If I was to suggest a synth in addition to these it would probably something with a large library of sounds for instant inspiration and maybe granular. So Omnisphere is a great addition to the free synths out there since it has a great library and can granulate. Plus although quite powerful in terms of modulation, it is laid out in a very straight forward way.

[dune_rave]

IMHO the best for beginners is a synth that has many great sounds so the user can use them and examine them to understand how the sound is created. It also helps if the GUI is mainly one screen...