How many synthesizer are enough?
- KVRAF
- 2228 posts since 25 Feb, 2005 from Ganymede
Lately I've been getting into simple synths especially Bassline 101 which is a beauty, I borrowed an SH-101 back in the day for a long period and loved it's simplicity, in these days of mega synths it's easy to forget the charm of a limited architecture. Not that there is anything wrong with complex, I'm a synth junkie, I love them all.
I would find it hard to choose desert island synths, I like having a large selection, each synth brings it's own character and also influences the way you work with it, it's a 2 way relationship. Even though 2 synths can have a similar architecture you can create very different sounds based on your relationship with it.
However, many years ago I had a job writing music for documentaries and had to score/mix 1 1/2 hours in surround sound in 6 weeks which included recording the commentaries x2. I decided to limit myself to just 20 samples so that I wouldn't waste any time sourcing sounds and it worked really well. It's amazing how creative you can be with such a limitation and the score ended up feeling very "themed"
I would find it hard to choose desert island synths, I like having a large selection, each synth brings it's own character and also influences the way you work with it, it's a 2 way relationship. Even though 2 synths can have a similar architecture you can create very different sounds based on your relationship with it.
However, many years ago I had a job writing music for documentaries and had to score/mix 1 1/2 hours in surround sound in 6 weeks which included recording the commentaries x2. I decided to limit myself to just 20 samples so that I wouldn't waste any time sourcing sounds and it worked really well. It's amazing how creative you can be with such a limitation and the score ended up feeling very "themed"
- KVRian
- 778 posts since 21 Apr, 2016
I feel the same.Astralp wrote:it's a 2 way relationship. Even though 2 synths can have a similar architecture you can create very different sounds based on your relationship with it.
Nobody, Ever wrote:I have enough plugins.
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- KVRist
- 63 posts since 19 Sep, 2015
god says 5 are ok, allah dont like synths at all->0, buddha says you have enough karmic cycles to try out every synth ever.
my grandmother says you still didnt bring her the books you borrowd last year.
my grandmother says you still didnt bring her the books you borrowd last year.
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- KVRAF
- 4079 posts since 2 Jul, 2005
I have over a hundred synths and still buy about 2 a year. I use them more often than one would think but it's definitely overkill. I started and got my career moving with 3 synths and 2 rack samplers. I guess that's probably more than enough. If you do this for a living though you can write off all the vsts you buy so (I tell myself) the more the merrier.
JJ
JJ
Don't F**K with Mr. Zero.
- KVRian
- 778 posts since 21 Apr, 2016
What the hell is that?!Ah_Dziz wrote:I have over a hundred synths and still buy about 2 a year. I use them more often than one would think but it's definitely overkill. I started and got my career moving with 3 synths and 2 rack samplers. I guess that's probably more than enough. If you do this for a living though you can write off all the vsts you buy so (I tell myself) the more the merrier.
JJ
*Steals a couple synths*
Nobody, Ever wrote:I have enough plugins.
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- KVRist
- 63 posts since 19 Sep, 2015
"the more the merrier" -> no2 secret tip of the happy-merry-birthmas-guide to live a balanced life and become a perfect human being
buy as much products as it takes to slowly forget who you are...and porblem sovled, now you have to prepare for level 3
buy as much products as it takes to slowly forget who you are...and porblem sovled, now you have to prepare for level 3
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- KVRist
- 200 posts since 12 Aug, 2013 from LA
People used to always tell me that you should only have no more than THREE softsynths and then learn them extremely well. And I was dumb enough to believe that sort of forum idiocy for a long time.
When I finally realised that was caring but also the typical wrong-headed advice I went out and bought a whole bunch more of them and learned those all extremely well.
My answer to the thread question: as many synths as you have, plus one more.
When I finally realised that was caring but also the typical wrong-headed advice I went out and bought a whole bunch more of them and learned those all extremely well.
My answer to the thread question: as many synths as you have, plus one more.
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- KVRAF
- 5818 posts since 9 Jul, 2002 from Helsinki
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- KVRist
- 406 posts since 27 Feb, 2014 from France
if you want to be the most productive you don t need much of them except if you like to loose time browsing presets and learning to progam them..i could apply that advice first to me but it s true... take the 2 or 3 best softsynth out there you could be fine for makign music for 10 years.. and you would probably make better music with these 2 or 3 sofsynth traped in your studio insteed of going at kvr everyday checking what is new like a drug addict
Analog electronic drum samples (Free demo pack)
http://www.syntheticwav.com
http://www.syntheticwav.com
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- KVRist
- 124 posts since 21 May, 2014 from USA
Not everyone works the same, though. Some people might get bored looking at the same synth all the time and need to switch it up to stay inspired.
- KVRAF
- 7365 posts since 9 Jan, 2003 from Saint Louis MO
During 2016 so far, I have purchased 8 pieces of hardware and 5 software (one of which was Korg Legacy Collection and one was Analog Lab 2, so one could argue it was 24 softsynths although many of those are very limited in scope) and wrote another (primitive) softsynth myself. Not counting effects.Synthetic Wav wrote:if you want to be the most productive you don t need much of them except if you like to loose time browsing presets and learning to progam them..i could apply that advice first to me but it s true... take the 2 or 3 best softsynth out there you could be fine for makign music for 10 years.. and you would probably make better music with these 2 or 3 sofsynth traped in your studio insteed of going at kvr everyday checking what is new like a drug addict
That's on top of dozens, if not hundreds of plugins I previously owned (not much hardware though).
It's just too bad about my "productivity" though -- I've only completed 42 tracks and two remixes so far, and this is the 34th week of the year. On top of my full time job, and a lot of time spent gaming.
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- KVRian
- 1071 posts since 27 Apr, 2016
At my current rate I am lucky to make 3-4 a year. I do put a lot into them though. Well I try to. It is no less enjoyable to make 3 or 4 that take a month or 2. I like to take it easy I try not to stress myself.
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- KVRer
- 15 posts since 21 Jul, 2016
People take the idea of only owning a couple synths as a mantra, when really it's just an exercise for putting constraints onto yourself.MarlaPodolski wrote:People used to always tell me that you should only have no more than THREE softsynths and then learn them extremely well. And I was dumb enough to believe that sort of forum idiocy for a long time.
When I finally realised that was caring but also the typical wrong-headed advice I went out and bought a whole bunch more of them and learned those all extremely well.
My answer to the thread question: as many synths as you have, plus one more.
If you need tools to make your job easier, get the tools.
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- Banned
- 3946 posts since 25 Jan, 2009
I am stunned you are still discussing this. World wide statistics have already shown that keyboardplayers/producers in average own 3,497812543723 synthesizers. Thus we can conclude that to all people in all contries, within all cultures, contexts, situations and for all possible purposes in past, present and future in this world, the next and all parallel universes that exist or will ever come to exist, should have minimum 3 synths and max 4. Anything above makes you a ressource wasting idiot, anything below, a poor ass that is not to be reckoned with.
And now I am going to report you all for species threatening low-intelligent behavior, making the whole human race vulnerable to the invasion of highly evolved space ants.
Have a nice life and parma ban, friggin degenerates.
And now I am going to report you all for species threatening low-intelligent behavior, making the whole human race vulnerable to the invasion of highly evolved space ants.
Have a nice life and parma ban, friggin degenerates.