Bread an butter VSTi

dacide

dacide

New member
I'm producing since about 1 year after dj'ing for seven years.
Started out with warez... but i hate it when i get viruses or other damaged software.

So now i reached the point where i want to format my PC and step over to legally bought software.

I have no unlimited resources so i have to start with:
1x Ableton Live 8 (perhaps the normal version is enough for me.. don't need the suite version)
1x VSTi Synth.

Because i only have the money for 1 (or maybe 2) soft synth i would like to have a bread an butter plugin. I mainly aim at genres like techno, techhouse and minimal.

i'm now taking the next vst's as an option:

Sylenth1: sounds good, nice GUI, no PWM, perhaps bit outdated
NI Massive: sounds very good, bit confusing GUI, CPU heavy
U-He Zebra or Ace: Nice GUI, sounds good, "coloured and recognizable sounds
Rob Papen Predator: ok GUI, sounds ok, lot of possibilities (i also had a synth workshop at Rob Papen's studio last year.. was very nice)
Arturia synths (like jupiter, moog etc): Love the design, sounds good, but maybe a bit to vintage to fit correctly in modern dance music (techno/techhouse/minimal)

I also use the launchpad, nocturn and axiom 25 (soon replaced by novation sl 49 mk2)

Is there someone who has another good tip for me?

I really love the sounds of romplers like Nexus2... but i want to tweak and design sounds.. so no rompler for me (right now)
 
I use Massive as my bread and butter. I have Maschine and use Massive for any synth sounds I need. It's a great synth, however the sound is pretty dark. If you want happy sounds its a little more difficult to coax from Massive, but definitely doable. Once you get used to the interface it's pretty intuitive.

I've never used another traditional synth plugin extensively (I use synplant for fun sometimes), so I can't say anything on the quality of the other ones.
 
dacide said:
Because i only have the money for 1 (or maybe 2) soft synth i would like to have a bread an butter plugin. I mainly aim at genres like techno, techhouse and minimal.
Click to expand...

If only one, and for those genres, I'd say Reaktor or Alchemy.

If you could get two:
I'd say Reaktor or Alchemy and Wusikstation (its excellent and cheap too)

Reaktor and Alchemy could be a winner too.

Seriously, when on a budget, you should work with things that can cover many bases.

There are plenty of great freeware out there to fill any gaps left over.

Synthmaster 2.5, Zebra 2, and Twin 2 would be some good, flexible options to look at as well.
 
ObiK said:
For bread and butter sounds you should definitely check out SampleTank Free and if you like it check out SampleTank or Sonik Synth.
Click to expand...

But you have to say that. :D

---------- Post added at 11:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:12 AM ----------
stillfunkin said:
does IK Multimedia's samptank, sonik synth, have an future? does Sonic Reality and IK Multimedia still have a business relationship? i have noticed that Sonic Reality are developing their own products and joining forces with other developers...
Click to expand...

SampleTank has a future because version 3 should be here within a year I'd imagine. They are working on new sounds for it according to their Facebook page.

Sonic Reality has moved away from Sampletank because it hasn't been going anywhere lately. They make sounds for multiple developers. I see no reason why their SampleTank content won't pick back up if and when version 3 comes out (and if it is a success or not).

IK has a huge customer base, so there is no reason to think Sampletank 3 wouldn't be a huge success, especially with all the upgrade offers they will have to all those that have bought their line-up recently at a massive discount (always a sign something new is around the corner).

Sonik Synth should be dead and folded into the new flagship.

---------- Post added at 11:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:27 AM ----------
dacide said:
That one is not an option for me because it's a rompler and not a synth.. (correct me if wrong)
Click to expand...

It is a "rompler" in the sense that it is strictly sample-based as a product.

I don't think that you should necessarily rule out anything that uses samples though. Omnisphere, Alchemy, Wusikstation, etc. all use samples along with straight synthesis.
 
stillfunkin said:
does IK Multimedia's samptank, sonik synth, have an future? does Sonic Reality and IK Multimedia still have a business relationship? i have noticed that Sonic Reality are developing their own products and joining forces with other developers...
Click to expand...


Sampletank and the rest of our VI's have a bright future. You can follow the work on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150301378600147.536841.337617160146

Sonic Reality and IK have a great relationship. Stuff is in the works even if you don't always see or hear about it. :)

@Trusty I don't have to say anything really but if my company has a free option that can help why wouldn't I recommend it. :)
 
Atlantis? ugly interface but awesome synth and its free.

Whoa just realised i have been registered since 2006 and this is my first post... lurker haha :cool:
 
Last edited:
Out of the choices presented, I'd probably go with Zebra. Awesome sounds, great UI (that can accommodate both very simple and very complex stuff), apparently good 3rd party libraries as well if you're into that. Alchemy & Reaktor are obviously very good, but neither is very "bread and butter" in the sense that they're both a bit too daunting for the simple things.
 
My main plugin which also free is Synth1, theres plenty of banks for it and can provide a good variety of sounds if you know how to program it. Proteus or soundfonts usually get dug out for all the other non-synthy stuff like pianos, flutes etc.
 
Massive is actually a very easy synth to work with, and can cover quite a few bases as well. There are also plenty of tutorials for it online to help you get your fingers dirty. Reaktor would probably be a good purchase later down the line when you've got extra cash (and time) to spend, as it can get a bit daunting.

Tone2 Gladiator2 is another one you might want to look at, but I will admit that it can be a bit of a nuisance to program until you get used to the interface. The variety of sounds you can get from it are worth the trouble though. You could have a look at Electrax as well, from the reviews I've read it's a step ahead of Gladiator and less of a pain to program.
 
Massive is great, although a bit overwhelming (for me at least), when you first get into it. I recently was playing with Sawer, and I have to say I fell in love with it. If it has a demo version or something, definitely check it out.
 
thanks for all your good advice guys.

At the moment i'm still doubting between:
Tone 2 Gladiator
Sylenth 1

Later this year... (in about 2 or 3 months) i will also buy something "broad" like sampletank or omnisphere.
 
I think Zebra would be a good choice for the kinds of music you do if you can get used to it's interface. It's expensive, but it is powerful.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top