Best all-round synth with character?

[dandezebra]

I like what a previous poster said about Falcon. Fantastic synth with an endless amount of ground it covers... It just takes a little work to make it happen if designing sounds.

If by character synths you mean synths with balls, then Bazille and Repro1/5 cannot even come close to putting on a thong.

I am yet to dive deep into the other u-he synths (Diva, Zebra 2, Ace) but Zebra 2 might be a nice mix of testicular girth and covering a lot of ground.

[Dasheesh]

You could say zebra if you go dark zebra... but only because of the filters. Personally, I would be looking at Reaktor with the monark block filters with what you are Asking for. I’m assuming the reaktor GUI is big enough though. I don’t own it and I have no idea how big the reaktor GUI is but I’m assuming twice the size of absynth.

[V0RT3X]

You can't just use one synth for everything. This is why people on here have a ton of different synthesizers, because it just doesnt exist.

[Echoes in the Attic]

You can't just use one synth for everything. This is why people on here have a ton of different synthesizers, because it just doesnt exist.

I think you can come close with Reaktor. It has all the major synthesis types.

[pdxindy]

You can't just use one synth for everything. This is why people on here have a ton of different synthesizers, because it just doesnt exist.

I think you can come close with Reaktor. It has all the major synthesis types.

Yeah, but it is still Reaktor... which is clunky to use... has abysmal preset handling and is a CPU hog. Give me real synths any day!

[ghettosynth]

You can't just use one synth for everything. This is why people on here have a ton of different synthesizers, because it just doesnt exist.

I think you can come close with Reaktor. It has all the major synthesis types.

Well, yes, and no. The fact that the OP is asking the question in the way that he's asking it is almost a forgone conclusion that Reaktor is not going to be the thing that he's looking for.

For anyone whom Reaktor is a legitimate solution to that question, you wouldn't be asking the question in the first place.

Reaktor is not a single synth. It's really a host for a different type of plugin that is, for the most part, user editable. In order to learn all of the different synthesis types, you really need to use multiple ensembles and/or create your own.

I agree with vort3x here, there really isn't one synth that will skin this cat. Any synth that tries is usually going to be a compromise in one form or another.

I love Reaktor, but it's not going to be a shortcut to anything. Moreover, I'm not even convinced that "learning all the types" is solid pedagogical methodology. It seems to be the thing that people assert, but when push comes to shove, the delineations between different methods isn't as clear cut as you might think and the devil is in the details.

I also think that character is a bit elusive and isn't always there in the do-it-all synths.

For a good exposure on a budget, albeit, without too much character IMHO, Synthmaster is a good choice.

For a LOT of character and great exposure to basic concepts in subtractive, FM, and PM, you want Bazille.

[EnGee]

ACE is the unlucky guy among his brothers and sisters!

If you like ACE, then go for it. It has a different character from Bazille. The only thing I wish it had, is a step sequencer like in Arturia Arp2600V.

But, IMO, before getting any synth, get the Repro couple and see what exactly you are missing then? Maybe Bazille or FM8 after that!

Diva is a very versatile and flexible analogue synth. You get a bunch of different famous characters. It might exactly what you want!

I have all I suggested including ACE. I won't sacrifice anyone of them, as they all wow me every time I play with them So, it's a matter of list order more than a choice maybe

[layzer]

Synth1. seriously, that thing can sound like just about anything......for free.

[hesnotthemessiah]

Like a few people have posted on this thread, to me, the description "all-round synth" conflicts with the term "character".

Beep Street's - Dagger is one VSTi that instantly comes to mind as a synth with character.

[ENV1]

Character = PPG wave

Whether it qualifies as an 'allrounder' is a matter of opinion, however the spectrum is reasonably broad and the character in fact so unique that sounds made with it are often immediately recognizable as coming from a wave.


(The 8-voice 2.2 emulation i have (Waldorf LE2) is one of my absolute favorites. It doesnt have all the fancy stuff that 2.3* has, still i would never part with it. Really love this machine.)

*EDIT: I should have said 3.V

[Scrubbing Monkeys]

Character = PPG wave

Whether it qualifies as an 'allrounder' is a matter of opinion, however the spectrum is reasonably broad and the character in fact so unique that sounds made with it are often immediately recognizable as coming from a wave.


(The 8-voice 2.2 emulation i have (Waldorf LE2) is one of my absolute favorites. It doesnt have all the fancy stuff that 2.3* has, still i would never part with it. Really love this machine.)

*EDIT: I should have said 3.V

Well said. Still one of my all time favorites as well. I think Ill ask her out for later in the week and see where we end up. Thats 2v for me. I like the limited features.

[Bigimpactsound]

I would say Omnisphere...

[Ingonator]

Speaking abouts synths with character my favorite is Waldorf PPG Wave 3.V but some of my favorite "allround" softsynths that include a lot of features are those:

- KV331 Audio Synthmaster 2.8
- Tone2 Icarus
- VPS Avenger
- Waldorf Largo
- UVI Falcon

FWIW i had used Synthmaster since version 1 and i do not talk about Synthmaster One (most people here will not even remember that version of Synthmaster).

A great combination is importing wavetables created in Icarus into VPS Avenger or Falcon.

[braj]

FWIW i had used Synthmaster since version 1 and i do not talk about Synthmaster One (most people here will not even remember that version of Synthmaster).

I happen to like Synthmaster One. It has its own character actually. It is a pretty decent economy all around synth really.

[Ingonator]

FWIW i had used Synthmaster since version 1 and i do not talk about Synthmaster One (most people here will not even remember that version of Synthmaster).

I happen to like Synthmaster One. It has its own character actually. It is a pretty decent economy all around synth really.

Well what i mentioned is Synthmaster version 1 (the version before v2), not Synthmaster One...
Anyway Synthmaster One is very nice too.