# Trying to make good on what I have - advice needed



## vinnie2k (Nov 29, 2020)

Following Guy Michelmore's advice (given here) to use what you already have instead of buying stuff you either already have but don't know about, or don't need, I thought I'd go through my Native Instruments stuff because, well, I never had so far.

I have the free version of Reaktor 6 with the following synths:
Carbon 2
Lazerbass
Spark

Those UIs are... confusing to me. I'm not a synths expert but I know my way around Synthmaster One and Helm, for example.

So my question is: are these worth investing time into, or should I just stick to using other more user-friendly options?


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## GtrString (Nov 29, 2020)

Its hard to say. I find that software is like hardware, in the respect that it is highly subjective what you like. Its not just the sounds, its also the gui, if it feels intuitive for you to use, if you can tuck it easy into your mixes and if you find some go-to sounds quickly.


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## ReleaseCandidate (Nov 29, 2020)

vinnie2k said:


> Following Guy Michelmore's advice (given here) to use what you already have instead of buying stuff you either already have but don't know about, or don't need, I thought I'd go through my Native Instruments stuff because, well, I never had so far.
> 
> I have the free version of Reaktor 6 with the following synths:
> Carbon 2
> ...


Depends on you, what you like and don't.
Soundwise, from the technical side, all Reaktor stuff from NI (also from others, if free of errors) is about as good as it gets. 

But if you have Reaktor Player you also can use (some) free Reaktor Racks (that's more or less just special Blocks, you need to register them with Native Access) from UA and Toybox. That's enough for quite some sounds, and you're learning your way around synths.








Free Pack Details


This is the TOY BOX free pack with a collection of 40 essential modules for modular synthesis and sound design. The pack is FREE to download and can also be used without limitations with the free Reaktor Player. Included modules: Oscillators Oscillator Filters Filter Filter (Stereo) Effects...




www.toyboxaudio.com












Euro Reakt - Free Edition


Not just a demo... this is a standalone expansion for Euro Reakt! This collection contains 18 Blocks not found in Euro Reakt along with a complete set of NKS mapped-and-tagged Racks to explore them. This collection of Blocks will remain free as it is built off of the work of many synthesis...




www.unfilteredaudio.com


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## vinnie2k (Nov 29, 2020)

About Blocks: I messed around with VSV Rack a few months ago so I probably could go back to modular synthesis.

Learning these synths is going to take me time, and I'm only a hobbyist. My question was trying to assess if those three synths do give me stuff that no other synths can, or if I'm better off just using what I know.


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## vinnie2k (Nov 29, 2020)

ReleaseCandidate said:


> Free Pack Details
> 
> 
> This is the TOY BOX free pack with a collection of 40 essential modules for modular synthesis and sound design. The pack is FREE to download and can also be used without limitations with the free Reaktor Player. Included modules: Oscillators Oscillator Filters Filter Filter (Stereo) Effects...
> ...


Downloading, thx for those


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## Pier (Nov 30, 2020)

Listen the presets. If you don't fall in love with the sound of a synth I'd say don't bother wasting your time.

I agree it's good to limit yourself to certain tools but it's also good to have some variety to keep the interest.


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## Jkist (Nov 30, 2020)

While that is good advice, if you have the money, I would do the following:

Download the demos of all the synths that interest you and just try them out. Just play around with them, experiment, have fun. You want something that speaks to you, and inspires you to create. If your current synths arent doing that, and you aren't feeling motivated to trudge through the bad UI or whatever, finding a synth that really speaks to you can genuinely open up an entire new world.

Once you've found one you really like, I would say splurge on it, and learn it INSIDE AND OUT. No matter what type of synthesis it is (FM, wavetable, etc), you will learn an absolute ton, and you will be more motivated to do it. Once you have a handle on what you're doing, you can decide if you still need to fill any gaps in your synth collection or whatever.

My very first recommendation would be to go download Vital and give it a shot. Its free, and its absolutely incredible for being free. After that, my top recommendations would be:

Serum - Simply because the amount of support and youtube tutorials out there for this one is insane.
Dune - Because its one of my favorites and its stupid powerful
ANA2 - Because its great and usually on sale for pretty cheap
Sylenth1 - Because its simple and sounds awesome.

Never messed with Helm, but Synthmaster One is pretty decent.


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## Richard Wilkinson (Nov 30, 2020)

Get the free version of Zebra (zebralette?) and the brand-new Vital - similar to Serum, but there's a free version.

Both excellent. Both free.

And learn whatever your stock DAW synths are. If you're in Logic, congrats - they're all great! Ableton, Cubase etc also have some really good options.


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## doctoremmet (Nov 30, 2020)

ReleaseCandidate said:


> Depends on you, what you like and don't.
> Soundwise, from the technical side, all Reaktor stuff from NI (also from others, if free of errors) is about as good as it gets.
> 
> But if you have Reaktor Player you also can use (some) free Reaktor Racks (that's more or less just special Blocks, you need to register them with Native Access) from UA and Toybox. That's enough for quite some sounds, and you're learning your way around synths.
> ...


I was about to say this exact same thing. Imagine getting started with actual hardware Euro Rack modular synthesis and buying these FREE modules. You would be lightyears beyond “beginner level” and your bank account would be thousands of bucks lighter too. Reaktor is one of the best sounding synths I have ever come across. It can be hard on your CPU, so there’s that to consider too.


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## doctoremmet (Nov 30, 2020)

If you like the concept of modular synthesis, there is also the FREE Cherry Audio Voltage Modular package (Nucleus) which is even slightly easier to use than Reaktor. There are some very nice videos done by Cameron / Venus Theory about that one.


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## Zero&One (Nov 30, 2020)

vinnie2k said:


> So my question is: are these worth investing time into, or should I just stick to using other more user-friendly options?



Depends if you have the time? If not,

INIT a patch, slap on FX from your DAW and an Arp and you'll make sounds nobody else has.
Just being creative with FX can be real fun and makes you realise you probably don't need much more.


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## vinnie2k (Nov 30, 2020)

Thanks for all the nice inputs, guys. 
Vital is on my try out list. I had tried Helm but chose Synthmaster One over it because it had more options and wasn't expensive.

I guess I'm gonna have to try to test the presets on Carbon 2 and Spark to see if I like them - right now, I've focused on Synthmaster One because I felt the interface was intuitive to me and the sounds were awesome (but I might know any better on that last one).

Why hasn't anyone mentioned Massive or Monark?


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## Jkist (Nov 30, 2020)

Massive is awesome, its just a bit dated in its workflow by now. Still a fantastic synth, people have been making hits with it for over a decade now. But there are better options with newer features IMO, and with Massive X being Native's new flagship synth, I don't think Massive is being actively updated anymore.

Monark is great though. Its much more analog in its interface and sound. I prefer The Legend because it has just a few more features and capabilities, but Monark is really good!

Both Massive and Monark are definitely worth playing with to see how you get along with them. If you love Monark but find you want to do more, you can check out Repro or The Legend. Also Massive X is much different in terms of GUI and workflow than Massive, so if you really like Massive, don't assume Massive X will be as easy and intuitive to work with.

Ah speaking of Massive X. Its powerful and sounds very good, but the workflow seems very awkward to me in comparison to other synths. Definitely a learning curve there, but perhaps worth the investment if you like the sounds.


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