SONICALLY Best VST Synth

[Buckster]

For me - without question Bazille

Even the init has depth

Every time I use it it surprises me, it can do Trance Plucks to Complex Pads to Can't even describe patches

[zvenx]

Repro 1/5.
rsp

Same answer for me 7 months later.
rsp

Three years later, Repro-1, Tal J-8, & Korg WaveState.

On Different days it is amongst those three jostling for #1
rsp

[zerocrossing]

I just got rid of Hydrasynth unless you are getting it for the poly AT or interface or whatever I would rethink. Sonically not very interesting when compared to VSTs and REV2 is bettered by Diva for sure.

I just got a Hydrasynth Deluxe to use as a controller, but I figured I’d give its engine a spin. It’s not very good at all. Not just not interesting, it’s got plenty to make it interesting. It’s just not implemented well. The entire time I was using it I kept thinking, “what if instead of 4 crappy aliasing mutators, they did two really good ones?” “What if instead of all the places they give you to put effects, they gave you a great delay and reverb?”

The REV2, on the other hand, isn’t really bested by Diva. Diva’s got a bunch of different places where it’s weak compared to an actual analog, including the REV2. I’ve been over this before, so I won’t dig into it. Diva covers more ground because of its wide range of oscillators and filters, but it’s in need of an update to match the quality levels of Repro. Now if they do that, I’ll change my opinion. 16 voices of Diva at Repro quality? That would be something.

[DrGonzo]

I just got a Hydrasynth Deluxe to use as a controller, but I figured I’d give its engine a spin. It’s not very good at all. Not just not interesting, it’s got plenty to make it interesting. It’s just not implemented well. The entire time I was using it I kept thinking, “what if instead of 4 crappy aliasing mutators, they did two really good ones?” “What if instead of all the places they give you to put effects, they gave you a great delay and reverb?”

My feelings towards the Hydrasynth is pretty much the same. It has this awesome list of features and yet it failed to grab me. It felt like trying to butter a slice of bread with too cold butter and too soft bread.

[Geomystery]

Repro and I have been impressed also by Massive X lately.

[perpetual3]

Massive X

Softube Modular

[simmo75]

I just got a Hydrasynth Deluxe to use as a controller, but I figured I’d give its engine a spin. It’s not very good at all. Not just not interesting, it’s got plenty to make it interesting. It’s just not implemented well. The entire time I was using it I kept thinking, “what if instead of 4 crappy aliasing mutators, they did two really good ones?” “What if instead of all the places they give you to put effects, they gave you a great delay and reverb?”

My feelings towards the Hydrasynth is pretty much the same. It has this awesome list of features and yet it failed to grab me. It felt like trying to butter a slice of bread with too cold butter and too soft bread.

Absolutely nailed it! Spot on.
You should be a reviewer

[zerocrossing]

I just got a Hydrasynth Deluxe to use as a controller, but I figured I’d give its engine a spin. It’s not very good at all. Not just not interesting, it’s got plenty to make it interesting. It’s just not implemented well. The entire time I was using it I kept thinking, “what if instead of 4 crappy aliasing mutators, they did two really good ones?” “What if instead of all the places they give you to put effects, they gave you a great delay and reverb?”

My feelings towards the Hydrasynth is pretty much the same. It has this awesome list of features and yet it failed to grab me. It felt like trying to butter a slice of bread with too cold butter and too soft bread.

Absolutely nailed it! Spot on.
You should be a reviewer

I thought about doing a YouTube channel called, “Zerocrossing Beats On It.” The idea isn’t to do a “oh look how wonderful this sounds” type reviews, but really go though things to the places where things often sound bad.

The truth is, some high percentage of people are going to buy a Hydrasynth, or really any synthesizer, and use the nice presets and think, “what’s that jerk talking about? This sounds great to me.” If I wasn’t flush with other choices, I’d avoid the danger zones and focus on the parts of the Hydrasynth that sound good, and that would be that. I often try and think of things in perspective. The Hydrasynth reminds me a LOT of my Ensoniq TS-10, and for some reason I had no issues making music with that limited and flawed synthesizer/sampler (sample playback, at least) for over a decade, and other than some Roland GR ROMplers, it was my only synthesizer. It didn’t have mutators. It didn’t have filter drive. It didn’t have multiple sections to add effects.

Anyway, it’s not even a VST, so it doesn’t technically belong in this thread, but the whole delineation between software and hardware is meaningless to me. Is it a synthesizer or not? That’s how I think of things. The only time it makes sense to talk about it is when talking about physical attributes, and that’s why I bought the Hydrasynth Deluxe and will keep it despite its flaws. Icarus might do “mutators” (I can’t remember what Tone2 calls them…) much better, but it’s super bad as a polyphonic aftertouch enabled 73 key keyboard. I mean, really horrible.

[pdxindy]

For me - without question Bazille

Even the init has depth

Every time I use it it surprises me, it can do Trance Plucks to Complex Pads to Can't even describe patches

Well said... and same for me... Bazille has incredible sound quality.

[ghostwhistler]

Bazille is incredibly impressive, but the fx are IMHO poor. I don't really understand why uhe stuff has delays that aren't set in simple beat notation rather than numbers. It just adds a level of mental processing that's unecessary.

The mod sequencer is also needlessly confusing and could have been better designed I'm sure

[El°HYM]

Tangle Synth

[kraster]

Personally, of the VAs I love Synapse Obsession, Model 84, Xils PolyKB and Diva.

For more modern stuff Zebra and Massive X.

[DrGonzo]

I thought about doing a YouTube channel called, “Zerocrossing Beats On It.” The idea isn’t to do a “oh look how wonderful this sounds” type reviews, but really go though things to the places where things often sound bad.

I think Florian of Bad Gear does it exceptionally well by taking a piece of controversial gear and actually trying to make something good out of its flaws as a whole. If anyone have proven without a doubt that you can make good music with almost anything, it's him.

[zerocrossing]

I thought about doing a YouTube channel called, “Zerocrossing Beats On It.” The idea isn’t to do a “oh look how wonderful this sounds” type reviews, but really go though things to the places where things often sound bad.

I think Florian of Bad Gear does it exceptionally well by taking a piece of controversial gear and actually trying to make something good out of its flaws as a whole. If anyone have proven without a doubt that you can make good music with almost anything, it's him.

If only he dropped that super annoying persona…

[DrGonzo]

I thought about doing a YouTube channel called, “Zerocrossing Beats On It.” The idea isn’t to do a “oh look how wonderful this sounds” type reviews, but really go though things to the places where things often sound bad.

I think Florian of Bad Gear does it exceptionally well by taking a piece of controversial gear and actually trying to make something good out of its flaws as a whole. If anyone have proven without a doubt that you can make good music with almost anything, it's him.

If only he dropped that super annoying persona…

I find his style entertaining actually. But probably that has to do that I am Swedish by birth and we share cultural roots with ze germans. But in either case, that's your way in no? Do something like him but with an American angle?