NI. REAKTOR, worth learning ?

[Muziksculp]

Hi,

I'm trying to figure out if putting the time, and effort to learn NI. Reaktor Modular synth is worth it ?

I mean, if I was a pro at creating/programming my own Custom constructed Reaktor synth, would they sound better than what's available in today's market ? i.e VST synths such as : Zebra 2, Diva, Poly KBII, Oxium, ...etc.

What are your thoughts, would you bother learning to program NI Reaktor hoping you can construct some amazingly great sounding custom modular synths, or would you rather put the time, and effor using, and learning to program some of the latest great sounding VST synths ?

Thanks,
Muziksculp

[hibidy]

color me strange, but wouldn't the fact that you are asking kinda answer the question?

I say go for it! It's not for me, but there are a ton of people who swear by it. Pretty sure there are some terrific viddys on it too ( I know groove 3 just added one, haven't watched it yet though)

[Muziksculp]

color me strange, but wouldn't the fact that you are asking kinda answer the question?

I say go for it! It's not for me, but there are a ton of people who swear by it. Pretty sure there are some terrific viddys on it too ( I know groove 3 just added one, haven't watched it yet though)

Would be nice, and helpful to hear from the people who swear by it.

My main concern is the sonic quality of the resulting Reaktor created synths. Can they match what's available commercially as far as the front runner/popular high-quality VST synths ?

Given that learning to use Reaktor is not a light task, I just wanted to double check this important fact, before diving into learning Reaktor.

Cheers,
Muziksculp

[hibidy]

fair enough, didn't mean to spam

[ghettosynth]

Hi,

I'm trying to figure out if putting the time, and effort to learn NI. Reaktor Modular synth is worth it ?

I mean, if I was a pro at creating/programming my own Custom constructed Reaktor synth, would they sound better than what's available in today's market ? i.e VST synths such as : Zebra 2, Diva, Poly KBII, Oxium, ...etc.

What are your thoughts, would you bother learning to program NI Reaktor hoping you can construct some amazingly great sounding custom modular synths, or would you rather put the time, and effor using, and learning to program some of the latest great sounding VST synths ?

Thanks,
Muziksculp

Beating Diva at its own game, in terms of sound quality, is going to be a challenge. It's probably not worth the effort in a general sense if that's your goal.

That said, Reaktor can sound really good and, in many cases, as good as even top synths for a particular application. Moreover, there is NOTHING that beats it in terms of flexibility/ease of programming/variety of available ensembles, nothing!

I think that one of the main reasons to use Reaktor is, in fact, the opposite of the ever so popular megasynth with all modules routed everywhere. I like to create smaller special purpose instruments that implement a fixed, but interesting architecture.

The advantage, with respect to your question, really shines here. With a library of commercial synths, if you want a new feature you have only one choice given that the dev doesn't add it for you, you get a synth that has the feature. Now, this new synth may not have some other feature that you like, so you have to make tradeoffs.

With Reaktor, you can just add the feature to whatever synth you are currently using. It's very fast.

If you want to just build up synths then I recommend the Ampere library of "macros" as a great place to start. It will feel a lot like using a nord modular and after a while, you will start to blend the modules and modify the user interfaces.

Hope this helps

[Muziksculp]

Thanks for the helpful, and interesting feedback.

Muziksculp

[ghettosynth]

Thanks for the helpful, and interesting feedback.

Muziksculp

You're welcome. Feel free to ask specific questions. I really like Reaktor and I think that it's the best of the "patcher" graphical environments for most people. That said, I use several of the others as well, and none of them replace really great synths like Diva for me.

Interestingly, it does become the acid test for a new synth purchase. I simply ask, is synth X really better than something that I already have or can patch up quickly in Reaktor.

Reaktor replaces lesser synths, however. In fact, I really only have purchased NI, Uhe, and Arturia. I have a handful of others, but unless you hear me rave about them, I consider them to be in the class of plugin that Reaktor trumps.

That's not to say that it trumps all synths, hardly. Just that in the pareto distribution of synth quality, Reaktor is in the steep part of the curve.

[rentboyrenton]

why is beating other already existing synths for what they're known for one of your goals ?

i wouldn't use Reaktor for that, you should create ensembles that will make your current workflow faster or add something new & different to your current music

but that is just me


anyway try out the demo because Native Instruments Synths sound as digital as they get, that may or may not be a deal breaker for you

[Proxima4]

Reaktor is a worthy environment for mucking around with, and could offer great teaching elements, but if you really like DSP programing it's possibly worth steping back and asking a few quetions about the development environemt in general and how to get invovled.

Synth maker is very close to reaktor in terms of patching etc and may lead to a better (Optional) comercial result for for an individual than Reaktor.

I've tried both and don't have the time to spend really getting invovled, so moved to M4L as it offers quicker API control of Lives own effects and devices.

It's a case of getting a few funky devices worked into my set's to keep me inspired rather than trying to hard to get something that looks different but really does the same job as something else.

[BDeep]

When using the Reaktor Player on my aging Mac, I find the CPU usage rather high compared to other synths. This mainly prevents me from using it or getting the full version. I wonder how Reaktor users find the CPU usage of their ensembles VS "regular" synths. Any opinions?

[ghettosynth]

When using the Reaktor Player on my aging Mac, I find the CPU usage rather high compared to other synths. This mainly prevents me from using it or getting the full version. I wonder how Reaktor users find the CPU usage of their ensembles VS "regular" synths. Any opinions?

It's high compared to some synths, but not compared to really good synths. That said, for the same quality, it's usually going to be higher than a more efficient hand coded synth.

[ghettosynth]

Reaktor is a worthy environment for mucking around with, and could offer great teaching elements, but if you really like DSP programing it's possibly worth steping back and asking a few quetions about the development environemt in general and how to get invovled.

Synth maker is very close to reaktor in terms of patching etc and may lead to a better (Optional) comercial result for for an individual than Reaktor.

I've tried both and don't have the time to spend really getting invovled, so moved to M4L as it offers quicker API control of Lives own effects and devices.

It's a case of getting a few funky devices worked into my set's to keep me inspired rather than trying to hard to get something that looks different but really does the same job as something else.

I have used all of these, and I will say this. For within live, nothing beats M4L as a tool to integrate modular ideas into Live, but, the library is nowhere near as good as Reaktor. The same can be said for SynthMaker.

I mostly use M4L to create user interfaces for Reaktor patches.

[izonin]

When using the Reaktor Player on my aging Mac, I find the CPU usage rather high compared to other synths. This mainly prevents me from using it or getting the full version. I wonder how Reaktor users find the CPU usage of their ensembles VS "regular" synths. Any opinions?

Reaktor is always going to use way more CPU because it doesn't support SSE and there's no way to optimise in assembly. The benefits of constructing your own synths are huge, though. It's as nourishing for the brain as Lego is for kids.

[V0RT3X]

Reaktor is great, but your going to have to learn what you want out of it as it is a very very deep system.

If you like the idea of modifying your own synthesizers or FX units then you will absolutely love reaktor. It basically lets you design stuff by patching modules together, which can be quite a rewarding experience once you know what you want out of it.

Building and designing are not all that Reaktor has to offer, when you buy it you also are getting access to the THOUSANDS of pre-built FX devices, synthesizers & samplers in the free user library. All of these free instruments can be modified and say if you want a specific module from a ensemble you can just pull it out and put it in your own.

Furthermore you can also supplement your library by purchasing professional designed reaktor ensembles.

http://twistedtools.com/audio/ <--- One fine designer of Reaktor Ensembles, and highly recommended if your into producing glitchy stuff.

Can owning reaktor replace the need for stuff like DIVA? My answer is no.

DIVA is a technical marvel, and trying to design something similar in Reaktor isn't possible since Im pretty sure UHE used C++

I am not certain whether or not you have access to write new synthesis algorithms in reaktor, seeing how the 5.6 update introduced Modal synthesis.

For lots of people including myself, I see Reaktor as an excellent supplement sound design environment. It covers so many abstract aspects of music that its like having your own sound design lab in a computer.

[BDeep]

When using the Reaktor Player on my aging Mac, I find the CPU usage rather high compared to other synths. This mainly prevents me from using it or getting the full version. I wonder how Reaktor users find the CPU usage of their ensembles VS "regular" synths. Any opinions?

Reaktor is always going to use way more CPU because it doesn't support SSE and there's no way to optimise in assembly. The benefits of constructing your own synths are huge, though. It's as nourishing for the brain as Lego is for kids.

Thanks, that's what I figured. It will be on my wishlist for when I finally get around buying a new Mac, along with DIVA.