If you could have only one synth, what would you choose?

[whyterabbyt]

I think to all those choosing Kontakt as a synth, really need to choose a single instrument from it and say why. i.e
Modular icons

I think just as saying Reaktor would not be in the spirit of things, but a single Reaktor instrument (i.e Razor, Monark) would be.

I would refuse to choose a non-modular synth. I wouldnt actually need it to have any patches or prebuilt ensembles, though.

[whyterabbyt]

if hardware, Sequential's Prophet X for me, no question.

If hardware, then my eurorack.

Im sure the more manichean snowflakes here would be triggered by the various sample-playing modules in it, though.

[dellboy]

I think to all those choosing Kontakt as a synth, really need to choose a single instrument from it and say why.

I can honestly say that I spend more time in Kontakt or SampleOne XT than I do playing with any one synth.

I sample synths, which can be hardware or software, and turn the resulting sample into something personal to me. I then save the preset, and build up my own little library.

I find going through thousands of presets in synths so boring looking for the sound I want. I find it much more satisfying to make my own sounds.The caveat of just having a sampler as your main sound source is that you need things to sample, which kinda breaks the rule of this thread I guess. But on the other hand, an awful lot of so called synths come with such a huge download of samples that it is hard to know the difference between a sampler and a synth any more. In the true spirit of this thread, should a synth even have samples at all ? For instance, Tal Noisemaker is way less than a megabyte download, as also is Synth1, and they are both great synths.

[Michael L]

In the true spirit of this thread, should a synth even have samples at all?

You raise an interesting question that no one else has discussed in this thread.
I believe a spiritual synth must have both non-samples and samples-- alpha and omega --to be the One True Synth

[SamDi]

In the true spirit of this thread, should a synth even have samples at all?

You raise an interesting question that no one else has discussed in this thread.
I believe a spiritual synth must have samples to be the One True Synth

NO. A true synth needs to calculate everything from scratch, to be a true synth. Even lookup-tables are bad and make it a kind of ROMpler. Not to speak about wavetables.
Everything clear now?

[Choikdoi]

It's not even out yet, but I have faith!

Chro-8080

[vurt]

a purple one.

[gaggle of hermits]

In the true spirit of this thread, should a synth even have samples at all ?

did punxsutawney phil see his shadow this morning?

[cryophonik]

a purple one.

Noooooo! The purple ones all use samples or wavetables!

[_leras]

I think just as saying Reaktor would not be in the spirit of things, but a single Reaktor instrument (i.e Razor, Monark) would be.

in the spirit of what though? OP didn’t set any rules so why are you so intent on having some arbitrary set of rules? if someone picks one of those (and I’d be surprised if reaktor doesn’t appear somewhere on a list like this) aren’t they just saying “I can’t make a decision” or “I need flexibility”.

In the spirit of picking a single synth of course:

Reaktor could be fine, but surely things like Razor are their own synth - and so one or the other makes sense. To me anyway.

Otherwise it's a choose the 5 synths you want the most, or whats the sneaky way to call multiple instruments a single synth.

[whassup]

a purple one.

Finally. Thanx for this.

[_leras]

I think just as saying Reaktor would not be in the spirit of things, but a single Reaktor instrument (i.e Razor, Monark) would be.

I would refuse to choose a non-modular synth. I wouldnt actually need it to have any patches or prebuilt ensembles, though.

Well, I love Reaktor and it's libraries. I'd need at least the built in ensembles though... Or Reaktor Blocks could work.

I think something like Icarus 2.5 is looking like a good all in one synth if I had to only have one.

Also predator 3, Massive og or x, FXpansion cypher 2, serum, phaseplant. I can't choose one, lol. Any of these would probably do.

I think I'd happily make music with whatever synth I had available.

[simmo75]

Waldorf Iridium Keys

[Uncle E]

Software only!

My vote goes to Maschine...the plugin!!!

[gaggle of hermits]

OP didn’t specify. just sayin’