An Alternative To Reaktor?

[Ah_Dziz]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned MSoundFactory (MeldaProduction). It's hella powerful and has a non-trivial but easier-than-Reaktor learning curve. If it's FX you want, look at MXXX instead.

I figured they meant "build full effect/ synth". There's no shortage of modular stuff to program patches in. Even reaktor is still a very nice program. Melda sound factory/mxxx does allow for making your own "front panel" like reaktor and many other deeper modular platforms. I don't have any idea if the OP actually makes synths or anything like that, But the options with the level of programmability that reaktor provides were covered pretty quickly, and I don't really think the Melda stuff is as flexible (it is nice stuff and i use it often though). Reaktor is still probably the best reaktor alternative at the moment.

[Shabdahbriah]

Right...I genuinely clicked on this thread in the hope of seeing something interesting being recommended.

Something that may have passed under the radar of many is Cherry Audio's Java based Voltage Module Designer.

It's a free download, and can be used to make modules for your own use within Voltage Modular without paying the Commercial License fee.

https://store.cherryaudio.com/bundles/v ... e-designer

https://docs.cherryaudio.com/voltage-mo ... -operation

[THE INTRANCER]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned MSoundFactory (MeldaProduction). It's hella powerful and has a non-trivial but easier-than-Reaktor learning curve. If it's FX you want, look at MXXX instead.

I figured they meant "build full effect/ synth". There's no shortage of modular stuff to program patches in. Even reaktor is still a very nice program. Melda sound factory/mxxx does allow for making your own "front panel" like reaktor and many other deeper modular platforms. I don't have any idea if the OP actually makes synths or anything like that, But the options with the level of programmability that reaktor provides were covered pretty quickly, and I don't really think the Melda stuff is as flexible (it is nice stuff and i use it often though). Reaktor is still probably the best reaktor alternative at the moment.

See my post on page two of this thread where you will find a direct link to an ever-evolving project I started with Reaktor, there is a video of one version. Alternatively, check out the 'Inspire' menu of my site (see sig) to see them. Last year I started an ambitious project for a new extensive GUI redesign of UHE's Hive 2 involving an extra 10 thousand lines of scripting code, and new graphics. This is all front-end visuals and control rather than coding at the DSP level. The project was put on ice over the autumn, winter, and spring due to other commitments. Reskinning projects involving Dune 3 and Parawaves Rapid have been posted here for users to download as well as skins for Hive and Zebralette over the years, including for commercial Reaktor-based plugins. All these can be found on my site to download for free. Dune 3 has skins made but not for the latest update for it yet on my site. Zebralette's reskin was based on the first version that was released.

I remember hiding all my Melda plugins in Studio One and I wasn't aware of sound factory, dunno what MXXX is, it sounds like something that would direct me to some porn site lol.

[kmonkey]

Right...I genuinely clicked on this thread in the hope of seeing something interesting being recommended.

Something that may have passed under the radar of many is Cherry Audio's Java based Voltage Module Designer.

It's a free download, and can be used to make modules for your own use within Voltage Modular without paying the Commercial License fee.

https://store.cherryaudio.com/bundles/v ... e-designer

https://docs.cherryaudio.com/voltage-mo ... -operation

Never heard of it. Gonna check later. Thanks, that's exactly the info I was looking for. Something new (for me).

[swilow11]

I've been a Cubase user for years, recently trying out Bitwig. The ease of use of the Grid is one of the main reasons I'm pretty sure I'm switching. It seems to work a bit differently to Reaktor and uses much less processing power which is a huge plus. Would be interesting if it was opened to 3rd party developers. The bite oscillator creates some of the tastiest FM stuff I've heard.

[bboxdw]

Another long-time Cubase user here who also started using Bitwig and the Grid several years ago. I find it much easier to use than Reaktor. I occasionally tinker with Cardinal when I'm craving skeumorphism (also love the Surge modules), but I love the efficient and practical approach of the Grid. Bitwig and the Grid got some fun additional filter modules not long ago, and the modulation system is quite advanced.

[swilow11]

^Honestly, the lack of skeumorphism in the Grid is one of the reasons I like it more than Reaktor or VCV rack. As with Arturia GUIs, skeumorphic stuff often looks kinda cheesy. Bitwig Grid is clean and coherent and cognitively more straight forward for me. I can lose hours smashing random modules together, so fun.

[whyterabbyt]

Right...I genuinely clicked on this thread in the hope of seeing something interesting being recommended.

Something that may have passed under the radar of many is Cherry Audio's Java based Voltage Module Designer.

Just in case it gets overlooked by anyone expecting 'visual coding' like Reaktor, though, this specifically means that writing Java code is required.

Voltage Modules are written in Java, and all code is Java 8 SE compliant

[dmbaer]

... dunno what MXXX is, it sounds like something that would direct me to some porn site lol.

Actually, if there's such a thing as FX porn, MXXX would be a sterling example of it.

[Gribs]

Oh, if this RNBO thing works well, I wonder if Giorgio Sancristoforo (Gleechlab) might port some of his stand-alone, compiled (from Max) devices to VST format? He has some pretty cool creations.

Does Cabbage count? I think it is more like an audio programming environment. I was able to get the free version of Puremagetik’s “Lore” to compile and run. I don’t know much about it, but given what the Puremagneik guy has done with it, it seems fairly powerful and flexible.

One way to run Pure Data patches would be to use a Critter and Guitari Organelle, but those have been out of stock forever (Raspberry Pi shortage maybe?). I went back-and-forth over whether to buy one to the point where they were out of stock… typical me… well my job ate my life anyway.

muLab stuff is cool, but Mux does not support feedback, which might be important depending on intended use.

For the OP, are you looking for a graphical programming environment for audio and MIDI or a modular synthesizer?

[whyterabbyt]

One way to run Pure Data patches would be to use a Critter and Guitari Organelle

Their new Pocket Piano also runs PD (and Faust) not sure if it runs Organelle patches or whether you have to redo.

Another more DIY option would be a Bela and Beaglebone, which will run PD (and CSound and Supercollider.)
Or slightly longer way round with an ordinary Pi (and a suitable USB soundcard) which can also be a RNBO target.

Or if you can cope with Eurorack, the Nebulae2 is also Pi based and runs PD (or CSound or SC), or PD patches can be compiled to run on the Owl/Lich range (and you can also compile GEN for them in MAX). (And of course there's the brand new 4MS Meta Module eurorack module, which lets you run VCV and has tools for porting your own VCV modules to it.)

There are also a few options for Daisy Seed platforms, from desktop to Eurorack, a couple of brand new ones from Synthux literally just came out. You can do oldschool coding on the Daisy, including via Arduino IDE, but again you can compile GEN for MAX via the Oopsy package, or compile PD patches into code via a tool called PD2DSY.

but those have been out of stock forever (Raspberry Pi shortage maybe?).

Not sure, the shortage is mostly over, the Pi3 came back into stocks at most suppliers. But I think C&G were using the Compute Board 3 and I see that the the regular Pi 3B might now be discontinued, though stockists still have them, so the CB3 might be ended too. The Pi4 seems stocked everywhere, though, and so is the 5 which was released after the chipset shortages started to resolve.

Not sure if newer Compute Board 4 is a drop-in replacement for the 3, but the NebulaeV2 transitioned from 'ordinary' Pi3 to Pi4s, and you can do the swap yourself. Could be that redesigns are required though.

There are still quite a few projects Im aware of (eg MP4Museum sync'd video player, R_E_C_U_R video sampler) that still seem to be targetted primarily for Pi3, so transition seems slow generally. Hoping some of these might go straight to Pi5, though cooling needs to be way more of a consideration on them than the Pi3.

[THE INTRANCER]

For the OP, are you looking for a graphical programming environment for audio and MIDI or a modular synthesizer?

Well, the former is an environment in which to build more than just a synthesizer. So without transcending any further than that, this is what I meant.

[Doggo]

I think it will be many years before Reaktor will be toppled.
We are talking about a Synth development kit that has hundreds and thousands of hours sunk into it.
There is no alternative that covers such a wide range of Synthesis.

[Kalamata Kid]

I love Reaktor but wish it was multi-touch capable.
Wish also that it could host third party plugins.
and finally here
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/r ... r-library/
why do they not have a Midi Category.

Edit: It would be great if they listed all the commercial ensembles, instruments and blocks.

[jlgrimes11]

Max is probably the closest. I don't think their library of synths are as extensive as Reaktor but on the bright side, commercial Max4Live developers seem to be doing pretty good, but Max has a different learning curve than Reaktor. Reaktor seems to have a more robust user library (although alot of its stuff is old now but there are some great hidden stuff in the UL and pretty much everything is free). Max does have pretty cool effects and Samplers though.

Other than that I would look into various Modular VST environments (although Reaktor is more of an environment than a synth).

Reaktor is pretty unique as a VST and Im not sure if there ever will be anything like it in the future.