Why do I seem to like free synths better ?

[OzoneJunkie]

I'm going to offer a viewpoint that may not be agreeable, and I will concede that it's subjective and relative, but:

If you have 'enough' money/income, there's no real monetary difference between free and retail, and so in this scenario, the contrast disappears.

[Erisian]

I'm going to offer a viewpoint that may not be agreeable, and I will concede that it's subjective and relative, but:

If you have 'enough' money/income, there's no real monetary difference between free and retail, and so in this scenario, the contrast disappears.

Well, let's say you have $60 to spend, either on a commercial synth, or to save up for something else that you want. My default position would be to put the synth on hold and continue to use freebies until I have the other item that I want. Of course, it depends upon how much I want the commercial synth compared to the other item.

[dfraze]

Limitations stimulate creativity.

Generally free/cheap stuff (not in the bad way, but the cost) do not incorporate as many features as some more expensive ones, so when one needs to achieve something using the free/cheap stuff, one tries to find ways to achieve that, and in the process adding more effort and time, which makes him/her value more the result.

That's a thing of human psychology: the more effort we invest in something, the more we value that thing.

I also think the simplicity of the free/cheap stuff has a role in its appeal.

[crickey13]

I'm going to offer a viewpoint that may not be agreeable, and I will concede that it's subjective and relative, but:

If you have 'enough' money/income, there's no real monetary difference between free and retail, and so in this scenario, the contrast disappears.

This somewhat makes sense, but you also have to factor in variety. The problem with the freeware "market" is that 80 to 90% of it is some kind of VA stuff. If you want high-quality digital with extensive modulation capabilities, then you're limited to a few options in the freeware realm. Surge and Vital are the kings, fantastic synths, but outside of that, there is only like Full Bucket ModulAir, maybe Dexed, maybe Odin, possibly Ocean Swift synths, maybe a couple of others.

The distinction between the paid and the free is getting increasingly blurred, granted, but it's still there, especially if you're not content with VA exclusively and you're looking for high quality digital stuff. I don't think there are plenty of free softsynths with ZDF filters, few offer convincing audio rate mod, lots of them are quite unstable. There are obviously some payware options that sound like crap and can't hold a candle to some really good free stuff, but it's on you to reconnoiter the field and make the right decisions.

All in all, you're essentially paying for support, longevity, extra features and good ergonomics. Few free softsynths are able to provide that outside of the top "players" in the freeware realm. Whether you need any of the aforementioned features is another matter altogether and you need to decide for yourself.

[dellboy]

I just seem to feel more at home with free and very cheap stuff. Strange - eh ?

Are you from Yorkshire?

Nope, soft southerner here. But I seem to fit the picture of "a Yorkshireman is a Scotsman with all the generosity squeezed out of him", so I will take that as a compliment, thanks.

[Teksonik]

Limitations stimulate creativity.

That's a myth.

The more colors an artist has on his palette the more creative he can be when painting a masterpiece.

It is the freedom from limitations that sparks creativity.

One could easily create great music using only freeware but that same person could just as easily create great music from payware as well.

We live in a blessed time where we could build an incredibly powerful studio and not spend a dime. But we also live in a wonderful time that for just a little money we can expand that studio exponentially.....

[nirm123]

Urs had the best answer I've seen for these endless debates:

im not a huge fan of the uhe cpu killers.

Quality comes at a price.

for some, others find it for free.

Oh, we make free stuff - plenty of it - but the currency for the qualities we're most valued for is CPU.

That said, there's no such thing as free software, really.

[vurt]

Limitations stimulate creativity.

That's a myth.

The more colors an artist has on his palette the more creative he can be when painting a masterpiece.

It is the freedom from limitations that sparks creativity.

One could easily create great music using only freeware but that same person could just as easily create great music from payware as well.

We live in a blessed time where we could build an incredibly powerful studio and not spend a dime. But we also live in a wonderful time that for just a little money we can expand that studio exponentially.....

being creative is what sparks creativity.
you can give a non creative person any amount or limitation, and they won't feel creative

the tools do not create

[Erisian]

The more colors an artist has on his palette the more creative he can be when painting a masterpiece.

You obviously don't paint. Artists commonly recommend a limited palette.

[vurt]

The more colors an artist has on his palette the more creative he can be when painting a masterpiece.

You obviously don't paint. Artists commonly recommend a limited palette.

rothko especially

[dellboy]

The more colors an artist has on his palette the more creative he can be when painting a masterpiece.

You obviously don't paint. Artists commonly recommend a limited palette.

rothko especially

Hey, I like his paintings.

I was thinking about going to the council tip for some free paint and knocking a few Rothkos' off . How hard could it be after all. Looks like a piece of cake ! If i have any paint left over I could do a Pollack for the hallway.

[3lu5iv3]

i can relate. i have Vital, Serum, Falcon, Surge and i mostly use Vital and Surge.

[Tj Shredder]

Limitations stimulate creativity.

That's a myth.

Its not a myth, its a technique!
To train your creativity its very helpful to limit your tools, but that has nothing to do with paid vs. free. And you wouldn’t do that as a general rule either, but for a piece its great. That is why we love the one synth challenge. Some synths are limited but inspiring, which will lead to great uncommon results. If you never go through limitations, you tend to sound always the same… It can help to focus on composition vs sound design for example. The next piece you could limit yourself to a simple riff, which will put the focus on the sounds etc… (remember Ravel’s most successful piece Bolero…)
Look at Brian Eno’s oblique strategies…

[surreal]

Which ones do you like most?

As for me, I like some freeware, some cheap stuff, and some not to cheap. *shrug*

Mostly any free analogue emulations of real hardware. PG-8x - Dexed - Klv-64 - OB-Xd - JUN 21 - Synth 1 - oxevst - etc.

Any new suggestions to add are always welcome.

What is the JUN 21? I am not familiar with a plugin of that name?

[Erisian]

Which ones do you like most?

As for me, I like some freeware, some cheap stuff, and some not to cheap. *shrug*

Mostly any free analogue emulations of real hardware. PG-8x - Dexed - Klv-64 - OB-Xd - JUN 21 - Synth 1 - oxevst - etc.

Any new suggestions to add are always welcome.

What is the JUN 21? I am not familiar with a plugin of that name?

https://plugins4free.com/plugin/3070/