Good VSTs for making music similar to Klaus Schulze, TD etc.?

[Vandonridge]

This may sound like a little silly question... but for a newbie who would like to make music similar to Klaus Schulze on a budget (I have only a PC, FL Studio and VSTs, plus maybe a midi keyboard), which VSTis would you recommend?

For instance, does anyone know how one could create the sequences similar to those that Klaus makes these days on his custom built Raveolutions. Is that even possible on today's VSTi's?

Also, regarding his characteristic way of playing the minimoog in concerts, is it known how he achieves those amazing leads. I have Arturia's minimoog VST but can hardly get near that sound, even with the use of delays and reverb.

Currently, I use mostly Camel Audio's Alchemy as my favorite synth, Arturia Minimoog and big Moog, and instruments built into the FL Studio (my DWA of choice), but would like to know if there are more interesting soft synths that would be capable of producing sounds similar to Klaus' works, including the more recent ones (e.g. Big in Japan).

[chk071]

I don't know much about his music, but afaik, some of the factory presets from the Arturia Minimoog V were designed by Klaus Schulze, so maybe you can take a look what you find there. I would guess he used a lot of (now) vintage subtractive analog gear, nothing fancy i guess.

[bob bobwood]

Krikey, there is another thread from 10 years ago with similar question. Not much help in reality, but things move on;
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/archive/i ... /44410.php

[valerian_777]

Check this, they are free it dont hurt..
http://kx77free.free.fr/English-page-vst.html

[SODDI]

I would recommend Reaktor because you can BUILD that kind of synth/step sequencer. Or at least try to. I got a very good old-school type step sequencer that I dl'ed from the NI user database that I use to trigger a modular analog style synth. (But I still can't get the trigger delay working right - don't have the maths/logic to do it.)

Or you could purchase SugarBytes Thesis - not that expensive.

[Sendy]

One very obvious but overlooked option for creating evolving sequences is: program them. Note by note. If you're doing things on a shoestring budget, this has to be the way to go.

Just paint a sequence of 3 or more notes and copy/repeat it. Simple. If you want the loop to evolve, add or drop a note, transpose, etc, add the edits as you go along. It has it's own pros and cons, but often I find it's the way to go when it comes to sequences and arps, because you get total control and you can make up the rules and limitations as you go along.

As for synths, get the freeware Charlatan. It's got a very good sound, and it can emulate phase-locked stringmachine style oscillators. It's also very simple but flexible, ideal for beginners.

[aMUSEd]

I would recommend Reaktor because you can BUILD that kind of synth/step sequencer. Or at least try to. I got a very good old-school type step sequencer that I dl'ed from the NI user database that I use to trigger a modular analog style synth. (But I still can't get the trigger delay working right - don't have the maths/logic to do it.)

Blue Matrix has some nice Tangeriney sounds (I think by Howard Scarr)

[robotmonkey]

Obviously Klaus Schulze did use many synths - both analog and digital - during the years. So it depends what kind of period style do you want.

Some of the synths used by him are Andromede A6, Minimoog, Rave-O-Lution and some other Quasimidi stuff, PPG Wave, Emu K4 and EMU samplers, Virus B, M1, Roland Sound modules and so on. His first albums were made on an electric organ basically.

Tangerine Dream has probably over the years used pretty much every synths out there.

I would start small. Get a good sequencer and arp like Thesys amd Kirnu. Then get a versatile analog synth like Z3ta 2.1 or something like that, a Moog emu. Directwave in FL Studio does an excellent job at sample manipulation so that should be covered.

[pdxindy]

For instance, does anyone know how one could create the sequences similar to those that Klaus makes these days on his custom built Raveolutions. Is that even possible on today's VSTi's?

It is easily possible with current softsynths... the thing is, it is more about the user than the softsynth(s) used.

I like to have an arp that can output the midi from the arp. Corona (DiscoDSP) is one synth for example that outputs midi. Alchemy doesn't, but there are also dedicated arps that do the same. This way you can easily experiment, record your held notes and then record the arp's midi output. Then you can edit that to transition from one pattern to another, add subtle variation etc.

Arpeggiators and Step Sequencers easily create cool patterns, but it is the transition from one pattern to another and the variation over time that makes it flow and not be overly mechanical or repetitive. That is up to the skill of the user.

As for the sounds, many of the top softsynths today can make sounds suitable for the recent Klaus Schultze stuff. I'd say the composition is more important than any individual sound.

[Sendy]

For instance, does anyone know how one could create the sequences similar to those that Klaus makes these days on his custom built Raveolutions. Is that even possible on today's VSTi's?

It is easily possible with current softsynths... the thing is, it is more about the user than the softsynth(s) used.

I like to have an arp that can output the midi from the arp. Corona (DiscoDSP) is one synth for example that outputs midi. Alchemy doesn't, but there are also dedicated arps that do the same. This way you can easily experiment, record your held notes and then record the arp's midi output. Then you can edit that to transition from one pattern to another, add subtle variation etc.

Arpeggiators and Step Sequencers easily create cool patterns, but it is the transition from one pattern to another and the variation over time that makes it flow and not be overly mechanical or repetitive. That is up to the skill of the user.

As for the sounds, many of the top softsynths today can make sounds suitable for the recent Klaus Schultze stuff. I'd say the composition is more important than any individual sound.

+1

That is, essentially, the takeaway. Having the right sounds is a tiny fraction of the equation. Look into Schultze's interviews and other information if you can, listen to as much of his music as you can if you haven't already ... glean inspiration from his own thoughts and methods, then use that to expand on your own vocabulary and inform your own development as an artist and new lines of investigation.

At the risk of going into corny truisms, the true currency of music is intentions, the sounds are just clothes for them.

[Ingonator]

Both TD and Klaus used tons of synths but for their "typical" sounds tehre should be something like this:

- Moog Modular (e.g. Arturia Modular V) - TD seem to use Arturia Moog Modular themselves on stage
- Minimoog (e.g. NI Monark, U-He Diva, Arturia Minimoog)
- Moog Memorymoog (e.g. U-He Diva, Memorymoon)
- Jupter 8 (e.g. Arturia Jupiter 8V, U-He Diva)
- EMS Synths (e.g. Xils Lab XILS 3 and/or XILS 4)
- PPG Wave 2.x (e.g. Waldorf PPG Wave 3.V or PPG Wave 2.V from Waldorf Edition)

Klaus also uses the Roland JD-800 a lot (and Christoper Franke, former TD, too) but there is no proper emulation yet.

[Syntilla]

Check this, they are free it dont hurt..
http://kx77free.free.fr/English-page-vst.html

M. Kalensky even admits to being a bit of a KS freak!
The kx-synth-x16 is the only VCS3 clone worthy of consideration - free or otherwise.
And his other synths aren't so shabby, either!
(Fancy a Yamaha CS modular?!!)

[ccDuckett]

As well as the KX synths, this is worth checking out:
http://www.freewebs.com/wallyaudio/T-C-M.htm

[valerian_777]

As well as the KX synths, this is worth checking out:
http://www.freewebs.com/wallyaudio/T-C-M.htm

Step-sequencer in this highly recommended! Worth a Donate!

[The_Hidden_Goose]

Just about any synth. Any.

For this kinda thing I currently turn to: Oatmeal (free, and has a really cool arp function), phonec (because I like the random/wonkiness), and charlatan (free, and you can get to the sound you're after in about 1 minute).

There are others - some stuff for kontakt by people like Synth Magic who try to bring vintage gear alive with sampling - with programmable sounds.

I tend to get some good kosmischey sounds from the 130p novachord-y thing by Hollow Sun too. In fact I've been playing with that more than anything lately in a quest to find some good 70's nostalgidrones to layer around in some stuff I'm doing atm.

Also the optotron part of the NewTron Bomb thing as I like the broken/old sound of it, although there are some of the more traditional mellotron sounds in the NewTron side of that pack - mellotrons are pretty heavily used by pre-80's TD. It's not all moogy arps!