KVR Audio

Aevor · Post by **Aevor** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 11:27 am

Hi all

I'm a 44-yrs. old lifelong guitarist and lately I've found that there's not really any bands around anymore where to play with other people. So I've kind of started dappling with FL Studio and some free VST synths and whatnot. I'm the kind of person who gets sidetracked when I have too many options going on at once, and that's why I'm now thinking of investing some money into a good and comprehensive VST synth, with which I could spend time to learn it well and maybe do all of my music with that single synth.

Music wise I'm pretty old-school, I like 70's and 80's classics like Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Jarre, but also cinematic music like Vangelis' stuff. And my darker side is Aphex Twin

so I guess I'm very much leaning into the analog side of sound, with the exception that I also have a thing for the DX7 sound.

I've been looking at U-he's ACE and Zebra2, and listening to their sounds. I kind of like them both, but am maybe concerned with their apparent complexity? Maybe there's no way around the initial learning curve? And off course Zebra is three times the price of ACE... Anyways, I would be very grateful about any and all opinions on these VST synths and possible other options too.

Thanks!

kvotchin · Post by **kvotchin** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 12:54 pm

In my opinion, you really want to prioritise an interface you can get along with, and hopefully even enjoy using. More than a few times.

So yeah, “workflow”.

Try some demos - most softsynths can be tried that way. And see which ones you gel with.

Oh, and my other suggestion is to *not* buy just one softsynth with the expectation it will be enough for absolutely everything. In all honesty, you will probably need at least two. Very likely more than that.

As for personal recommendations, for interface (as well as capability, to some extent), maybe check out Serum and Spire.

perpetual3 · Post by **perpetual3** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 1:12 pm

If you have a thing for the DX7 sounds, Dexed is free.

I think that UHE Diva might be worth some serious consideration. If you’re not familiar it has a semi modular topology where the signal flow is fixed, but you can mix and match oscillators, filters, and envelopes from many iconic analog synths.

If that’s too expensive, I highly recommend the TAL plugins as well. As far as synths go, I really enjoy TAL mod, also a fixed signal flow synth but with some more flexibility and modulation options. Some have said it has a Rolandish sound. TAL also make some emulations.

Passing Bye · Post by **Passing Bye** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 1:36 pm

Zebra can cover wide palette of sounds and it will be quite rewarding sticking with it.

Lotuzia · Post by **Lotuzia** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 1:38 pm

Might want to take a look at Xils-lab PolyKB III. All analog, not trying to make anything else, simple layout a la analog hardware synth, but lots of power if you wanna get deeper. Nice advanced browser with multi criteria search. And lots of soundbanks available (including this one made by the humble me) for analog sounds you can't replicate with any other plugin.

perpetual3 · Post by **perpetual3** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 1:43 pm

I haven’t played with the PolyKBIII, but my friends swear it’s absolutely amazing.

Echoes in the Attic · Post by **Echoes in the Attic** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 2:07 pm

I tinkered with complex synths for a couple years without truly understanding the basics, and then when I started using some basic analog emulations of older synths, it all came together and I was able to understand the more complex ones much better afterwards. So I think you are wise to focus on something without too many options.

My suggestion is to get yourself an emulation of something classic and simple that sounds amazing, so it will be easy but also inspiring. Payware suggestions down below, but before even spending money, make to go and download a few great freebies, mostly in the style of classic synths: Charlatan, PG-8X, Tyrell N6 and Synth1. And if you like the DX7 sounds make sure to grab Dexed and I also really like Oxe FM for similar sounds.

If you are going to spend money, I suggest first of all The Legend by Synapse Audio. A classic minimoog emulation but that also has polyphony and some minor alterations that make it easier to understand ad more versatile. For example the original minimoog had an ADS envelope where you had to chose between the Decay being a normal decay (before the sustain while holding the note) or a release control (after the sustain when you let go of the note). Most synths have ADSR, so you have both controls. The Legend has ADSR so it is better representative of other synths in that way, but still the straight forward architecture of the minimoog. And an absolutely amazing sound. I also like the TAL synths for simple analogs (Bassline-101 and Uno-LX) which are emulations of the Roland SH-101 and Juno-60 but they only have a single envelope, like the originals, and I think that for learning about basic modulation, it's more useful to have a synth with both an amp envelope and a filter envelope like The Legend/Minimoog, as that is most common in synths. Once you udnerstand modulating a couple different targets with different envelopes, you start to get an idea about how you might use them for other parameters on more complex synths as well.

After The Legend if you're looking for more classic analog, I'd suggest Repro bu U-He. It comes with a Pro-One emulation (Repro-1, a monosynth) and a Prophet-5 emulation (Repro-5, polysynth). It's fairly cpu intensive when using the Repro-5 version so that's the only downside. Otherwise great and the features aren't overwhelming but it introduces some more types of modulation not found in the minimoog.

If you know your way around a Minimoog and a Prophet-5, you are well on your way.

Distorted Horizon · Post by **Distorted Horizon** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 2:59 pm

An important question.. What DAW do you use?

ecasasmusic2 · Post by **ecasasmusic2** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 3:56 pm

Arturia Pigments 2 is an excelent VST synth with plenty of options (substractive, wavetables, FM, samples, granular...), and it is very easy to understand what is going on, because everything is represented as graphics on the GUI. The manual is also useful and easy to understand. A very good option for beginning with synthesis.

Aevor · Post by **Aevor** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 4:09 pm

Distorted Horizon wrote: Fri Feb 21, 2020 2:59 pm An important question.. What DAW do you use?

I have the FL Studio Producer edition.

When some synth is called cpu-intensive, what does that mean exactly? Like, I have a pretty powerful office laptop with an i7 chip and 8GB's of RAM, am I good to go with those specs, or should I stay away from the likes of Prophet or Diva for example?

Passing Bye · Post by **Passing Bye** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 4:43 pm

Aevor wrote: Fri Feb 21, 2020 4:09 pm When some synth is called cpu-intensive, what does that mean exactly?

It consumes CPU resources more extensively, sometimes it's the fault of not so great coding, sometimes is the result of demanding and complex operations, like emulating nuances/non-linearities of different parts and etc.

You need to decide is the CPU hit worth it for what you get with it.

BBFG# · Post by **BBFG#** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 6:13 pm

To begin with:
AnalogLab;
https://www.arturia.com/products/analog ... b/overview
You can pick up an unregistered license inexpensively in the KVR Sell/Buy forum and it gives you all those 70s-80s sounds to start with.
All those synths above are great, and in time, you'll probably gather at least a few of them. But you can't get more bang for the buck from what you told us about yourself.

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 6:30 pm

I really like Xils3 LE ... its cheap but very capable (there's a CM version too). I may pick up the full version sometime.

RePro and ImpOSCar are awesome too for realistic "analog" sound.

Synthman2000 · Post by **Synthman2000** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 7:47 pm

I second U-He Diva, if you have a fairly new and fast computer and want "analogue" tonal flavours. For a synth that actually has a real analogue vibe, it is a pretty flexible beast given it is not one of these "power synths" that does it all. The multiple filter types are nice. You can get a lot of classic tones, basses, leads, pads, fx, lovely sweeps and more from that synth.

It has a few space rock-esque style presets in there so can cover that style.

Echoes in the Attic · Post by **Echoes in the Attic** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 8:17 pm

I think if you are going to want to use a lot of instances of this synth, then Repro or even Diva might not be best. I'd also again recommend learning a few simple synths that sound good before going on to something more complex like some synths mentioned in this thread. It really is easier learning a few different simple synths than one complex one. There are absolutely amazing free synths available now as listed above. And if you want to get more complex for free, you can get into Crust, which sounds as good as any paid synth, and Surge, which is a beast which all kinds of synthesis types. But learn Charlatan and Tyrell and Synth1 first.

Trying to decide on a "analog" VST synth (beginner)