KVR Audio

chris979899 · Post by **chris979899** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 11:33 am

I have been reading up for a while but the list of vst synths literally never ends.

My two favourite free ones are synth1 and charlatan. I use ableton 9.

I will be looking to purchase one in the coming year. At the moment I'm quite set on zebra, but open to suggestion.

I write ambient/electro/techno of all types/Idm. I've looked at all the classics like roland sh-101, korg ms-20 etc but I would like something more modern.

I'm not massively set on a genre, but I do love ambient and evolving sounds. I guess I'd say I like experimental/alternative music.

Recommendations on a paid synth would be great.

Also I use Valhalla free echo which I really like. What other free vst effects are useful? Is frohmage worth downloading?

Googly Smythe · Post by **Googly Smythe** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 12:15 pm

If you are just starting out, Zebra may be a little too much to take in. Learning how to use it is a long term project.
I would say stick to the free synths until you really know what you want. You'll save yourself money and disappointment.

This is a good starting point... Free, too.
https://tal-software.com/products/tal-noisemaker

Googly Smythe · Post by **Googly Smythe** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 12:19 pm

PS
You'll find everyone here has their favourite synth - mine is HALion. It's good for "modern" genres. But it's pricey.

chris979899 · Post by **chris979899** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 1:24 pm

Yeah it's personal choice in the end.

Thank you for the help.

rod_zero · Post by **rod_zero** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 5:26 pm

The sale season just passed so good deals are a few months away (spring).

Since you have been using sustractive synths I would suggest continuing in that road and get something that can get a bit more complex and is still easy to use.

Honestly almost any synth can get ambient sounds, is all about long release times, introducing some variation over time modulating something, wave tables are a good target for this. Ad some nice effects and you are there.

SO I would recommend Serum, very easy to use, powerfull and uses wavetables. If you download the demo ignore those presets, if you want to listen what it can do listen to this demos:

https://soundcloud.com/modeaudio/mesosphere

https://soundcloud.com/modeaudio/desert-highway

As for effects: Valhalla Vintage Verb and Ubermod, Replika XT by NI, Blackhole by Eventide (goes on sale for 49 USD regularly).

dandezebra · Post by **dandezebra** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 7:21 pm

Also, check some of the free Plugin Alliance stuff and the crazy daily Xmas deals. Their effects can be quite advanced (Fault and such), but they are fantastic.

Another option is to buy the newest digital issue of Computer Music which includes Vacuum Pro as well as a host of other great synths (ZebraCM, BazilleCM, AaltoCM, CurveCM, etc.) and effects (ReverberateCM, VScope, etc.)

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 7:24 pm

dandezebra wrote: Another option is to buy the newest digital issue of Computer Music which includes Vacuum Pro as well as a host of other great synths (ZebraCM, BazilleCM, AaltoCM, CurveCM, etc.) and effects (ReverberateCM, VScope, etc.)

Yeah, that's probably the best idea really. Will likely make you busy for months to come.

Zexila · Post by **Zexila** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 7:26 pm

Zebra for sure.

chris979899 · Post by **chris979899** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 7:27 pm

Thanks a lot this is all really helpful. I will look into these replies more after work.

yellowmix · Post by **yellowmix** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 8:08 pm

Zebra is a great starter option if you want to learn sound design. If you understand how to work Synth1 then Zebra is not much more opaque. It just has a lot more modules and options, but you can start with the basic osc-filter setup and work from there.

It's a great synth to grow with because you hear about some kind of synthesis and it never tells you you can't. Go through the manual, reverse engineer the great presets, and you'll be a sound design whiz in no time. Since it covers so many types of synth modules, you can apply the skills and knowledge to pretty much any other synth you ever come across.

No synth is the last synth. But when you understand Zebra and are fluent in its workflow, you'll know what to look for in other synths.

chris979899 · Post by **chris979899** » Thu Dec 07, 2017 3:09 pm

Cheers man. I'm gonna stick with learning all the basics till Feb and purchase zebra. The interface on synth1/ charlatan is pretty easy to grasp but I'm gonna put in the time making sure the basics are understood.

vitocorleone123 · Post by **vitocorleone123** » Fri Dec 15, 2017 11:08 pm

I know you wanted "modern", but should still check out retro style synths by u-he - they're just releasing Repo-5 that also comes with Repo-1 for the same price (and they make a pretty good, somewhat less complex modern-esque synth called Hive). I think the intro price is $99 for Repo1/5 until Jan 1 ish. The Repo 5 is a CPU hungry beast but is also probably the more realistic Prophet emulation to date. I mainly mention them because they're also more less complex overall, or at least can be, than some modern synths.

One underrated synth is Strobe 2 by FXPansion. $180 isn't cheap, though. This as an alternative or complimentary to the usual Sylenth, Serum type recommendations (or Omnisphere 2 if you want more sample based synthesis). Another underrated synth is Lush101 by d16. Finally, you should also definitely check out Predator 2 by Rob Papen for your genres.

zenophilix · Post by **zenophilix** » Sat Dec 16, 2017 9:55 pm

If you're looking for a "modern" sound, then I'm of course going to go to Serum. The anti-aliasing is unbelievable, it's going to give you the cleanest sound you can. It's also great to learn sound design, but of course, the price is a bit steep. You can get it rent-to-own on Splice for $9.99 a month, but it still depends on if you're willing to spend that much.

Focusing more on the first synth aspect, I was in the same situation myself about a year and a half ago, ended up going with Synthmaster. Nice sound, good for ambient/evolving sounds if you can get the hang of it. I've heard a lot of complaints about the interface being difficult to understand though, so clearly it isn't for everyone. However, Synthmaster One changes things up a bit... It's built from the ground up from what I've heard, and includes support for "real" wavetable synthesis. From demoing it, I've found it has a nice warm tone to it. They(KV331) are actually doing a sale through December iirc.

Edit: Have to second the Computer Music idea. Vacuum Pro is brilliant on it's own, and you get a whole suite of plugins that'll cover most of your bases. IIRC, you can buy issue 250 and get Sonar Home Studio until Jan 31st. 64-track limit, it's perfectly usable.

Halonmusic · Post by **Halonmusic** » Thu Dec 28, 2017 11:51 am

Bazille or Beatzille (Magware). Easiest modular synth ive ever used. One of of the best synths too. It can do a lot. If you you want digital sounds Zebralette would be a good option if Zebra is too much to start with.

egbert101 · Post by **egbert101** » Fri Jan 05, 2018 1:14 am

What to start with?