Synth recommendation for a newbie

[peakles]

I usually recommend starting your journey using free tools. There are plenty of great ones around. Both synths and FX. And base subsequent tool choices (free or commercial) on more knowledge and experiences.

Whatever tool you use, you will need some basic knowledge to get predictable/desirable results. Just fiddling with knobs will soon get frustrating. Same goes for starting with complicated tools (like the mega versatile MSoundFactory). With flexibility comes complexity. First master the basics, then expand towards more complex stuff/tools.

Check out this free ebook: How To Make A Noise
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=76293

One of the synths used for the examples is the excellent, versatile and free Surge. If you start with ignoring the versatile modulation matrix, you can explore basic subtractive, FM, AM, PM, PWM, Wavetable synthesis and more.
https://www.kvraudio.com/product/surge-by-vember-audio
https://surge-synthesizer.github.io/

And check out the KVR Sound Design forum for some hands on tips and tricks.
viewforum.php?f=100

Thanks again. I'll definitely check both Surge and the ebook, as well as include the Sound Design Forum in my daily routine =)

[kvotchin]

Highly recommend Helm, far as free synths go.

For money, Spire is excellent. I find the interface and workflow straightforward and pleasant. YMMV, of course.

[Distorted Horizon]

Some freebie gold:

Helm
Tyrell N6
DiscoDSP OB-Xd
TAL Noisemaker
Vember Audio Surge
VCV Rack

And if you want to buy a synth, I'd say Synthmaster. Though it might be a bit hate it or love it -synth, but personally I love it.

[BBFG#]

And if you want to buy a synth, I'd say Synthmaster. Though it might be a bit hate it or love it -synth, but personally I love it.

Note that Synthmaster does have a free player with 500 presets and occasionally ups it to the 1800 preset version for free as well. Although I don't use it like I did when I first discovered it, (bought and sold the full version) - I still consider it one if the best bang for the buck synths out there. For me the "hate part" has to do with the majority of presets leaning EDM, house, trance, etc. with the lesser being a range easily used in other more traditional genres.
I also liked the developer but terribly hate the restrictive country of origin. Which sometimes appears to throttle their servers during times when they make front page news.

I have many of those free synths in a folder on my system(s). The one I open the most is Zebralette. Followed by Fathom Mono and then Synthmaster Player.

[Kwurqx]

On free options...

Zebralette is a great but unusual beast. Maybe not the best choice to get familiar with bread and butter synthesis and synthesizers in general.
https://www.kvraudio.com/product/zebralette-by-u-he

Helm is great but has an unusual interface.

Immediatly going (semi)modular like Sonigen, Kamioooka, XSRDO Modulars, ModulAir, VCV Rack, Fathom Mono, might be like throwing yourself into the deep end of the pool (wearing concrete boots).

Out of the more straightforward great free synths like Oatmeal, Synth1, PG-8X, Tyrell N6, OB-Xd, TAL Noisemaker, Charlatan, Xhip, several Full Bucket synths and Vember Audio Surge, I guess Surge is the best "compromise" between form (UI) and function (general versatility and the various synthesis types including FM). Especially if you at first ignore the (very versatile) modulation matrix.

I might even suggest starting with a more basic synth (like one of the other suggestions). But maybe not as simple as TAL U-NO-62 or BassLine (great in their own right).

[BBFG#]

Being that they're free, no other decision need be made but to download them and find out for yourself though.

[peakles]

Being that they're free, no other decision need be made but to download them and find out for yourself though.

Hehehe yeah, actually there is no one right answer to my question. I just realized that I'll spend a lot of time to find what seems right for me now, after trying different synths. The good part is that before asking here I was completely lost and had no clue on which synths I should go first. =))

[e-crooner]

What's your genre? It might influence which synths are good for you, and which aren't.
I for one wouldn't know what to do with a wavetable or granular synth, it just wouldn't match my music in terms of sound, so I won't waste my time learning how to use them.

[nusound mind]

What's wrong with being a synth collector ? People collect stamps and coins and lunchboxes and salt &pepper shakers and.....you name it there are collectors.

If having a lot of synths negatively effects your creative process then there is something fundamentally wrong with your creative process.

I'm a collector myself, don't get me wrong (as many are) and a relative newbie for that matter; but in the context of the thread/OP's question, it wasn't until I got Cypher & Diversion that I was really a believer in soft synths.

Spent time w/ a couple other synths when I started that I wish I would've rather spent with the aforementioned. Speaking from personal experience only, I find using a few choice instruments seems to work better in terms of focus and production.

If your interesting is sound design probably you'd have a different philosophy about it idk.

[peakles]

What's your genre? It might influence which synths are good for you, and which aren't.
I for one wouldn't know what to do with a wavetable or granular synth, it just wouldn't match my music in terms of sound, so I won't waste my time learning how to use them.

I currently produce soundtracks for films (documentaries, mainly) and advertisement. This way, I'm not strictly tied to any genre. But usually i record drums, guitars, bass, use orchestra vsts, and am beginning to use synths. So, having a nice sound and good presets is the ideal case, as I wish to use them right away in my current projects. I'm not into EDM and the so-like, but I'm interested in learn more about it and maybe try something around it in the future. Would you have any recommendation?

[Aloysius]

Haven't read any of the recommendations but I think getting a synth that you actually like the sound of would be a good idea. Unless of course you just want to study and not actually use the synth for anything weird like making music.

[focusrite]

What's your genre? It might influence which synths are good for you, and which aren't.
I for one wouldn't know what to do with a wavetable or granular synth, it just wouldn't match my music in terms of sound, so I won't waste my time learning how to use them.

I currently produce soundtracks for films (documentaries, mainly) and advertisement. This way, I'm not strictly tied to any genre. But usually i record drums, guitars, bass, use orchestra vsts, and am beginning to use synths. So, having a nice sound and good presets is the ideal case, as I wish to use them right away in my current projects. I'm not into EDM and the so-like, but I'm interested in learn more about it and maybe try something around it in the future. Would you have any recommendation?

In your case I would recommend Ana2 or Omnisphere loads of presets available for each and they will sound good.

[Teksonik]

It doesn’t matter as it are the FX doing the real work.

Rubbish.......

No it's not

Yes, it is. FX are the icing on the cake. Instruments are the cake. No cake, no place for the icing. You need a signal to effect first....

[JO512]

I learned the basics with TAL Noisemaker. Worked for me! In the beginning, you need to learn the very basics about oscillators, filters, ADSR envelopes, and LFOs. TAL Noisemaker is very simple, with only the essentials. What you learn there will translate to most other synths. Many of the recommendations are for synths with a lot of distracting and potentially confusing complexity.

I would recommend using some kind of oscilloscope visualization and a spectrum analyzer with it to give you some visual feedback about what your adjustments are doing to the sound.

Then do searches on YouTube or Google for information about what an oscillator is, what the different basic shapes are all about (sine, triangle, saw, and square), what pulse-width modulation is, noise, and so on. Then learn about what a low-pass filter is and what resonance (labeled "emphasis" on some synths) does. Then learn about ADSR envelopes as they are used to modulate filters and amplitude. Then LFO modulation. That will give you the basics!

It is great for learning once you have all that under your belt to do some modular patching in VCV Rack, building a basic synth from an oscillator, a filter, an envelope generator paired with a VCA, another envelope to modulate filter cutoff, and so on.

Also, Serum is fantastic for helping you to see what is happening, especially with your envelope adjustments. I'm not sure if Serum is the best long-term investment these days though, as it might have been superseded by some newer stuff. It might be worth playing with the demo or renting for a month on Splice. But it has some of the best visualizations I've encountered. You can learn a lot editing the waveform in Serum as well.

What you'll ultimately want to use in the long run is something you probably don't have a sense for now, as there are a number of rather different styles of synth. Honestly though, if you end up liking this stuff, you'll probably get GAS and will end up blowing all your money on sorts of different plugins, controllers, and the like! You'll get it all! I have way more than I should have! Try to avoid that temptation though! I think I'd be better off if I had just bought one good synth and focused all my energies into that, rather than wasting endless hours shopping and fiddling with lots of different synths. I'm beginning to think I am more of a collector and tinkerer than a real musician!

[Distorted Horizon]

I think I'd be better off if I had just bought one good synth and focused all my energies into that, rather than wasting endless hours shopping and fiddling with lots of different synths. I'm beginning to think I am more of a collector and tinkerer than a real musician!

Amen.