must-have vi's?

blue · Post by **blue** » Fri May 26, 2006 8:30 pm

Reaktor. My desert island synth. I use it all the time and I've barely scratched the surface.

Blue. Inspiring and fun to program.

Absynth. A thing unto itself.

funkyfreddy · Post by **funkyfreddy** » Fri May 26, 2006 8:43 pm

I like Reason 3 in combination w DP.... I also like the Modulo and Polysynth plugins that came with DP.

billf · Post by **billf** » Fri May 26, 2006 8:51 pm

musnoz wrote:The new Plugsound Pro

http://www.ultimatesoundbank.com/jsp/vi ... /home.html

Is that the reason we don't have MachFive version 2 yet?

musnoz · Post by **musnoz** » Sat May 27, 2006 2:38 am

chrispick wrote:
musnoz wrote:Well there was a demo at the AES••¦

No denigration please, Chrispick of Pasadena, heart of the world
Hey, I'm not putting you down, man. If you're somehow connected to USB, you're welcome here as far as I'm concerned. I just think you should let people know.

FWIW: I think the new Plugsound looks cool. And I use a lot of UBS and UVI-related VIs.

No problem Sir : I just didn't know USB was in Paris••¦
But I know the release : June, 21.

Michel

PS : I am a music teacher and composer/producer.

philbrown · Post by **philbrown** » Sat May 27, 2006 2:46 am

thoth wrote:I can believe no one has said Reaktor 5 yet.[/b]

I did. It was first on my list.

mikebeckmotu · Post by **mikebeckmotu** » Sat May 27, 2006 1:35 pm

chrispick wrote:
mikebeckmotu wrote:Blue: just installed the demo, and I'm impressed
I think Blue is pretty cool. Easy to program and make sound good -- if you know some synth patch programming basics.

-if we were listing analog emulations, I'd list the GForce Future Retro Pack (MiniMonsta, M-Tron, Oddity, impOSCar). Very nice, very affordable.
I'd say they qualify, sure.

Speaking of Rob Papen's Blue, I forgot to mention his other synth, LinPlug's "Albino". And then LinPlug has a few other interesting synths like Octopus and CronoX.
Yes, I've been on a demo frenzy this past year. Just bought and installed MOTU MSI last weekend and am enjoying that, too.
My guitars are feeling lonely.

kelldammit · Post by **kelldammit** » Sat May 27, 2006 2:42 pm

yeah, i just love blue...there were issues with the 1.50 version when it was released (which was the one i bought), rp emailed status updates and workarounds through the course of our conversation. the fix was done very quickly. so, not only is it a great synth, but it's easy to get the ear of the man himself, and the support/speed of fix was wonderful. that alone really made it the best purchase i've made in a long time. plus, he named a lot of the patches after members on his forum

the only thing i'd like to see for it is the ability to use it in mono (directly). i'd like to check out albino as well...
i also have msi, and like it very much...i still have a project just begging for it that i haven't gotten round to yet.
ivory is definitely now on the list...good piano is vital. i wish i could find something like the "metalpiano" patch on the esq-1 synth. i loved that with huge 'verb.
i was torn between bfd and dfhs as a "step up" from battery...and ultimately decided on dfhs for the flexibilty and built-in percussion. thus far, i'm very happy with it, but to take advantage of it, some much more detailed MIDI programming is in process...
although, i'm not really into "retro", i would love to get my hands on mellotron samples! http://www.macmusic.org/links/cat.php/lang/en/id/3005/
thanks for the suggestions, everyone...keep 'em coming! checking out a LOT of stuff now!

kell

mhschmieder · Post by **mhschmieder** » Sat May 27, 2006 7:24 pm

Miles above the rest: Way Out Ware's "TimewARP 2600"

Next in line: Arturia's "Prophet" and "minimoog"

Not far behind: G-Media's "M-Tron", "impOSCar", and "Oddity"

Pricey but worth it: Native Instruments' "FM7" and "B4 II"

I thought the original question was with regards to specific emulations, so am not sure why Reaktor, MX4, Absynth, etc. are being discussed.

At any rate, as far as electric pianos are concerned, I'm still torn between the Scarbee stuff and the AAS Lounge Lizard, along with "Mr. Ray".

chrispick · Post by **chrispick** » Sat May 27, 2006 7:30 pm

Oh, I misread the original post request. Yeah, if you're looking for a must-have, newer, non-emulation synth VI, then Reaktor is the one.

jgest · Post by **jgest** » Sat May 27, 2006 7:39 pm

I am not a traditional "keyboardist", all my keyboard music is done via MIDI programming. I don't have much experience out side of reason and VIRUS Powercore.

Could somebody please compare the powercore to these others (beside absynth and reactor which I am familiar and impressed with). I also own a hardware virus, but am quite impressed with the powercore virus sound (it does have a few bugs...)

thanks

mhschmieder · Post by **mhschmieder** » Sat May 27, 2006 7:57 pm

Oops, sorry, my bad -- I didn't see the "not" part in the very first post.

So, for non-emulative VI's, I'd give my vote to MX4. It's the only general-purpose synth VI that I've been able to coax a phat enough sound out of to get by without overdubbing hardware synths.

I haven't tried "Blue" yet but am curious about it, as I'm very fond of the work Rob Papen did for E-Mu and Yamaha.

My understanding though is that it should be appreciated for what it is, rather than as a substitute for either the DX7 or the casio CZ/VZ series.

macsterdam · Post by **macsterdam** » Sun May 28, 2006 12:53 am

Although I already mentioned Filterscape ( DP related review here ), may I suggest you have a look at all u-he.com's synths. Especially Zebra is really worthwhile having a good look at. Version 2 is around the corner too - which is even better. Outstanding support too!

alexff · Post by **alexff** » Sun May 28, 2006 3:29 am

What about Sonik Synth 2 by IK Mulitmedia?

It's a "rompler" meaning that it uses samples as a basis for sound creation. It's got hundreds of samples from various vintage synths which can all be mixed combined, etc. Plus it has all the usual general workhorse sounds - guitars, rhodes etc..

Also, its 16 part multi-timberal - and has the best effect section I've ever seen on a plug - better IMHO than Mach 5's even.

It has a little bit of a vintage bias - but as you looking for something to "cover all the bases.." you should at least check it out. Enjoy.

http://www.soniksynth.com/

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Sun May 28, 2006 4:25 am

mhschmieder wrote:Oops, sorry, my bad -- I didn't see the "not" part in the very first post.

That's weird; I ALSO didn't see the "not." Somehow I got the idea he was looking for retro emulators, when he clearly said he was NOT looking for them. I quoted the original post, and the word "not" is sitting there plain as day in my quote, so it's just something about getting old or skimming too fast...

Anyway, since I see that the focus is on good, solid workhorse VIs where you get a lot for your money (I would assume), and you want to cover all the bases, then I'll mention MOTU Symphonic Instrument. I've been using it a lot since I bought it last November, and I think it rocks. It's not the quality of Vienna or EWQLSO, but I've been pretty impressed by what it can do. I posted a raw mix I did with it a while back, but I've done a lot more with that mix, so I'll post it again here.

Concertino da Camera for Alto Sax and 11 instruments, Jacques Ibert 1st mvt. (4.1 minutes) 5 MB

Again, I think there is room for improvement in MOTU SI, but as you can hear, you get a lot for your money. It's not even in the same league with most of the other orchestral sample bundles as regards cost. For someone who wants to cover the bases, this is ideal.

Shooshie

BKK-OZ · Post by **BKK-OZ** » Sun May 28, 2006 6:50 am

macsterdam wrote:Although I already mentioned Filterscape ( DP related review here ), may I suggest you have a look at all u-he.com's synths. Especially Zebra is really worthwhile having a good look at. Version 2 is around the corner too - which is even better. Outstanding support too!

...being the chappy that wrote that Filterscape review, I can tell you it really really is a good thing. As others have said, you should also check out Absynth 3 - I reviewed that in an Australian print music mag a few months ago and I must say its a real beast. If you get A3 tho, budget for the tute DVD.

If you look on the site mentioned above you will see a couple of other reviews of mine, including CronoX3. A3 & C3 are the only true surround-capable toys out there, AFAIK.

I've been off being pretty sick for a few months so I haven't been making music or buying things, but I am also looking forward to getting some more of the stuff Linplug are doing with the CronoX engine - they are a very ethical company and one worth supporting, from what I know.

FWIW, I would NOT get any of the IK stuff. Buggy, poor support and poor attitude by the makers.