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What is your honest opinion of today's softsynths? |
I don't use them....never will. |
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12% |
[ 3 ] |
I like to experiment with freeware synths, but that's it. |
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20% |
[ 5 ] |
I'm seriously considering buying softsynths. |
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12% |
[ 3 ] |
My whole studio is exclusively softsynths. |
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20% |
[ 5 ] |
I use softsynths onstage all the time. |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
Hmmmm....I'm undecided. |
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36% |
[ 9 ] |
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Total Votes : 25 |
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Synthoid Platinum Member
Joined: 17 Mar 2003 Posts: 3300 Location: PA, USA
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 1:18 am Post subject: Softsynths |
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Just thought I'd give this survey a shot. _________________ M3, Triton Classic, Radias, Motif XS, Alesis Ion |
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GregC Platinum Member
Joined: 15 May 2002 Posts: 9451 Location: Discovery Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 1:22 am Post subject: |
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I am impressed by the Arturia softsynths. After I buy an audio/midi interface for my Apple PowerBook, I will add the Moog and possibly others. _________________ Kronos 88. MODX8
Achieve your musical dreams
https://soundcloud.com/user-898236994 |
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RiotNrrd Platinum Member
Joined: 21 Jan 2002 Posts: 1853 Location: Portland Oregon Metro Area
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 1:55 am Post subject: |
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I had to vote "My whole studio is exclusively softsynths", although that isn't technically true. I DO have a Karma, a Triton, and an SY-77. But I no longer really use them. I now almost exclusively USE Reason 2.5, Reaktor 4.1, and Live 4. But there was no option for a mixed studio. |
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laughing_bear Platinum Member
Joined: 30 Jan 2002 Posts: 2970 Location: atlantic coast - northwest ireland
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 10:31 am Post subject: |
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My setup is changing, softsynths are a huge part in it, so will be Gigastudio, if they would only release version 3 finally. My piano needs will be served by a Promega 3, Karma is often part in the creative process, analog stuff on softsynths can be quite good such as albino 2 or moog modular etc, but I prefer the real thing and consider a studio electronics omega. Kontakt, I find it very powerfull and use it a lot. I usually have around 20 instances of softsynths in a piece, up and down.
I do not use freesynths at all anymore, I ran into too many problems with them, often poorly designed and not 100% conform with standards.
My favourites have to be Morphology, Atmosphere, Absynth, Cameloen and Cube, when it comes to pads and weired sounds. Trilogy is the ultimate for bass in my world, and X-phraze is like a karma on dope. I plan to make even more use of softsynths by using fxteleport.
Reason is good, but only when it runs via a different audio engine, the reason sound itself sucks big times, as "boxy and cheesy" I'd describe it, ok, you can use scream to beef it up, but it doesn't fix everything, I find it at best when rewired into Nuendo.
FX is very important to me and the likes such as PSP supply best of the best.
If I only could have 1 of them on the Island, I would take Kontakt with me, including that lacie with 250 gig of samples. |
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Sharp Site Admin
Joined: 02 Jan 2002 Posts: 18197 Location: Ireland
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 10:54 am Post subject: |
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Hi.
I picked the undecided option because I’ve had mixed results from anything I’ve tried so far. There’s no questioning the range of sounds and features available. The problem I find with them is that they can’t seem to offer clean notes when you play high notes.
Absynth especially comes to mind. It can sound absolutely awful on some patches when you start playing a high note. Where…. I have never experienced problems like that with my VA Synth (Virus), MOSS or Prophecy.
So at this point dedicated hardware just sounds far better to me. There’s also the fact that nobody will buy your software after you have finished with it years later. Where… I will have no problem selling my Virus KB. So there’s the investment side of this to consider too.
Regards.
Sharp. _________________
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Daz Retired
Joined: 01 Jan 2002 Posts: 10829
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 11:40 am Post subject: |
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Like Riot I chose "Exclusively Software" ... although I actually use a mixture. I use Attack and Battery for drums a lot, EXS-24 and Kontakt for sample playback, NI Abysnth, Emagic ES1/2 for synth sounds and soon I will be using my Korg Legacy stuff more too, once my OSX setup is more settled.
Sharp wrote: |
The problem I find with them is that they can’t seem to offer clean notes when you play high notes. Absynth especially comes to mind. It can sound absolutely awful on some patches when you start playing a high note.
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You can't say rude things about my fave Absynth !
You're right though That is due to some not some not so great anti-aliasing mechanisms in some soft synths. In defense of Absynth the latest version is greatly improved in that area and even sports a little anti-aliasing switch on each oscillator to help counter that effect and to give a smoother more analog sound.
Daz. |
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Lorenzo Platinum Member
Joined: 07 Sep 2002 Posts: 3681 Location: Italy
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 1:45 pm Post subject: |
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free soft synth for my powerbook (until a good release of kontakt will be released for osx)
regards, Lorenzo _________________ http://www.synthaddicted.com |
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Stephen Platinum Member
Joined: 28 Aug 2002 Posts: 4709
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Daz Retired
Joined: 01 Jan 2002 Posts: 10829
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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Sharp wrote: | There’s also the fact that nobody will buy your software after you have finished with it years later. Where… I will have no problem selling my Virus KB. So there’s the investment side of this to consider too. |
This is a fair point that needs to be remembered. However the economics are not quite as painful in all case... if you buy a hardware synth it depreciates in value pretty quickly so if you sell it later you might lose half the value you paid. That could mean losing £400 - £500. A copy of Abysnth is £135, so if you can't sell it (which I am not 100% sure is really true) you'd lose £135. If you have a load of soft synths you do stand to lose your investment potentially, but with a small number it's not greatly dissimilar to what you'd lose in the depreciation of a piece of hardware. So I am happy to have a small number of quality plugs, particularly of the likes of Absynth which can do things that hardware can't, and a sampler that is more convenient for my purposes than a hardware unit.
Blah ....
Daz. |
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Drew FM Platinum Member
Joined: 14 Oct 2003 Posts: 515 Location: Fenton, MI U.S.A
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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Call me weird, but I just need real tacticle knobs & buttons with blinking lights, screens & LED's. I don't get excited about dragging a mouse over a 'widget'. I want instant acess to all the power that my instument possesses.
And here, I will get to the real nitty-gritty of it: When I use my 'real' instuments, I am they're commander. When I use my comupter, I am it's slave. And I just don't like that feeling the computer gives me when I am in a creative mode.
Andrew Ford Melton _________________ Create to enjoy, not to destroy |
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RiotNrrd Platinum Member
Joined: 21 Jan 2002 Posts: 1853 Location: Portland Oregon Metro Area
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 3:40 pm Post subject: |
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When I use my comupter, I am it's slave.
Heh. Since I'm a computer programmer, I'm used to bossing my machine around IN EXACTING DETAIL. Which is probably why using softsynths doesn't bother me. |
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Sharp Site Admin
Joined: 02 Jan 2002 Posts: 18197 Location: Ireland
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 5:02 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Daz.
Quote: | This is a fair point that needs to be remembered. However the economics are not quite as painful in all case... if you buy a hardware synth it depreciates in value pretty quickly so if you sell it later you might lose half the value you paid. That could mean losing £400 - £500. A copy of Abysnth is £135, so if you can't sell it (which I am not 100% sure is really true) you'd lose £135. |
Yes..very true. Good point.
Everyone should have a PC regardless, so I won’t try throwing the cost of a PC into the discussion.
Quote: | In defense of Absynth the latest version is greatly improved in that area and even sports a little anti-aliasing switch on each oscillator to help counter that effect and to give a smoother more analog sound. |
Really !!!. That’s pretty good.
How well does it work now ?.
I’m just wondering because it’s a kick ass program. I like making a lot of deep evolving pads and Absynth is just the business for work like that. The only thing that put me off the program was the very loud and noticeable noise it suffers from when played in the upper register.
Regards.
Sharp. |
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dreamaiden Guest
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 10:45 pm Post subject: |
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Quote: | Call me weird, but I just need real tacticle knobs & buttons with blinking lights, screens & LED's. |
Heh, you would love the Andromeda.
When I move to the G5 I'm sure I will have a heyday experimenting with softsynths and may even adopt a few, but I have yet to hear anything that sounds as good as the Andromeda.
Sioux |
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blinkofanI Platinum Member
Joined: 17 May 2002 Posts: 776 Location: Quebec, Canada
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 2:27 am Post subject: |
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I'm pushed toward "the dark side" of soft synth a little more everyday. These days i only use Reason but i'm thinking of using it as sound module with my trinity's sequencer. Reason's sequencer is ok but using the Trinity's one is more ergonomic, less mousing around. After an hour or so of composing on the computer, i tend to have shoulder ache(or something like that, don't know how to translate that!!). Something i never experienced when i used to work on the Trinity.
As for live playing, if it wasn't for my Wavestation pitch bend who's doing crazy things in Reason, it would have been a while that i only bring the WS and iBookG4 on stage!!! The WS is just the perfect keyboard for Reason live(8-zone midi controller+ sounds don't cut off when you change performance number, lightweight but good action. Who could ask for anything more???)
Blink |
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Synthoid Platinum Member
Joined: 17 Mar 2003 Posts: 3300 Location: PA, USA
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 1:22 pm Post subject: |
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I wonder how most audiences would react to someone using a cheap MIDI controller hooked to a laptop on stage? Seems a bit tacky to me.
Or take this a step further.....how would YOU react at a YES concert if Rick Wakeman was using the above setup? _________________ M3, Triton Classic, Radias, Motif XS, Alesis Ion |
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