Additive syth recommendations

[swilow11]

I've got a few additive synths, namely Razor, Pigments harmonic engine, Falcon3 additive oscillator but recently started a free 6 months of Reason+ and really like Parsec. Its probably the easiest additive synth I've used, and makes just the sort of sound I want without drowning me in obscure functionality. It's got limited modulation but Bitwig to the rescue.

Razor is fantastic but has a kind of dirty sound even when jacking up the partials. It always sounds gritty and sort of lofi- which is good but im looking for crystal clear digital here. I don't love Pigments, although the additive engine is great. The additive oscillator on Falcon is frankly underwhelming but usable...

So I guess something like Parsec, but I don't want to buy Reason just for its sake (come on, Props, make the Reason rack plugin separable from the DAW, just do it). Any suggestions?

[Korg Supporter]

Hi! Check out this thread I started here (viewtopic.php?t=585257)! If you have FL Studio, Harmor is awesome! It sucks that it no longer is a plugin now. I also wish PPG Infinite was still out. I managed to buy two of the PPG plugins (Infinite and WaveGenerator) before Mr. Palm sold the rights to Brainworx. If your computer is beefy enough, the upcoming Zebra 3 will be the killer additive synth!

[morphex]

You might want to look at Tone 2’s Icarus 3. It has an additive engine and it’s capable of some incredibly high definition sounds. Very modern and clean.

[cryophonik]

I suggest taking a look at Air Loom II

[swilow11]

I suggest taking a look at Air Loom II

I've actually got this, completely forgot. Had some GUI issues with Cubase so uninstalled it, maybe it works better in Bitwig- will have another crack at it. Thanks for the reminder mate

[martiu]

U-He Zebralette 3 and the upcoming Zebra 3

[swilow11]

You might want to look at Tone 2’s Icarus 3. It has an additive engine and it’s capable of some incredibly high definition sounds. Very modern and clean.

Oooh, looks nice. Will investigate further

[nilhartman]

Zebra(lette) 3 has the most amazing potential.
Harmor is king still though, even if so much (much (much)) could be improved.

[worldfever]

native instruments razor is imo still the best

[KBSoundSmith]

Depends upon how you want to do additive synthesis. The synths previously mentioned are all (or will be upon release) great. What they all do, though, is take a bird's-eye-view of the additive process, by and large, by using macros/algorithms to process partials in batches, as opposed to getting very granular and exacting with a smaller number of partials. Now frankly, this is usually an advantage as editing individual partials can be laborious and tedious. But, it is still a valid option that can get great results, and it may sometimes be what you want. If you want a synth which can do that, then Tracktion F'em can be used in that context.

[Korg Supporter]

native instruments razor is imo still the best

Yeah, it was $19 this summer

[Gamma-UT]

If you want a lot of control over the partials, MusicDevelopments' Syne is worth a look. It uses keyframes to give you control over how the different partials change either along a timeline or based on CC changes.

[imrae]

When it was available Linplug's Spectral looked like the best one. Powerful, usable and great sound. Has anything come out since then which really compares? Razor feels a little limited and clunky in comparison, although the sound quality is good.

[aMUSEd]

When it was available Linplug's Spectral looked like the best one. Powerful, usable and great sound. Has anything come out since then which really compares? Razor feels a little limited and clunky in comparison, although the sound quality is good.

Yeah I love Spectral. Closest in terms of workflow is probably Thorn but to me Spectral sounds much better

[sandandpaint]

discoDSP Vertigo is a lot of fun - I wish there was a way to record playing with the partials as a type of automation but I dont think there is