What are your favourite instruments, that are surprisingly low on CPU?

[Ingonator]

The new Arturia Synclavier V seems to be quite light on CPU, even with multiple layers and using high quality settings in the preferences. As this is not an analog modeling synth (it's additive + FM) high CPU maybe should not be expected.

[Ah_Dziz]

Kontakt is the most CPU efficient guy around. I'm working on some demo tracks and its reporting anywhere from 50 to 150 voices with the CPU meter down below 20 % at all times. This is on my laptop. On my real machine the performance is at least twice that. But then absynth, massive, fm8, zebra, Microtonic(it doesn't even register), drumatic (also seems to have no effect on the meters), omnisphere 2 seems crazy low with most of my homemade patches (I haven't really looked through any presets so I'm guessing some use a good amount of CPU considering the nature of the thing). Really it's mix processing that eats all my juice these days.

[fischkopf]

Audjoo Helix should be mentioned as well.

[Echoes in the Attic]

Synplant, imposcar2, Absynth5, FM8

[exmatproton]

Kontakt is the most CPU efficient guy around. I'm working on some demo tracks and its reporting anywhere from 50 to 150 voices with the CPU meter down below 20 % at all times. This is on my laptop. On my real machine the performance is at least twice that. But then absynth, massive, fm8, zebra, Microtonic(it doesn't even register), drumatic (also seems to have no effect on the meters), omnisphere 2 seems crazy low with most of my homemade patches (I haven't really looked through any presets so I'm guessing some use a good amount of CPU considering the nature of the thing). Really it's mix processing that eats all my juice these days.

I don't agree about Kontakt. Sure, it can be light and i can usually use a lot of instances. But it depends on what you load.

Microtonic is indeed soo awesome. So light and powerful.

[Ah_Dziz]

Kontakt is the most CPU efficient guy around. I'm working on some demo tracks and its reporting anywhere from 50 to 150 voices with the CPU meter down below 20 % at all times. This is on my laptop. On my real machine the performance is at least twice that. But then absynth, massive, fm8, zebra, Microtonic(it doesn't even register), drumatic (also seems to have no effect on the meters), omnisphere 2 seems crazy low with most of my homemade patches (I haven't really looked through any presets so I'm guessing some use a good amount of CPU considering the nature of the thing). Really it's mix processing that eats all my juice these days.

I don't agree about Kontakt. Sure, it can be light and i can usually use a lot of instances. But it depends on what you load.

Microtonic is indeed soo awesome. So light and powerful.

Some of the newer libraries that use heavy scripting and that make heavy use of the TMpro algorithm can eat some cycles, but a 5 GB drum kit with multi mics that has eq, compression, transient master on every channel and also has sends to two convolution reverbs and averages about 30 to 60 voices while playing uses less than 1% on my machine. That's pretty efficient to me.

[EnGee]

My favourite instruments that are low on my CPU:

- Massive, FM8 and Absynth
- Largo
- Dune 2
- SEM V and Analog Lab 2 (Many great Synclavier presets and very nice organs)
- Polysix and Mono/Poly
- SynthMaster
- Virtual CZ

- Bitwig Drum Machine, FM-4 and Polysynth

[FrankLaVerne]

Dune 1 (BE) and Sylenth1 had a significant lower CPU usage on my system using FL Studio compared to Hive and Spire when (some kind of) Unison was involved - around half to be exact. Tested that with 2x saw OSC and full unison ("FAT" for Dune1) using 32 Bit DAW and plugins (can't confirm that for 64 Bit). While I agree that results will differ a LOT when using more complex patches, I wanted to keep the comparison as simple as it can get.

To my surprise, Serum was en par with Hive and Spire considering the mentioned "simple" setup. On the other hand, when I choose a factory preset using the full (wavetable) capabilities of Serum, the CPU usage jumps up to 20-40% depending on the preset - which is no surprise at all

YMMV, especially with different DAWs and presets - what I rather want to mention is that I'd personally prefer Dune 1 and Sylenth1 for "simpler" sounds to make some headroom for another instance of a CPU heavier VSTi if necessary.

[e@rs]

Microtonic

LinPlug Alpha 3

[brainzistor]

Kontakt is the most CPU efficient guy around. I'm working on some demo tracks and its reporting anywhere from 50 to 150 voices with the CPU meter down below 20 % at all times. This is on my laptop. On my real machine the performance is at least twice that.

First of all, Kontakt is not an instrument, it's a sampler. Samplers eat HDD and RAM, not CPU. It's simply inappropriate to put samplers into the same basket with soft synths that generate the sound themselves and to talk about CPU efficiency.
Second, find me one sampler that is a CPU hog, good luck with that.
Also, if some sound library can work as SFZ and doesn't require scripting madness which Kontakt provides, I'll take Zampler and Sforzando over Kontakt any time.

Anyways,
Synth1, Dune, Sylenth, Hive, Tone2 Firebird, Predator, Pro-53, FM7, FM8, Dexed...these come first to my mind.

[Dasheesh]

The one with the least amount of modulations and the most lifeless filters.

[thecontrolcentre]

Ukelele
Melodica
Guitar
Bongos

[Ah_Dziz]

Kontakt is the most CPU efficient guy around. I'm working on some demo tracks and its reporting anywhere from 50 to 150 voices with the CPU meter down below 20 % at all times. This is on my laptop. On my real machine the performance is at least twice that.

First of all, Kontakt is not an instrument, it's a sampler. Samplers eat HDD and RAM, not CPU. It's simply inappropriate to put samplers into the same basket with soft synths that generate the sound themselves and to talk about CPU efficiency.
Second, find me one sampler that is a CPU hog, good luck with that.
Also, if some sound library can work as SFZ and doesn't require scripting madness which Kontakt provides, I'll take Zampler and Sforzando over Kontakt any time.

Anyways,
Synth1, Dune, Sylenth, Hive, Tone2 Firebird, Predator, Pro-53, FM7, FM8, Dexed...these come first to my mind.

Kontakt is most definitely an instrument. A sampler is an instrument. They have been since their inception and spawned a whole generation on sample playback synths. Also Kontakt beats, not only every other sample based sample instrument on the market , but has better synthesis capabilities than many synths listed in this thread (which asked for "instruments with surprisingly low CPU usage" not "Digital waveform generating synthesizers with surprisingly low CPU usage"). It is indeed a very useful instrument. I've used it more than any other instrument I own to feed my family for years. Furthermore, if any other sample based synth does the same thing as Kontakt it pulls far more CPU cycles than Kontakt to do the same thing.

And alchemy was quite the CPU hog when released and is a sampler and not an instrument according to you so there you go.

Ace is also incredibly CPU efficient for how crazy it lets one get and how well it retains its sound quality when doing nutty things with it.

[Igro]

Retrologue 2. One of the finest VA synth. Still have 29 days to demo it, but don't like the protection scheme.

[4damind]

Steinberg Retrologue.