Synth Use Frequency / Concurence

[Introspective]

(TL;DR version in bold, ahead.)

Having gone through another bout of Synth-lust and its gluttonous consumption of audio demos, review-reading, and time spent banging on boards at the local shop, I was struck by a thought:

I prefer listening to music where particular synths (well... sounds, more accurately) stand out. (At least when I'm in such a consumerist mood as this.)

I've been listening, of late, to more minimal music as a result... Max Cooper and Boris Brejcha and the like... the sounds are given room to be appreciated. (...and appreciated they are!)

I then went on to the next logical step of re-examining my production habits. ...Specifically, I tend to pull in... well... a lot of synths. You know, I get some cool bass going on Strobe and when the groove needs to break and I think I'll introduce a new bass, I'll reach for Massive or whatever. I think I'm doing it to hold interest... or perhaps I'm doing it because I feel like: crap, I own all these damn synths, perhaps I should actually use them or something!?

This contrasts pretty starkly with my listening preferences: as mentioned, I prefer songs where particular sounds stand out.

So, now I'm contemplating a shift in production style and saying "Okay, Imma write a song using only Battery, Sylenth, and Absynth" one day, or "today I'm making something with Stylus, Diva and ElectraX only." ...Which leads me to wondering (finally, he gets to the damn question)...


How often do you use your synths? ...I mean, do you tend to try to make (relatively) broad use of your entire collection for every song, or do you focus on a particular set of synths for a given track?

...If the latter, "how thick?" ...One? Three? Ten? Sixteen point two? Are you conscious of this? ...if not, what do you think you end up doing unconsciously?

Of course, I've gotta do what I've gotta do; I'll fool around for a few months before making up my mind about this, but I'm just curious what others think.

[Nanakai]

Some I don't use at all, but I got them as part of a packaged deal with things that I do use. Absynth, for instance, is one that I don't use. I just hate the interface to pieces. But I got it in Komplete 5, from which I use Kontakt, Massive and others. I hardly use anything from my V-Collection. All of my other synths have their own sound and functionality that I exploit. I might layer Alchemy over Diva, or Zebra over Amber or something like that. Sometimes I do get the feeling that I should be using some synths more than I do, but I try not to worry about it too much. I'm more concerned that I have both BFD2 and Superior Drummer 2. What was I thinking?

[cryophonik]

I tend to spread it around, but there's no way I could include all/most of my soft synths in one track (yes, I'm a synth-ho). I tend to use my Virus TI2 in pretty much every song, Alchemy makes it into most songs, and the rest is pretty much up to whatever I feel like using at the time, or specific samples from Kontakt, EWQL libraries, or my Kurzi PC3X. I could easily get by with a fraction of the synths that I have now, but I like having a variety of choices and workflows. I actually rarely make my choice based on a given synth's so-called "sound", because I don't really buy into the notion that each synth has some characteristic sound that can be readily identified, particularly once it's in a mix. I'm sure other people do work that way, but that's not the way I think or work.

[Lotuzia]

To OP : If I were you I might be tempted to try to reverse the predicat :

Instead of saying I'm going to make a track with this and that synth, just make the track you have in mind, and for each instrument, try to find the synth that will serve you best : Some instruments that can be made with kontakt cant be made with FM8 or with Synthix. Reverse is also true.

Each synth has its own identity, knowing them will help you to decide wich one is the right for each instrument.

In case it helps,

LtZ

[Shy]

How often do you use your synths? ...I mean, do you tend to try to make (relatively) broad use of your entire collection for every song, or do you focus on a particular set of synths for a given track?

I know what you mean, but I haven't thought about it like that in a long time. I just use the synth I know fits the type of sound I want. I don't look for the sound that I know fits the type of synth I want (or at least think I want) to use.

Narrow the amount of synths you use. Decide which ones are better and which ones are redundant.

[vurt]

the last thing i bought was ACE, in the charity auction last year
before that it was reaktor sessions, which i upgraded to reaktor at version 4 when sessions was dropped.
i use reaktor for pretty much everything i make, ACE less so, but only because i havent had as much time to get it into my workflow, although its getting there.
my hardware modular and guitar also get involved in most things.
then there are free things which get a lot of use, stuff from krakli for example and a few bits from previous dev challenges.

other things tend to get used for specific tasks "ooh i need something there that sounds completely different"

but i dont have a huge amount of synths to choose from (even in reaktor ive managed over the years to get rid of a lot of stuff that didnt get much use)

as Shy says, narrow your pallette and learn them inside out, it will serve you better in the long term

[himalaya]

So, now I'm contemplating a shift in production style and saying "Okay, Imma write a song using only Battery, Sylenth, and Absynth" one day, or "today I'm making something with Stylus, Diva and ElectraX only." ...

This is an excellent method, which I heartily recommend. Making complete tracks with one synth can be a rewarding experience. Synthetic Machines' synth demos on YT show just that: complete tracks made using only one synth (in most cases). A great reminder that it's all about creativity and not the number of synths at your disposal:





(check out other videos like the DSI Evolver demo or the Roland SH-09, etc)


Perhaps the music style may not be to everyone's liking, being unashamedly vintage, still the composition and the music idea, carries the track through, not to mention the beautiful sounds.

Obviously, anyone making a wide range of music styles, perhaps making music for the media requires a whole rangle of synths and samplers, but anyone into electronic music genres would do well to try and make complete tracks with a couple of synths ( or just one!) plus a drum machine and some effects.

[braj]

I know some people use the word arsenal but I prefer toolbox, when you go to build a bench you may only use a few tools to finish it, but uou have more waiting in your toolbox for other tasks. I like a wide variety of sounds and you can't just use anything for everything, just like a hammer doesn't do a very good job as substituting for a screwdriver. And you know everyone needs a supersaw laying around just in case

[braj]

Some people collect figurines, some tshirts, I like synthesizers, I don't feel bad thay they don't all get used on tracks, actually I fiddle more with sound and phrases than making actual full tracks.

[Loki Fuego]

I mostly use only three synths: Ableton Live's Analog and Operator, and FabFilter Twin. I know these synths, and know how to make them sound the way I want. Occasionally I just flick through presets of several other synths, to see whether any of them would fit the track I'm working on, but I rarely go beyond that. If you know how to properly use couple of synths, you will rarely need anything else.

BTW, I tend to use only those synths, which interface I understand within 15-30 minutes. If it takes longer (U-he Zebra, Massive, etc.), I just skip it.

[Bronto Scorpio]

I often try to make tracks just with one synth. I love to do that
It can be very, very inspiring.

For the rest of my tracks I use Zebra for 90% of the sounds since there simply isn't much it can't do.
I only use (and have) a few synthns but I try to really push them to their limits.

Cheers
Dennis

[Introspective]

Thanks much for everyone's input.

Some quick responses:

I agree that there's no shame in collecting synths, so I'm less worried about what I own... more interested in what I'd be using at any given time. If I don't like a synth, I get rid of it: I've done this many, many times, despite having spent the money on it.

While I can appreciate the "narrow your synths, learn them inside out"... and, honestly, I've tried to adopt that at various times... I think it's ignoring the breadth of experience that you can get from learning many synths. For example, learning something about--say--modulating the depth of Massive's step sequencer as applied to a wavetable position... that's a skill you can then take and apply to (for example) Largo. Various UIs expose various features, and when you learn more about them, I think it improves your skills with all synths.

...Of course, having said that, I realize there are rewards to be had by plunging depths. I just want to point out: it's not the only path. Take Eric Persing, for example. I doubt he's only got two synths in his studio. ;)

cryophonik said: "I don't really buy into the notion that each synth has some characteristic sound that can be readily identified, particularly once it's in a mix."

...Good point, though I would have said "I think people OVERESTIMATE the notion..." There are certainly some characteristic "sounds" out there that jump out... but you're right, by and large, they dissolve in a mix. I've often thought about that. ...I think there's a reason you don't see too many A/B tests out there on YouTube or here on KVR: because people FAIL at them. :)

Lastly, on the common idea of (as Lotuzia put it) "for each instrument, try to find the synth that will serve you best"... Yes, that's something I really need to work on. I've even thought about *singing* each part of the track onto an audio channel, so I know what I'm doing before I start going for a patch... 'cause I'm always starting with the intention of using a particular sound, but then get lost previewing all the patches in my favourites bank! :D ...and the end result is almost always something Berlin School, which is completely not the path I was intending to go on. ...Go figure.

...Do you guys have a trick for "staying focused" in that respect?

IMO, it's hard when you just love all these damn synths/patches. :D

[himalaya]

...Do you guys have a trick for "staying focused" in that respect?

If you're after a specific style, why don't you load one or two commercial tracks into your project, and keep referring to them as you build your arrangement. Then, you stand a better chance of staying focused on the style/genre and you won't have to go back to the (Berlin) School again ( ).

IMO, it's hard when you just love all these damn synths/patches.

That's why you need to do what you though was worth doing, ie: use only a select few synths, and just go for it. Also ditch the presets. Do your sounds 'in situ', or beforehand.

Another thing you could try, just imagine that you have a commission to write a track in a certain style. The client wants *this* style and nothing else. So you must stay focused otherwise you don't get the dosh. Just imagine that. No money if you end up with Berlin School track again.

[Introspective]

If you're after a specific style, why don't you load one or two commercial tracks into your project, and keep referring to them as you build your arrangement.

Dammit! I have, of course, heard that said before, and keep forgetting about it. Good advice, thanks.

Also ditch the presets. Do your sounds 'in situ', or beforehand.

Also not a bad idea (though a bit more intimidating). Thanks.

[JimmiG]

There's a difference between limiting yourself to a few specific plug-ins, and limiting the total number of synth instances you use.

Even though my tracks are 100% electronic, I tend to think of the instruments as players in a rock band ie.

Lead singer - I don't sing
Lead guitar - lead synth
Rhythmic guitar - Arpeggiated/gated/syncopated synth lines/sequences
Keyboards and/or backing vocals - Pads, strings and/or chords played using some soft plucked synth sound
Bass guitar - bass synth
Drums

So I try to distribute the synths like that.. for example, avoid having several different synths in the "lead guitar" role at the same time playing different lines. Not saying you can't have that in your track, but with my limited production skills it sounds messy that way.