KVR Audio

Slaapstadseun · Post by **Slaapstadseun** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 11:08 am

Omnisphere2. I can make a new pad or drone in 5 seconds flat. And it will be original and good.

.jon · Post by **.jon** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 2:30 pm

Analog synths (not plugins) are great for serious drones that can keep a listener interested. Drones thrive in the outscirts of a synth's capacity, and there, beyond "normal usage", is where digital artifacts and general lack of depth of VST plugins become prominent. Hardware is cheap these days, and there's tons of variety to choose from. The days when real analogs were unobtanium are over, there's no reason to settle for emulations anymore if you need that sound.

Of course, there are really many ways to drone, simple digital oscillators can also work well and are quite popular in drone devices.

In VST world, synths with internal feedback work well. NI Prism is one, and with it's malleable and unique oscillator, is wonderful for lively drones. It also does superb poly pads and interesting electro-acoustic and even realistic sound layers to be used for athmospheres. Layering is a standard method for atmos/textures, really easy to do in any DAW and usually much more cost-effective and practical to use than badly designed megasynths.

Reaktor Blocks is of course a dream machine for drones and atmos, and it allows you to experiment with methods used in the blooming modular synth scene, and easily design your own, personal style. Realistically only usable as a mono synth due to CPU (best possible computer sound quality eats processors alive), but mono pads are often enough.

Sampleconstruct · Post by **Sampleconstruct** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 2:47 pm

Any decent synth.

https://soundcloud.com/sampleconstruct/ ... n-scapes-1

https://soundcloud.com/sampleconstruct/ ... or-avenger

https://soundcloud.com/sampleconstruct/ ... -for-serum

https://soundcloud.com/sampleconstruct/ ... -demos-for

https://soundcloud.com/sampleconstruct/ ... r-halion-5

https://soundcloud.com/sampleconstruct/ ... xperiments

https://soundcloud.com/sampleconstruct/ ... -for-zebra

https://soundcloud.com/sampleconstruct/ ... -alchemy-2

dangayle · Post by **dangayle** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 2:48 pm

I would also highly recommend the new Paulstretch app being developed in the effects forum! Totally revamped the old standalone app using JUCE, it’s AWESOME.

egbert101 · Post by **egbert101** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 5:42 pm

WilliamK · Post by **WilliamK** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 10:54 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b40uiS0fLSs

Examigan · Post by **Examigan** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 11:53 pm

There are many of them that can make good pads and atmospheric sounds:

Synthmaster
https://soundcloud.com/examigan/deep-space

https://soundcloud.com/examigan/alien-engine-part2

Hybrid 3
https://soundcloud.com/examigan/epic-pad

Spire
https://soundcloud.com/examigan/spire-pad

OP-X Pro II (this one isn't one of my own presets)
https://soundcloud.com/examigan/replika-and-op-x-pro-ii

dangayle · Post by **dangayle** » Sat Sep 23, 2017 12:11 am

The OP's question, although older than heck, was what was the BEST vst for pads, drones, atmospheric sounds/textures.

Yes, you can do those things with any synth. But there are some things that were flat out designed for that stuff:

- Iris/Iris 2
- Kaleidoscope
- Loom
- Prism/Kontour
- Skanner XT/Form

Spire, Serum, Massive, etc couldn't do any better than any of these others, not without a lot of work. With Iris, it literally takes a few seconds. With Kaleidoscope, you simply turn up the white noise.

Examigan · Post by **Examigan** » Sat Sep 23, 2017 10:01 pm

A sample-based synth with tons of options is Morphestra 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6bbhGK ... GKCrJY&t=5

layzer · Post by **layzer** » Sat Sep 23, 2017 10:06 pm

Slaapstadseun wrote:Omnisphere2. I can make a new pad or drone in 5 seconds flat. And it will be original and good.

i can make the same pad or drone with almost anything and a impulse reverb, echo and spatial enhancer in 2 seconds.

himalaya · Post by **himalaya** » Sat Sep 23, 2017 10:25 pm

layzer wrote:
Slaapstadseun wrote:Omnisphere2. I can make a new pad or drone in 5 seconds flat. And it will be original and good.
i can make the same pad or drone with almost anything and a impulse reverb, echo and spatial enhancer in 2 seconds.

I have already made all the pads or drones you are going to make.

It's a new form of Pre-emptive Synthesis. It takes 'nothing' as a starting point and creates everything at the point of singularity.

Daimonicon · Post by **Daimonicon** » Sat Sep 23, 2017 11:25 pm

It all depends of exactly what kind of sounds of pad, drones etc you're after. For me, samples are the way to go. Both in Kontakt and in granular synths like Absynth, Padshop etc. Vst synths by themself just don't do it for me. They don't have that depth either. I have som samples what were made with hardware synths and they sound so much better than any soft synth can do.

Doc Brown · Post by **Doc Brown** » Sat Sep 23, 2017 11:42 pm

layzer wrote:
Slaapstadseun wrote:Omnisphere2. I can make a new pad or drone in 5 seconds flat. And it will be original and good.
i can make the same pad or drone with almost anything and a impulse reverb, echo and spatial enhancer in 2 seconds.

I read your response and my brain automatically flipped on the Napoleon Dynamite voice, I don't know if that's good or bad.

Fernando Carvalho · Post by **Fernando Carvalho** » Sun Sep 24, 2017 12:00 am

Madrona Labs Aalto and Kaivo. VCV rack. Some granular synth. like Granite. A Sampler. Tal Sampler gives the grit to any sound, etc...

atya · Post by **atya** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 8:16 am

himalaya wrote: I have already made all the pads or drones you are going to make.

Best VST Synth for pad, drons, atmospheric sounds/textures