Poll - Do you prefer to use factory presets or your custom sounds in VSTs?

[SynthieSara]

I thought it would be interesting to see how many of us prefer our plugins' presets over making custom patches. I am starting to get more into sound synthesis. I personally would rather use presets and go from there (especially for 80s synths), but I'd like to someday take on the challenge of creating more custom sounds from basic waveforms like sine, sawtooth, square and such.

The sound becomes richer if the plugin's oscillator(s) allows for combining and mixing at least 2 waveforms (or if one sound is layered with another). I want to experiment more with that.

You can select 1 answer in the poll. And yes, you are allowed to change your answer later. I tried to make enough choices for flexibility in responses. However, someone might realize one answer is closer than the initial one, or change their preference as soon as 1-2 months, or even longer. And so, the flexibility allowed for changing answers might be welcome.

[Jac459]

I can't see the results anymore after my vote, not sure if it is normal.

If you consider mixing oscillators, you can also try mixing different presets or different synths.
In this case you will want a little touch of OTT and link some parameters to really glue the sounds together.

In one of my track I also used a synthesised sound as an echo of a presets (with a midi delay).

Or you can have one sound with an envelop follower following the other sound and changing parameters in real time.

Many ways to get fun and creative.

[aMUSEd]

The vote thing seems to be broken. Anyway there is an option missing as option 4 is the closest to what I do 'I use a combination of both presets and my own synthesized sounds' it doesn't really capture it in essence. I make my own sounds when creating my own music as I see sound design as an intrinsic part of making synth based music (ie it's the exploration of new sonic territory). However I also see sound designers as artists I can learn from and appreciate so use other's presets to inspire me and learn from, but I rarely use other people's sounds in my own music, and never without some modification at least.

[swilow11]

I prefer to roll my own but also happily use presets. Though very rarely the factory presets- I buy specific preset banks in the genres I work in. But always tweak for playability mainly. I'd use about 30% presets vs 70% my own creations.

I rarely use delay presets but will usually use slightly modified reverb presets. Never use compressor or dynamics presets, or for things like Shaperbox or Infiltrator.

[egbert101]

At what part of the creative process do you mean use?

1. Playing
2. Composing
3. Producing
4. Selling

Clearly there's nothing wrong with using presets when playing or composing, in fact it is essential if you're into a particular genre and are trying to get a vibe or feel going. Things become problematic if you are producing and selling, because the sounds are now generic or stale (everyone is using them and there is no artistic identity). That is why genres tend to die out and why musical genres become repetitive and boring.

If you do believe in artistic identity then clearly you want to create your own sound. If you don't believe in artistic identity and are only interested in making money, then that's fine too, although to the detriment of music overall.

[Jac459]

At what part of the creative process do you mean use?

1. Playing
2. Composing
3. Producing
4. Selling

Clearly there's nothing wrong with using presets when playing or composing, in fact it is essential if you're into a particular genre and are trying to get a vibe or feel going. Things become problematic if you are producing and selling, because the sounds are now generic or stale (everyone is using them and there is no artistic identity). That is why genres tend to die out and why musical genres become repetitive and boring.

If you do believe in artistic identity then clearly you want to create your own sound. If you don't believe in artistic identity and are only interested in making money, then that's fine too, although to the detriment of music overall.

Man, are you serious?

There must be millions of presets available for various synths, 99% of them certainly never used in a commercial production and yet reusing one of this preset is killing music overall.

I don't know what you smoke but I want the same.

[egbert101]

Man, are you serious?

There must be millions of presets available for various synths, 99% of them certainly never used in a commercial production and yet reusing one of this preset is killing music overall.

I don't know what you smoke but I want the same.

You get offended too easy.

[Jac459]

Man, are you serious?

There must be millions of presets available for various synths, 99% of them certainly never used in a commercial production and yet reusing one of this preset is killing music overall.

I don't know what you smoke but I want the same.

You get offended too easy.

I am totally offended. I do believe that these kind of comments are disturbing the safe space of most of our KVR users. Also your apology of pure synthesis is pure cultural appropriation.
You should be cancelled.

[Jac459]

At what part of the creative process do you mean use?

1. Playing
2. Composing
3. Producing
4. Selling

Clearly there's nothing wrong with using presets when playing or composing, in fact it is essential if you're into a particular genre and are trying to get a vibe or feel going. Things become problematic if you are producing and selling, because the sounds are now generic or stale (everyone is using them and there is no artistic identity). That is why genres tend to die out and why musical genres become repetitive and boring.

If you do believe in artistic identity then clearly you want to create your own sound. If you don't believe in artistic identity and are only interested in making money, then that's fine too, although to the detriment of music overall.

Just out of curiosity, what do you think of artists like Gorillaz or Michael Jackson who famously reused default presets of some synths ?

[Michael L]

Clearly, this poll needs a 'fish' option.

[egbert101]

Just out of curiosity, what do you think of artists like Gorillaz or Michael Jackson who famously reused default presets of some synths ?

Ignored.

[Jac459]

Just out of curiosity, what do you think of artists like Gorillaz or Michael Jackson who famously reused default presets of some synths ?

Ignored.

You mean you are ignorant ?

[revvy]

Oh look, folks claiming others are ‘offended’ again for disagreeing. What a snowflake thing to do. Bless you all.

[whyterabbyt]

Oh look, folks claiming others are ‘offended’ again for disagreeing. What a snowflake thing to do. Bless you all.

I resent that. Muted.

Ha, cant see me now, can you. Nyah, nyah pttttthhhht.

Wait, is this thing still on?

[noiseboyuk]

Who'd have thought this subject would cause a KVR row?

Good poll though. As I type it's 22 / 8 from those who use presets to some degree to those who think that is ideologically impure.