# BF 2022 wishlist for synths



## Pier (Nov 10, 2022)

So what are you all buying this BF in terms of synths?

I guess _some_ people are finally getting Zebra 

I'm waiting for the D16 sale to get Phoscyon 2. This is the only synth I'll be getting for sure.

I'm also thinking about getting Cypher 2 from Roli if they have a BF sale this year.

I'm still on the fence about getting Avenger. I'm not sure about the authorization and GUI but boy it does sound fantastic.

Also considering getting Rapid. Sounds great but it's pretty basic as it is now. Would be great to know what new features are coming. And that crap about the NFR license...


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## wunderflo (Nov 10, 2022)

I was about to buy Zebra 2, but as I always do before buying a new library, I went through my existing ones to check if I already had something "close enough". And there it was: Massive X. Came with Komplete, but I never used it. Tried it and I really enjoy it a lot. So you could say my this year's BF synth is Massive X, even though I didn't spend any new money on it. 
(still thinking about OB-E, though)


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## Pier (Nov 10, 2022)

Blasphemy! Zebra is nothing like Massive X


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## liquidlino (Nov 10, 2022)

Maybe, possibly Zebra for me.

I'm looking to offload synths, not buy more to be honest... although I did spend some time with Cherry Audio Voltage Modular this last week, and think I won't sell it after all, it's magnificent sounding, with the PSP Modules bundle.


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## elucid (Nov 10, 2022)

Parawave Rapid. For the spectral resynthesis at least but it seems really useful to me as well. I’ve been playing with the demo a lot and really enjoying it.


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## Bman70 (Nov 10, 2022)

I plan on getting Dark Zebra. Oh wait, that's free.


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## KEM (Nov 10, 2022)

Obsession by Synapse, that one’s been on my list for awhile and I own and love Dune and The Legend, so it makes sense to have that in my arsenal as well

I’d like to have Bazille and Ace from U-He but I don’t really *need* them, they’d just be nice to have. I don’t really need Obsession either but oh well, the more synths the better


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## KEM (Nov 10, 2022)

Pier said:


> I'm waiting for the D16 sale to get Phoscyon 2. This is the only synth I'll be getting for sure.



Never took you for an acid guy


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## Alchemedia (Nov 10, 2022)

HALion 7 + whatever Kevin & Richard are working on.


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## KEM (Nov 10, 2022)

Alchemedia said:


> HALion 7 + whatever Kevin & Richard are working on.



You forgot Hans, he’s a part of that now too, which makes it even more exciting


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## Alchemedia (Nov 10, 2022)

KEM said:


> You forgot Hans, he’s a part of that now too, which makes it even more exciting


Instabuy!®


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## KEM (Nov 10, 2022)

3DC said:


> My dilemma is why buy Zebra 2 if HALion 7 upgrade is just around the corner. On the other hand if HALion 7 is just a "maintenance update" and I loose Zebra Legacy and Zebra 3 I am going to be very mad and disappointed. I don't want to buy/upgrade both of them, I just need one powerful VI synth to rule them all.



Zebra


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## doctoremmet (Nov 11, 2022)

- Halion 7

- I hope the new (partly) FM based Madrona Labs synth drops (Sumu)

- New Cherry Audio CS80 emulation (november 22)

- Max for Live: 2OP FM synths by Fors.fm (all of them are really well done to be honest, modular little gems)

- Max for Live: IRCAMAX2 collection by Ircam, mostly for the Modalys PM synth and the Matrixsynth - but the entire package is really fascinating

- still kind of tempted by the entire Xils sale (that vocoder bundle… (ends january 8) and Synx’X (ends november 30))

- will be checking out sales in Reason Studios’ shop. I’ve been watching amusing demos of a Rack Extension by a guy [who brilliantly sampled a Rhodes I’m really into by the way (also for Reason)] of a weird supersaw synth. As much as I despise all things supersaw and hoover, this one did kind of persuade me there may be something to the whole damn concept haha. Wow this sentence is a grammar-rape if there ever was one.


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## doctoremmet (Nov 11, 2022)

KEM said:


> Obsession by Synapse, that one’s been on my list for awhile and I own and love Dune and The Legend, so it makes sense to have that in my arsenal as well
> 
> I’d like to have Bazille and Ace from U-He but I don’t really *need* them, they’d just be nice to have. I don’t really need Obsession either but oh well, the more synths the better


What you really also need is Synapse Audio’s Antidote in Reason Rack. In a way the predecessor of Dune, this is generally considered as one of the best synths ever released as a Rack Extension. So grab a cheap Reason 11 Lite license off of some classified section and put this on your (long term) shopping list, because it is truly an amazing synth.

Also, do check out the Reason shop for sales (I will notify you if there are any), because I managed to purchase Obsession for Reason for €43 in their summer sale, and Synapse are kind enough to throw in an NFR VST version if you mail them. And let’s face it, noone in their right mind are going to ever sell such a synth.


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## kgdrum (Nov 11, 2022)

wunderflo said:


> I was about to buy Zebra 2, but as I always do before buying a new library, I went through my existing ones to check if I already had something "close enough". And there it was: Massive X. Came with Komplete, but I never used it. Tried it and I really enjoy it a lot. So you could say my this year's BF synth is Massive X, even though I didn't spend any new money on it.
> (still thinking about OB-E, though)


Comparing Massive X to Zebra? I can’t even respond to that………
Although OB-E is a beautiful synth as well as Oddity 3,GForce are on fire lately!

Massive X,really?


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## doctoremmet (Nov 11, 2022)

liquidlino said:


> and think I won't sell it after all


I almost unfriended you when I noticed the classified 

The PSP modules and the MRB modules are really among the best of the best in faux modular land. I even went and bought the original and ancient PSP N2O plugin because of how impressed I am with the sound of the VM modules that were derived from it.


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## KEM (Nov 11, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


> What you really also need is Synapse Audio’s Antidote in Reason Rack. In a way the predecessor of Dune, this is generally considered as one of the best synths ever released as a Rack Extension. So grab a cheap Reason 11 Lite license off of some classified section and put this on your (long term) shopping list, because it is truly an amazing synth.
> 
> Also, do check out the Reason shop for sales (I will notify you if there are any), because I managed to purchase Obsession for Reason for €43 in their summer sale, and Synapse are kind enough to throw in an NFR VST version if you mail them. And let’s face it, noone in their right mind are going to ever sell such a synth.



Can’t you get the Reason Rack as a vst now? I’ve definitely heard of Antidote and seen videos on it, if I could use it in Cubase that’d be great. Synapse also made an analog modeled filter plugin for Reason and I’d love to have that as well


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## doctoremmet (Nov 11, 2022)

KEM said:


> Can’t you get the Reason Rack as a vst now? I’ve definitely heard of Antidote and seen videos on it, if I could use it in Cubase that’d be great. Synapse also made an analog modeled filter plugin for Reason and I’d love to have that as well


The Reason Rack is a VST. In it you run Rack Extensions. It is like a modular environment for Reason instruments, available in any DAW. Yes.

In order to be able to run the rack you need a Reason (DAW) license.


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## kgdrum (Nov 11, 2022)

I’m more than well stocked with synths but I might go for Dune if Synapse actually has it on sale.


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## TomislavEP (Nov 11, 2022)

Personally, the last thing I would do is buy a new virtual synth or synth-based library on top of everything I got so far. As a Komplete owner, I've barely scratched the surface with everything that is included there. Also, I have nearly everything from AIR. Plus, there is a ton of quality free stuff to be explored.

Furthermore, I just don't like having so many many options to choose from. I have chosen Komplete as my foundation and look upon the package as a long-term investment. I can't afford to get some high-priced alternative on top of it, such as Omnisphere, stuff from UVI and u-he, etc. To be honest, I don't really see the point. Time to get the most out of what I already have.


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## KEM (Nov 11, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


> The Reason Rack is a VST. In it you run Rack Extensions. It is like a modular environment for Reason instruments, available in any DAW. Yes.
> 
> In order to be able to run the rack you need a Reason (DAW) license.



I will definitely look into that then!!


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## KEM (Nov 11, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> I’m more than well stocked with synths but I might go for Dune if Synapse actually has it on sale.



I got it off Thomann, for some reason it’s much cheaper there than it is on the Synapse website


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## cedricm (Nov 11, 2022)

Zebra 2, mostly for Zebra 3 upgrade. I do not intend to purchase additional synths during BF 22.


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## doctoremmet (Nov 11, 2022)

@TomislavEP Fair points! To me, synths are a passion so I am always happy to just get a new one and dive in, and learn. Of course this does not necessarily have to do much of anything with the objective to create music with any of them at this point.

So there’s getting synths as a musician (really, one could get by with one or two good ones and Komplete offers plenty of brilliant ones) and there’s getting synths as a synthesizer fanatic.


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## doctoremmet (Nov 11, 2022)

KEM said:


> I will definitely look into that then!!


I’m pretty religiously checking the Reason options and sales and know a couple of tricks to even get prices down lower. I’ll notify you when an attractive window of opportunity opens up.


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## TomislavEP (Nov 11, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


> So there’s getting synths as a musician (really, one could get by with one or two good ones and Komplete offers plenty of brilliant ones) and there’s getting synths as a synthesizer fanatic.


There is no doubt about that!


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## Alchemedia (Nov 11, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


> - I hope the new (partly) FM based Madrona Labs synth drops (Sumu)


+1


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## Alchemedia (Nov 11, 2022)

KEM said:


> I will definitely look into that then!!


Friktion is awesome too!


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## kgdrum (Nov 11, 2022)

KEM said:


> I got it off Thomann, for some reason it’s much cheaper there than it is on the Synapse website


@KEM 
Thanks for the tip 👍
Even now it’s almost $50 cheaper,I wonder if they might lower the price a bit more around BF.


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## liquidlino (Nov 11, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


> I almost unfriended you when I noticed the classified
> 
> The PSP modules and the MRB modules are really among the best of the best in faux modular land. I even went and bought the original and ancient PSP N2O plugin because of how impressed I am with the sound of the VM modules that were derived from it.


Ha, I wondered if you had noticed. I think I will keep VM+PSP. But most of my uvi libraries can go, I just don't use them, I always make my own sounds in Falcon, it's much more fun for me. They are fantastic libraries though. No one has offered me for them yet, so I suspect there isn't much interest on Vic. Might have to advertise elsewhere.


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## doctoremmet (Nov 11, 2022)

liquidlino said:


> Ha, I wondered if you had noticed. I think I will keep VM+PSP. But most of my uvi libraries can go, I just don't use them, I always make my own sounds in Falcon, it's much more fun for me. They are fantastic libraries though. No one has offered me for them yet, so I suspect there isn't much interest on Vic. Might have to advertise elsewhere.


KVR seems a better platform to sell stuff like that, yes. And I hear you: programming one’s own patches is where it’s at!


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## kgdrum (Nov 11, 2022)

@doctoremmet

Synx’X is definitely a synth that intrigues me but I’m probably going to wait for it to be discounted a bit more.
PolyM has been a synth I have considered off and on but there’s something about PolyMoogs that I don’t particularly like sonically there’s something in the tone that almost always turns me off.


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## KEM (Nov 11, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> @KEM
> Thanks for the tip 👍
> Even now it’s almost $50 cheaper,I wonder if they might lower the price a bit more around BF.



Yep and it’s like that all year round, if it gets lowered more during Black Friday then even better, if not you won’t miss out on a sale since you can buy it there at that price anytime. No idea why it’s so much cheaper there either, I know they’re a European distributor so maybe it has to do with VAT but as an American none of that stuff applies to me so there’s no drawbacks on my end, I just get the same thing for cheaper


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## Alchemedia (Nov 11, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> @KEM
> Thanks for the tip 👍
> Even now it’s almost $50 cheaper,I wonder if they might lower the price a bit more around BF.


Synapse will meet or beat that price for BF. Also keep in mind their upgrades aren't cheap ($79 from ver 2 to 3) and version 4.0 is probably on the horizon.


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## kgdrum (Nov 11, 2022)

Alchemedia said:


> Synapse will meet or beat that price for BF. Also keep in mind their upgrades aren't cheap ($79 from ver 2 to 3) and version 4.0 is probably on the horizon.



Thanks I wasn’t aware that a new version was somewhat imminent. I know much of this is probably rumors and people guessing but……..
When you say horizon do you mean in the next couple of months?


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## cloudbuster (Nov 11, 2022)

Pier said:


> So what are you all buying this BF in terms of synths?


Nothing. I'm set for life and whatever might come next.



Pier said:


> I guess _some_ people are finally getting Zebra


I demoed that thing a good while ago and it's not for me so yeah, some folks might get it, others can happily live without it ... different strokes etc.



Pier said:


> I'm still on the fence about getting Avenger. I'm not sure about the authorization and GUI but boy it does sound fantastic.


Avenger has become one of my main workhorse synths after a Codemeter (disaster) related hiatus of sorts but now that's history. I haven't had a single glitch with authorization (basically challenge response) ever since even though I went through a motherboard change and flipped my system SSD.


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## Marcus Millfield (Nov 11, 2022)

I have more synths than I know what to do with, so I'm good for now. That can be overruled if Dawesome decides to release something new.

I do have some synth related things I'm eyeing for BF, mainly an upgrade to Bitwig Studio from my current 16-track license. Also looking forward to Sound Dust Plankton Sequencer. I like using Plankton as an electronic drums and pluck layer, so I'm keen to utilizing the sequencer on other synths and libraries. It gets you something interesting fast.


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## Alchemedia (Nov 11, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> Thanks I wasn’t aware that a new version was somewhat imminent. I know much of this is probably rumors and people guessing but……..
> When you say horizon do you mean in the next couple of months?


Horizon: the line at which the earth's surface and the sky appear to meet. 
I could be mistaken, however 3.0 was release Dec 2018, so there's that.


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## KEM (Nov 11, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> Thanks I wasn’t aware that a new version was somewhat imminent. I know much of this is probably rumors and people guessing but……..
> When you say horizon do you mean in the next couple of months?



No, I’m pretty sure they said in a forum reply that it wouldn’t be until next year at the earliest, pretty sure the Hans Zimmer collab is what’s coming next from them


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## Alchemedia (Nov 11, 2022)

KEM said:


> No, I’m pretty sure they said in a forum reply that it wouldn’t be until next year at the earliest, pretty sure the Hans Zimmer collab is what’s coming next from them


You're probably right, this time. But don't let it go to your head.


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## kgdrum (Nov 11, 2022)

Alchemedia said:


> Horizon: the line at which the earth's surface and the sky appear to meet.
> I could be mistaken, however 3.0 was release Dec 2018, so there's that.


Thanks I wasn’t aware of the release history of Dune. Although I have Obsession and the Legend I’m really haven’t really paid that much attention to Synapse‘s approach to sales,upgrades etc…..


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## cloudbuster (Nov 11, 2022)

Marcus Millfield said:


> I do have some synth related things I'm eyeing for BF, mainly an upgrade to Bitwig Studio from my current 16-track license.


I did that about two and a half years ago and don't regret a single cent, quite the opposite ... I still see that investment as the best ever when it comes to my work with electronic (and sampled) vibes but totally understand people who need something different. Coming from many years with Cubase, reaper and Ableton, Bitwig came as a huge liberation, especially in regard to my ideosyncratic workflow (neurological resource management). YMMV, back OT.


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## Marcus Millfield (Nov 11, 2022)

cloudbuster said:


> I did that about two and a half years ago and don't regret a single cent, quite the opposite ... I still see that investment as the best ever when it comes to my work with electronic (and sampled) vibes but totally understand people who need something different. Coming from many years with Cubase, reaper and Ableton, Bitwig came as a huge liberation, especially in regard to my ideosyncratic workflow (neurological resource management). YMMV, back OT.


Well... I bought Studio last year, I think it was with the 4.0 release and had so much issues with crashes and sound issues that I sold it in frustration. Connecting my hardware would instantly result in dropouts and studio would crash randomly. I did however miss the workflow for my electronic music, so I dipped my toe into it again 2 months ago with 16-track. It's much more stable now and am liking it a lot. It's missing a lot of features for classical composing (for which I use Reaper), but for electronic music it's great. Still find the workflow a bit confusing at times, but I'm managing.


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## R. Naroth (Nov 11, 2022)

None for me. 😛 maybe some new KS presets.

Between Zebra, Dune, Phaseplant and Falcon, I have it all covered. The last two are still growing on me.


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## cloudbuster (Nov 11, 2022)

Marcus Millfield said:


> Well... I bought Studio last year, I think it was with the 4.0 release and had so much issues with crashes and sound issues that I sold it in frustration. Connecting my hardware would instantly result in dropouts and studio would crash randomly. I did however miss the workflow for my electronic music, so I dipped my toe into it again 2 months ago with 16-track. It's much more stable now and am liking it a lot. It's missing a lot of features for classical composing (for which I use Reaper), but for electronic music it's great. Still find the workflow a bit confusing at times, but I'm managing.


I hear you Marcus. As to stability I'm still on v.4.16 (no need to upgrade so far) and it's rock solid on my machine, even though I don't run external VSTs individually sandboxed. Right now I'm not using any external hardware other than a selection of Midi controllers so can't comment on that.

Speaking about templates I've been using my larger ones (350 tracks max.) still in reaper for a good while but after a got my new machine 12 months ago started to re-build them in Bitwig, one by one.
So far I haven't done any comparisons between the two setups, but lo and behold everything seems to run just as smoothly as before but much faster due to the new hardware (Dell XPS 15 - i7 11800h with 2 Samsung 980 Pro SSDs for the bread-and-butter samples vs. 6th gen i7/Sata on the older machine).

Bottom line: not much to complain about these days apart from the 11th gen. i7 running a little hot here and there but such is the nature of those beasts.

Sorry for the hijack, back OT.


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## cedricm (Nov 11, 2022)

cloudbuster said:


> I did that about two and a half years ago and don't regret a single cent, quite the opposite ... I still see that investment as the best ever when it comes to my work with electronic (and sampled) vibes but totally understand people who need something different. Coming from many years with Cubase, reaper and Ableton, Bitwig came as a huge liberation, especially in regard to my ideosyncratic workflow (neurological resource management). YMMV, back OT.


Yes, I shouldn't have sold my license, now I only have Bitwig 8, and Bitwig upgrades are never cheap.


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## shropshirelad (Nov 11, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


> Also, do check out the Reason shop for sales (I will notify you if there are any), because I managed to purchase Obsession for Reason for €43 in their summer sale, and Synapse are kind enough to throw in an NFR VST version if you mail them. And let’s face it, noone in their right mind are going to ever sell such a synth.


Synapse are also very generous lot aren't they - I had the Legend RE and they gave me the VST gratis. Don't know if this works the other way? Also worth remembering that they have another exciting product in late stage development. Can't wait for that! I'm hoping to pick up the official soundsets for Obsession/Dune if they go on sale.

Great advice re Reason - they've been releasing some good stuff recently and I find myself using the Reason Rack Plugin all the time. Antidote is wonderful, Grain & Complex lots of fun. The new Chord Sequencer player is really well done too.


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## cloudbuster (Nov 11, 2022)

cedricm said:


> Yes, I shouldn't have sold my license, now I only have Bitwig 8, and Bitwig upgrades are never cheap.


You could always try your luck on the classified ads here or elsewhere (KVR, etc...). I've seen active studio licenses change hands for as low as 150€ lately which isn't that bad compared to what you'd have to pay for a new upgrade from BW8. As to one-year Studio upgrades I got mine on Best Service for 99€ when they were on sale one or two years ago but haven't used it yet and AFAIK BS don't sell them any longer.

Back OT ... like I've mentioned in another thread a while ago that there's really not a lot left in my work (YMMV!) that I'd need external synths for that can't be done with the built-in synths, sampler modes, FX and those crazy modulation options in BWS. Looking back at which external synths I've used over the last couple months it's just been a mere handful of my old go-tos and more out of old habits or for nostalgic reasons of sorts than based on actual needs for the job at hand.


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## Pier (Nov 11, 2022)

KEM said:


> Never took you for an acid guy


Everybody needs a 303 (and some acid too  )

Edit:

In case you didn't get the reference


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## sean8877 (Nov 11, 2022)

U-he Hive for $118 at Thomann is giving me an itchy trigger finger. Is it worth it? I have Diva and Repro which are stellar and tons of other synths like Omni, Arturia V9, Tal stuff, Avenger, Dune 3, Massive X, etc. etc. etc. I'm not sure if Hive will bring anything unique to the table but I'm always looking to add to the available pallette.


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## Zero&One (Nov 11, 2022)

I’m hoping someone does a crazy mega deal on an OB-X8 😬
Actually, I hope someone doesn’t do a crazy deal on an OB-X8


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## Nimrod7 (Nov 11, 2022)

Pier said:


> I'm still on the fence about getting Avenger. I'm not sure about the authorization and GUI but boy it does sound fantastic.


Well, they went back to a simpler online authentication. They got rid WUBI at last. What a nightmare to deal with. 
Keep in mind that V2 is scheduled probably for Q1/23, and has an upgrade price of $1xx I believe. 

As for me I am not planning to buy any more synths. 
I got the GForce Oddity V3, and SoftTube Model 82 a few weeks back.


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## Pier (Nov 11, 2022)

sean8877 said:


> U-he Hive for $118 at Thomann is giving me an itchy trigger finger. Is it worth it? I have Diva and Repro which are stellar and tons of other synths like Omni, Arturia V9, Tal stuff, Avenger, Dune 3, Massive X, etc. etc. etc. I'm not sure if Hive will bring anything unique to the table but I'm always looking to add to the available pallette.


Hive is great but it will be very redundant sonic wise with that you already have. Its greatest strength is really the workflow.

Personally I've grown dissatisfied with Hive. It always leaves me wanting more. On v2 they added some cool features but I've always wished they made it a bit more Zebra-like. I guess their thinking is "if you want more stuff just use Zebra".


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## sean8877 (Nov 11, 2022)

Pier said:


> Hive is great but it will be very redundant sonic wise with that you already have. Its greatest strength is really the workflow.
> 
> Personally I've grown dissatisfied with Hive. It always leaves me wanting more. On v2 they added some cool features but I've always wished they made it a bit more Zebra-like. I guess their thinking is "if you want more stuff just use Zebra".


Good info, thanks.


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## Pier (Nov 11, 2022)

Nimrod7 said:


> Keep in mind that V2 is scheduled probably for Q1/23, and has an upgrade price of $1xx I believe.


Last official info I've seen is Manuel on KVR writing they didn't know the release date yet.









KVR Forum: VPS Avenger 2.0 advance info - Page 6 - Instruments Forum


KVR Audio Forum - VPS Avenger 2.0 advance info - Page 6 - Instruments Forum




www.kvraudio.com


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## AnhrithmonGelasma (Nov 11, 2022)

Maybe a physical modelling synth with MPE and automatable pseudo-continuous physical parameters that can do wind or brass well. Respiro would be the obvious choice but I haven't liked the demos I've heard. Maybe upgrade to Modo Bass 2 too if there's a good enough sale. Probably some GeoSWAM for iOS.

Maybe Novum or Chop Suey, especially if there's a great sale on Tracktion's website.

Definitely buying more Equator2, Cypher2, and F'em presets. Maybe some Biotek 2 presets too.

Hoping for my free upgrade to Zebra 3 though I know there's no official (public) ETA yet....


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## Technostica (Nov 11, 2022)

Pier said:


> Everybody needs a 303 (and some acid too  )
> 
> Edit:
> 
> In case you didn't get the reference



I thought that was a static image until about one minute in.  
Nice tune, I feel sorted for the weekend now. 
Talking of which, I watched the documentary on The Hacienda in the week on iPlayer. 
Worth a watch if you have access.


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## Nimrod7 (Nov 11, 2022)

Pier said:


> Last official info I've seen is Manuel on KVR writing they didn't know the release date yet.


Not sure, maybe it's pushed, that's quite old so could be...


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## Paul_xyz (Nov 11, 2022)

Pier said:


> Also considering getting Rapid. Sounds great but it's pretty basic as it is now. Would be great to know what new features are coming. And that crap about the NFR license...


I'm another one waiting on rapid's BF sale. Can't agree about it being basic though. It covers a lot of bases with wavetables, multi-samples, 100-grain granular synthesis, inter-oscillator phase mod "FM" with wavetable carrier but wavetable+sampler modulators, and that per-voice insert effect/second-filter that can be routed before the main filter. I guess the modulation could be seen as a little light with 4x envelopes, 4x LFOs and 4x 32-step mod sequences, but that is per layer and it has 8 of those.


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## Paul_xyz (Nov 11, 2022)

AnhrithmonGelasma said:


> Maybe a physical modelling synth with MPE and automatable pseudo-continuous physical parameters that can do wind or brass well. Respiro would be the obvious choice but I haven't liked the demos I've heard. Maybe upgrade to Modo Bass 2 too if there's a good enough sale. Probably some GeoSWAM for iOS.


have you looked at rhizomatic's plasmonic? https://rhizomatic.fr/


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## vitocorleone123 (Nov 11, 2022)

Already purchased the only synth I'll get: Oddity 3.

No other synth is currently on my radar (not interested in Zebra 3 at this time... if I become interested, I'll probably sell Omnisphere to get it).


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## vitocorleone123 (Nov 11, 2022)

sean8877 said:


> U-he Hive for $118 at Thomann is giving me an itchy trigger finger. Is it worth it? I have Diva and Repro which are stellar and tons of other synths like Omni, Arturia V9, Tal stuff, Avenger, Dune 3, Massive X, etc. etc. etc. I'm not sure if Hive will bring anything unique to the table but I'm always looking to add to the available pallette.


Well. I think Hive 2 sounds better that all of the ones you listed within what it can do, but that's my ears. It's sorta a modular/zebra2 "in a candybar" per Urs.


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## Pier (Nov 11, 2022)

Paul_xyz said:


> Can't agree about it being basic though


I agree it has a lot of timbre potential as it is but I'm missing what I consider bread and butter features. Stuff such as global modulation shared by all layers, sidechain modulation (one mod source controlling the depth of another mod source), actual MSEGs, etc.

And yeah it has layers but each layer on it's own is rather basic and the routing is very limited. It seems the solution to every problem I have is just "use another layer!" which I find incredibly clunky compared to say Zebra. Stuff like having parallel filters, parallel effects, sending an osc straight to the master, etc.


----------



## Paul_xyz (Nov 11, 2022)

All fair points. To me, the stuff it does have stops it being basic, but nice to know where you're coming from on it.


----------



## Captain Oveur (Nov 11, 2022)

If I can upgrade from AL5 to V-Collection 9 for under $200 I'll probably jump on it, but I'm not expecting that steep a price drop so soon. Other than that my money is earmarked for Syntorial 2 followed by a revisit to the synths I already own.


----------



## cloudbuster (Nov 11, 2022)

Pier said:


> Last official info I've seen is Manuel on KVR writing they didn't know the release date yet.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's been going on for months now ... folks constantly nagging Manuel about a release date. 

Anyway, anytime is fine with me; whenever they're ready, like in bug-free and an explicit NO to another authorization disaster. So it's Avenger 2 or Synthmaster 3 or both; until then ... peace and out.


----------



## Teksonik (Nov 12, 2022)

Paul_xyz said:


> I'm another one waiting on rapid's BF sale. Can't agree about it being basic though. It covers a lot of bases with wavetables, multi-samples, 100-grain granular synthesis, inter-oscillator phase mod "FM" with wavetable carrier but wavetable+sampler modulators, and that per-voice insert effect/second-filter that can be routed before the main filter. I guess the modulation could be seen as a little light with 4x envelopes, 4x LFOs and 4x 32-step mod sequences, but that is per layer and it has 8 of those.


I've owned Rapid for quite some time and it is an awesome synth if one concentrates on what it can do.

However one of the complaints about Parawave is the last update of Rapid was in 2020 and they don't communicate with the user base as much as one would like. I see a lot of people posting on forums "it's abandonware" or "it's dead". So I contacted the developer and asked them if there was anything they could share that would calm the fears of some users. The following meme is what I received in response:


----------



## Paul_xyz (Nov 12, 2022)

wow, that response doesn't inspire confidence. I think I'll leave buying it this year.


----------



## LA68 (Nov 12, 2022)

I'm hoping that ArcSyn will go on sale for 44,50$ again. Also XILS 4 and KaoX.


----------



## SupremeFist (Nov 12, 2022)

I haven't bought a softsynth since Model 84 and am happy with that, Diva, Zebra, Repro, J-8, Pigments, and Oberhausen as my current shortlist of go-tos. But I will definitely buy Cherry's forthcoming CS80.


----------



## Pier (Nov 12, 2022)

Teksonik said:


> I've owned Rapid for quite some time and it is an awesome synth if one concentrates on what it can do.
> 
> However one of the complaints about Parawave is the last update of Rapid was in 2020 and they don't communicate with the user base as much as one would like. I see a lot of people posting on forums "it's abandonware" or "it's dead". So I contacted the developer and asked them if there was anything they could share that would calm the fears of some users. The following meme is what I received in response:


It could very well be the next update is going to be very deep which is why it's taking so long.

Parawave is probably a one person operation. Also possible this is not even their main source of income.

But at least it would be great to know if they are actually working on something. Oh well time will tell.


----------



## vitocorleone123 (Nov 12, 2022)

SupremeFist said:


> I haven't bought a softsynth since Model 84 and am happy with that, Diva, Zebra, Repro, J-8, Pigments, and Oberhausen as my current shortlist of go-tos. But I will definitely buy Cherry's forthcoming CS80.


I replaced Oberhausen with the GForce SEM. I liked Oberhausen, but side by side there was no comparison for me. The SEM will compliment Repro1: a 12db filter or the 24db filter for monosynth duties.

You have plenty of polysynth power! Though I’d add Vital, since it’s free 

I like Oddity3 better than Repro5 and am very happy with the $58 I spent on Oddity3. Some day I’ll probably get the OB-Ev2, but no rush on that as I have a hardware synth “cousin” covering some of the same ground (OB-6).


----------



## SupremeFist (Nov 12, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> I replaced Oberhausen with the GForce SEM. I liked Oberhausen, but side by side there was no comparison for me. The SEM will compliment Repro1: a 12db filter or the 24db filter for monosynth duties.
> 
> You have plenty of polysynth power! Though I’d add Vital, since it’s free
> 
> I like Oddity3 better than Repro5 and am very happy with the $58 I spent on Oddity3. Some day I’ll probably get the OB-Ev2, but no rush on that as I have a hardware synth “cousin” covering some of the same ground (OB-6).


Yeah I've heard very good things about the GForce. I did try Vital but it didn't seem to add anything to what I had. Also this year I did get a Sequential Take 5 which I love to bits, so don't tell me how good the OB-6 module is or I'll want one of those (even more) too.


----------



## vitocorleone123 (Nov 12, 2022)

SupremeFist said:


> Yeah I've heard very good things about the GForce. I did try Vital but it didn't seem to add anything to what I had. Also this year I did get a Sequential Take 5 which I love to bits, so don't tell me how good the OB-6 module is or I'll want one of those (even more) too.


The Take5 is great. Like the OB-6, I kinda wish they were Take8 and OB-8, but they’re both interesting synths in their own way.

I think that unless you fall in love with the OB-6 sound for what it is like I did (didn’t care about getting a particular historic sound), a lot of people who want the more classic Oberheim sound are very happy with the much less expensive OB-Ev2. But the SEM gets you close as a mono for even less money - and with less complexity.


----------



## SupremeFist (Nov 12, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> The Take5 is great. Like the OB-6, I kinda wish they were Take8 and OB-8, but they’re both interesting synths in their own way.
> 
> I think that unless you fall in love with the OB-6 sound for what it is like I did (didn’t care about getting a particular historic sound), a lot of people who want the more classic Oberheim sound are very happy with the much less expensive OB-Ev2. But the SEM gets you close as a mono for even less money - and with less complexity.


Ok well maybe you've added the Ev2 to my BF list.


----------



## Crowe (Nov 12, 2022)

As far as actual plans go, the only synth I'm definitely getting is Zebra 2 / DarkZebra this Tuesday.

Other than that, I'm keeping my options open. Granular synthesis is my current field of interest, so any deep discounts on synths of that type will probably have me jump on them.

As a general rule, same goes for anything by Tracktion/Dawesome but I'm not expecting much on that front.

EDIT: Oh no, I made Sos sad. Why?


----------



## Pier (Nov 12, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> I replaced Oberhausen with the GForce SEM. I liked Oberhausen, but side by side there was no comparison for me. The SEM will compliment Repro1: a 12db filter or the 24db filter for monosynth duties.
> 
> You have plenty of polysynth power! Though I’d add Vital, since it’s free
> 
> I like Oddity3 better than Repro5 and am very happy with the $58 I spent on Oddity3. Some day I’ll probably get the OB-Ev2, but no rush on that as I have a hardware synth “cousin” covering some of the same ground (OB-6).


The newer Gforce stuff sounds amazing. Honestly I've never been as impressed by an emulation.

It's a shame these synths are so limited in terms of features though.


----------



## sostenuto (Nov 12, 2022)

Pier said:


> The newer Gforce stuff sounds amazing. Honestly I've never been as impressed by an emulation.
> 
> It's a shame these synths are so limited in terms of features though.


Assume you are including Oddity3. Demo now and likely choice to start investing time /effort. 🤷🏻


----------



## KEM (Nov 12, 2022)

Pier said:


> The newer Gforce stuff sounds amazing. Honestly I've never been as impressed by an emulation.
> 
> It's a shame these synths are so limited in terms of features though.



I bought Oddity solely because of this video, it’s a great synth and I just used it on the track I put out yesterday


----------



## Pier (Nov 12, 2022)

KEM said:


> I bought Oddity solely because of this video, it’s a great synth and I just used it on the track I put out yesterday



Yeah if you think about it as an instrument it's totally fine. People are going to add more effects on top of that, layer it with other stuff, sequence it in the DAW, etc.

But I'm thinking more in terms of a synth platform for doing sound design. Not only for releasing soundsets but also for working in a production team. Like working in a film where you don't want the composer to have to install a dozen plugins for every synth sound.


----------



## KEM (Nov 12, 2022)

Pier said:


> Yeah if you think about it as an instrument it's totally fine. People are going to add more effects on top of that, layer it with other stuff, sequence it in the DAW, etc.
> 
> But I'm thinking more in terms of a synth platform for doing sound design. Not only for releasing soundsets but also for working in a production team. Like working in a film where you don't want the composer to have to install a dozen plugins for every synth sound.



It’s all a tool at the end of the day!!


----------



## kgdrum (Nov 12, 2022)

Pier said:


> The newer Gforce stuff sounds amazing. Honestly I've never been as impressed by an emulation.
> 
> It's a shame these synths are so limited in terms of features though.


I am only speculating since I have no experience with the original ARP Odessey but isn’t it possible that GForce were trying to stay faithful to what the ARP Odessey actually featured?


----------



## KEM (Nov 12, 2022)

How dare you question the GOAT @Pier  

If Ludwig likes Oddity then we like Oddity!!


----------



## Pier (Nov 12, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> I am only speculating since I have no experience with the original ARP Odessey but isn’t it possible that GForce were trying to stay faithful to what the ARP Odessey actually featured?


Oh yeah absolutely.

But personally I don't have any nostalgia for the experience of the old hardware. I *love* the sound but it's not enough. I want more. Like why doesn't Diva have a sequencer, MSEGs, and more effects?


----------



## vitocorleone123 (Nov 12, 2022)

Pier said:


> Oh yeah absolutely.
> 
> But personally I don't have any nostalgia for the experience of the old hardware. I *love* the sound but it's not enough. I want more. Like why doesn't Diva have a sequencer, MSEGs, and more effects?


I'm definitely not partial to the sound of Arturia synths, but this is one thing I like that they do: add optional features. No surprise: I share a lot of similar views on music hardware/software. I'd love to see a "Dive" (Diva+Hive2) synth.

Now, Oddity3 DOES add additional features that take it into brand new territory: 16 voice polyphany and an additional/optional LFO and Enevelope that can be mapped to multiple controls. Plus a decent reverb and delay and OK distortion. I like the raw sound of Model 84 better, but Oddity3 can go so many more places and the raw sound is almost as good.

I definitely recommend people check out the Oddity3 demo, especially while the price is $58.


----------



## kgdrum (Nov 12, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> I'm definitely not partial to the sound of Arturia synths, but this is one thing I like that they do: add optional features. No surprise: I share a lot of similar views on music hardware/software. I'd love to see a "Dive" (Diva+Hive2) synth.
> 
> Now, Oddity3 DOES add additional features that take it into brand new territory: 16 voice polyphany and an additional/optional LFO and Enevelope that can be mapped to multiple controls. Plus a decent reverb and delay and OK distortion. I like the raw sound of Model 84 better, but Oddity3 can go so many more places and the raw sound is almost as good.
> 
> I definitely recommend people check out the Oddity3 demo, especially while the price is $58.


Well I think both approaches have merit,it’s nice that a developer like Arturia offer additional options but otoh some people might prefer a developer like GForce staying somewhat faithful to the original, limitations and all giving the user the formula that made the original so special. Offering too many options can lead people down different paths which of course can be great but some developers prefer keeping the spirit of the original intact as much as possible.
Urs has stated in numerous posts about various synths how he walks a fine line between piling on options for synths (making them too complicated) and keeping things simple like Hive and offering a great synth that‘s less complicated and more immediate for users.


----------



## KEM (Nov 12, 2022)

I do look at it the same was as @Pier though, I have no nostalgia for old synths, I mean the first synths I ever even heard of were Serum, Sylenth, and Massive  that just shows my age lol but it’s the truth, I have no nostalgia or sentiment for old synths because I didn’t grow up with them so I don’t really care about emulations or “accuracy” or anything like that, I care much more about things sounding cool and being able to do the things I want, that’s why I love Zebra and Dune so much


----------



## Pier (Nov 12, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> I'm definitely not partial to the sound of Arturia synths, but this is one thing I like that they do: add optional features. No surprise: I share a lot of similar views on music hardware/software. I'd love to see a "Dive" (Diva+Hive2) synth.
> 
> Now, Oddity3 DOES add additional features that take it into brand new territory: 16 voice polyphany and an additional/optional LFO and Enevelope that can be mapped to multiple controls. Plus a decent reverb and delay and OK distortion. I like the raw sound of Model 84 better, but Oddity3 can go so many more places and the raw sound is almost as good.
> 
> I definitely recommend people check out the Oddity3 demo, especially while the price is $58.


100% agree on everything.

And yeah you' ve convinced me to try Oddity3


----------



## kgdrum (Nov 12, 2022)

Pier said:


> 100% agree on everything.
> 
> And yeah you' ve convinced me to try Oddity3


Oddity 2 was already a GREAT SYNTH! I haven’t had time to install 3 yet but I’m sure Oddity 3 is going to be AWESOME! 
GForce has been really raising the bar on their last few releases. 👍


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## KEM (Nov 12, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> Oddity 2 was al ready a GREAT SYNTH! I haven’t had time to install 3 yet but I’m sure Oddity 3 is going to be AWESOME! GForce has been really raising the bar on their last few releases.



Oddity 3 is awesome!! Just used it in a track I put out yesterday, it’s great for those crazy modular style sequences and that’s exactly what I used it for


----------



## kgdrum (Nov 12, 2022)

@Pier and other synth nuts who will probably find this article interesting.










Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross "The Social Network" Synth Sound


Deconstructing the anxious, brooding sounds behind the 2010 masterpiece, The Social Network.




reverbmachine.com


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## Pier (Nov 12, 2022)

Yeah Oddity 3 sounds fucking amazing. Bought!


----------



## KEM (Nov 12, 2022)

Pier said:


> Yeah Oddity 3 sounds fucking amazing. Bought!



There he goes


----------



## KEM (Nov 12, 2022)

@Pier the crazy odd time modular sequence at 1:58, 2:07, etc. in that ending section is from Oddity3, and the crazy high scream lead synth over top is actually that Doom style lead patch you made for me in Zebra!!


----------



## Pier (Nov 12, 2022)

Nice track Kenneth!

What did you use for the bass and those low end hits?


----------



## KEM (Nov 12, 2022)

Pier said:


> Nice track Kenneth!
> 
> What did you use for the bass and those low end hits?



Tons of different basses in there, the beginning bass sequence is from Dune, the long zingy bass in the middle section is from Zebra, the sidechained bass that comes in over it is from Knifonium, and during the last section I used Djinn Bass from Submission Audio since I don’t have a real bass to record (guitars are played by me of course)

The filtered drum loops are from Hammers and the natural drums are from Hans Zimmer Perc, impacts are from Hybrid Two


----------



## elucid (Nov 12, 2022)

Pier said:


> Yeah Oddity 3 sounds fucking amazing. Bought!


I've said it a few times but I strongly recommend ImpOSCar as well. It's a seriously underestimated synth IMO. It's perfectly usable right now - just a tiny GUI - but GForce has indicated (to me via email) that they want to make that one Apple Silicon native as well. Which presumably means a V3 version just like they did with Oddity.


----------



## Alchemedia (Nov 12, 2022)

LA68 said:


> LA68 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm hoping that ArcSyn will go on sale for 44,50$ again. Also XILS 4 and KaoX.


Xils4 was recently updated and currently on sale for $50.


----------



## Teksonik (Nov 14, 2022)

Pier said:


> It could very well be the next update is going to be very deep which is why it's taking so long.
> 
> Parawave is probably a one person operation. Also possible this is not even their main source of income.
> 
> But at least it would be great to know if they are actually working on something. Oh well time will tell.


It could also very well be there is no update. For the record I don't care about a Rapid update but I do care if support will continue or if the plugin will be abandoned. 

Further email exchanges with them revealed "Rapid works, is still supported and will be supported and developed in the future" so if true that is good news.

I think the issue is that Parawave doesn't communicate well with its user base and that makes some people nervous and then you get people posting things like:



grdh20 post_id=8553294 time=1668189862 user_id=265183 said:


> abandonware...



A little communication would go a long way in calming the fears of some Rapid owners but snarky responses like "(stop) chasing superfluous things like "frequency of updates". Sooner or later you'll get your update" kind of surprised me. 

I've never had any issues with either Rene or Mirko so their attitude in response to a simple inquiry was a bit off putting. I saw people posting that Rapid is "dead" or "abandonware" so I thought if Paraware could give me something positive to pass along on various forums it might help counter that negative publicity. Instead I got a snarky meme that I found rather insulting.

I think people should know about that attitude if they are thinking of buying Rapid and at some point may need to seek support from them.

My desire to spend any money with them has been greatly lessened due to their rude responses.


----------



## Teksonik (Nov 14, 2022)

Anyway on the subject of deals, Rob Papen's BLUE III upgrade is due tomorrow or the next day. 

I think Rob said the upgrade from BLUE II will be around $38 so it will be an instant purchase for me.

BLUE is a great synth that will get even deeper at version three.


----------



## DoubleTap (Nov 14, 2022)

Pier said:


> So what are you all buying this BF in terms of synths?
> 
> I guess _some_ people are finally getting Zebra
> 
> ...



I have all the synths I need. 

I have enough synths. 

I suppose I don't have Dune.


----------



## Paul_xyz (Nov 14, 2022)

Teksonik said:


> . Instead I got a snarky meme that I found rather insulting.
> 
> I think people should know about that attitude if they are thinking of buying Rapid and at some point may need to seek support from them.
> 
> My desire to spend any money with them has been greatly lessened due to their rude responses.


That response put me off buying it this BF - I've no interest in funding arsey developers.

I'm looking at getting dune 3 instead.


----------



## Tusker (Nov 15, 2022)

I've been thinking of picking up one or both of the two Expressive E physical modeling soft synths: _Noisy_ and _Imagine_. I'm really looking for something easy to play with for a little extra flavor since I already have physical modeling in Zebra/Prism/Sculpture. I am really mostly hoping to get some morphable plucks and drones which have a personality. Maybe even a nasty personality? Wondering if somebody has a recommendation between the two? Thanks for any advice.


----------



## doctoremmet (Nov 15, 2022)

Tusker said:


> I've been thinking of picking up one or both of the two Expressive E physical modeling soft synths: _Noisy_ and _Imagine_. I'm really looking for something easy to play with for a little extra flavor since I already have physical modeling in Zebra/Prism/Sculpture. I am really mostly hoping to get some morphable plucks and drones which have a personality. Maybe even a nasty personality? Wondering if somebody has a recommendation between the two? Thanks for any advice.


I have both, and of the two I like the AAS collab Imagine the best. It really excels at the woody plucky side of the PM spectrum and the synth layout itself is excellent too. In case you already own Chromaphone, maybe think twice because these two are close relatives it seems, sonically (and likely also in terms of the actual DSP and models used). 

Noisy is great too by the way, but the UI and synth architecture both are a bit clunky and slow for me. In terms of “end results”, i.e. sound it is a terrific synthesizer though.

I remember I watched this video and purchased Imagine halfway through, so watch at your own peril:



Edit: and for nasty drones, allow me to suggest Newfangled Audio’s free Pendulate! It is really made for that type of drone.


----------



## AnhrithmonGelasma (Nov 15, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


> I have both, and of the two I like the AAS collab Imagine the best. It really excels at the woody plucky side of the PM spectrum and the synth layout itself is excellent too. In case you already own Chromaphone, maybe think twice because these two are close relatives it seems, sonically (and likely also in terms of the actual DSP and models used).
> 
> Noisy is great too by the way, but the UI and synth architecture both are a bit clunky and slow for me. In terms of “end results”, i.e. sound it is a terrific synthesizer though.
> 
> ...



Sound on Sound review claims full MPE support, but I don't see anything about that on the product page or in the manual?... There's a KVR thread that seems to indicate it didn't have MPE, but later had at least partial MPE implementation?...

"Real-time performance is well catered for too, and includes full MPE support"






Expressive E & AAS release Imagine


New software instrument uses real-world acoustic principles to create otherworldy sounds.




www.soundonsound.com


----------



## doctoremmet (Nov 15, 2022)

AnhrithmonGelasma said:


> Sound on Sound review claims full MPE support, but I don't see anything about that on the product page or in the manual?... There's a KVR thread that seems to indicate it didn't have MPE, but later had at least partial MPE implementation?...
> 
> "Real-time performance is well catered for too, and includes full MPE support"
> 
> ...


I clearly remember it only came supported by their own Touché but disappointingly lacked MPE support at launch. Which is kind of lame, given the huge potential for “5D” control this engine has.

Truth be told I accepted that for what it was and never bothered to use it with my Seaboard since. I don’t recall ever seeing or hearing of an update that fixed this omission, so I can’t say anything sensible about it I am afraid…


----------



## AnhrithmonGelasma (Nov 15, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


> I clearly remember it only came supported by their own Touché but disappointingly lacked MPE support at launch. Which is kind of lame, given the huge potential for “5D” control this engine has.
> 
> Truth be told I accepted that for what it was and never bothered to use it with my Seaboard since. I don’t recall ever seeing or hearing of an update that fixed this omission, so I can’t say anything sensible about it I am afraid…


It's ridiculous that the Sound on Sound review from 13/9/21 was never corrected... that's a major error. (And that sentence from the article is what Google returns as the "answer" when asked if Expressive E Imagine has MPE.)


----------



## vitocorleone123 (Nov 15, 2022)

AnhrithmonGelasma said:


> It's ridiculous that the Sound on Sound review from 13/9/21 was never corrected... that's a major error. (And that sentence from the article is what Google returns as the "answer" when asked if Expressive E Imagine has MPE.)


Sound on Sound, not "Accurate on Sound"


----------



## Tusker (Nov 15, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


> I have both, and of the two I like the AAS collab Imagine the best. It really excels at the woody plucky side of the PM spectrum and the synth layout itself is excellent too.


Doctor, I picked it up and am so grateful for your advice. This really hits the spot for plucks and strums. Timbres are spot on. Pitch seems a bit precise in the presets for all that twanging and hitting. Hopefully, I'll figure out how to make pitch a bit more "real world" and organic without resorting to pitch bend messages. Loving the interface. It sets a really high bar! Time to dig in! Thank you!


----------



## cedricm (Nov 15, 2022)

Any opinion on Lunacy Audio Cube Mini?
The reviews on Plugin Boutique are surprisingly good, but I'm quite sure they're for Cube, not Cube Mini.


----------



## Alchemedia (Nov 15, 2022)

Tusker said:


> I've been thinking of picking up one or both of the two Expressive E physical modeling soft synths: _Noisy_ and _Imagine_. I'm really looking for something easy to play with for a little extra flavor since I already have physical modeling in Zebra/Prism/Sculpture. I am really mostly hoping to get some morphable plucks and drones which have a personality. Maybe even a nasty personality? Wondering if somebody has a recommendation between the two? Thanks for any advice.


I was a beta tester for Expressive E's Noisy. Based upon your post I'd recommend Imagine.


----------



## Colin66 (Nov 18, 2022)

Pier said:


> 100% agree on everything.
> 
> And yeah you' ve convinced me to try Oddity3


I'm just starting to get into synths in terms of playing/using them. I'd be interested to know what you think of Oddity 3, I'm thinking of buying it myself so your opinion would be of interest. I did listen to some reviews on YT and loved the sounds which I guess is the main thing.


----------



## Pier (Nov 18, 2022)

Colin66 said:


> I'm just starting to get into synths in terms of playing/using them. I'd be interested to know what you think of Oddity 3, I'm thinking of buying it myself so your opinion would be of interest. I did listen to some reviews on YT and loved the sounds which I guess is the main thing.


Sounds amazing. Really one of the best sounding virtual synths in the market on pure raw tone.

With FM and ring modulation it can produce many interesting timbres but it's not a very versatile synth. I also find the GUI awkward to use and the modulation is quite limited compared to what you usually find on synths these days. It also lacks common features like unison.

That said, if you're looking for an analog emulation, it doesn't get any better than this in terms of sound.

Here's the official tutorial which explains all its features.


----------



## SimonCharlesHanna (Nov 18, 2022)

I am waiting for Dune 3!! Anyone seen it on sale?


----------



## Pier (Nov 18, 2022)

SimonCharlesHanna said:


> I am waiting for Dune 3!! Anyone seen it on sale?


It's $135 on Thomann if you live outside the EU which is already a pretty good price.









Synapse Audio Dune 3


Virtual synthesizer (download) Flexible synthesizer with virtual-analog oscillators, wavetable and FM synthesis, 2 Parallel tone generators with 32 oscillators each, 8-fold Unison, Extensive wavetable editor, 16-Voice polyphony - up to 520 total...




www.thomann.de





Synapse will most likely have a BF though. I think last year on Thomann it went down to something like $99 while on sale.


----------



## dyross (Nov 19, 2022)

I have too many synths that I don’t use, but considering imposcar2 and Novum looks really unique.


----------



## doctoremmet (Nov 19, 2022)

dyross said:


> I have too many synths that I don’t use, but considering imposcar2 and Novum looks really unique.


Both are incredibly good. Just got impOscar 2 and it has a tiny UI. But the sound is…. NICE!


----------



## proxima (Nov 19, 2022)

I (im)patiently waited for Chromaphone 3 to go on sale, and was pleasantly surprised that it went to $90 instead of the usual $100 sale yesterday! I used the demo several weeks ago and was pleased with its workflow, UI, and sound. Maybe not a jack-of-every-trade PM synth, but plenty of depth to explore. Also related to reading EULAs, kudos to AAS for a completely permissive license re: sound design. It's an interesting distinction between "generic" PM synths and ones focused on specific instruments (pianoteq, etc).

Oddly, I haven't yet seen this sale come up in PluginBoutique's email list (which I subscribed to to keep an eye on for it).


----------



## StillLife (Nov 19, 2022)

I just updated to Arturia’s V-collection 9, from v7. That should keep me busy for a while. I might even have enough synths now, as I also have the Polybrute and Minilogue XD. Too much synths might scare me…
Incredible value by the way, that Arturia collection.


----------



## dyross (Nov 19, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


> Both are incredibly good. Just got impOscar 2 and it has a tiny UI. But the sound is…. NICE!


I’ve listened to demos and it does sound nice. How would you compare it to other vintage analog synths, especially like the Oddity3 or a prophet model?


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## doctoremmet (Nov 19, 2022)

dyross said:


> I’ve listened to demos and it does sound nice. How would you compare it to other vintage analog synths, especially like the Oddity3 or a prophet model?


In terms of sound quality this is still in the top tier, despite being an OLD piece of code by now. I’ve played with my friend’s copy of Oddity3 and compared it to our ARP Axxe and Oddyssey hardware, and I failed the A/B test. This likely tells you nothing much, as I always say I may just have “bad ears”. Especially reading lots of YT comments by people who claim to hear mythical differences and magically always seem to have access to any and all hardware synths ever made. Oh sorry…. that’s an entirely unnecessary rant hehe. Anyway… Odditty v3 does sound a tad better than impOscar v2 maybe… 

That said… I am absolutely FLOORED by how absolutely great the Xils Lab PolyKB III sounds. Amazing synthesizer, that I also only very recently acquired. And in terms of emulations of classic synthesizers I have to say this may be my favourite one yet. I effing love this one. On sale until the first week of January, I believe.

Anyway… impOscar v2 is an impressive synth which is likely to eventually receive a v3 upgrade from GForce some day. I quite like the synth’s architecture and the presets it comes with are great as well. Highly recommend it. (But do yourself a favour and maybe have a peek around the corner over at Xils Lab).


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## doctoremmet (Nov 19, 2022)




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## sostenuto (Nov 19, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


>



Would luv something like Sounds Divine _ for Xils KaoX !!


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## Alchemedia (Nov 19, 2022)

SimonCharlesHanna said:


> I am waiting for Dune 3!! Anyone seen it on sale?


Synapse BF sale starts Monday.


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## shropshirelad (Nov 21, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> I’m more than well stocked with synths but I might go for Dune if Synapse actually has it on sale.


They do!


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## Paul_xyz (Nov 21, 2022)

I'm no longer planning to buy it myself, but I see rapid is now at 50% off - https://parawave-audio.com/rapid_synth


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## doctoremmet (Nov 21, 2022)

KEM said:


> Can’t you get the Reason Rack as a vst now? I’ve definitely heard of Antidote and seen videos on it, if I could use it in Cubase that’d be great. Synapse also made an analog modeled filter plugin for Reason and I’d love to have that as well


The Reason Studios BF sale has started. Unfortunately Synapse Audio does not participate with all of their Rack Extensions….

They do offer Antidote for €60 and the most excellent DR1 Deep Reverb for €17 (which I just bought).

Keep in mind that if you do not have a Reason account yet, there is a way to earn Reward Points by creating one, which further knocks down the price considerably. *) During the summer sale these Reward Points could be used towards getting extra discounts for every item, including those on sale. I can’t confirm whether or not that’s the case now.

*) This involves downloading three IOS apps and logging onto those for the first time, which renders €15 each time, so €45 in reward points.


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## EmilÉert (Nov 21, 2022)

I am patiently waiting for Newfangled Audio Generate to go on a black friday sale. I absolutely love the gritty and unruly sound it has. I am a little worried that it might not go on sale for this black friday at all since Eventide has already published some sales and it isn't a part of them.

(Was not very wise for my gas to watch the Unfinished's preset videos on youtube.)


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## doctoremmet (Nov 21, 2022)

Heads up:


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## Colin66 (Nov 21, 2022)

StillLife said:


> I just updated to Arturia’s V-collection 9, from v7. That should keep me busy for a while. I might even have enough synths now, as I also have the Polybrute and Minilogue XD. Too much synths might scare me…
> Incredible value by the way, that Arturia collection.


Thinking about that too!


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## Paul_xyz (Nov 21, 2022)

Synlenth1 has 25% off its €139 EUR ex VAT price for BF from 24th to 29th with code BLFR2022 - https://www.lennardigital.com/store/


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## Teksonik (Nov 21, 2022)

Paul_xyz said:


> I'm no longer planning to buy it myself, but I see rapid is now at 50% off - https://parawave-audio.com/rapid_synth


To be fair Parawave just released a minor update. Well, major if anyone was waiting for VST3 support. 

I don't know if recent talk of Rapid being "dead" or "abandoned" on various forums and social media had any impact on their decision to release the update now or not but there it is.....


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## Paul_xyz (Nov 21, 2022)

yeah I saw that, but it was that meme reply that turned me stone cold on it.


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## Teksonik (Nov 21, 2022)

Synapse Audio's sale is on. DUNE 3 for $129. Not the $99 some were hoping for but still well worth the sale price. 

It's an absolutely awesome synth so I recommend everyone try the demo if you haven't already. 

https://www.synapse-audio.com/shop.html


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## Teksonik (Nov 21, 2022)

Paul_xyz said:


> yeah I saw that, but it was that meme reply that turned me stone cold on it.


Yes quite frankly I was shocked by the responses. I was just trying to help them since I saw their reputation taking a beating.

I've never had any issues with them over the years that I've owned Rapid so their tone was really unexpected.


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## Alchemedia (Nov 21, 2022)

Teksonik said:


> Yes quite frankly I was shocked by the responses. I was just trying to help them since I saw their reputation taking a beating.
> 
> I've never had any issues with them over the years that I've owned Rapid so* their tone was really unexpected.*


Not the first time.


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## kgdrum (Nov 22, 2022)

Teksonik said:


> Synapse Audio's sale is on. DUNE 3 for $129. Not the $99 some were hoping for but still well worth the sale price.
> 
> It's an absolutely awesome synth so I recommend everyone try the demo if you haven't already.
> 
> https://www.synapse-audio.com/shop.html


Currently $111.00 @Thomman (USA)
I guess this is the best price we will see for a while.









Synapse Audio Dune 3


Virtual synthesizer (download) Flexible synthesizer with virtual-analog oscillators, wavetable and FM synthesis, 2 Parallel tone generators with 32 oscillators each, 8-fold Unison, Extensive wavetable editor, 16-Voice polyphony - up to 520 total...




www.thomannmusic.com


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## Paul_xyz (Nov 22, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> Currently $111.00 @Thomman (USA)
> I guess this is the best price we will see for a while.
> 
> 
> ...


For UK buyers it tilts the other way:
thomann.de is £115 thanks to VAT
vs synapse audio direct which is coming in at £109 including VAT.


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## kgdrum (Nov 22, 2022)

Paul_xyz said:


> For UK buyers it tilts the other way:
> thomann.de is £115 thanks to VAT
> vs synapse audio direct which is coming in at £109 including VAT.


If I understand VAT that’s a great price,even better than what we will pay presently in the USA via Thomman.


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## shropshirelad (Nov 24, 2022)

Spitfire have the Martyn Ware NIC collection for £19. Seems churlish to refuse at that price. Does anyone have this?


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## Zero&One (Nov 24, 2022)

shropshirelad said:


> Spitfire have the Martyn Ware NIC collection for £19. Seems churlish to refuse at that price. Does anyone have this?


Yes, I really like it. I've created some great multis with them


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## shropshirelad (Nov 24, 2022)

Zero&One said:


> Yes, I really like it. I've created some great multis with them


Thanks, I think I'll give it a go.


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