Best VST Synth for pad, drons, atmospheric sounds/textures
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- Banned
- 163 posts since 9 Jan, 2011
Omnisphere2. I can make a new pad or drone in 5 seconds flat. And it will be original and good.
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- KVRAF
- 5818 posts since 9 Jul, 2002 from Helsinki
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.
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.
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Sampleconstruct Sampleconstruct https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=191286
- KVRAF
- 16138 posts since 12 Oct, 2008 from Here and there
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
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
- Banned
- 5089 posts since 12 Jun, 2001 from Wusik Dot Com
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- KVRAF
- 7744 posts since 15 Sep, 2005 from East Coast of the USA
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
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
- KVRian
- 1403 posts since 30 Mar, 2014
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.
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.
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- KVRAF
- 7744 posts since 15 Sep, 2005 from East Coast of the USA
A sample-based synth with tons of options is Morphestra 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6bbhGK ... GKCrJY&t=5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6bbhGK ... GKCrJY&t=5
- KVRAF
- 7691 posts since 11 Jun, 2006
i can make the same pad or drone with almost anything and a impulse reverb, echo and spatial enhancer in 2 seconds.Slaapstadseun wrote:Omnisphere2. I can make a new pad or drone in 5 seconds flat. And it will be original and good.
HW SYNTHS [KORG T2EX - AKAI AX80 - YAMAHA SY77 - ENSONIQ VFX]
HW MODULES [OBi M1000 - ROLAND MKS-50 - ROLAND JV880 - KURZ 1000PX]
SW [CHARLATAN - OBXD - OXE - ELEKTRO - MICROTERA - M1 - SURGE - RMiV]
DAW [ENERGY XT2/1U RACK WINXP / MAUDIO 1010LT PCI]
HW MODULES [OBi M1000 - ROLAND MKS-50 - ROLAND JV880 - KURZ 1000PX]
SW [CHARLATAN - OBXD - OXE - ELEKTRO - MICROTERA - M1 - SURGE - RMiV]
DAW [ENERGY XT2/1U RACK WINXP / MAUDIO 1010LT PCI]
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- KVRAF
- 5624 posts since 23 Mar, 2006 from pendeLondonmonium
I have already made all the pads or drones you are going to make.layzer wrote:i can make the same pad or drone with almost anything and a impulse reverb, echo and spatial enhancer in 2 seconds.Slaapstadseun wrote:Omnisphere2. I can make a new pad or drone in 5 seconds flat. And it will be original and good.
It's a new form of Pre-emptive Synthesis. It takes 'nothing' as a starting point and creates everything at the point of singularity.
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- KVRAF
- 4349 posts since 30 Aug, 2012 from Sweden
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.
- KVRist
- 479 posts since 13 May, 2012 from Minnesota
I read your response and my brain automatically flipped on the Napoleon Dynamite voice, I don't know if that's good or bad.layzer wrote:i can make the same pad or drone with almost anything and a impulse reverb, echo and spatial enhancer in 2 seconds.Slaapstadseun wrote:Omnisphere2. I can make a new pad or drone in 5 seconds flat. And it will be original and good.
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Fernando Carvalho Fernando Carvalho https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=31855
- KVRist
- 199 posts since 5 Jul, 2004
Madrona Labs Aalto and Kaivo. VCV rack. Some granular synth. like Granite. A Sampler. Tal Sampler gives the grit to any sound, etc...
Fernando Carvalho
http://soundcloud.com/fernandocarvalho
http://soundcloud.com/fernandocarvalho