Ableton Forum

i have a few things i use all the time. but im allways downloding demos thinking i need yet another synth.
with todays softsynths are they really capable of make all the sounds we need today?
whats ur view on this?

nothing sounds like hardware, mixing them gives you twice the musical depth

try layering a soft-synth bass WITH an old roland bass

djfm wrote:i have a few things i use all the time. but im allways downloding demos thinking i need yet another synth.
with todays softsynths are they really capable of make all the sounds we need today?
whats ur view on this?

you have massive, zebra 2, and reason 4. you have not even begun to tap the potential of your soft synths... I would say the best sound designers and producers in the world are not nearly tapping 100% of what their gear is capable of.

I feel like I am at the very beginning of trying to open up my virtual studios potential.

djfm wrote:with todays softsynths are they really capable of make all the sounds we need today?
whats ur view on this?

This very question came up in conversation last night. There were probably 5 of us that produce, or at least try our best.

This is another one of those topics that gets the nerds in a frenzy... similar to the Vinyl vs. Digital debate.

What most of us thought last night was that yes the soft-syths probably can do what the analog synths can, however most of us don't. The hardware has a lot going for it in terms of control and feel for the user that the computer doesn't. Also with Analog synths there can always be an argument made that the analog sound is pure, anything software based is going to be an estimation of analog, no matter how great the computer is. Can most of us hear the difference? Probably. Especially when it comest to manipulating LFO in a wobbly bass line...

Try making the Bassline from Mr. Oizo's Flat beat with a softsynth.

hi mr hurz, do you know with what gear Mr oizo worked this fat huge bass?

ATC-X ?
Moog's ?

I'm in those considerations since times, I mean analog VS sofware synths.

I've got a virus Ti. but seems to much complicated or specs-fuelled for me.

I'm aiming to get something FAT like we love so much, that warms your ears and heart... that can be hard or softly smooth, but always deep and massive...

Minimonsta vst is something terribly pleasing (besides the cpu over-consumption), but still software (with all problems -cpu, mouse click or midi controller assignements, ...)

ATC-X seems terrifiying... (listen to the demos at studio electronics !)...

any idea ?

cheers

There is a LOT of amazing shit you can do with a simple 2-3 oscillator synth with a filter and an amplifier. Maybe toss in FM and some LFOs, and shit son, it's kickin'.

Aside from my earlier moans about software...

When it comes to sounds software can do pretty much anything digital can. The only things that will be affected is the signal to noise floor and the tactile-ness of it. With hardware or a hardware controler its all mapped out in front of you for easy tweaking (..well in most synths )

I think in this day and age it'll take a severe genius who knows his/her synths in and out to be able to spot the difference between a virtual analogue and a real analogue. And even then I'l doubt if they can spot the difference all the time.

I think until someone, some bright spark, comes up with a real new and interesting synthesis technique the available synths out there (new and old) are pretty much the limits of what can be done. Once you hit the limits of physics and chemistry that'll be your lot though.

I WANT CHEMICAL SYNTH !

monstrejumo wrote:I WANT CHEMICAL SYNTH !

Not quite what I meant.

Minimonsta vst is something terribly pleasing (besides the cpu over-consumption), but still software (with all problems -cpu, mouse click or midi controller assignements, ...)

I vouch for the Minimonsta, it's a terribly fun synth to use and has one of those interfaces that just makes you want to play with it. I know what you mean by cpu over-consumption, but you can always flatten the audio and then turn off the vst. I do this once I start adding effects on top of it, eq and the such. Although for live performance I suppose this is not an option, but hey, it's not as bad as Absynth.

djfm wrote:i have a few things i use all the time. but im allways downloding demos thinking i need yet another synth.
with todays softsynths are they really capable of make all the sounds we need today?
whats ur view on this?

Hey - You have Massive there... learn it inside and out - you shouldnt need another synth! Unless your after a new collection of presets... Massive is able to create just about anything you want.

Drop me a mail and i'll send you a whack of presets i've made/found on my internet travels.

This is definitely next on my list. woot!


http://www.waldorfmusic.de/en/products/ ... d_overview

There's but one synth to end your gear mongering misery, The Buchla 200e:

http://www.buchla.com/200e/index.html

Buy it and you will have a happy smile on your face, and not to mention a black hole in your bank account (eventually it might suck the life out of you )!

Vinyl will NEVER die!!!!!

Wait, what?

sxezskoz,

do you have some links where I can download some tracks you made with minimonsta?

I know this vst is really fun to play with, I'm downloading the demo for the second time (Had it once installed but, dunno why, uninstalled it after deciding I wanted hardware...)

I come from a 'live" background, and the Idea to sample my synths is progressively reaching my mind...

I just begin to accept this idea, since It would allow me to have one cpu-light live-tweakable bassline out of the vst, and samples of cpu-eater, complicated synth fx runnig in parallel, without making the hole thing crash...

okay, cheers everyone