SynC Modular

This was the first modular soft synth I ever bought, and honestly I still think it is the best. I recently bought Reaktor, which is indeed very nice and strongly supported, but SynC Modular's ability to do DSP primitives all the way down the simple math - and do so with surprisingly good performance - is unmatched.

Quite literally, you can do almost anything in SynC Modular.

Programming it is relatively complex, not even counting the fact that DSP programming itself is a black art. I have no way to judge how it compares to Reaktor in this sense, but my opinion is that SynC could have benefited from some UI improvements.

Alas, SynC is no longer supported. NI, in a brilliant move, hired Dr. Sync to work on Reaktor, thus killing the one product that really could have made a dent in Reaktor's market.

There are not as many publicly available ensembles for SynC Modular, which is a shame but is understandable given there will be no further updates to the program. So, if you want out-of-box experience, you probably will be happier with Reaktor. If you want to be able to prototype literally any DSP algorithm in a visual language, SynC is the tool for you. It's for the hardcore DSP/synthesist enthusiast, not really the general artist-public.

SynC is still my favorite soft synth, bar none. Reaktor 4 made a dent in SynC's position, but SynC still outshines it in my view.Read Review

This is a really good modular synth and deserves continued development. Unfortunately this doesn't seem likely as the principle developer is now associated with NI.
The VSTi is extremely flexible but can be a little confusing if you are not already familiar with modular synth construction/design. Because of this the quality of the GUI is really important but is let down on this level.

The quality of the sounds is excellent and the available ensembles are of a very high quality. For what you get for your money, it is an extremely worthwhile purchase.Read Review

This software is fantastic value... Provides Reaktor-like interface, but is classier and simpler in concept in several ways (eg.. to add ninth input to eight- way add in Reaktor means deleting module, creating 16-way add, and recabling all 9 sources. In Sync you just right click module, and change input no. from 8 to 9)
Also, editing goes much deeper than in Reaktor; Filters can be opened up and tweaked, or designed from scratch; in fact almost anything is possible if you know the maths!
Unfortunately some important features in Reaktor are missing from Sync; Chiefly the audio inputs, multiple audio outputs, and support for MIDI Clock (although workarounds are possible for the last one)
In my own opinion, if those last three features were added, I would buy Sync in preference to Reaktor even at the same price!
Finally, Sync has a great user support network: I have learnt lots by studying the work of some of the Sync Gurus... 10/10!Read Review

This thing is a steal for the money. I don't regret buying it. I wish there was as many users as there are for Reaktor. This thing sometimes acts strange in Orion Pro. I don't really use it at all anymore. I got it for the dx 7 emulations. If you want to create your own synths get this. If you want to start to play right out the box, and have all of your knob tweaking recorded in Orion I would not recomend this.Read Review

A deep and musical sounding modular synth. Similar to N.I. Reaktor but a bit more complex. Great if you have the time to dig deep and still worthwhile because of the terrific user base and user synths.
Rich sounding pads, impressive capabilites at modeling sound and a decent visual presentation. For the $49 USD there isn't competition. It's a shame there will be no further development. Still, SynC Modular is like a great instrument, it has lots of capabilities that make it worthwhile.

Pros: fairly low CPU useage, excellent sound and effect capabilites
Cons: no longer in development, fairly steep learning curveRead Review