VSTi to replace Korg Kronos

[digitallysane]

when it comes to Falcon - that will cost a lot more $$$ - to have a lot more fun you'll need expansions,

Not sure about the "a lot more". Falcon expansions are not that expensive, and when you buy Falcon you also get a $100 voucher for expansions.

[AcrossTheSky]

when it comes to Falcon - that will cost a lot more $$$ - to have a lot more fun you'll need expansions,

Not sure about the "a lot more". Falcon expansions are not that expensive, and when you buy Falcon you also get a $100 voucher for expansions.

when I wrote "expansions" I actually had in mind the whole of SOUNDWARE CATEGORIES,
https://www.uvi.net/en/soundware
All that lot can be loaded in Falcon for greater control - mix and match ...etc

wow - for this one alone https://www.uvi.net/en/vintage-synth/px-memories.html
30.85 GB is requred or 218GB for https://www.uvi.net/en/vintage-synth/vi ... ult-3.html
a good 2tb nvme or ssd is a must imo..if one wants more ...instruments.

[richwombat19]

Yeah, so Falcon is a bit much for me. I like the idea of Steinberg Absolute Collection. It's cool that it contains the Instruments/engines of HALion as separate VSTis. That might open up possibilities.

So:

• There is no one ultimate/complete VSTi for me, so I'd like to use Akai VIP + Advance as my workstation, integrating various VSTis

• HALion (Sonic) seems to be an ideal workhorse sample player for my bread-and-butter sounds. I might just go for HALion 6 and be done with it.

• Because it might be a bit fiddly and I would like to learn, perhaps adding 1 workhorse synth is a good idea. Could Synthmaster One be this one, or would I be much better off investing in U-HE Zebra? Or pick good synths for each particular type? (I'm quite a synth-noob) In that case, could the engines of HALion suffice?

• Finally, I can get dedicated VSTis for "cream of the crop" sounds when HALion does not suffice. That I do not have to decide now---I can just use HALion and add when needed. I'm thinking SONiVOX Orchestral Companion, Pianoteq and GG Audio Blue 3.

[BBFG#]

Yeah, so Falcon is a bit much for me. I like the idea of Steinberg Absolute Collection. It's cool that it contains the Instruments/engines of HALion as separate VSTis. That might open up possibilities.

So:

• There is no one ultimate/complete VSTi for me, so I'd like to use Akai VIP + Advance as my workstation, integrating various VSTis

• HALion (Sonic) seems to be an ideal workhorse sample player for my bread-and-butter sounds. I might just go for HALion 6 and be done with it.

• Because it might be a bit fiddly and I would like to learn, perhaps adding 1 workhorse synth is a good idea. Could Synthmaster One be this one, or would I be much better off investing in U-HE Zebra? Or pick good synths for each particular type? (I'm quite a synth-noob) In that case, could the engines of HALion suffice?

• Finally, I can get dedicated VSTis for "cream of the crop" sounds when HALion does not suffice. That I do not have to decide now---I can just use HALion and add when needed. I'm thinking SONiVOX Orchestral Companion, Pianoteq and GG Audio Blue 3.

I second your idea of going HALion (which includes HALion Sonic as well).
Just want you to know that some of the other plugins in Absolute are separate from HALion though. HALion has something relative to them, but you can't swap presets between them.
And JFY, the other piano vst I do use and like quite well is Steinberg's Grand 3 (which goes on sale regularly up to 50% off). But there are good pianos (and organs) already in HALion as you mentioned that may be enough. The orchestra for H6 also regularly goes on sale.

I do consider it my "desert island" workstation.
But as far as say, "Retrologue", I think looking at either "Diva" or "RP Blue2" would give you more.
Zebra is very flexible, but as you say, can be daunting. And again, H6 does do a great wave table synth itself.

[richwombat19]

Right, so HALion 6, not Sonic and not their engines separately.

Would its synth engines be enough to easily create sounds myself? It's unclear to me why you suggestDiva and RP Blue 2. Blue bc it has little overlap with HALion?

[BBFG#]

Right, so HALion 6, not Sonic and not their engines separately.

Would its synth engines be enough to easily create sounds myself? It's unclear to me why you suggestDiva and RP Blue 2. Blue bc it has little overlap with HALion?

Yes, they probably overlap some as well. My suggestion of Diva & Blue 2 are partly in relation to the idea of getting Retrologue (either separately or in Absolute) and more importantly, in regards to your stated genres and their ease of use. Either could compliment H6 without being so close to the same thing that they seem completely redundant. Diva especially in regards to the "Zebra daunt" as it's laid out very simply as a VA first with a limited semi-modular flow. Nice big warm sound in comparison to Retrologue.
And RP Blue2 for its depth and character as well with added sampled components which purposely stay away from pianos and the like. But perhaps not as simply laid out as Diva.

But H6 is a great start all by itself. As far as ease of programming in reality though, you'd need to download and demo them for yourself.
As others have mentioned, Falcon and Avenger are powerful as well... It's just that I read more negative things about their copy protection than I do good about the plugins themselves. Which is the reason I steer clear of them.

[Gribs]

I would just get Komplete. If you have the money go for ultimate when it is on sale.

Kontakt is still the main thing for orchestral libraries and with the full version the world is your oyster for quirky and interesting scripted instruments from small developers that don’t have them money to pay for the Kontakt Player license. You also get some excellent synths like FM8 (replaces mod7 on the Kronos), Massive X, Absynth, Battery, various professional Kontakt-run drum (and bass, piano, keys, etc.) instruments, all the synths built around the Reaktor engine as well as Reaktor itself with its own library, Reaktor Blocks modular synth emulator, and the giant user library, and Guitar Rig (for effects if not the amp sims).

I also have Halion 6, Falcon with many of the UVI expansions, Pianotec, and a ridiculous number of other synths and samplers.

[BBFG#]

Komplete is good. And even though I do own it, I've opted to rarely even install it anymore. I think the reason I keep it has much to do with being saddled by NFR libraries. HALion 6 has proven itself to me to be a more complete and gratifying experience overall.

[Gribs]

Komplete is good. And even though I do own it, I've opted to rarely even install it anymore. I think the reason I keep it has much to do with being saddled by NFR libraries. HALion 6 has proven itself to me to be a more complete and gratifying experience overall.

I like it for sound design. I like Falcon the most, though. If I was retired I would dive into either Reaktor programming at more than a high level or scripting Falcon or Halion. For now it is too much like the daytime job.

[richwombat19]

Gribs, you got me thinking about Kontakt/Komplete again. I tried the free version some time ago and found it, and also the full version based on descriptions, has a lot of not-so-useful stuff—so bloated.

But then I started looking at the Komplete Kontrol. The S49 is €500 and comes with Komplete 13 Select, which might have everything I. Since VIP doesn't actually work that nicely (very unstable within the DAW, ok stand-alone) and needs work tagging, this might give the perfect workstation experience.

On the other hand, what would be the benefit versus buying the Kronos again? And if there are ever sounds I need from other VSTis I'm back with the same issue.

[JiggSaw]

Gribs, you got me thinking about Kontakt/Komplete again. I tried the free version some time ago and found it, and also the full version based on descriptions, has a lot of not-so-useful stuff—so bloated.

But then I started looking at the Komplete Kontrol. The S49 is €500 and comes with Komplete 13 Select, which might have everything I. Since VIP doesn't actually work that nicely (very unstable within the DAW, ok stand-alone) and needs work tagging, this might give the perfect workstation experience.

On the other hand, what would be the benefit versus buying the Kronos again? And if there are ever sounds I need from other VSTis I'm back with the same issue.

I said it earlier but if the workstation experience is important to you, Komplete Kontrol keyboard plus Komplete 13 is your best bet. It's not perfect but it's way ahead of Akai VIP. There are a lot of NKS ready instruments/libraries these days. You can also use https://freelancesoundlabs.com/index.ph ... -vst-packs to fill in gaps.

[richwombat19]

I think you are right. If I want to have a workstation experience from the MIDI keyboard, Kontrol is the only decent way of doing it. VIP would need a lot of work on my end and will cause a lot of frustration. I will play around with both HALion 6 and Komplete Start to get a feel for both.

[richwombat19]

I have played around with HALion 6 and come to the following conclusions:

• First of all, I am not going to use VIP anymore. The idea is nice, but 1) organizing it would take way too much work, and 2) browsing and tweaking via the computer screen is very efficient. So I will also not get a Komplete Kontrol keyboard.

• HALion is amazing. I am impressed by the quality of the sounds, the browser works very well, and the depth of this program is phenomenal---Layers, Zones, Programs, Multis, Presets. It is truly a perfect alternative to the Korg Kronos. However, because it is so feature-packed, it is also complex.

• I really enjoyed creating sounds with HALion, but, because it is so vast and I have limited experience, I was quite overwhelmed. So maybe a standalone synth is still a good idea. U-HE Zebra 2 and RP Blue II were suggested, but Arturia Pigments appeals much more to me because of its clean interface yet tremendous power. I still have to test it. On the other hand, I already have the free Helm and Surge synths; maybe one of those would be a great starting point.

I still have to try out Kontakt. There is also still UVI Workstation to try out. That looks very clean, but the sample libraries are expensive.

[musicdotcm@yahoo.com]

Hailon 6 is probably the closest you can.

Omnisphere is in the same category. But in my view, it's too heavily focused on soft pads and ambient sounds.

Alternatively, you can purchase Roland SRX and xv-5080 plugins, which I have and like.

[richwombat19]

<post deleted>