preset free synthesisers

[Crackbaby]

Guitars doesn't come with presets yet people somehow learn how to play them...


If you buy a CD player from Sony you don't expect Sony to send along a CD with music that you haven't chosen and that you don't want to pay for?
The problem isn't the five bucks those presets cost, the problem is that you pay for something you haven't chosen to pay for.

[mcnoone]

[filter303]

Guitars don't come with presets, and they wouldn't even need to because guitars have only a few parameters to adjust (not counting the style of playing). Guitar multifx pedalboards and similar processors have presets though, and I am sure many people use them.

Some synthesizers have hundreds or even thousands of parameteres and it can take so much time to make even a one patch for them. That time is away from my primary interest when it comes to music: making music. The comparison between synths and "real instruments" is not really all that useful.
Making your own presets and learning how to play an instrument have nothing to do with each other either.

All this "I write my own presets" elitism is just ridiculous. What use it is to tell other people that they are somehow inferior if they use presets. To me making music is all about having fun. It's not a competition of who does this or that or who doesn't. The day it becomes like that for me I don't want to have anything to do with music. Look at me, I have a two oscillator synth with lowpass filter, I am so cool because I make my own presets. Give me a break. It's not like those sounds haven't been heard before.

A friend of mine who is a really good piano player always uses untweaked presets from a very well known, but also very generic digital workstation. I would not want to have this keyboard even if someone paid me because I find the synth itself really boring. But I certainly don't find her music boring. The songs she creates are always very unique and they are way more musical than what I am ever going to be able to produce. I once saw her playing one of these "one button goa music" presets with a big smile on her face, and I was so stupid that I told her that I wouldn't use that on music. I felt very bad afterwards because I realized that I took away her pleasure by telling her how she should be making her music. I have tried to change my way of thinking with varying success.

Some of the best artists I know have used presets or loops. Should I suddenly like their songs less because of that?
Also does it mean that you or I will create the same songs if we used the same samples and presets?
I really don't think so. I have never found myself creating the same songs as someone else even though I use presets.

I find presets to be really useful to have around, this is especially when it comes to more complicated synths (digital typesynths usually). They can give me instant inspiration when I am bored and out of new ideas. Presets can also give me a glimpse of what kind of sound palette I can expect from a product before I start programming any of my own sounds. Most of the time I can already do what I want with the presets that came with the synth.

I really believe that the ability to play an instrument well has much more to do with making good music than the skill of being a sound wizard. It's very unfortunate that the art of making good melodies and musical songs does not seem to be in fashion these days. It's more important to toy around with effects and program your own "new" sounds.

[trimph1]

Bluefin Tuna...

Arp2600 did not have patch management right from the get go...needed to write your own patches into a book...

[BDeep]

I can only speak for myself, but I don't think elitism is in play here. For me, and I reckon a lot of others too, making sounds, toying with synths and effects, is all part of the fun and the creative process. But you're absolutely right in that this doesn't make it any more musical, original or better in any way.
Just different strokes for different folks I guess.

[Crackbaby]

....
All this "I write my own presets" elitism is just ridiculous. What use it is to tell other people that they are somehow inferior if they use presets. To me making music is all about having fun.
....

Who said it's elitism as in some way saying that im better for making my own? As you say, it's all about having fun and my fun is in making my own presets and using only my own presets in my music. Making the presets and learning the synth is half the fun. Drumsounds on the other hand, those i buy ready. Processing that 909 sample no 48827 isn't much fun anymore. But once i've made a nice groove of some samples i like to process the sh*t out of it

The big question is - Why should i pay for presets i will never use? Isn't better if they are sold separately? Or as mentioned, a preset free version. It's just a matter of principle.

We would all win. I wouldn't have to pay for presets and could spend those few coins on the next synth. You could choose presets that you want and which are aimed at you.

I hope some devs consider this. Sometimes it's only those 10$ too much making me not buy a synth. It's not like i HAVE to have a new synth every now and then.

Mcnoone, maybe there should be a children's section of kvr where you could post your funny pictures.

[Teksonik]

I love to create presets, it's a passion of mine. But I'll also use someone else's presets in a heartbeat if I find them musically inspiring. I can't tell you how many times over the years a patch has provided the idea for a tune.

Would I buy a synth with no presets? Yes if the discount was large enough. But what's to keep someone from buying the full presets version and then sharing the banks and patches with someone who paid for the discounted version?

[sjm]

I voted "no". I tend to make my own presets but the "why should I pay for presets I don't use argument" is (to me) as moot as the "why should I pay for a UI designer to design knobs I don't turn" argument.

Seems a bit of a non-issue to get one's knickers in a twist about.

[Lotuzia]

In a synth the total global cost can be seen like something that is shared equally between all users. This is democratic imo.

Think of it like a kind of mutual insurance system. I think its fair like that ymmv.

[Crackbaby]

I love to create presets, it's a passion of mine. But I'll also use someone else's presets in a heartbeat if I find them musically inspiring. I can't tell you how many times over the years a patch has provided the idea for a tune.

Would I buy a synth with no presets? Yes if the discount was large enough. But what's to keep someone from buying the full presets version and then sharing the banks and patches with someone who paid for the discounted version?

Really? Im amazed to see your logic at work.

[Crackbaby]

In a synth the total global cost can be seen like something that is shared equally between all users. This is democratic imo.

Think of it like a kind of mutual insurance system. I think its fair like that ymmv.

Mutual insurance system for whom? The devs and presetmakers or the devs and customers .. or? How is it related to democracy?



....
Lotuzia:
Is selling presets to a synthmaker a better source of income than selling presetbanks alone?


....

Wouldn't the absolutely best way was if presetmakers donated a few demopatches to build up a factory soundbank? That way the customers could see who's presets they like and buy from that person. And... i wouldn't have to pay for it them

[mcnoone]

I love to create presets, it's a passion of mine. But I'll also use someone else's presets in a heartbeat if I find them musically inspiring. I can't tell you how many times over the years a patch has provided the idea for a tune.
Would I buy a synth with no presets? Yes if the discount was large enough. But what's to keep someone from buying the full presets version and then sharing the banks and patches with someone who paid for the discounted version?

Really? Im amazed to see your logic at work.

You should be. He's absolutely correct.
The only post on this page lacking logic was your own.
Guitars don't have presets? wtf.
I on the other hand, have plenty of guitar presets, that sound better than my old tele, and I can alter that sound by a much greater margin.
I'm originally a guitar player, and I'd still rather use a synth guitar preset over a real one, not just for practical reasons, but I think it can sound more unique as well.
Same goes for the Arp2600. A fine synth indeed, but impractical, and fairly useless in a modern electronic setup for the majority of users.

Mcnoone, maybe there should be a children's section of kvr where you could post your funny pictures.

I might have posted a "childrens pic", but it's better than your posted "child" logic.

Question to the bright anti-preset campaigners here.
How do you know there are no presets that do not fit your music style, if you never listen to any of them?
btw...in the US we have a word for the question above, which you couldn't possibly answer honestly.
FACE!

as in...in yours.

[lfm]

If a vendor does not supply a well thought out preset library that you can evaluate the different aspects of the product - it's a dealbraker for me.

So a good 32-64 presets that presents the product what it can do, basically.

It's by investigating every corner of the synth that you really find out what might be awkward when parameters are a certain way and the vendor can find this - users are not exposed to this.

Presets are good starting points for creating something that is your own. I don't think I ever used a std preset for a recording.

If presets are good you get a feel if vendor are passionate synth-user or not - or just a programmer wanting another product to sell.

Then if they sell addons for extra money for those that don't want to tweak themselves - that's ok.

[Lotuzia]

I'd say better for everybody. Happy users need healthy companies to get support and updates. The cursor has to be set at the optimal and fair point, thats all.

Well the development cycle of a synth is rather sophisticated and much more integrated and with intricated process than one could think. Debugging for example is not an abstract process : A lot of bugs are found while making presets, and a lot of features just see the light from simple use and experiments with the synth, wich are also preset making related.

Like I said, its more simple, and closer to reality, to see the development cycle as a whole, whose cost have to be mutualised between all users.

[Kriminal]

i dont think a lot on money goes into presets for factory banks, so that cost isnt really passed onto the user. the majority of sounds are made by the dev and beta testers.

Samplers are diff, i would happily buy Kontakt without the huge library for a reduced price.