Anyone Using Bundled DP Softsynths Much??

[dopamine3]

I'm curious if anyone uses the softsynths bundled in DP much these days?
They seem like an afterthought comparatively speaking.

TIA,
dope

[aplanchard]

nope

[kwiz]

I use model 12 from time to time to sketch out beats but that's about it.
Although, I think I've used one of the synths (don't remember which one) in a song when they were first introduced in 5.xx.
IMHO, this is where Logic Pro has DP beat. Their software instruments are pretty nice and so are some of their plugins. To bad they can't be migrated over to DP.

[Dwetmaster]

I already got my Instruments needs covered, I didn't see the point of MOTU adding these softsynth anyways...
Besides a marketing point of view of course...

[3rdpath]

i have a gazillion VI's and hardware synths but i sometimes find just what i need with the bundled DP stuff.

bassline thru a hardware neve pre and 1176 has been perfect on some tracks. ( i think most VI's need to be run thru tubes to get a big tone).

i also love the nano sampler...just drag and drop/slice and dice and play. it has it's place.

i haven't played the others much though i bet i could get some great sounds out of em given the time.

[beautypill]

i have a gazillion VI's and hardware synths but i sometimes find just what i need with the bundled DP stuff.

bassline thru a hardware neve pre and 1176 has been perfect on some tracks. ( i think most VI's need to be run thru tubes to get a big tone).

i also love the nano sampler...just drag and drop/slice and dice and play. it has it's place.

i haven't played the others much though i bet i could get some great sounds out of em given the time.

Ha! I totally forgot about nanosampler! That is a great instrument! So simple and straightforward. It's like a modern version of the Mirage.

[groove]

i have a gazillion VI's and hardware synths but i sometimes find just what i need with the bundled DP stuff.

bassline thru a hardware neve pre and 1176 has been perfect on some tracks. ( i think most VI's need to be run thru tubes to get a big tone).

i also love the nano sampler...just drag and drop/slice and dice and play. it has it's place.

i haven't played the others much though i bet i could get some great sounds out of em given the time.

I do the exact same thing : Basseline thru my 6176 and bang, big and fat.
I used Polysynth just the other day: I needed an 80's sound for a tv cue and instead of fiddling around with Reaktor or my Vrus C, I programmed a chezzy one in less time to say "cheez" with Polysynth.
Most of DP's VI need processing and FX to sound good, that's why I have made some in my Clipping: Modulo with a Roland Dimension D, Proton - Plate 140, etc.

[kwiz]

i have a gazillion VI's and hardware synths but i sometimes find just what i need with the bundled DP stuff.

bassline thru a hardware neve pre and 1176 has been perfect on some tracks. ( i think most VI's need to be run thru tubes to get a big tone).

i also love the nano sampler...just drag and drop/slice and dice and play. it has it's place.

i haven't played the others much though i bet i could get some great sounds out of em given the time.

I do the exact same thing : Basseline thru my 6176 and bang, big and fat.
I used Polysynth just the other day: I needed an 80's sound for a tv cue and instead of fiddling around with Reaktor or my Vrus C, I programmed a chezzy one in less time to say "cheez" with Polysynth.
Most of DP's VI need processing and FX to sound good, that's why I have made some in my Clipping: Modulo with a Roland Dimension D, Proton - Plate 140, etc.

Sounds cool, gotta try that!

[Armageddon]

For me, the included VIs in DP are like their plug-ins: I use them only when I need a very low-CPU sound that won't really impact the song/project I'm working on, but if I seriously need a better sound, I go elsewhere. And is it just me, but are the sounds on Proton, Modulo and Polysynth (and, for that matter, the included sounds on Nanosampler) virtually interchangable?

I got really excited when DP 5 came out and announced they were including VIs, because I envisioned Polysynth as being a software Juno-106 (which is what the GUI suggests) and Model-12 as being a drum machine (something DP could actually use, truth be told!) ... and then, I actually messed around with them. It almost seems to me like they're trying not to compete with their own products, like MX-4 or MachFive. The caveat here for me is, well, if this is the sound quality I can expect from MOTU's virtual instruments, I'm damn sure not gonna spend $300 for their sampler.

The bass synth isn't terrible (and would likely be more appealing if I didn't have Minimonsta) and I expect to use Nanosampler as a sample trigger somewhere down the road, but I think, if MOTU is trying to compete with Logic, Cubase, ProTools or Sonar on the included plug-in/VI front, they need to tear down their entire setup and start over, including plugs and instruments that are actually quality plugs and useful enough that you don't have to spend a fortune building a plug-in set to compensate for DP's deficiencies in this department (and can instead use this money to buy their virtual instruments, all of which seem to come from a different universe than the included set).

I won't even get started on their "new" plugs -- Pro Verb and Leveler -- aside from the fact that lacking actual presets seems to indicate that they stuck these two plugs into the mix almost as an afterthought. I'm hoping and praying that they at least "finish" these things in the next update (probably not).

I hate to say it, being a loyal MOTU customer and all, but if you have Logic, Cubase or ProTools, you get an amazing amount of plugs and instruments right out of the box that almost preclude the need to buy third-party software, which has a lot of appeal to someone buying their first DAW and doesn't want to spend a second fortune on plugs and VIs after blowing a wad on a computer, an audio interface and a DAW. Also, bear in mind that DP's stock set of plugs are virtually unchanged, as far as I can tell, since 2 or 3, so you're really messing with plugs that seemed trite back in the late Nineties. Now that Logic's knocked down their price tag to compete with DP, DP should seriously consider revamping their entire plug-in/instrument set -- maybe even pulling a Cubase and including their legacy plugs in a sub-menu for those who have been using them, while having a new and more comprehensive set of instrument/plugs that are actually useful and can hold their own against third-party software ... or other DAWs who have already come to this conclusion a couple of versions ago. Sigh ... wishful thinking.

[mhschmieder]

I forgot they were there.

So I opened most of them a few weeks ago, just for audio quality verification.

Needless to say, they did not pass muster.

But they are visually well-designed, and would serve as very good learning tools for people just starting out, both budget-wise and from the point of view of learning about synthesis.

So my criticism is not meant to sound harsh, as these plug-ins are not intended to compete with Arturia, G-Force, Native Instruments, Waldorf, Way Out Ware, and other high-end soft synth developers.

I think they were added mostly as a selling point vs. Logic, as people now expect their DAW's to include the kitchen sink.

I suspect the actual implementation of these soft synths is derived from MX4.

One thing I do use though, that I didn't notice until DP 5 or maybe DP 4.5, is Pattern Gate. It isn't a synth per se, but I use it on synth parts. It works very well and is very flexible, but the one problem I have is getting its "clock" to wait until the first non-null audio data is reached (or at least sync at start).

Even that is mostly just a problem when running several tracks with Pattern Gate, so I'm thinking of moving its usage to an Aux Channel and sending all tracks to it in a stem submix. Then at least all of the tracks will be in sync (although sometimes that's not what you want... ).

[cuttime]

I like Modulo. Kind of an MX4 "Lite". It sounds very similar, and the modulation routing is the same. Nanosampler is a wonder in a pinch.

[Armageddon]

I would almost suggest that MOTU bundle all their sold-separately virtual instruments with DP and maybe get rid of the included DP virtual instruments altogether ... then, they'd probably be closer to what Logic presently offers for the same price. They could still sell them to non-DP and Windoze users, and getting an instrument set like that included with DP would be more of an enticement from people who are on the fence about getting an "all-in-one" DAW. As it is, DP's main selling point is the program itself (and the scores of people who both remain loyal to the program and recommend it to others), and people who aren't familiar with using DP are more likely to muse over the fact that Cubase and Logic just seem to offer more bells and whistles for roughly the same investment, despite their inferiority in the actual use department. Nanosampler and a couple of guitar noise samples just doesn't seem to stack up to an EXS-24 and something like 15 GB (?) of included samples.

[kassonica]

I would almost suggest that MOTU bundle all their sold-separately virtual instruments with DP and maybe get rid of the included DP virtual instruments altogether ... then, they'd probably be closer to what Logic presently offers for the same price. They could still sell them to non-DP and Windoze users, and getting an instrument set like that included with DP would be more of an enticement from people who are on the fence about getting an "all-in-one" DAW. As it is, DP's main selling point is the program itself (and the scores of people who both remain loyal to the program and recommend it to others), and people who aren't familiar with using DP are more likely to muse over the fact that Cubase and Logic just seem to offer more bells and whistles for roughly the same investment, despite their inferiority in the actual use department. Nanosampler and a couple of guitar noise samples just doesn't seem to stack up to an EXS-24 and something like 15 GB (?) of included samples.

I think your missing the point here, It's not meant to stack up.

In saying that though I don't ever really open them as they're pretty lame IMHO

I wish they worked on stability and ONE great plugin instead.

[dopamine3]

It would seem that the least MOTU could do to rejuvinate Interest and use of DP's bundled
synths would be create new presets. They certainly have had time since they were introduced.
But perhaps with MOTU selling better softsynths they see no incentive to making the ones
in DP sound as good as they could. How sadly shortsighted.

[Armageddon]

I think your missing the point here, It's not meant to stack up.

In saying that though I don't ever really open them as they're pretty lame IMHO

I wish they worked on stability and ONE great plugin instead.

Again, while I know it's not supposed to, it should stack up. Other DAWs are creating features that you can actually use as a full-featured virtual instrument and/or plug-in, not as window dressing to tide you over until you can afford "real" virtual instruments or plug-ins. While Leveler (which just seems like they ported their hardware-powered feature from their recent lines of interfaces into a buggy software version) and Pro Verb were great baby steps in the right direction, they're both smacking of being unfinished. By at least bundling their line of virtual instruments with DP, they'd have a set of VIs that people could actually use and be impressed by (not to mention, having the ability to advertise "comes with 20 GB of sample content!") and draw potential customers who have heard of MachFive or Ethnic Instrument and dig the idea of getting all that plus DP. As for the plugs, I think they should start over from the ground up, cast their current set of plugs into a Legacy sub-folder, and create a set of modern-day plugs that both take advantage of current processors and are actually useful enough to warrant their existence.

But, yeah, I agree, let's hope 6.02 shows up and the bugs get ironed out, first.