KVR Audio

oobesan · Post by **oobesan** » Wed Feb 11, 2026 1:00 am

One Synth To Rule Them All
- Logic Pro Alchemy (Logic Pro)

Virtual Analog
- uHe Diva
- Native Instruments Reaktor

Wavetable
- Native Instruments Massive X

Preset Machine Synth
- Arturia Pigments
- uHe Zebra Legacy

Bass Synth
- Beatsurfing Low

Sample-Based Synth
- UVI Synthology

Piano
- IK Multimedia Pianoverse

Sampler
- Native Instruments Kontakt

Drum Machine
- Native Instruments Battery

Drum Librarian
- XLN Audio XO

Percussion Machine
- XLN Audio Life
- Native Instruments Session Percussionist (Kontakt)

BONES · Post by **BONES** » Wed Feb 11, 2026 6:58 am

I'd be keen to understand why you guys feel the need to categorise your instruments like that. I never think about them in that way at all. They are all just synths to me, all completely interchangeable.

_leras · Post by **_leras** » Wed Feb 11, 2026 7:45 am

Well you must have stood in front of the speakers too long.

Diva has not much overlap with massive x which has not much overlap with reaktot etc usw

If synths were really interchangeable l, like guitars they'd just come with more different colour finishes

(j/k guitars aren't interchangeable either)

The only thing that's true is use what you have and use what you like.

_leras · Post by **_leras** » Wed Feb 11, 2026 7:46 am

Aiynzahev wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 2:23 pm I've been working on a bank for Pigments for a few months. In V2 form it was already impressive. Versatile, easy to program, and easy to get nice sounding results. I felt it's filters and FX were good but lacked a bit of wow factor I knew I had heard on their very latest stuff. Now with V3, this synth has a cutting edge feel. I can already recommend it as a work horse. It will be interesting to see where they take it.

It could get more complex and start to lose it's simplicity, or they could just make some small tweaks here and there and not make enough waves?

How do you feel about it now in V7?

Nug Wrangler · Post by **Nug Wrangler** » Wed Feb 11, 2026 7:52 am

Right now UAD Opal

Tj Shredder · Post by **Tj Shredder** » Wed Feb 11, 2026 11:48 am

The new star is Ultra…

billinder33 · Post by **billinder33** » Wed Feb 11, 2026 2:43 pm

Absolute faves are Serum for 'wub wub skueek squelch' stuff and Nexus 5 for more traditional sounds. I could get by with just these 2. Maybe throw in Kontakt for more orchestral and random sampled instruments.

sokoleski · Post by **sokoleski** » Thu Feb 12, 2026 10:49 am

I'm quite in Love with - Dawsome Zyklop

Cuauhtli · Post by **Cuauhtli** » Thu Feb 12, 2026 3:58 pm

Pigments
Massive
Lush 2

Funky40 · Post by **Funky40** » Thu Feb 12, 2026 8:54 pm

I could get by with just Pianoteq alone,.....to make nice electronic music

kraster · Post by **kraster** » Fri Feb 13, 2026 3:44 pm

Serum 2 for me.

It's the Goldilocks zone of synths for me. Features out the wazoo but never overwhelming.

Everything feels just about right.

Zebra 3 is also getting a lot of love.

mixyguy2 · Post by **mixyguy2** » Sat Feb 14, 2026 1:25 am

Weird that people are mostly just mentioning synths. My updated list:

Synths: Absynth, Vital
Pianos: Sampletekk Rain Piano (upright), Hammersmith (Grand)
EPs: Lounge Lizard
Violin: Acoustic: Johsua Bell and Performance Samples Solo Violin, Electric: 8Dio's Electric Violin
Guitar: Acouastic: AmpleSound, Electric: Shreddage
Trumpet: Norrland
Sax, Bass: Strezov's Diamond Jazz
Drums: Steven Slate Lite

VladK · Post by **VladK** » Sat Feb 14, 2026 2:22 am

All VSL instruments, UVI Workstation, and Pianoteq.

DJDJ · Post by **DJDJ** » Sat Feb 14, 2026 5:32 am

BONES wrote: Wed Feb 11, 2026 6:58 am I'd be keen to understand why you guys feel the need to categorise your instruments like that. I never think about them in that way at all. They are all just synths to me, all completely interchangeable.

First and obvious thing to say is that it depends on the genre of music you're making with your synths. Different synths for different use cases, in the same way that a guitarist might think of different amps or guitars for different genres. Certain tools tend to fit certain styles and sounds.

Sure, if you're just using basic waveforms they can be interchangeable enough. Saw waves are saw waves, etc. But for the specific sub-genres of Electronic Music that I make, certain synths are easier or known for having "the" sound I may be after, and I'm often not working with the basic waveforms.

Personally, I think of something like a physical modeling synth as a completely different instrument from a moog style mono analog. Sure, on the surface they're both synths. But because of the way they generate sounds, which are radically different, you end up getting vastly different sounds out of them. I don't think of a Guitar and Sitar as being the same, even though they both have frets and strings, because of both the way they generate sound, and the idioms of each tradition. I would not say they're interchangeable. Same with different types of synths.

DCrown · Post by **DCrown** » Sat Feb 14, 2026 6:18 am

BONES wrote: Wed Feb 11, 2026 6:58 am I'd be keen to understand why you guys feel the need to categorise your instruments like that. I never think about them in that way at all. They are all just synths to me, all completely interchangeable.

completely agree, a lot of them give you pad sounds, bells, keys, leads etc. lots of different categories.
Just take whatever synth, they are all just synths.
Sometimes I use synth X more for whatever reason, in three weeks it might be synth Y.
I think it is all about whether some gui hurts your eyes or not, maybe the look of a synth is the main reason you choose it more than some other synth. And if you look at the same gui for some weeks, it is time to choose a different gui. That's how we humans are, overdose leads to boredom, time for a change, otherwise it might kill you

What are your favorite instrument plugins?