User Reviews by KVR Members for SynthMaster
ok.
i've written several reviews here at kvraudio recently, almost all 10's. i'm writing about the plugins i USE, and therefore appreciate. so, just so you know where i'm coming from…
i've downloaded a LOT of demos lately, trying to find a (very) few plugins to use to make music. i deleted some long-used and very good synths to make room for new sounds (and, importantly, to challenge my work methods).
am new to synthmaster; i played with the demo...and now own the plugin (AND the rob lee soundbanks). so synthmaster passed my 'acid test', and joins my 3 other main synths (sylenth1, dune, and zebra).
more than anything else (architecture, the GUI, features, etc), i care about the SOUND. and synthmaster sounds amazing. there is depth and color in the sound; i love that, some plugins seem very flat, or grey, to me.
there are some great presets in the factory soundbank, and the rob lee banks are (as always) essential.
my biggest concern is the architecture; this synth is quite different from what i'm used to, and i need to make time (a full day or two) to really explore the GUI; it's a bit of a foreign language right now, so…will get to that.
meanwhile, i am really into preset tweaking. i need great starting points, and will then make changes to get what i want. am more into music-making than sound creation (a big subject here at kvraudio).
i did an entire track in synthmaster in the first hour, including drums, and was deeply impressed with it (am talking about the sound of the synth, not my playing…which was pretty good too, come to think of it...).
sounds blend well, yet retain enough personality to be 'heard'; that's a great thing, as i like lots of layers, and contrasting lines; getting a dense sound AND retaining clarity is a huge challenge, and i've worked with synths that don't do that well.
and playing synthmaster is a joy; it feels expressive, and reminds me of my hardware days (mostly, a roland XP-60).
so.
PROS
the SOUND.
the options (lots of parameters to tweak!)
a good preset library to start with.
great price.
64bit AU (altho it's listed as a 32bit plugin…).
CONS (minor, really)
the architecture: am a little lost right now. i hate manuals and prefer to explore on my own.
lack of soundbanks; programmers, get to work! we need more preset libraries for SM.
overall, this is one of the best plugins i've found in my search for 'new'…and i've already added it my default template in Logic.
Discussion
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jam92189 try uninstalling it then restart computer with the update that worked when I was having problems
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kv331 @Electronicaz: Your "registered" email address is your paypal email address. If you need to change it please shoot us an email at support@kv331audio.com
@4damind: Such a "biased" review. You couldnt even run the plugin and you are writing a review...
jam92189 honestly it seemed like someone who was just trying to talk shit. It took me some time to get a good hold on it but its a all you ever need synth I like it. its not for a new to synths person though.
Aloysius I really don't get this VSTi. It supposedly does everything but I'm not hearing anything special.So, I purchase what seems like one of the better soundbanks, designed by 'an expert' and still the results are just tepid, mild, bland and uninspiring. My 2C. YMMV.
jam92189 basically It can do any effect you can want but that is also a problem it does everything. and the layout is not very easy to understand right off the bat. its a good vsti so far I like it but i have little need for many vsti stuff.
kv331 What's your "special" threshold ? For us it is giving the user best value/money. We dont claim to do everything "perfectly"
db3 I feel the same. I've downloaded the demo a few times wanting to like it but it never convinced me to purchase.
sasha_perl@yahoo.com Well, as with anything related to music -- it is all very subjective... I got it a week ago, and having wonderful time with it. Already put it in production use, and it is VERY inspiring for ME. One thing I would agree -- the main rule of GUI design had been broken (do not surprise the user). Very powerful and fat sounding. Arpeggiator section just blew me away. My 2C.
kv331 Hey Sasha,
Main rule of GUI design, what's that?
We really want to improve the GUI. What would you suggest?
Thanks!
Bulent
jam92189 well maybe for some people setting things up with more of a tab setup would be better. honestly I cant think of any real things to improve on for something that kind of does it all. to much to really slim down.
jam92189 I like some of these sounds I am going to pick up a few when I get paid.
sasha_perl@yahoo.com Sorry, If I wasn't too clear, let me expand on that.
But first, let me thank you one more time for the product. Special kudos for CPU/ASIO utilization. Very light, great programming indeed.
After spending more time with the synth, I really can suggest only couple of things, both of them are related to the preset browser:
1. Search. it is asking for it, really. Alphabetic sorting is good, but... You know :)
2. Grouping is a bit confusing, especially with not quite so obvious with italic fonts and all.
Do I make sense?
Once again -- thank you. Having so much creative fun!
liquidsound Can you elaborate on the issue of not being able to "identify" what's possible?
I'm actually overwhelmed by this synth capabilities and I'm working with Zebra, Blue and Diversion ATM.
I bought it long ago for less but today I would spend way more to have it.
The optional expansions really shows off what it can be done (and and I'm with you for the standard presets not being enough to demonstrate the depths of this incredible synth) but there too, the expansion are far from covering the enormous spectrum of sounds that Synthmaster can achieve with the different synthesis types available.
The interface it's trying to deal with the multiple, quite a luxury indeed, tools at your disposal and to be fair they did a good job indeed but I don't think there is much more that can be done without changing completely the approach.
Zebra is unique in that sense.
Yes, a scalable GUI would be welcome and popsUp windows such the wave shaper of the old z3ta for detail work on some envelops.
dakkra How would Synthmaster track poly glide? If you have a chord consisting of two notes and you switch both of them how would SM know wich note to glide to its' second note?
Gernburgs bharris22 Which Nori preset pack are you talking about specifically - the Art Rock pack? Thanks.
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yessongs great organs and trons in that preset pack but if you are into YES, Genesis, Pink Floyd, ELP and other prog rock greats then Nori has other preset banks you will want and these alone make it worth getting synthmaster and in fact it being a true desert island synth if you could only have one this is it.
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