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View Full Version : What synths are you guys using!?



Wakka
02-26-2012, 05:49 PM
I dont have any hard synths but i use Sylenth and Massive like no other.

What are you guys using?

Divercity
02-26-2012, 06:15 PM
Currently in my last song from the top of my head:


- Razor
- Prism
- Minimoog
- Thor within reason
- Massive(sub bass only)
- Reaktor
- Kontact(Session Strings)

login
02-26-2012, 06:28 PM
DIVA
ACE
Mikro Prism

PONTUS.2
02-26-2012, 06:31 PM
ableton analog,operator synth
korg monotron

the4thImpulse
02-26-2012, 06:52 PM
Mostly Z3ta+ and some Massive,
I have a X-Station Hardware synth that I use a bunch.

Ignotus
02-26-2012, 07:23 PM
reason 5 really takes thor whoring to a whole new level lol

Tektonix
02-26-2012, 07:48 PM
Sylenth1, z3ta, massive and a moog slim phaty C; and a bunch of random freebies

Wakka
02-26-2012, 08:35 PM
Sylenth1, z3ta, massive and a moog slim phaty C; and a bunch of random freebies

do share the freebies.

xyloft
02-26-2012, 08:36 PM
absynth, massive are my two go tos.

GaFFLe
02-26-2012, 08:59 PM
Are these the same 'synths' that produce 100% of the Pop-crap music today? If so, (((thumbs down))) on that sound.

de.j.l
02-26-2012, 09:00 PM
im a newbie so right now im only using operator, looking into using analog with operator and learning a .vst to ableton, not sure which one yet but in time I will figure it all out.

login
02-26-2012, 09:12 PM
Are these the same 'synths' that produce 100% of the Pop-crap music today? If so, (((thumbs down))) on that sound.


Synths can make any sound you want and be used in any genre, if you wanna make pop with a Buchla 200e it's possible, as well as with any soft synth.

If you think pop is sounding all about the same is a problem of producers not synths.

That being said I think the two most popular synths right now are sylenth and Massive. After that probably Zebra 2.5 but more in scores and sound design for movies.

Tektonix
02-26-2012, 10:41 PM
do share the freebies.

Trance Drive, Tyrel, Serio 3 and all of the ITCHY Dubstep VST's such as siesmik, punch, subsonic ect... ( theres 6 i belive ) to name a few C:

drop1
02-26-2012, 11:08 PM
I've been using Zebra 2 alot lately. I have Massive but I bought Zebra about a week after I bought Massive and haven't put in the time to get to know it.

de.j.l
02-26-2012, 11:39 PM
These are the synths that make ANY type of sound you want.....

mostapha
02-27-2012, 06:49 AM
Synapse Dune.

It's the only soft synth I've used that I can stand.

I'm going to buy either a Minitaur or a Minibrute this summer along with a hardware VA of some kind (Nord Lead, Radias, Virus) because I really just hate soft synths. The only hesitation is buying an audio interface good enough to run them, and the synths, and the pres I'd want to go with them. It's a lot of money just because I can't get my head out of my bum about soft synths sucking.

login
02-27-2012, 09:36 AM
^Well IMHO each soft and hardware has its place. There are many things software can do that hardware doesnt. For example DIVA which can combine modules of emulations of vintage synths. Or ACE which acts as modular wich can use audio outs as mod sources (something only present i the high end of hardware modulars).

Granular, additive, modal and wavetable synthesis have more posibilities in software too.

GaFFLe
02-27-2012, 10:11 AM
Synths can make any sound you want and be used in any genre, if you wanna make pop with a Buchla 200e it's possible, as well as with any soft synth.

If you think pop is sounding all about the same is a problem of producers not synths.

That being said I think the two most popular synths right now are sylenth and Massive. After that probably Zebra 2.5 but more in scores and sound design for movies.
Thanx for educating me... As producers, more power to ya'll that are striving to sound different.

Sween
02-27-2012, 10:45 AM
Thanx for educating me... As producers, more power to ya'll that are striving to sound different.

It's not the sound of the synth that makes it good, bad, poppy, original, different, whatever... it's what you do with it.

I hate the idea that today's songs need to use original "instruments"... like Deadmau5 has a copyright on a certain Massive saw oscillator or something.

Piano's sound the same (mostly)... and people have managed to be original with them for hundreds of years. Same with the guitar, or any other "traditional" instrument. Why does everyone think all synth sounds need to be original? And when someone popular uses a certain "sound" all of the sudden it's off limits to everyone else?

TopangaS2k
02-27-2012, 12:54 PM
Currently im using the synths that come with Logic Pro 9. Mainly the ES2 and the ESP.
Should be adding the komplete 8 to my library soon though...Cant wait!

Ver Jaina
02-27-2012, 05:47 PM
Roland Fantom G6, yeah my only hardware workstation ROMpler & production tool atm..

thehadgi
02-27-2012, 06:06 PM
Roland Fantom G6, yeah my only hardware workstation ROMpler & production tool atm..

Nice man

Fav synth soft or hard - Moog Voyager (electric blue). :love:

elctromn
02-27-2012, 07:08 PM
I have a Doepfer Dark Energy that I run through my Boss DS-1 Distortion pedal for some sick analog bass sounds, working on getting some more effects pedals to build a big system. One day maybe I'll invest in an A-100 system when I have a real studio or something (A man can dream). Other than that, I'm mostly software - Massive, Sylenth, Nexus, and a few Moog emulators

AbstractQuality
02-27-2012, 09:08 PM
It's not the sound of the synth that makes it good, bad, poppy, original, different, whatever... it's what you do with it.

I hate the idea that today's songs need to use original "instruments"... like Deadmau5 has a copyright on a certain Massive saw oscillator or something.

Piano's sound the same (mostly)... and people have managed to be original with them for hundreds of years. Same with the guitar, or any other "traditional" instrument. Why does everyone think all synth sounds need to be original? And when someone popular uses a certain "sound" all of the sudden it's off limits to everyone else?

I kind of agree with this, but a HUGE part of electronic music is sound design. With acoustic instruments you have a limited palette of tones and timbres, with synthesizers you have a virtually unlimited range of sounds at your disposal (although it is argued how many sounds are possible that are actually musical or listenable). So with this vast possibility of sound, why settle for generic sounds? It is a huge advantage that electronic music has and it's why I love it. IMO it should be used to it's full potential.

I will admit that getting unique sounds is quite difficult and requires a lot of hard work. It is not necessary as there are great new tunes out there that don't necessarily use any "new" sounds, but hearing tracks with impressive and fresh sound design is always more interesting.

login
02-27-2012, 09:15 PM
You can process in many creative ways acoustic instruments, also from the middle of the XX century classical composer had experimented also in timbre based music with acoustic instruments and human voice, check this for example


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWqxPp6SvMw

Sween
02-28-2012, 07:31 AM
I kind of agree with this, but a HUGE part of electronic music is sound design. With acoustic instruments you have a limited palette of tones and timbres, with synthesizers you have a virtually unlimited range of sounds at your disposal (although it is argued how many sounds are possible that are actually musical or listenable). So with this vast possibility of sound, why settle for generic sounds? It is a huge advantage that electronic music has and it's why I love it. IMO it should be used to it's full potential.

I will admit that getting unique sounds is quite difficult and requires a lot of hard work. It is not necessary as there are great new tunes out there that don't necessarily use any "new" sounds, but hearing tracks with impressive and fresh sound design is always more interesting.

Coming up with a new sound is cool... but just because a song has an amazing new sound should not automatically make it a great song. This is my problem with artists like Deadmau5. I enjoy listening to his instruments... and aurally his tracks sound really cool... but many lack the structure and dynamics necessary for a great song.

1point5
02-28-2012, 11:11 AM
Logic ES2 :teef:

I love it

uncut69
02-28-2012, 02:26 PM
massive + albino

AbstractQuality
02-28-2012, 02:31 PM
Coming up with a new sound is cool... but just because a song has an amazing new sound should not automatically make it a great song. This is my problem with artists like Deadmau5. I enjoy listening to his instruments... and aurally his tracks sound really cool... but many lack the structure and dynamics necessary for a great song.

I believe we come from a bit of a musically different background. I see Deadmau5 as someone who doesn't really experiment with sound too much. I haven't heard all of his recent stuff but what I have heard of it sounds quite generic.

Some artists that I believe have interesting sound design: Sandwell District, Conforce, Mike Parker, Donato Dozzy (his Voices of the Lake project with Neel especially)

Anyway this is getting a bit off topic; I usually use Aalto, Ableton's Operator and Analog, and do a lot of processing with D16 Silverline plugins.

thehadgi
02-28-2012, 04:08 PM
Not whatchya got, it's how ya use it

for the 'acoustic stuff is limited' above :tup:

luckily i don't have to worry about that saying when it comes to women. :bing:

AbstractQuality
02-28-2012, 09:42 PM
Not whatchya got, it's how ya use it

for the 'acoustic stuff is limited' above :tup:

luckily i don't have to worry about that saying when it comes to women. :bing:

Yes acoustic instruments are limited sonically when compared to electronic instruments.

mostapha
02-28-2012, 09:44 PM
So, I played with a Nord Stage 4 today just for the heck of it. Yeah…felt awesome. Not what I'm looking for, but the Nord Rack 2(X) just jumped up towards the top of my buy list, especially since the Dune plugin seems vaguely based on the Virus. And I do actually like it…there's just something about hardware.

I'd never played any Nord before, and the Stage is a stage piano/organ/synth with a basic synth section. I had sounds I liked…maybe not my current style, but not abject crap…within 2 minutes. If the thing has presets, I'm not aware of them. That's not an experience you have very often with plugins.

propertrax
03-01-2012, 07:54 PM
Futureretro XS as my main goto for bass, percs, fx, mono leads, and generally any and all weird sounds. Plus the semimodular aspect lets me plug in an assortment of other things for additional modulations, or for its filter section. Best piece of gear I have, and the main reason I can fire up just about any synth and dial in my own patches. It forces you to learn synthesis due to the lack of memory, and therefore presets.

Used to own a Juno 106 but I needed money and its hugeness did not work in my flow.

Softsynths would mainly includw Operator, Analog, Phoscyon, and rarely Fm8, Absynth, or Massive. Really enjoyed the DIVA beta, but don't habe the dough to fork over just yet.

I highly recommend the FRXS if you really want to learn syhtesis quick, h enjoy twiddling knobs. Ive had it for 2 years and still find new shit to do. Its pricey, but at $1300 totally reasonable for modern, well-designed, well-made, analog hardware. And you'll learn a lot more than spending that money on BS producer course.

Synapsis
03-01-2012, 09:38 PM
Rolands, Fantom X8 & V synth, Logic, Pro Tools, and Orion Platinum by Synapse Audio... do the job nicely

mostapha
03-01-2012, 10:39 PM
Futureretro XS…Phoscyon

The FR XS looks like fun. I might have to look into that at some point, though I'm probably going to go a bit cheaper for my first analog. The Phoscyon seems like a lot of fun, but I just can't get used to programming something like that with a mouse…it might be worse than other synths. Plus, there are a lot of ways to get a 303 sound. Still…pretty cool.

propertrax
03-02-2012, 01:05 AM
Doepfer Dark Energ seems like a cheaper, but still nice alternative to the XS. Half the price.

Phoscyon, like any 303 clone, needs to be programmed using the internal sequencer, to get that "proper" acid sequenced sound. I tried and tried to use ableton's piano roll for a long time with various clones, but it wasn't until I treated it like the real thing that I got the sound I was looking for. Jump in for a good 6-8 hours and just use the internal sequencer...i think you'll find the results far more pleasing, because its basically the same as the hardware at that point. The way the slides and accent work requires it. 303 is all about the sequencer, not so much the knobs...although, without the filter and envelopes it wouldn't be the same either.

mostapha
03-02-2012, 10:29 AM
Yeah…I should have said that you can get close with anything. I've definitely recorded off technobox2 (running on my iPhone) before and really liked the results…even if the sound quality is kind of sub-par. Whatever…from my impressions, so were the original 303s.

passive
03-03-2012, 02:07 PM
Sylenth 2.0/Rob Papen Predator(Kicks Freekin Ass)/Vanguard/Albino 3.0/Blue

Atomisk
03-03-2012, 05:31 PM
Are these the same 'synths' that produce 100% of the Pop-crap music today? If so, (((thumbs down))) on that sound.

Roflroflrofl epic troll

thehadgi
03-03-2012, 08:50 PM
Roflroflrofl epic troll

Saw waves, sine waves, and pulse waves are for lamestreamers

Atomisk
03-03-2012, 10:14 PM
Saw waves, sine waves, and pulse waves are for lamestreamers

Yeah man I make my own waves, if it's been heard by someone else it's too mainstream for me.
I don't even listen to wavetables on the top half of this graph.
http://labs.makemachine.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/circle_synth_wavetable.jpg

Divercity
03-03-2012, 11:42 PM
Yeah man I make my own waves, if it's been heard by someone else it's too mainstream for me.


I know what you mean... Im so sick of mainstream vst's I create my own using algorithm's with MAXMSP and my own parts using ensemble's with Reaktor :teef:



http://s4.hubimg.com/u/1155043_f520.jpg



Sewiously?

DutchApples
03-04-2012, 03:22 AM
I used to use mostly Logic's built in synths, but have recently been using a lot of Massive and Omnisphere. Nexus is also on the list.

thehadgi
03-04-2012, 02:23 PM
I used to use mostly Logic's built in synths, but have recently been using a lot of Massive and Omnisphere. Nexus is also on the list.

Curious about your take on Omnisphere. What do you use it for? Just wondering because I was wondering about trying it out, but ~50 gigs? I don't know if I can justify the cost and space for myself, but I'd be interested to hear your take on it

markos
03-04-2012, 09:25 PM
i'm mostly in ableton live and its synths such as analog, operator, and collision but looking to get the moog minitaur when it ships. Can't wait to break my hardware synth cherry! lol

other synths on my wish list

- Moog Slim Phatty
- Dave Smith Tempest

I am really scared to get into hardware synthesizers though...it's an expensive addiction

Austin GoGreen
03-05-2012, 12:14 PM
massive + albino

yesssir! Albino 3 to be exact. That, Massive, and Edirol Ochestral FTW

markos
03-06-2012, 09:32 PM
Massive definetly looks awesome. been thinking of investing in maschine and kore. Its a powerhouse of sound and synthesis.

mostapha
03-06-2012, 11:55 PM
Kore was discontinued fairly recently, much to the dismay of its users. Maschine is freaking awesome, but it's not really a synth. You can do simple one-oscillator stuff by playing a single-phase waveform as though it were a sample (with normal VA filters, distortion, bit-crushing, an LFO, and 2 envelopes) which is kinda cool……but it's not really a synth.

I know a google search would probably answer my question, but does anyone know where I can get a bunch of single-phase waveforms like those in the wavetable atomisk posted? Maschine ships with basic one, but I'm curious.

Trevis G
03-08-2012, 10:59 AM
Currently I'm using...

-DCAM Synth Squad
-RP Predator
-RP Albino

FarawaySkies
03-08-2012, 12:15 PM
I'm the same way. When I first go into Logic I was jaw dropped by the power behind the synths. I thought the ES2 was god. However, as of lately I've been using mostly Massive & Sylenth1 in Cubase 5 =P. The only thing I miss is the ESX24's Pianos.

WillRock
03-08-2012, 05:17 PM
How are you liking that DCAM Synth Squad Trevis?

Currently Using:
Toxic Biohazard
Harmless
kHs One

Mick Benjamins
03-09-2012, 03:48 AM
I have a Doepfer Dark Energy that I run through my Boss DS-1 Distortion pedal for some sick analog bass sounds, working on getting some more effects pedals to build a big system. One day maybe I'll invest in an A-100 system when I have a real studio or something (A man can dream). Other than that, I'm mostly software - Massive, Sylenth, Nexus, and a few Moog emulatorsHow is that Doepfer going for you?
I am looking into buying an analog synth myself, mainly to create nasty basslines, and am exploring my options right now :)

Ver Jaina
03-15-2012, 03:05 PM
Rolands, Fantom X8 & V synth, Logic, Pro Tools, and Orion Platinum by Synapse Audio... do the job nicely
holy sheet you got V-synth! awesome one for sure..still on my dream list as well ;)
the rack version will do, saves space..but man getting V-Synth XT is rare occasion.


I've been thinking back & forth about buying a 2nd synth setup, whether it's a classic JP-8080 or the Roland GAIA...

djshire
06-03-2012, 08:54 AM
holy sheet you got V-synth! awesome one for sure..still on my dream list as well ;)
the rack version will do, saves space..but man getting V-Synth XT is rare occasion.


I've been thinking back & forth about buying a 2nd synth setup, whether it's a classic JP-8080 or the Roland GAIA...
Between the two, get the 8080. Gaia is good, I highly recommend it as a persons first hardware synth, but the 8080 sounds better, and the GAIA is a mix of VA and rompler (the supersaw in it is sampled, not synthesized)

To answer the thread question

Soft
RP Predator
TAL U-No-62
NI Kontakt (with various multisampled synths like Hollow Sun Oscillosine)
NI FM8
Korg M1 Legacy
Korg Wavestation Legacy
Logic ESM and ES2

Hard
Roland JP-8080
Korg Monotron
Roland Alpha Juno-2
Doepfer Dark Energy (currently in the shop)

WillRock
06-04-2012, 06:50 PM
Being the synth whore that i am, now mainly using:
kHz One
Zeta+2
Sylenth

Hygro
06-09-2012, 09:25 PM
If you think pop is sounding all about the same it's a problem with audiences not the synths


Gotta give the people what they want.

Roshanbhoj
06-13-2012, 02:14 AM
Some I've used are Massive and Sylenth like you guys, and TalBassline which is free. I have the demos for massive and sylenth though. They're so dang expensive!!!

ezelkow1
06-13-2012, 10:10 AM
Some I've used are Massive and Sylenth like you guys, and TalBassline which is free. I have the demos for massive and sylenth though. They're so dang expensive!!!

Find 2nd hand licenses, buy for half price. Though really at this point Im not sure Id buy sylenth. Theres plenty of other synths out there than sound the same, cost less, and have actual developer support. Sylenth hasnt been touched in 4 years, and people are still having x64 mac issues without any update what so ever from the dev, only some slight promise on a forum that he may not have abandoned it all together, which who knows if he is just saying that to keep people buying. This is coming from someone who does own it, it is great to start on and does sound good, but theres way more out there

Roshanbhoj
06-13-2012, 11:14 AM
Find 2nd hand licenses, buy for half price. Though really at this point Im not sure Id buy sylenth. Theres plenty of other synths out there than sound the same, cost less, and have actual developer support. Sylenth hasnt been touched in 4 years, and people are still having x64 mac issues without any update what so ever from the dev, only some slight promise on a forum that he may not have abandoned it all together, which who knows if he is just saying that to keep people buying. This is coming from someone who does own it, it is great to start on and does sound good, but theres way more out there

I didn't know you could buy second hand licenses for synths. That's good news. Just wondering where I would find one selling. What are the best free synths out there guys?

ezelkow1
06-13-2012, 11:20 AM
Alot of production forums have 2nd hand marketplaces. Kvr audio is the big one for 2nd hand vst licenses, but you can also find em on gearslutz, ableton forums, and alot of other daw forums

mostapha
06-13-2012, 11:56 AM
Plus DJF has a buy/sell section. Probably less activity on synths than DJ gear, 'cuz…well…it's a DJ site. But you might get lucky.

Also…if you're a student, a lot of places have very good student discounts.

login
06-13-2012, 12:57 PM
It's not very common to see a licence go as low as half price in the 2nd hand market.

For native instruments stuff I will just wait for november when they have a 50% sale. Almost all other software companies have sales around december.

ezelkow1
06-13-2012, 01:20 PM
It's not very common to see a licence go as low as half price in the 2nd hand market.

For native instruments stuff I will just wait for november when they have a 50% sale. Almost all other software companies have sales around december.

Not sure which ones your looking at, probably 90% of the software I have I got it 2nd hand and it was all around half price. The only exception being u-he software since they never do sales, only early adopter discounts, their 2nd hand sale prices are usually higher than everyone else.

Hygro
06-13-2012, 02:06 PM
I got student logic discount for 40% the price. schwing. No upgrades though. But I hear new Logic is cheaper.

Votum
06-13-2012, 02:48 PM
Anyone mess with the Casio XWG1 it seems like it has a lot of cool capabilities and its not too terribly expensive http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/XWG1

djshire
06-13-2012, 05:18 PM
Anyone mess with the Casio XWG1 it seems like it has a lot of cool capabilities and its not too terribly expensive http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/XWG1
Cool yes, but I do not recommend it as a first hardware synth. Get a Roland Gaia.

punky
06-14-2012, 11:37 AM
Just Operator and occasionally Analog in Ableton. I figure I need to master those before I justify spending any more money on any more instruments.

Hygro
06-14-2012, 05:21 PM
Just Operator and occasionally Analog in Ableton. I figure I need to master those before I justify spending any more money on any more instruments.

Good choice. Operator is a good one to understand.

thehadgi
06-14-2012, 06:57 PM
I want to check out Uh-e Diva. Apparently has some awesome analogue modeling

EDIT: Holy crap! Arturia is offering their minimoog (scaled back a bit, not matrix routing I think) for free!! In 6 days

http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/products/minimoogv/minimoogv-original.html

Good minimoog replication with polyphony! Gonna grab it :D

ezelkow1
06-14-2012, 08:09 PM
I want to check out Uh-e Diva. Apparently has some awesome analogue modeling

It is very good, then again I dont have any original ones to compare it to but it sounds good to my ears. I <3 all of u-he's stuff. I do have one snippet on soundcloud that uses it for bass but it isnt very prominent so its not really a good representation of it, then again it sort of is since it can sit in a mix well. Definitely try the demo and if you have an i-series processor turn on the multithreaded button in the middle, can make a world of difference since with long release times diva will eat any cpu alive. The demo does have random crackles, so if you hear them it might not be your cpu dying