One Synth Challenge #193 - Thorn by DS Audio (exponent1 Wins!)

[ZioMau]

Hi everybody!
Happy and honored to be here with you once again.
This is a ballad against all war devastations and against all those madmen who fuel it!

Thanks to Dmitry and Plugin Alliance for the great synth shared and obviously tanks to the OSC guys and all the friends in the community.

Submission:

---- Fallen Cities ----

https://soundcloud.com/zio-mau/ziomau-f ... al_sharing

DAW:
Reaper 7

Instruments:
16x VST3i: DS Thorn (Plugin Alliance)

Midi Effects:
1x VSTi: VeloScaler (CodeFN42)
1x VSTi: midiDelay (Insert Piz Here)
5x JS: MIDI Note Filter
2x JS: MIDI Velocity Control

Audio Effects:
1x VST3: BUSTERse (AnalogObsession)
1x VST3: DReverbLite (Stone Voices)
2x VST3: Dualcut (Outobugi)
2x VST3: Dynastia (Outobugi)
1x VST3: LoudMax (Thomas Mundt)
4x VST3: THE_SMOOTHER (PHIL SPEISER) (8ch)
1x VST: Dub Delay - TAL (x86) (TAL - Togu Audio Line) *
4x VST: FreeClip (Venn Audio)
1x VST: Giant Verb (MODE MACHINES)*
2x VST: MAutopan (MeldaProduction)
3x VST: OTT (Xfer Records)
5x VST: ReaComp (Cockos)
13x VST: ReaEQ (Cockos)
1x VST: RoughRider3 (Audio Damage, Inc.)
1x VST: TDR Nova (Tokyo Dawn Labs)
1x VST: TP BassLane (x86) (Tone Projects)
1x VST: Transpire (Sonic Anomaly)


Metering:
1x VST: Youlean Loudness Meter (Youlean) (6ch)
1x VST: SPAN (Voxengo) (8ch)
1x VST: ISOL8 (TBProAudio)
1x VST3: TDR Prism (Tokyo Dawn Labs)
1x VST: MStereoScope (MeldaProduction)

* only for song outro last seconds

See you next days
Ciaooooooo !!!!!

[67maxx]

...

[empphryio]

(also may i have an invite link to the OSC discord?)

https://discord.gg/NQcAJkTg

[violator_alba]

This track started out life as a wee fiddle with Playbeat 4. Once I got a rhythm I liked, I generated a load of variations as the basis of the track. The rhythm is supposed to get more complex as it goes on. I then made vague representations of the Playbeat samples using Thorn. For the finishing touches I added a bunch of tracks using the glitch sequencer and arpeggiator. Be warned, it is glitchy and rendered to a -9.9 LUFS-I sausage.

https://soundcloud.com/violator-alba-99 ... al_sharing

The whole thing was created in Bitwig Studio 5.3.2 using 15 instances of Thorn and the following additional plugins:

- As usual, dpMeter 5, Blue Cat Gain3 and KClip for clip to zero (made a lot easier by Thorn's own limiter)
- Scaler EQ
- Compressor+ to tame the percussion
- Newfangled Elevate for mastering (needed a bit of reigning in: it was up to about -5 LUFS)
- Mastering the Mix LEVELS for metering

Given the noisy nature of this track, Thorn's built in effects were more than sufficient.
Cover art by me for once...

[emikaela]

https://soundcloud.com/mikaela-groendah ... -the-snake

21 instances of ds thorn. ozone 10 elements on the master, no other fx.

[ELEX]

All ready, set to go...
Going Up There, to a better place.
A place at the window, comfortably looking down.
But instead you got a cold damp dump with bugs.
And just when you start to rest in peace,
it's time to dance to the tune of Dr.Voodoo
Who can't even play properly.

Next time, better go with ASHES2ASHES Funeral Services !

Stay Safe, Save Space !
And Rest Assured At Bargain Prices !

https://soundcloud.com/elex101/zombie-dance

A minor silliness, perpetrated in Reaper using:

DS Thorn - 28 instances for 13 instruments, 6 of those percussion.
All single layer, the difference due to voice spitting.
light clean-up duties performed by TDR Nova.
Widening of pads by A1 Stereo Control
A minor amount of delay applied to said pads with HY-Delay 4.
Snipping of drums done by CHOP & Flux Bittersweet.
Reverberated by several Protoverb and Supermassive,
with the assistance of HOFA Pan & Delay, TDR Nova, A1 Stereo Control & JS MIxer.
At the master level, general polishing was done by TDR Nova, A1 Stereo Control & Bittersweet.
All louderizing by Limiter No6.

Completely forgot about the commercial FX thing.

[maxym.srpl]

Last time, someone asked for more songs in 12/8 signature. So there is

3:35am... hope this is the final render.
Initial draft came at the very beginning of the month. But then I was struggling to complete the song out of the available parts. Usually, I came up with some stunning ideas when trying to put my daughter to sleep. Not a surprise that either I fall asleep too, or forgot what I wanted to achieve yet before reaching the computer. Do you know that?
In the meantime, the time was getting short.
Last weekend, I decided to compile the piece out of what I already had. It must not always be stunning, right? It wasn't
I had one day to listen to it in the car. F*ck... didn't sound good. So, 1 night left for all fixes.
In the evening, I let my wife listen to it.. She was pretty honest... too honest It was boring, and the ending was cheesy.
Not that I hadn't the same feeling before, but refused to accept that.

So, having a single night to finish, I decided to simplify what could be simplified. It made a space for another turn of the the final solo, which earned more emotions. The boring part I used for fade out - so effective.

BTW. while I cannot say I can play a keyboard, I really enjoy entering notes playing keyboard live. It adds so much soul into - let's face the truth - ITB/sequenced electronic music.

About the Thorn. It was my first experience with this synth.
I found I struggle to control low values of ADSR and high frequencies of LFOs. Also I have a feeling a reverb could be better, at least on some settings. But anyway I've ended up using mostly onboard effects.

DAW:
Reaper 7.34

Instruments:
29x VST3i: DS Thorn (Plugin Alliance)

Effects:
1x JS: MIDI Transpose Notes
23x JS: ReEQ - Parametric Graphic Equalizer
4x VST3: Cramit (Sixth Sample)
3x VST3: Tape MELLO-FI (Arturia)
1x VST3: ValhallaSupermassive (Valhalla DSP, LLC)
1x VST: OrilRiver (Denis Tihanov)
2x VST: ReaComp (Cockos)
7x VST: ReaLimit (Cockos)
1x VST: ReaPitch (Cockos)

Monitoring plugins:
1x JS: Goniometer
1x JS: Oscilloscope Meter (Cockos)
1x JS: ReSpectrum
1x VST3: Youlean Loudness Meter 2 (Youlean) (10ch)
1x VST: SPAN (Voxengo) (8ch)

Offline/inactive plugins:
N/A


https://soundcloud.com/michal-maxym-kozusznik/thorn

[z.prime]

z.prime - Shine

https://soundcloud.com/z_prime/shine

[ calculating plugins ... ]

DS Thorn x 50
Bitwig 5.3.2: EQ+, Mid Side Split, Dynamics, Compressor+, Tool
Other Plugs: FabFilter Pro-Q3, Pro-R2, Pro-L2, Valhalla Vintage Verb, OTT, TDR Nova, iZotope Ozone 10, SALA, Limiter no6

[BrainBeatMusic]

Hi guys, here is my entry for the month called "This Rose Has Thorns".
I made the track in Ableton Live 11 on Windows 10 using 13 instances of Thorn and the following effects. Drum Buss, EQ Eight, color limiter, Utility, Glue Compressor, Compressor, Ozone Imager 2, Reverb, Delay, Utility, Auto filter, Ozone 10, Youlean Loudness meter 2.

https://soundcloud.com/user-783020495/t ... al_sharing

[J.Ruegg]

Hello, got my track to good enough state to be published I think still a couple of details I would like to fix but I ran out of time.

My entry:

https://soundcloud.com/jruegg/liminal

Made in Bitwig 5.2.5

58 instances of DS Thorn

Bitwig FXs:

15 x Over
3 x Oscilloscope

External FXs (number of instances may be inacurate)

2 x FF Pro-MB
4 x FF Pro-Q3
3 x FF Pro-R2
2 x FF Pro-C2
2 x FF Pro-L2
1 x Khs Transient Shaper
30 x Devious Machines Multiband X6
1 x Soothe2
1 x SPAN
1 x Spiff
1 x STFU

[RichardSemper]

Voting Time!

viewtopic.php?t=618914

[PeterBPL]

I've always liked Thorn, and I consider it a synth with its own character perfect for sharp, distorted sounds (which doesn't mean I haven't used it for calm sounds as well). However, I hear that many people here have created calm and atmospheric tracks (which is good). So, apart from what tracks you've made, what types of sounds do you think Thorn is best suited for?

[67maxx]

...

[PeterBPL]

That's exactly what makes OSC so great: it's not just about using a synth for what it’s 'supposed' to do, but about pushing it as far as possible, even in unexpected directions. The fact that many have created atmospheric tracks shows just how versatile Thorn can be.

Yes, I know that. I am not against it, I even mentioned that it's nice (and the fact I was using Thorn for calm sounds too). I'm just asking about what in your opinion Thorn is strongest with.
Like, for example, you have 50 synths and you are not limited to single one. And you creating new song. What kind of sound would you look to choose Thorn as your first option (like, for example, smooth pads - Pigments etc).

[67maxx]

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