Grrrr.....tough choices, dunno what to softsynth to buy

channelite · Post by **channelite** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:20 pm

Stop by your local Guitar Center and pick up NI Komplete Synths for $199. Great deal. That's Massive, FM8, Absynth 4 and Pro 53.

roach808 · Post by **roach808** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:23 pm

channelite wrote:Stop by your local Guitar Center and pick up NI Komplete Synths for $199. Great deal. That's Massive, FM8, Absynth 4 and Pro 53.

thats actually not too bad of a price, considering the synths listed, damn.

hows the 828mk3 btw

condra · Post by **condra** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 11:30 pm

channelite wrote:Stop by your local Guitar Center and pick up NI Komplete Synths for $199. Great deal. That's Massive, FM8, Absynth 4 and Pro 53.

Amazing deal.

channelite · Post by **channelite** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 11:47 pm

You have to go to the store to get it, it's not available online. I called before I went. Only one of the two GC's in Las Vegas had it. The only problem, which isn't really a problem, is getting familiar with these four synths at once, since they all can do so much. Right now I'm spending most of the time with Massive and the least with Absynth.

The 828 mk3 is great. No problems what so ever. I have since retired my Mackie 1402 and use the 828's mixer capabilities.

roach808 · Post by **roach808** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 1:06 am

Sux there isn't a GC around me currently.....*sigh*

Hidden Driveways · Post by **Hidden Driveways** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 1:56 am

I want this one:

http://www.gmediamusic.com/gforce/impos ... OSCar.html

NorthernMonkey · Post by **NorthernMonkey** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:09 am

Hidden Driveways wrote:I want this one:

http://www.gmediamusic.com/gforce/impos ... OSCar.html

impOSCar has been out for a while. Quality softie.

Machinesworking · Post by **Machinesworking** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 3:20 am

roach808 wrote:
landrvr1 wrote:...

hardware.

My thoughts exactly.

my old rig, before I had to sell most of it.

Damn? I would have probably done whatever it took not to sell the Andromeda. That's gotta hurt.

I'm hoping I don't end up doing the same. Just bought a fuck ton of hardware, tired of software.
Personally I'm still big on real analog. Just picked up a Sequential Circuits Split-Eight,

and an Oberheim Xpander is on it's way here monday. Wanted one of these since I was a kid.

deva · Post by **deva** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 6:11 am

NorthernMonkey wrote:
For VA's zebra is number one.

couldn't agree more

deva · Post by **deva** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 6:23 am

roach808 wrote:
channelite wrote:Stop by your local Guitar Center and pick up NI Komplete Synths for $199. Great deal. That's Massive, FM8, Absynth 4 and Pro 53.
thats actually not too bad of a price, considering the synths listed, damn.

It is a fine price for sure... I got the first 3 really cheap online a while back... Not sorry I got em at that price, but I don't use em all that much. You can demo them online. I did and was not planning to buy them and then the great price came along. My main use is Absynth4 because it can do some fine granular synthesis and a bit of Massive with some glitchy noise presets I made. I would much rather have Zebra than all of the NI synths.

My point being, you should buy what really pleases you sonically, not just cause there is a good deal.

amcnally336 · Post by **amcnally336** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 1:19 pm

Roach,
Damn...that was a nice set-up. I have an Andromeda and LOVE IT! I really can't stand the sound of most soft synths now that I have it!
Have you ever played on a REAL MS-20! If you dig that sound, you should TOTALLY get one! My friend has one and that thing just SHREDS paint off the walls. NO soft synth comes close to capturing those filters...NO WAY, NO HOW!!!!! The unit is pretty small too! They come up used pretty frequently but they are starting to go UP in value as more people realize what a ridiculously angry and mean monster this is. It actually covers what I would say is the Andromeda's weakness...you can get those types of sound on the Andromeda but you have to work to do it...the MS-20 just works right out of the box!
Anyway, for softies definitely check out Sylenth...I prefer it over Zebra, although Zebra is also top notch! I also REALLY like Z3ta, and it is ridiculously cheap to pick up these days and is VERY versatile. Also, Papen's Albino is one I like alot. I really WANT to like the modeled analog synths, but IMO, they are nowhere near the sound of REAL ANALOG, so what's the point...At least Sylenth, Zebra and Virus are unique instruments that have their own sonic character rather than being second rate copies of a much better sound! If you want Analog...BUY ANALOG!
If you still have the Andromeda, you have %90 of the territory covered. Get a very angry monosynth and you will be covered!
Also, check out DSI Evolver desktop if cost and size is an issue. You can get them for $350 on the used market, and I believe that is such a ridiculous price for such a powerful synth that EVERYONE should have one...plus you can feed external instruments into it (guitar, drum machine...), much like the Korg. Don't go by the factory presets (obviously a very good general principle). You can get A LOT of the digital timbres with the waveforms but having 2 analog oscillators to layer in along with 2 analog filters is just a sonically different universe than pure digital...does wonderful things to the sound!! It will also REALLY teach you to program synths...there is a GREAT resource called "The definitive guide to Evolver". Check it out on the net...you will learn all you need to know in an accessible manner!
To wrap up:
1) buy an MS-20 or
2) Get a desktop Evolver and Z3ta (cheap powerful, a no brainer really)
3) Sylenth, Zebra, Arturia,, or NI
4) All of the above!!

Personally I would go with 4, and pick up an Andromeda if you sold yours
( Shame on you!)...The Andromeda will go UP in value as soon as it is disco'd, which will probably be this year!

Good Luck!!

roach808 · Post by **roach808** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 10:00 pm

Machinesworking wrote: Personally I'm still big on real analog. Just picked up a Sequential Circuits Split-Eight,

and an Oberheim Xpander is on it's way here monday. Wanted one of these since I was a kid.

Xpander, you lucky rat-bastard. I've been lusting after one of those slick mofo for years.

amcnally336 wrote:Roach,
Damn...that was a nice set-up. I have an Andromeda and LOVE IT! I really can't stand the sound of most soft synths now that I have it!
Have you ever played on a REAL MS-20! If you dig that sound, you should TOTALLY get one! My friend has one and that thing just SHREDS paint off the walls. NO soft synth comes close to capturing those filters...NO WAY, NO HOW!!!!! The unit is pretty small too! They come up used pretty frequently but they are starting to go UP in value as more people realize what a ridiculously angry and mean monster this is. It actually covers what I would say is the Andromeda's weakness...you can get those types of sound on the Andromeda but you have to work to do it...the MS-20 just works right out of the box!
Anyway, for softies definitely check out Sylenth...I prefer it over Zebra, although Zebra is also top notch! I also REALLY like Z3ta, and it is ridiculously cheap to pick up these days and is VERY versatile. Also, Papen's Albino is one I like alot. I really WANT to like the modeled analog synths, but IMO, they are nowhere near the sound of REAL ANALOG, so what's the point...At least Sylenth, Zebra and Virus are unique instruments that have their own sonic character rather than being second rate copies of a much better sound! If you want Analog...BUY ANALOG!
If you still have the Andromeda, you have %90 of the territory covered. Get a very angry monosynth and you will be covered!
Also, check out DSI Evolver desktop if cost and size is an issue. You can get them for $350 on the used market, and I believe that is such a ridiculous price for such a powerful synth that EVERYONE should have one...plus you can feed external instruments into it (guitar, drum machine...), much like the Korg. Don't go by the factory presets (obviously a very good general principle). You can get A LOT of the digital timbres with the waveforms but having 2 analog oscillators to layer in along with 2 analog filters is just a sonically different universe than pure digital...does wonderful things to the sound!! It will also REALLY teach you to program synths...there is a GREAT resource called "The definitive guide to Evolver". Check it out on the net...you will learn all you need to know in an accessible manner!
To wrap up:
1) buy an MS-20 or
2) Get a desktop Evolver and Z3ta (cheap powerful, a no brainer really)
3) Sylenth, Zebra, Arturia,, or NI
4) All of the above!!

Personally I would go with 4, and pick up an Andromeda if you sold yours
( Shame on you!)...The Andromeda will go UP in value as soon as it is disco'd, which will probably be this year!

Good Luck!!

Trust me, I did not want to sell the A6 but its one of those things that happens when you have to pay off a piece of real estate to get your independence back kinda thing. One of friends used to own both an MS-20 and an MS-10. Its safe to say that is mosdef got me hooked on analog tone from the get go. Maybe one of these days I'll get an A6 again, but the really analog monster I've been lusting after for years is the Jupiter 6. Thats is hands down my favorite analogue beast of all time. Its probably one more reason I didn't get the Arturia JP8v. Dunno, the JP6 had such a great sound to everything from it Osc section, and especially the filter section. My ears just couldn't be fooled by softsynth action. Anyho, I'm rather stoked bout the legacy bundle. Its not the real deal, but I still have enough analogue processing around to warm it up abit.