KVR Audio

Dirtgrain · Post by **Dirtgrain** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 12:42 am

zerocrossing wrote: Tue Mar 03, 2020 5:55 am so double parent duties.

Man I hate babysitting my kid

digitalboytn · Post by **digitalboytn** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 2:00 am

BONES wrote: Wed Mar 04, 2020 12:14 am The thing with Thorn, though, is that it is far more than the sum of it's parts. I don't think any single aspect of it is outstanding, except maybe some of the effects, yet the results are consistently excellent. It almost defies belief that such a seemingly ordinary sounding filter, for example, can sound so damned good when you hear Thorn in a mix. It almost seems like magic at times and, honestly, I can't get enough of it.

BONES and I don't walk on a lot of common ground,but we do when it comes to Thorn...

There is something about this synth that makes it very special and inspiring for me...

Often the factors that make something "work" for us can be quite intangible,but they combine to make the overall experience a positive one...

I find that working with Thorn is really tactile and like BONES said,the total package is somehow far greater than the sum of it's parts...

And it sounds so bloody good in the mix

Introspective · Post by **Introspective** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 12:31 am

Agree! ...But I can only do so within the last 24 hours.

I passed on Thorn when it was released (despite owning and liking Diversion) because I didn't need yet another wavetable synth and because when I demoed it I was either in a rush, or I picked a bad handful of presets to weigh it, but I very quickly decided I didn't like the sound. If I recall, I think I told myself it sounded too ... "additive" (which it certainly can). Maybe it was the built-in reverb (which I don't really like).

But the Plugin Alliance (or Boutique, I forget which is which) $30-for-any-synth was burning a hole in my pocket, so I tried it out (along with Lion). ...and I'm not sure what changed... maybe my mind was more open or I started with a better preset, or because I slapped on Carbon Copy and Valhalla Room ... but soon I was delightedly tweaking sounds and really liking the results. The one-page (ish) layout of the synth is stellar: everything you'd want is very immediate and usable. It's a great UI. ...The harmonic tweaking is *great*. The wavetables might be slightly limited compared to other offerings, but they're adequate and I found myself enjoying most of them (it's interesting to me that so many presets don't bother using them as *tables* with a sweeping envelope or LFO, it just uses them for static waves, but: hey, it works).

Excellent synth, I'm really glad I picked it up. It might actually end up one of my two or three wavetable "keepers" as I cull the list.

(Possibly four. I am a bit of a gear-slut. Sigh.)

BONES · Post by **BONES** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 2:02 am

I don't think about synths like that. Wavetables, samples or whatever, the oscillators are just one part of the process and if every VSTi I owned used the same style of thing, it wouldn't bother me in the slightest. All I care about is what comes out at the end of the signal path and how easy it is to get the sound I want.

That said, I am pretty sure Thorn doesn't use wavetables, it uses spectral synthesis (which is why it can sound "additive" at times). I think it's just the way it's presented that makes it seem like wavetables.

v1o · Post by **v1o** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 4:13 am

It's the synthesis method. It's just not the best sounding. I agree with CHK01. For me Thorn is saved by the effects and glitch sequencer - these are what bring life to the sounds.

BONES · Post by **BONES** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 4:26 am

Find me a better string pad than PAD July. It's luscious, it'd beautiful, it's everything you want from a synth strings pad and very little of that is in the effects.

AdvancedFollower · Post by **AdvancedFollower** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 9:01 am

digitalboytn wrote: Wed Mar 04, 2020 2:00 am
BONES wrote: Wed Mar 04, 2020 12:14 am The thing with Thorn, though, is that it is far more than the sum of it's parts. I don't think any single aspect of it is outstanding, except maybe some of the effects, yet the results are consistently excellent. It almost defies belief that such a seemingly ordinary sounding filter, for example, can sound so damned good when you hear Thorn in a mix. It almost seems like magic at times and, honestly, I can't get enough of it.
BONES and I don't walk on a lot of common ground,but we do when it comes to Thorn...

There is something about this synth that makes it very special and inspiring for me...

Often the factors that make something "work" for us can be quite intangible,but they combine to make the overall experience a positive one...

I find that working with Thorn is really tactile and like BONES said,the total package is somehow far greater than the sum of it's parts...

And it sounds so bloody good in the mix

I thought I would hate Thorn since I really didn't like Diversion, but when I finally caved in and bought it during a sale I was really surprised by how useful it turned out to be for my style of music. It's easy to make lead sounds that stand out without sounding harsh like Diversion. It's also great for airy pads that get noticed without taking over the mix. The synth is also a lot simpler (easier to work with) than Diversion. It still sounds "digital", but in a smooth pleasing way instead of in a piercing, harsh kind of way (unless you want it to).

BONES · Post by **BONES** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 9:15 am

Yeah, I've pretty much decided that people who don't like it are clueless idiots.

jethrobull · Post by **jethrobull** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 9:18 am

BONES wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 9:15 am Yeah, I've pretty much decided that people who don't like it are clueless idiots.

LoveEnigma18 · Post by **LoveEnigma18** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 12:45 pm

Do you guys mostly do instrumental music?

It is important for me to know this. I want to get a perspective and understanding of the application of synths like Thorn. I got it during the sale and I want to use it. However, currently I am a situation where I am trying to change the direction of my music - that is with vocals and/or without vocals, and if not vocals, that what type/genre of instrumental. It is all becoming a bit difficult right now for me to be honest and is hampering my ability to make and finish music.

I think this is more of a general question and not Thorn specific, but would appreciate some comments and suggestions if you can share (else will create a new topic later). I see some advanced users in this topic, which is why I ask it here. Thanks in advance!

jethrobull · Post by **jethrobull** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 1:00 pm

I'm all instrumental (without vocals). I love Thorn and It's one of the best synths I have ever purchased. I personally don't understand when people pigeon hole certain synths to genres. I don't have many compared to some but I am sure you can use any for any style of music. I don't necessarily think or even care about what genre I am making it just is what it is. Also I have probably not understood your question correctly so take my opinion with a pinch of salt

LoveEnigma18 · Post by **LoveEnigma18** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 4:32 pm

jethrobull wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 1:00 pm I'm all instrumental (without vocals). I love Thorn and It's one of the best synths I have ever purchased. I personally don't understand when people pigeon hole certain synths to genres. I don't have many compared to some but I am sure you can use any for any style of music. I don't necessarily think or even care about what genre I am making it just is what it is. Also I have probably not understood your question correctly so take my opinion with a pinch of salt

Thank you for your reply. I at least got the answer to my main question (instrumental music).

And by the way, I am not trying to pigeon hole synths. I agree that initially I got the impression of Thorn being EDM centric, but the opinions here changed by thought. I am looking forward to using it in my non-EDM style music.

Introspective · Post by **Introspective** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 5:20 pm

BONES wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 4:26 am Find me a better string pad than PAD July. It's luscious, it'd beautiful, it's everything you want from a synth strings pad and very little of that is in the effects.

Boy, you like bright pads!

Diva's "BS Beauty Pad" is more my speed.

or "HS Brontosaw"

But, let's see, more in that style... Ummmn...

"Score Mecha" from Massive X. Turn down (in the macros) "squeal" and "grind," (all the way down) then move the attacks on both envelopes up to 1 o'clock. It has a lovely "chorus" sound to it and the noise adds a nice bit of detail.

"Gorgeous Analog Pad Rich" from Omnisphere gets close, though for your taste, you'll have to open the filter up (or put the MW all the way up), and it's lacking a phasor, but you can put one on.

Hive: "JH Beauty Sweeper" comes close, those you have to turn the res down on filt 1, and the cutoff down just a touch. ...I actually do think this one sounds "better." It's ... cleaner than Thorn's.

Serum: "PD Slow Pad [AS]" ... Again, it's darker than yours, but if you turn up the cutoff to about 1500 (and play down an octave), you get really close, and again: "cleaner," as one might expect from Serum.

...ANYWAY! This is very much not to say I don't like Thorn. I do.

But I wanted to check, since you put out the challenge.

BONES · Post by **BONES** » Fri Mar 06, 2020 12:19 am

I like bright strings, they provide nice contrast to the other elements we use. If you look at your list, you are putting Thorn in some rarified company, which is the point I was trying to make. I've always liked Hive's string pads, too. It was the first thing I ever used it for, I think, to replace a DUNE patch.

Igro · Post by **Igro** » Fri Mar 06, 2020 12:11 pm

Thorn has some quality problems. It's envelopes are slow. But that's due it's additive nature.

Dmitry Sches' Thorn VI