Synths with Intuitive Fast Workflow for Sound Design -- with Great Sound!

[Touch The Universe]

To all you sound designers or those who like to roll there own, I was wondering which synths were your favorite to program based on sound, but primarily with the most intuitive, fast, workflow. For me, it would be Spire, Diversion, Hive, Serum and Lush-101. Diversion, Serum, and Hive both have right click to assign modulation, which is essential imo to quickly creating and experimenting with sound. Dune 2 for instance, has a superb sound, but its modulation system simply isn't as fun to work with and takes quite a bit more time, clumsily messing with the mod matrix and drop down menus. A good start might be to list other synths that have such a modulation system?

[Daru925]

Massive... Multiple drag and drop, the performer, controlled randomization...
FM8 is pretty fast because its one giant modulation matrix, tempo sync mseg...
I dont use other synthsfor patch creation.

[stillshaded]

I'm still a big massive fan. It really has a great sound. It took me a while to admit it though.. I was put off by how utterly un analog it sounds. But now that's why I like it. i love how the macros' are just right there waiting to be assigned. Sometimes i get bummed out that I can just have ONE MORE MOD SLOT.. but.. it's not a big deal. Limitations are good for, I'll end up making the gnarliest synth patch and not writing a lick of music.

I love the way the virus is set up. In the lfo section, it has a slew of logically set up preset routings for the lfo's. this is such an easy way to start a patch. It's just set up very user friendly in general.

Dune 2 doesn't bother me so much the way it's set up. It's a little clunky at times, but when you're used to it, it's pretty quick.

I use massive and dune 2 most of the time. They are very complimentary.

[zerocrossing]

Omnisphere for sure. The architecture is pretty simple but you can get crazy with effects and modulation. Very well laid out.

[Taurus]

Serum is my absolute favorite synth.

[Lotuzia]

Massive... Multiple drag and drop, the performer, controlled randomization...
FM8 is pretty fast because its one giant modulation matrix, tempo sync mseg...
I dont use other synthsfor patch creation.

Massive perfectly illustrates a border case imho.

I enjoy the drag'n'drop mod system, but there are pros and cons, and in the cons :

* I often found myself short of mod slots for some targets while designing sounds for it
* It's difficult to decipher what I've programmed for a sound month ago at a glance

Whatever people think of the traditional modulation matrixes systems, it's the best for me to see at once what modulations are active/created in a patch in a central place, and within seconds to understand a patch.

Even better, in the Xils 4 Pin Matrix for example, I can see hundreds of modulations at once. To me, this is by far the best modulation system. And it was invented in the 70's .....

Then, at the end of the day, only the sound and results musicians will get by playing the patch counts. It doesnt matter if the SD sweated more/less to branch the mods. What matters is that the resulting preset will be enjoyable to play, expressive, organic, or less. So that for me, the ending sound and possibilies of a synthesizer are more important than the way I have to operate this or that mods. Ymmv.

[EnGee]

Razor is my favourite synth to create my own patches or modify what exist. I like how I have a visual feedback of the knobs like someone is moving them in real time! The design also is perfect and the sound is great.

Other synths that I like to load first, because of the fast results I can have with, are Monark, Dune 2, Waves Element and Codex. I'm still learning Dune 2 because it has many possibilities in the sound. It is however, very straight forward and that makes learning it and mastering it easier than other (hybrid) synths.

[lolilol1975]

Synthmaster

Just joking

[chaosWyrM]

it may be weird...but i still LOVE making my own patches with synplant. i dont know what it is...but with synplant i can always make those sounds in my head that give me problems in other synths.

i find it incredibly intuitive.

[chk071]

Waldorf Largo is super great for sound design. All important modulators are choosable for oscillators and filters right in the respective sections, e.g. FM, pitch mod and wavetable morph for the oscillators, and FM and cutoff modulators for the filter section, and all modulators like LFO's and envelopes are just a click away. It's really fun to tweak and fiddle, and it sounds splendid. My first choice for making sounds really.

I haven't really done much with it, but Zebra also looks like a nice synth regarding sound design workflow. Also has the modulators right in the sections being modulated, which is really a nice plus, because you don't have to fiddle in the mod matrix much that way. It's very popular here for sound design, due to that i guess.

[ThePresent]

You could try to just take a superb sounding synth with lots of modulation possibilities and really emerge yourself in the synth's particular workflow. After spending the time you will know it inside out and by your own perception, you will have a synth with great workflow.

[LFO8]

When fast and clear workflow is the main priority, I'd say Zebra.

[Robmobius]

Serum... Sounds fantastic and is very easy to use.

[Yorrrrrr]

DUNE 2.

[Fernando Carvalho]

DUNE 2.

+1