What are the 90's vst synths besides The Korg M1?

[ghettosynth]

this stuff is not the "90s sound like the M1."

You've misread the title of this thread.

Nope, and I actually read the thread.

lol yeah i meant what vst synths have 90's synth sounds? like the korg m1 has a 90's sound to it. What else out there does?

[arkmabat]

Huh?!! Just get synth1 and start turning knobs. We make this too complicated....

[ghettosynth]

Not weak so much as just low firepower (thinking especially of the single oscillator synths). But some people need a battleship to win, others can do it with a few carefully slung stones and a verbal appeal.

So basically, it's not the size of your gun, but how you use it

This isn't what I was saying at all. The reason synths like the SH-101 got a lot of use in EDM was because they were cheap and plentiful. Even in the early 90s you weren't going to get a flagship 80s poly like the Jupiter 8 for what you could get an SH-101 for. For a while Juno-106s were cheap enough until Juno Reaktor made everybody think they needed one to get on the next mortal combat soundtrack.

New synths in the 90s that reflected the "sound of the times" were about sampling and memory was expensive, so samples were "weak" by today's standards. This isn't about who's got the biggest keyboard, it's about recognizing where technology was at the time. The M1 sounds like it does because technology limited how many piano multisamples could be crammed into the machine. As memory became cheaper, synths sounded more realistic and this was what people were chasing back then.

In 1990 the typical home computer had 1MB or less of RAM, by 2000 we were at 32 to 64 MB of RAM. Think about how much ram that is with respect to interesting samples today. Throughout the 90s, synth manufacturers were trying to get the most out of sampling for the least amount of memory. That had a huge effect on the kinds of sounds that were used to sell synths. The loops in the D-50 (yes, 80s, I know), for example, are created from the other waveforms already in memory. Think about that for a second, sounds that we associate with a time, e.g. digital native dance, are not just a function of the pinnacle of the technology of the day, but also its most severe limitations. It makes me wonder if they (the loops) were discovered accidentally when someone set a wave end point incorrectly and the D50 started playing through the samples.

[Uncle E]

Nope, and I actually read the thread.

lol yeah i meant what vst synths have 90's synth sounds? like the korg m1 has a 90's sound to it. What else out there does?

Ah, I see, it's because I'm Californian and you're originally like European. Like in California, we start every sentence with "like", like we're all rappers speaking in metaphors (well, like similes, really, but rappers call them metaphors).

[ghettosynth]

Nope, and I actually read the thread.

lol yeah i meant what vst synths have 90's synth sounds? like the korg m1 has a 90's sound to it. What else out there does?

Ah, I see, it's because I'm Californian and you're originally like European. Like in California, we start every sentence with "like", like we're all rappers speaking in metaphors (well, like similes, really, but rappers call them metaphors).

Well, reinterpretation of a grammatically incorrect scribbling aside, these threads are all absurd. The only thing that I find interesting about them at all is the discussion of technology.

So, if one thinks that the M1 has a 90s sound, and it does, really, as it and the endless spinoffs were all over 90s mainstream music, then it's a reasonable launch point for a discussion. It frames somewhat what the OP means by a "90s sound."

There's not much point in talking about the SH-101 as being a 90s instrument, although, ironically, it was probably used on more successful records in the 90s than it was in the 80s where it was mostly viewed as something of a fashion accessory more than an instrument. Nonetheless, if 90s means everything, then that means nothing, and, of course, here we are again talking about nothing and the OP is nowhere to be found with his pointless question.

So, what's there to talk about in his absence, why synth technology of course.

[Uncle E]

Well, reinterpretation of a grammatically incorrect scribbling aside, these threads are all absurd. The only thing that I find interesting about them at all is the discussion of technology.

You're right, of course. When I think 90's, I think of good electronica, bad goa, good grunge, and a little Missy Elliot/Timbaland/Jay-Z. In that sense, I can relate to some really great samplers, a few really great VA's, the JD-990 and Wave Station, and the Bass Station and TeeBee as being 90's tech. I have a hard time thinking of the M1 as being 90's tech because I don't remember hearing about anyone using M1's in the 90's. I think you're right about it having a greater mark on commercial music than any of those, I just wasn't paying attention to commercial music at the time.

[planetearth]

I have a hard time thinking of the M1 as being 90's tech because I don't remember hearing about anyone using M1's in the 90's. I think you're right about it having a greater mark on commercial music than any of those, I just wasn't paying attention to commercial music at the time.

I remember seeing the M1 a lot in ads in Keyboard Magazine and at my local music stores. And I read that they were used a lot in the early '90s (though not necessarily by the keyboard players I liked). And yes, technically, even though the M1 came out in 1988, it was really starting to reach its stride by 1990. Like the OP and many others who've commented on this, I like some of the sounds, and I've used them either to evoke that late-'80s/early-'90s era, or to fill in other similar sounds. (That said, the factory preset demos on Vintage Synth Explorer really sound dated!)

And Uncle E, you weren't missing much by not paying attention to commercial music in the early '90s. In fact...you're still not.

I hope the OP comes back soon to let us know if we're on the right track with our suggestions....

Steve

[deastman]

Think about that for a second, sounds that we associate with a time, e.g. digital native dance, are not just a function of the pinnacle of the technology of the day, but also its most severe limitations. It makes me wonder if they (the loops) were discovered accidentally when someone set a wave end point incorrectly and the D50 started playing through the samples.

You are absolutely correct. I remember hearing at the time that Roland engineers accidentally had the D-50 playing past the end of one sample and into the next one. They liked the sound of scanning through memory so much that they decided to keep it as a feature.

[deastman]

90s M1 = Ace of Base *cough*

[ChamomileShark]

"The E-MU Proteus VX is great, and I'm sure the X3 is too--but they don't work on 64-bit systems. "

I have E-Mu Proteus VX working on Windows 7 64bit and Cubase 7.5 64 bit - it shows up as 32 bit but it works.

Anyway I was going to add for the 90s the Waldorf microwaves. I know there are emulations in Reaktor I expect there are others available. (or the Waldorf PPG V3 as a sort of prequel VST).

[ChamomileShark]

ok, I take that back about Proteus VX. Just tried it. It shows up, finds the library ok and plays but every time you touch it the window disappears - you get it back by clicking again but it makes it hard to use.

[minijetsdonttalk]

I've got Proteus VX working perfectly in Reaper 32 bit on a Windows 7 64 bit system and is probably one of the greatest pieces of freeware available. Decent 90s rompler type fodder and for more old skool flavour I sequence it with my Yamaha RS700.

[planetearth]

I've got Proteus VX working perfectly in Reaper 32 bit on a Windows 7 64 bit system and is probably one of the greatest pieces of freeware available. Decent 90s rompler type fodder and for more old skool flavour I sequence it with my Yamaha RS700.

It's definitely one of the greatest pieces of freeware. And yes, if you're using a 32-bit DAW in a 64-bit OS, it works.

If you can run a 64-bit version of Reaper alongside the current 32-bit one (as you can with Sonar), you might want to consider that if you go to 64-bit. Otherwise, you'll lose Proteus VX...and who knows what else!

Steve

[e@rs]

It's incredible how popular the E-Mu hardware racks were back then. It's a shame they closed.

[Uncle E]

It's incredible how popular the E-Mu hardware racks were back then. It's a shame they closed.

I've fantasized about getting an Emulator III ever since Daft Punk's Homework came out. They're selling for less than half the price now but the thought of dealing with a hardware sampler is just too painful.