What synth do you actually USE the most in your own music????

[STi_NJ]

I'm always surprised when I see people with such long lists of plugins. I own Omnisphere 2, Avenger, Sylenth and Diva. Recently bought an NI controller, so I think it includes Monark. I'd say of all of those, it'd easily have to be Omnisphere 2 that gets the most use. All of them are quite fun though!

[smpetty]

you're using synths/samplers designed to emulate real instruments (which is why synths and samplers were originally created).

Instruments Used

Pianoteq 6
MODO Drums
MODO Bass
MusicLabs Guitars
EWQL Symphonic Orchestra

And those instruments are not synths and samplers?

Let's see. Thread title. What SYNTHS do you use.

Hmmm

Pianoteq 6 - NOT a synth
MODO Drums - NOT a synth
MODO Bass - NOT a synth
MusicLabs Guitar - NOT a synth
EWQL Symphonic Orchestra - NOT a synth

I don't know what YOUR definition of a synth is, but these are not MY definitions of synths.

My definition of synths?

Dune 3
Spire
Synthmaster 2
Legend
Biotek 2
ANA 2
Oxium
PolyM

In other words, things that make SYNTH sounds. Dub!

You want to call Pianoteq a synth? Knock yourself out. I don't give a crap enough to argue about this anymore.

My music, for the most part, is NOT synth based. I will not change my opinion on that and nobody here can make me change my opinion on that with all their ranting.

Oh, and to the other member here, good luck getting me banned from this forum when all I'm doing is calling out people for acting rude and nasty.

God I hate this place. 2020 ain't no different.

Wherever you go, there you are

[BONES]

I'm always surprised when I see people with such long lists of plugins. I own Omnisphere 2, Avenger, Sylenth and Diva.

Which means you've spent more money on plugin instruments than I have and I have over 30 in my VSTi folder. I prefer to use different tools for different purposes, rather than one big multi-tool for everything, and to keep the process simple until it needs to get complicated, rather than complicate it from the get-go.

You probably see "over 500 DSP Waveforms for the Synth Oscillator" and think "wow, that's amazing!", while I think "wow, that's a nightmare!". That's why I gravitate to simpler instruments like TRK-01 or Tyrell N6. Even something like ArcSyn, which pretty much fits on a single page UI, is basically ridiculous overkill for my needs. It bugs teh hell out of me that in order to get that high quality sound, I have to put up with so many useless, sparkly doo-dads just to keep the kiddies happy.

[e-crooner]

30?! I only have a handful of plugins, some of them demo versions I only keep around for sound reference.
I prefer to use just 1 or 2 plugins that I know inside out and can thus make every sound I need with.

[Jace-BeOS]

I use the stuff built into Logic most often, but I can’t say I ever use any one synth consistently most often (though Sculpture is cool, and everything else is perfectly useable, I’m not particularly crazy about the GUIs of any of them).

I do have a bunch of plugins at this point (nowhere near the state of hoarding as when I was on Windows and there were all those free VSTs), and I will choose one based on whether I want the kind of sound it might be best at...

...or if I’m feeling guilty about having spent money on something and not made a song with it yet

I’m particularly concerned about this issue with regard to my handful of hardware synths. I like them, but it’s generally rare that I use them in songs. I think it’s because software is instantly available and recallable, where as the hardware mostly demands config time and being recorded as audio tracks, and then left unchangeable without considerable effort.

Reaktor is definitely used a lot, but that’s not just one synth.

Since I’m driven by sounds, rather than melody, I like to have a wild palette to draw from. But I also don’t like to be paralyzed by too many choices (and I’m poor), so I don’t have much interest in continuing to acquire more and more stuff (paid or free).

TL;DR?

No single synth is used most often by me.

Edit: upon reflection, maybe PianoTeq (I love physical modeling synthesis of any type, but this one definitely is my default piano for almost all piano needs).

[Jace-BeOS]

Synths....YAWN!! I don't hear anything that rocks my world. Traditional instruments do more for me musically. Synths=noise except when they emulate traditional instruments. Synthesis was more about making emulations of "real" instruments at the beginning . I have never found noise satisfying or interesting. I rather hear real music by real musicians.

I love musical noise. My favorite musicians use lots of musical noise. Most of my sounds are layered under various types of distortion. I especially love when synthetic is combined with acoustic.

[nirm123]

30?! I only have a handful of plugins, some of them demo versions I only keep around for sound reference.
I prefer to use just 1 or 2 plugins that I know inside out and can thus make every sound I need with.

this is indeed a much smarter approach !

[CausticPuppy]

I keep trying other plugins but keep coming back to ZebraHZ. Layered with external electro-acoustic stuff like Korg Wavedrum and ATV aFrame.

[EnGee]

Well, it's difficult to choose one or two synths only (for me) because the kind of synthesis or/and synth character is usually difficult to replicate.
Even if derived from the same platform (like Reaktor). For example, Razor and Prism give very different sounds. Add different emulations and other kind of synthesis (FM, PD and Wavetable) and the number of synths increases even if I want to be minimal. Maybe "balance" is the best approach and this is what I'm doing by trying to be using about just 10 synths. But anyway for the past few days I'm using mainly Massive X, Sylenth1 and the Legend. They are really incredible synths, truly masterpieces

[BONES]

30?! I only have a handful of plugins, some of them demo versions I only keep around for sound reference.

Actually, I just did a count and it is currently sitting at 56, including the demo for Phase Plant which I am pretty sure I am going to buy. Some of them are only there for backwards compatibility, instruments I've used in an old song but probably won't use again. Things like Massive and Go2. I might eventually get around to replacing them with other things, then I can get rid of them altogether.

I prefer to use just 1 or 2 plugins that I know inside out and can thus make every sound I need with.

I don't find it that hard to learn how to use a synth, they are all basically similar and once you understand the concepts behind them, they are all much of a muchness in terms of feeling like I have a good grasp of how to get the most from them. Now and then you get weird things you have to learn how to use, like the LFOs in ArcSyn, but that's only 10 minutes of head scratching and manual reading.

Different synths have different strengths and it is often much faster to use one over another for a particular sound. e.g. I now have three different granular synths - Straylight is great for atmospheric stuff, Quanta does rhythmic stuff well and Pigments does a good job of making more "standard" synth sounds from it's sample/granular engine. So depending on what sort of sound I am looking for, I will pick one over the others, at least initially.

[BONES]

I’m particularly concerned about this issue with regard to my handful of hardware synths. I like them, but it’s generally rare that I use them in songs. I think it’s because software is instantly available and recallable, where as the hardware mostly demands config time and being recorded as audio tracks, and then left unchangeable without considerable effort.

Please don't be alarmed but I am about to agree with you on several points. I see my hardware as a completely separate thing to my DAW set-up. The DAW is for getting work done, my hardware is more for my own enjoyment. As you say, using hardware in production is so much effort and ultimately far too limiting. OTOH, it is a great way of coming up with ideas to take into the virtual realm and work on. All but one of the songs I've written in the last couple of years have come from an idea I had while playing around with my hardware.

Reaktor is definitely used a lot, but that’s not just one synth.

Ditto for Kontakt, or the free player in my case. I only have a few Kontakt instruments but they are among my favourites and I use them a lot. I'm also demoing Phase Plant at the moment, which is feeling like a cut-price, slightly higher level substitute for Reaktor. Maybe a bit like a more coherent version of Reaktor Blocks.

Since I’m driven by sounds, rather than melody, I like to have a wild palette to draw from. But I also don’t like to be paralyzed by too many choices...

I am very much the same but the paralysis for me comes from too many damned presets. I find something I think will work with a bit of tweaking but then I wonder if maybe there is something even better so I waste another half-hour on a fruitless search, instead of getting on with the work. That's why I tend to gravitate to simpler synths that rely a lot less on presets. Again, Phase Plant seems to have much to offer here, in that it can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. I find that very hard to resist. There is a certain pleasure to be had in having exactly the number of oscillators you need, no mare, with exactly the number of envelopes, LFOs and effects you need, too. Being able to place them where you want to in the signal path is just the icing on the cake. Dog damn it! I am going to have to buy PP, aren't I?

Add different emulations and other kind of synthesis (FM, PD and Wavetable) and the number of synths increases even if I want to be minimal.

I don't think about it those terms. I don't think "this needs to be an FM patch" or "this needs to sound as analogue as possible". e.g. I've used subtractive synths, FM synths and even PD synths for basslines over the years. They all work as well as one another and even a discerning listener would sometimes have trouble working out how I had done them. e.g. Sometimes a purely V/A bassline with no cross-modulation can sound very FMish. I look at it much more form the perspective of which specific instrument is going to get the job done most easily. After all, these days most good VSTi offer multiple forms of synthesis anyway.

[Teksonik]

If we look at different synths like spices when you're cooking a meal you can see how they all bring a different "flavor" to the dish or the track.

For example Dune 3 is a little "sweeter" to my palate while Hive 2 brings a bit more bite and so on.

If you're only using Salt and Pepper then all your dishes will start to taste the same after awhile. Maybe that's what some people want but just as with my meals I like variety.....

[e-crooner]

30?! I only have a handful of plugins, some of them demo versions I only keep around for sound reference.

Actually, I just did a count and it is currently sitting at 56, including the demo for Phase Plant which I am pretty sure I am going to buy. Some of them are only there for backwards compatibility, instruments I've used in an old song but probably won't use again. Things like Massive and Go2. I might eventually get around to replacing them with other things, then I can get rid of them altogether.

I prefer to use just 1 or 2 plugins that I know inside out and can thus make every sound I need with.

I don't find it that hard to learn how to use a synth, they are all basically similar and once you understand the concepts behind them, they are all much of a muchness in terms of feeling like I have a good grasp of how to get the most from them. Now and then you get weird things you have to learn how to use, like the LFOs in ArcSyn, but that's only 10 minutes of head scratching and manual reading.

Different synths have different strengths and it is often much faster to use one over another for a particular sound. e.g. I now have three different granular synths - Straylight is great for atmospheric stuff, Quanta does rhythmic stuff well and Pigments does a good job of making more "standard" synth sounds from it's sample/granular engine. So depending on what sort of sound I am looking for, I will pick one over the others, at least initially.

Sure, but almost all the music I like is from 35 to 40 years ago, back then they only had analog synths and it was enough, obviously. Why wouldn't it today, provided one doesn't make EDM? A good analog-type synth can also make a wide range of sounds, but it's important one knows it inside out. Just recently I accidentally discovered a nice trick to make authentic string sounds on a subtractive synth.

I am looking forward to Synapse Audio's upcoming Oberheim emulation, might as well become my new default synth for everything.

Of course it won't do wavetable, granular, FM etc., but I don't need that anyway. I am more interested in the music as such, so the sounds are not that important, in many cases virtually exchangeable. A cool bass line is a cool bass line, any good bass patch will do. Same goes for pads and what not.

[nirm123]

If we look at different synths like spices when you're cooking a meal you can see how they all bring a different "flavor" to the dish or the track.

For example Dune 3 is a little "sweeter" to my palate while Hive 2 brings a bit more bite and so on.

If you're only using Salt and Pepper then all your dishes will start to taste the same after awhile. Maybe that's what some people want but just as with my meals I like variety.....

the salt and pepper analogy is wrong IMO since modern monstrous synths (Massive x, Rapid, Avenger, Pigments and more) all have a huge variety of sounds they can produce so even using solely Massive x or Rapid for a whole album shouldn't make it sound the same if you know the synth well enough. with such capable tools you have only your imagination to set the limits of the variety of sounds you can achieve.

[kevvvvv]

Avenger used all the time here.

So much I can do with it.