Good minimal or tech synthetizer

shypht · Post by **shypht** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:04 pm

I think the key to making a synth sound good, is sitting down and playing with it / learning how to use it.

If you just flip through presets hoping to find the magic sound that fits with your idea and sits in your track well - you'll spend hours skimming the surface of many synths instead of getting to learn one extremely well.

I tend to have a bad habit also of jumping between 100 different things - get excited by something, fiddle with it on the surface a bit, then move onto the next thing.

But, get some patience and really try and figure out how things work. Most of those synth's that you've listed have quite a bit of depth to them - and learning even just one of them extremely well will take some time - let alone every one in that list.

Although, maybe something to add to the mix: tone2 Gladiator - I've had some fun with this one, and have been able to produce a wide array of sounds, and sounds that I wouldn't even know where to begin with other VSTs.

Sounds ranging from thumpy-analoug sounding kicks, to weird ethereal glitch pads to really pure tones with a nice resonance to them.

Robot Criminal · Post by **Robot Criminal** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:10 pm

tone-def wrote:try a Roland SH-101
it sounds like you don't like software.

spot on. AND I fckng want one. AND I don't have the money.
L...

Ronny Pries · Post by **Ronny Pries** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 10:49 am

I think the very point he made is within the term "expression".

Yes, he listed the top-of-the-hill armada of softsynths with absolutely amazing sounds. BUT then again i absolutely get the idea of lack in the expression-department.

A whole lot of synths have awesome engines, generate stunning sounds and i just can't get around to find out where to use those. Imho there are only a few synths that have this playful character which asks for jam sessions and goes beyond "ok, play some chords here" or "trigger a sequence there".

The ones that usually ask me to get expressive with them are rather simple vintage ones:

AudioRealism Bass Line Pro
USB Ultrafocus
G-Force Oddity

Hope that helps. And even more that this is really what you're talking about...

Atheory · Post by **Atheory** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:03 pm

Ronny Pries wrote:I think the very point he made is within the term "expression".

Yes, he listed the top-of-the-hill armada of softsynths with absolutely amazing sounds. BUT then again i absolutely get the idea of lack in the expression-department.

A whole lot of synths have awesome engines, generate stunning sounds and i just can't get around to find out where to use those. Imho there are only a few synths that have this playful character which asks for jam sessions and goes beyond "ok, play some chords here" or "trigger a sequence there".

yeah good point. i never think about that.

JanLuis · Post by **JanLuis** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 4:56 am

im studyng sound design from 1 year or so...and i can tell ya: THERE IS NO UNIVERSAL SYNTHETIZER. it depends what it fits with your personal taste.
the problem i found initially when i was a dumb and a newbe was the lack of presets that fits with the music i like,most of presets out there are for trance or for electro house not for housey minimal or tech stuff indeed.

for me the difference that make a synth good are: HOW IT SOUNDS,QUALITY OF FILTERS,MODULATION OPTIONS.

the best synths out there at the moment in my opinion are:

SOFTWARE:

Albino
Predator
Alchemy
Fxpansion synth squad(soon to be released)
waldorf largo
Massive

HARDWARE:
Virus Ti
Nord lead 2x/3
Alesis Andomeda
Elektron Monomachine

Some synths that are still too difficult for me are the modulars

Software:
Reaktor 5
U-He Zebra

Hardware:
Nord Modular g2

Another GREAT synth but tooooooo diffult in programming(at least for me) is fm8....leave the presets they sound dull but a good sound designer could create massive weird sounds out of it....

I dont find interesting silenth and z3ta cos are tooo trancey or techy for me...

btw if u are a newbe and u need presets go for nexus or kore...

clubfoot · Post by **clubfoot** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 8:10 am

for the purpose of this thread there can surely be no better recommendation than: SYNTH1

I've got a couple of those fantastic synths mentioned above and can use them (I love the Oddity). but realisation of sounds i have in my mind is usually best acheived with Synth 1.

people are talking about presets here like they've got nothing to do with their own music. presets are damn handy - if you really know about synthesis, then you should be able to audition presets with a mind to tweaking them. they are not just there for pop or trance. most synths have a good range of timbres in their preset library.

when I'm in the flow with composition, the last thing I want to do is try and build the next sound from scratch.

hydrogen · Post by **hydrogen** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 5:06 am

Ronny Pries wrote: The ones that usually ask me to get expressive with them are rather simple vintage ones:

AudioRealism Bass Line Pro
USB Ultrafocus
G-Force Oddity

+1.

the i love how simplicity means you have to combine elements and controls which means moving your hands around the synth in very unique patterns and combinations. which in turn is more expressive in nature.