The best VST Synth?

[Folderol]

Will is referring to
Yoshimi
but unfortunately it isn't available as a VST.

Thanks for that. I am running an Ubuntu server in my day job. I might have a go at it. Wikipedia does say that it has 3 separate synth engines so they are not unified.

Hi Will

Hi Alperian
I try very hard to avoid being an evanglist
However...
Yes, the engines are not entirely unified, but they do have common features and connections, and in any case each engine has a huge number of parameters you can play with - especially AddSynth.
More details here.

We don't have a VST or cross platforms version (nobody to do the coding for other platforms) but we do have an LV2 version.

Unfortunately debian derivatives don't have the latest bells and whistles, but most of it is there.

[RobustAmerican]

My favorites at the moment are...

Repro Bundle - u-he
Zebra 2 - u-he
Obsession - Synapse Audio (Really enjoying the voice editing implementation here)
Padshop Pro - Steinberg
Retrologue II - Steinberg
MS-20 - Korg
Monopoly - Korg

[IAA]

So what if there was a synth that could 'unify' subtractive, additive, wavetable, granular, fm etc?

Well logic’s Alchemy can do most of that (although obviously it’s an AU not a VST), as others have said Pigments can get close and is very pretty

Software synths are now v v good and the issue for me is their UIs (which is why I like the vintage reproductions - I know my way around without reading the manual). No good having all that technology if it gets in the way of making music.

[Guido3]

I try to keep my VSTs to a minimum so as not to get lost when looking for a particular sound. Apart from a few of the Logic bundled synths I use......

1. Pianoteq
2. Arturia Pigments
3. AAS Ultra Analogue VA-3
4. Arturia JP8V

[TheLegit]

What's great about Arturia Pigments in the minds of users here

[Fleer]

Pianoteq
Omnisphere
Arturia Analog Lab
AAS Chromaphone
Kilohearts Phase Plant

(in no specific order)

[Guest]

What's great about Arturia Pigments in the minds of users here

Well for me: it sounds good, the modulation system is great, the general user interface is fantastic and it supports MPE very well.

I just find it really easy to get the sound that I have in my head, it’s just a very easy to program synth.

[RichardT]

What's great about Arturia Pigments in the minds of users here

Great sounds, for me.

[Alperian]

I've just been throwing myself around Omnisphere again and it is a magnificent product. It's so American like a huge Cadillac with everything electric that turns up to 12.

I mean the Mongolian Tuvan throat singing is a group of samples that if any other manufacturer added to their instrument, would be a why-bother, trifling afterthought, but these sound wonderful and when you granulate them and pass them through the harmonia and give them more voices with Unison it's errr...epic? Just one example. Didn't even use the effects.

Ok although it is a ROMPLER of sorts it is amazing. Do we put it at number one then so many of you had it in their list?

The Korg Legacy series is close though, but it is a series in the same price bracket. If Korg brought out a Kronos VST would that be a valid competitor?

[Martin Walker]

I also love Omnishpere, although I'm finding myself using it less nowadays.

Eric Persing has an uncanny skill of being able to make sounds 'larger than life', and they can dominate a mix, which is great if this is a featured sound, but if not I find myself having to thin it out with EQ and so on.

Martin

[RichardT]

I also love Omnishpere, although I'm finding myself using it less nowadays.

Eric Persing has an uncanny skill of being able to make sounds 'larger than life', and they can dominate a mix, which is great if this is a featured sound, but if not I find myself having to thin it out with EQ and so on.

Martin

I agree. What I usually end up doing is taking off almost all the Omnisphere effects to get a clearer sound, and EQing away the lower end.

Omnishpere is a great typo by the way, occifer.

[Dave B]

.. Korg brought out a Kronos VST ..

I doubt that that would happen - the Kronos is a collection of vsts anyway. I'm not sure what benefit it would give Korg to do that.

Personally, I'd prefer it if they released the Trinity as a vsti - much better than the Triton. I'd snap that one up and probably never open the M1 again!

[DarthPaul]

So what if there was a synth that could 'unify' subtractive, additive, wavetable, granular, fm etc?

What is the nearest to that?

Maybe Pigments 3? It includes several different types of synth engine.

Sorry if I'm late to the debate!!

Whats great about it? The sounds, the GUI, the sounds, the programmability, the sounds!!!

[Alperian]

Thank you for that. It's always the usual suspects for good reason.

Well, apart from Omnisphere, the heavy hitters (probably better from a sound design point of view) are:

UVI Falcon 2
Vengeance Software's VPS Avenger
Kilohearts PhasePlant

These are so big and fulsome that they each come with their own mixers/miniDAWs, - grouped these three together. I don't know which one I would pick out of these. Probably the Avenger.

Wavetable Synths:
Xfer Serum
Massive X (you know that NI will keep working on it until it headlines).

[TheLegit]

I also love Omnishpere, although I'm finding myself using it less nowadays.

Eric Persing has an uncanny skill of being able to make sounds 'larger than life', and they can dominate a mix, which is great if this is a featured sound, but if not I find myself having to thin it out with EQ and so on.

Martin

Very true and this goes for Stylus Loops as well at times !

[jazzpick]

Hi, my first post in SOS.

Great thread!

[forumuser918214]

Pigments 3 has granular, additive, subtractive, sampling, fm, wavetables and multiples of all with super effects and filters and clear modulation routing, sequencing and arpeggiation - and over 1000 presets that show all that off.

[Alperian]

Image Line Harmor

Harmor is the only synth, (hardware or Software) that I have seen that totally runs with a *useable*additive vibe using 516 partials controlled with intuitive knobs that make it appear as though it is some mysterious subtractive machine. Did aliens give it to us?

SeamlessR is probably the greatest true believer of Harmor and his enthusiasm can be seen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0ds8Jo1RZc

Not available for Macs though which might be why it doesn't get the adoration that it should.

I nominate this as the greatest synth that most ignored.

[alexlimbert]

I like Serum, Razor and Sylenth1 for songs and Omnisphere for sounds, many of them are based on samples though.

[Zukan]

I think this topic is a two parter, one that deals with vstis that sound good and others that offer deep sound design potential.

Alchemy, Falcon, Papen and FXPansion synths reign supreme when it comes down to sound design. For sound I'd opt for UHE and Eric's shit.

[BJG145]

Alchemy, Falcon, Papen and FXPansion synths reign supreme when it comes down to sound design.

Useful thread, +1 for Papen, Blue 2 has been a long-term favourite.

[Alperian]

I think this topic is a two parter, one that deals with vstis that sound good and others that offer deep sound design potential.

Probably a multi-parter:
1/ It was a trick question (which I have inadvertently learned from this thread, because there is no one uberalles solution) although perhaps Omnisphere is the most complete killer synth out of the box, but if you are a sound designer there are better products there depending on your type of music.

2/ The more that I learn about IL Harmor, the better it is as a work in progress at the greatest solution to unify the different synth modes (FM, Subtractive, granular etc.). The one synth to rule them all.

3/ There are dozens of VST synths out there that have 4 oscillators or more. Many of them the equal of Pigments, if not better. But of course it depends on your needs. Can you name them any?

4/ The more processing (CPU power) that has appeared & becomes available, then the better the modelling. Modartt has proven that sample technology will become a thing of the past in a few years. soon anything will be able to be modelled with such supreme accuracy that actual discrete transistors and capacitors in anything but power supplies and bus regulators will be long gone.

5/ Oh yeah! if these analogue things are built in China, then all this must be a good thing right?

[randomgrace]

Hi, look at some products of AIR Music Tech (Hybrid & Vaccum). Also wooble form Sonivox is good too.

[Arpangel]

In this order,

Synth One
Streetly Mellotron
Animoog
ThumbJam

[The Elf]

Not sure any of these are available as VST instruments, Arpy? I think they are all iPad/iPhone only.

(Good though they are)