your "limitations" synth?

[acYm]

This is in the great old tradition of antagonistic threads on forums - it is the opposite side of the what's your super-synth one.

Which synth do you go for when you need the simplest instrument possible. Your super-synth does pretty much everything; this one on the other hand has a relatively limited output and you will be somewhat "directed" by the instrument in your final result, and it will force you to focus on a specific thing. Perhaps the most groundbreaking sounds won't come out but you're sure you'll get something done.

For example, when I simply can't be bothered with Massive, Harmor or Spectral and it all does my head in that day, I'm likely to whip out TAL-U-NO-LX which has the kind of scope I find comfy.

[sleepcircle]

Well, in the supersynth thread I said that my super-synth was Repro1 and 5

my limitations synth…



is also Repro1 and 5






(Or maybe it's TAL Sampler, idk)

[dangayle]

Operator with the default 1 osc sine preset. It's simply the easiest synth available on Ableton, with a *ton* of room for growth beyond the basics.

[Echoes in the Attic]

I think people will have several of these. Mine are generally retro emulations:
Tal uno lx
Roland sh-101
Repro
Korg arp odyssey
Monark
Opx pro II
Ppg wave
Phonec

[SciFiArtMan]

Synth1 is my go-to Swiss Army synth for quick sketching and instant workflow!

I've even created layered sets in Reaper with Ric bass, kick, and overdriven guitar (or Hammond) linked tracks for sketching out quick metal and heavier rock ideas. Just one of many possibilities with such a CPU friendly, get-to-the-point type of synth plugin!

[Cinebient]

Dagger

[Russell Grand]

Fabfilter One.

Edit: as someone else mentioned, Dagger is another great limitation synth. I always forget I have that one in my arsenal for some reason.

[Russell Grand]

Dagger

Ooo that's a good one too. Nice beefy basses with Dagger.

[Russell Grand]

Well, in the supersynth thread I said that my super-synth was Repro1 and 5

my limitations synth…



is also Repro1 and 5






(Or maybe it's TAL Sampler, idk)

I never really saw the Repros as limited

[SoundPorn]

Seems relevant considering producer T-Minus used Tal Uno twice in one of the most critically acclaimed hip hop singles of the year.

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

[wagtunes]

I went through all my synths and almost all of them are quite versatile and the ones that aren't, I hardly ever use. But there is one synth I turn to whenever I want one specific sound that no other synth will give me.

XILS PolyM

Probably the only real specialty synth that I own.

[eluherlu]

The free PG-8X

[fallacy]

TAL-U-NO-LX
The Juno / this emulation is just beautiful. Simple and beautiful.

[UltimateOutsider]

Waves Element. Everything's on one page. If I know it's a simple sound I need- particularly for retro sounds- I can usually knock it out in Element in a few minutes.

I also use Massive for quickie basic patches, including noise patches.

[cthonophonic]

I work mainly in Buzz, and when I want to sketch out an idea.I usually load up Geonik's Primifun before anything else. It's a pretty simple pulse wave with one ADSR modulating both amplitude and filter cutoff. No GUI; no distractions.

When I want to get a particular sound quickly, I'll usually reach for LuSH-101 or Repro 1/5. I find those pretty approachable, and they produce nice results without digging too deeply into the layers, modulations, etc. I guess people liked the original synths for similar reasons.