Best synths?

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chaocrator
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Re: Best synths?

Post by chaocrator »

tavasti wrote:Instead of one synth, it is more like ~40 different synths packed in one program. In terms of learning time and getting desired sound, maybe not best option?
it depends. but the vast majority of them are subtractive machines. if you learn one subtractive synth well, you know them all.
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Re: Best synths?

Post by tavasti »

chaocrator wrote:
tavasti wrote:Instead of one synth, it is more like ~40 different synths packed in one program. In terms of learning time and getting desired sound, maybe not best option?
it depends. but the vast majority of them are subtractive machines. if you learn one subtractive synth well, you know them all.
But the point is finding few synths which will provide enough options, and learn to use them. Browsing thru dozen synths and on each of them, 50 patches for finding which would provide approximate suitable sound, and then modifying it a bit is not a workflow I'm looking for. When found suitable tool, I can spend some time to learn it for making sounds I want.
Last edited by tavasti on Fri Aug 17, 2018 8:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Best synths?

Post by chaocrator »

browsing tons of patches is worth it — to recreate the ones you liked on your favorite synth(s) :wink:
actually, it becomes inevitable, when you want to reduce the number of synths in use to a few.
btw, recreating patches from one synth on another is a great learning practice by itself.
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Re: Best synths?

Post by sysrqer »

chaocrator wrote:phasex is very nice synth, one of, say, 5 my favorites.
not pure subtractive or FM or wavetable, but hybrid.

and how could happen no one mentioned bristol?
this is the very first softsynth on linux that i massively used.
a bit quirky to use, but has very nice emulations of old classic machines from 70s–80s.
If they were plugins I'm sure they would get a lot more attention.
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Re: Best synths?

Post by Frank Carvalho »

sysrqer wrote:
chaocrator wrote:phasex is very nice synth, one of, say, 5 my favorites.
not pure subtractive or FM or wavetable, but hybrid.

and how could happen no one mentioned bristol?
this is the very first softsynth on linux that i massively used.
a bit quirky to use, but has very nice emulations of old classic machines from 70s–80s.
If they were plugins I'm sure they would get a lot more attention.
I remember FalkTX once said something about the Bristol synths not being implemented in a very nice way, and not being easy to integrate as plugins. A shame. I have used their "Solina" stringer a lot. I had to built init scripts to boot my live setup, so I could start Bristol (and other stuff) outside Carla.
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Re: Best synths?

Post by tavasti »

chaocrator wrote:browsing tons of patches is worth it — to recreate the ones you liked on your favorite synth(s) :wink:
actually, it becomes inevitable, when you want to reduce the number of synths in use to a few.
btw, recreating patches from one synth on another is a great learning practice by itself.
Ok, I try to remember this when kids grow up, and I have more time for music projects. Meanwhile I concentrate on my tiny timeslots to something else :-)

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Re: Best synths?

Post by folderol »

On further thought...
It would take several lifetimes to discover which synth was the best (for some undefined value of 'best).

I've been using mostly Yoshimi since 2009, and Zyn. before that back to 2006, yet I am still finding new ways to both create sounds and perform them. Also, Ichthyostega's 'musicallity' workshop at LAC2018 reminded me that I make almost no use of the dramatic effects possible just by adding independent amplitude, frequency and filter envelope points (up to 40 of them). Like most people, I make little use of resonance too, yet that can add real character to a sound.

These days, I'm of the opinion, that with either of this pair there is very little you can't emulate if you put enough effort into it. For examples of the extremes try Paul Nasca's original Rhodes patches, and Dario Straulino's Natural Drum Kit
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Re: Best synths?

Post by tavasti »

folderol wrote:I've been using mostly Yoshimi since 2009, and Zyn. before that back to 2006, yet I am still finding new ways to both create sounds and perform them.
Yoshimi is new to me. In their current state, what are differences of yoshimi and zynadd? Specificly, in features, bit different UI is nothing significant for me.

Yes, there is still some features of zynadd I haven't used this far.

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Re: Best synths?

Post by folderol »

From a user's viewpoint, apart from UI and access differences, very little. Standard patches will sound the same in either.
Technically they are becoming quite different, and as one of the developers of Yoshimi I won't get involved in comparative discussions.
Always, when asked, my advice is to try both and use whichever suits your workflow best.
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Re: Best synths?

Post by xaccrocheur »

rghvdberg wrote:In the right hands dexed is a very powerful tool

All sounds made with dexed. Amazing.

https://archive.org/details/OSC74Dexxed ... Pieces.mp3
Wow ; just the 1st track is pretty impressive. Really, only Dexed? Wow.
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Re: Best synths?

Post by tavasti »

rghvdberg wrote:In the right hands dexed is a very powerful tool

All sounds made with dexed. Amazing.

https://archive.org/details/OSC74Dexxed ... Pieces.mp3
When listening one synth challenge, sounds like with any synth you can make great tracks.
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Re: Best synths?

Post by chaocrator »

tavasti wrote:When listening one synth challenge, sounds like with any synth you can make great tracks.
not quite just with any synth, but with any synth with feature set suitable for One Synth Challenge :wink:
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Re: Best synths?

Post by rghvdberg »

With a "one synth challenge" the daw is an equally important sound creation tool as the synth itself.

I seem to prefer the simpler synths because you get to know them fast and you have more time for composition, mixing etc.
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Re: Best synths?

Post by nickture »

I've been partial to Zyn for a few years; it's so deep....only recently have I been experimenting with Helm and I'm liking it so far. I have a project brewing and I hope to get plenty more familiar with them in the upcoming months..
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Re: Best synths?

Post by briandc »

A new one-synth (linux only) challenge would be nice. It was done a while back with Dexed. Anyone interested?

My webpages for Dexed and Hexter have fixed links to Dave Benson's DX7 page... with LOTS of presets!


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