# Calling on all NI Synth owners!



## vinnie2k (Aug 6, 2021)

(edit: added Form, Kontour and Rounds)

Hello,

I recently bought NI K 13 STD and I am still coming to grips with how much is in there.
One thing I've noticed is how many synth options you get. Hence my question:

Why do you use any of them? For what purpose(s)?

I'd like the answers to follow the same format to improve readability. Here's the list of synths I'd like your "why" for:

Absynth
FM8
Form
Kontour
Massive
Massive X
Mikro Prism
Monark
Prism
Rounds
Reaktor Primary
Spark
Super 8
TRK-01

A typical answer would read like this (made it all up):

Absynth: modularity + layers
FM8: evolving pads + texture pads
Massive: --
Massive X: workflow
Mikro Prism: --
Monark: those phat bass sounds
Prism: UI + flexibility in modulation
Reaktor Primary: weird texture synths
Spark: --
Super 8: vintage 80s synth sounds
TRK-01: quick bass+kick out of the gates

Thank you for taking the time.


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## doctoremmet (Aug 6, 2021)

Reaktor: if I want to work with the (still) BEST sounding fully modular synth on the market. Tip: get Michael Hetrick’s modules (Unfiltered Audio Euroreakt) and all Nanoblocks. Despite the fact I spend most of my modular time with VM these days, Reaktor does beat it in terms of sheer soundquality

Reaktor: if I want do dive in the world of physical modeling I usually tend to look up some free and excellent ensembles, created by some genius in the huge Reaktor community





__





Reaktor Ensembles Recommendations (Free or commercial)


Show us what ya got :) EDITED, to add: If you are adding recommendations, please add a title (maybe even a tiny description) above each link. Without it, each link seems to default to being titled as "ENTRY". Thanks :2thumbs:




vi-control.net





Absynth 5: one of the best synth designs ever, by genius Brian Clevinger. Ever since I bought his Rhyzomatic Plasmonic I have been reminded of how much I still love this synth. From evolving organic sounding pads and transient rich plucks, this is a timeless true piece of synth software gold.

SUPER 8: I just picked up @Flintpope ‘s excellent 12 presets for this one, and I am frankly amazed by how good it sounds. Like a modded more capable Juno 60.

FM8: there’s no denying this is likely the FM synth I spent most hours with. Now replaced by other vendors’ creations (for me) but if you are only looking for one FM synth in your setup and have Komplete: look no further.

Note: if only NI would update Absynth and FM8 and give their UIs a modern look and feel.


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## Mr Frodo (Aug 6, 2021)

For synths I generally use Omnisphere (and increasingly Ethera Gold 2.5 for its hybrid instruments). But for what it's worth, here's my NI list:

Absynth: mostly pads
FM8: occasionally bass
Massive and Massive X: mostly pads and textures, but sometimes just that little extra "something" - a one-off noise, a drone, something curious in the background
Mikro Prism: haven't used it - just haven't got round to it
Monark: bits and pieces of general synth, but nothing in particular
Prism: pads, textures, and pulses
Reaktor Primary: some interesting pads and some arps/pulses
Spark, Super 8, and TRK-01: don't think I've ever used them


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## RogiervG (Aug 6, 2021)

Absynth: Nice evolving pads (although i also use Libraries included in Komplete ultimate CE and third party synths)
FM8: That FM sound (retro pads and leads) 
Massive: barely using it (some leads/basses)
Massive X: same as massive
Mikro Prism: I have reaktor prism instead.
Monark: That Moog analog sound (leads mostly)
Prism: haven't used it yet, might try soon
Reaktor Primary: I have full Reaktor (i create some synth sounds myself and i use some from the patches available)
Spark: Just fiddled with it a bit, long time ago, didn't click with me at that time, might try again later.
Super 8: haven't used it yet, might try soon
TRK-01: haven't used it yet, might try soon

I often go to third party synths though.. like Zebra (and dark zebra), Diva and Arturia synths.


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## darkogav (Aug 6, 2021)

I use these in this order by frequency:
Monark
Massive
Massive X
Super 8
FM8
Absynth

I don't use these:
TRK-01
Mikro Prism
Prism
Reaktor Primary
Spark

There is no straight answer as far as purpose. It all depends.


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## FlyingAndi (Aug 6, 2021)

Absynth: not used yet
FM8: not used very often so far
Massive: not used yet
Massive X: not used yet
Mikro Prism: didn't like it
Monark: vintage lead sounds, basses
Prism: didn't like it
Reaktor Primary: lots of cool synths and fx from the user
Spark: Wanted to like it, but only used it for a few good leads so far
Super 8: 80s synth string and brass pads
TRK-01: not used yet

Your list is missing most of my favourites:
Rounds: Moving Pads and noise
Form: Weird sounds and messing around with own samples
Kontour: Leads (and sometimes pads and basses) with good modulation options
Newscool: Random Beats


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## darkogav (Aug 6, 2021)

FlyingAndi said:


> Your list is missing most of my favourites:
> Rounds: Moving Pads and noise
> Form: Weird sounds and messing around with own samples
> Kontour: Leads (and sometimes pads and basses) with good modulation options
> Newscool: Random Beats


yeah... totally forgot about those. I recently started making projects with Kontour, Rounds and Polyplex and was surprised by how good they are. Basically a very neat user friendly front end for Reaktor.


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## vinnie2k (Aug 6, 2021)

FlyingAndi said:


> Your list is missing most of my favourites:
> Rounds: Moving Pads and noise
> Form: Weird sounds and messing around with own samples
> Kontour: Leads (and sometimes pads and basses) with good modulation options
> Newscool: Random Beats


Added Form, Kontour and Rounds.


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## sean8877 (Aug 6, 2021)

I use Rounds a lot because you can get some really cool off-beat arpeggiations with it and it's a great sounding analog/digital combo synth. If you take some time to mess around with it you can get some unique things out of it.


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## SupremeFist (Aug 6, 2021)

FM8 for FM sounds
Monark for bass sometimes
Massive X for huuuuge leads (though I stopped using it because of the dangerous noise-blast bug which is now apparently fixed but I'm still scared of it)
Super 8 for 80s analogue goodness


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## vinnie2k (Aug 6, 2021)

@all: would you ever pick a synth over another just for the workflow?


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## doctoremmet (Aug 6, 2021)

vinnie2k said:


> @all: would you ever pick a synth over another just for the workflow?


Absolutely. Workflow as well as something way less tangible I call “inspiration” for lack of a better word. The latter is extremely difficult to define, very personal, but explains why I currently enjoy working with Voltage Modular rather than Reaktor for instance.

Workflow and functionality is 100% why I enjoy working with Tracktion f.’em (and a whole host of other FM synths) rather than FM8.


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## SupremeFist (Aug 6, 2021)

vinnie2k said:


> @all: would you ever pick a synth over another just for the workflow?


All the time! Eg Super 8 sounds gorgeous, as I was just recently reminded, but you can't resize the GUI and I work at 4k, therefore Diva is still what I will call up first for those kinds of sounds (and it also sounds gorgeous of course). Similarly, although I get terrified and confused whenever anyone says the word "modular", the workflow of Zebra is so clever and straightforward that I'm happy to use that too.


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## Pier (Aug 6, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> Despite the fact I spend most of my modular time with VM these days, Reaktor does beat it in terms of sheer soundquality


VM?


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## rrichard63 (Aug 6, 2021)

Pier said:


> VM?


I think he means Cherry Audio's Voltage Modular.


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## Pier (Aug 6, 2021)

SupremeFist said:


> All the time! Eg Super 8 sounds gorgeous, as I was just recently reminded, but you can't resize the GUI and I work at 4k, therefore Diva is still what I will call up first for those kinds of sounds (and it also sounds gorgeous of course). Similarly, although I get terrified and confused whenever anyone says the word "modular", the workflow of Zebra is so clever and straightforward that I'm happy to use that too.


Same.

Even ignoring how good U-He synths sound, their UIs are part of the experience.

Even Zebra 2 which is like 15? years old at this point is still pretty good. First synth I ever saw with a scalable UI. That was some touch of genius from Urs. At the time 99% of UIs were non scalable and bitmap based.


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## doctoremmet (Aug 6, 2021)

rrichard63 said:


> I think he means Cherry Audio's Voltage Modular.


Yes thanks @rrichard63 - Pier, sometimes my use of acronyms can go a little bit too crazy. Apologies. In some of the Cherry Audio fora one just types VM


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## lux (Aug 6, 2021)

I end up using them way less than I should, can't really tell why. Although I have to say I got plenty of other stuff and libraries.

Probably the most used is Absynth, for pads and soundscapes plus a few oddities.

I use the old Massive here and there for some nastyness (leads, bass), basically never used the new one.


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## vinnie2k (Aug 6, 2021)

Why would you ever NOT make the UI resizable?


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## José Herring (Aug 6, 2021)

The deeper more philosopical question is what is each synth an emulation of or trying to accomplish and what historically has that synth be used for. Aside from Absynth each synth you mention as some basis in synth history. Absynth is virtual synth legend all by itself. 

So, FM 8 can be used for anything the old DX7 was capable of doing and more. Namely know for it's crispy bell sounds, electric keys sounds, digitally sound FM pads, FM Basses, ect... You can use that as a starting point and then make it your own.

Monark is an emulation of the MiniMoog I believe and it does a good job. Fat bass, cool sounding slightly overdriven arps, leads that cut through. ect..

Super 8, I thought was an emulation of the old 8bit sythts but It's just a great sounding synth. I feel it's closer in sound to the Roland Juno 60 more than anything else but it's kind of its own unique thing and I really like its old style digital sound for pads, but it can do so much more. Bit reminiscent of old film scores on VHS. 

Form is great for sample manipulation. It does its own thing with samples that is quite unlike other similar synths. It has a cool factor that can take a sample and alter it so much that it ends up unrecognizable. It has got a lot of moving parts and because of its constant motion it's great for evolving pads. 

The rest I never really got a long with. 

Reaktor is cool because of Blocks but there are more Virtual Modular synths that I like including the free VCV but that one isn't natively a plugin so Reaktor though I may try never really gets used.

edit: I'm just getting into Massive X so can't really comment on it other than it's probably one of the most badass synths I've never yet been able to use.


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## vitocorleone123 (Aug 6, 2021)

Super 8 is one of the best sounding analog-esque softsynths on the market.

I believe that pretty much any synth can be made to sound as if it belongs in any era - it depends on the artist more than the tool. If you think something is "80s" and you then make sounds and play it as if it's "80s", then, of course, it will BE "80s". Super 8 is also unique, as it's not an actual clone/emulation of any single synth, but, rather, a blend of Alpha Juno and Prophet.

I personally didn't like any other NI synth and sold them all with Komplete and then purchased Super 8 on sale. Massive X sounds great... and I strongly disliked trying to use it. Dare I call Massive X the Reaper of softsynths?


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## Pier (Aug 6, 2021)

vinnie2k said:


> Why would you ever NOT make the UI resizable?


Because from the developer perspective it can be a lot of work.

Thankfully these days it's expected plugin UIs to be resizable, but there are still developers like D16 with old school bitmap based non resizable UIs.


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## Daren Audio (Aug 6, 2021)

Don't forgot 'Modular Icons' (Kontakt Play Series) as another option for synths.


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## NekujaK (Aug 6, 2021)

Having Omnisphere, Diva, The Legend, and PA synths (Thorn, Knifonium, Oberhausen & Lion), my synth needs are more than sufficiently covered, so I pretty much ignore the NI synths.

That said, I love playing around with Absynth's morphing feature for pure inspiration. It can yield some surprsing, unique, and useful sounds.


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## Crowe (Aug 6, 2021)

The NI Synths I used to use are:

Massive: Pads, SFX, Leads
Reaktor User Lib: Noise, SFX, Drones, Pads, Synth Emulations (Juno, OB-X, Monovoks etc)
Reaktor - Monark: *BASSSSSSS*
FM8 - Percussion, DX7 type sounds.

Synths I probably should have been using but don't/didn't:
Massive X: Don't need it.
Absynth: I love the presets but the engine is a demon to work with.
Reaktor Libs: The other Komplete synths don't really do it for me. Razor was on the list of synths to master but then I learned of NI's ridiculous licensing shenanigans so it's useless to me now. Most of the other synths are as well, for that matter.


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## Dirtgrain (Aug 6, 2021)

I watched some videos to figure out how Absynth works, and I was able to make some sounds I liked. I then just didn't use it for a while, and now I would have to do some work to figure it out again, so I don't use it.
I have not put the time needed to learn MassiveX and FM8, although I suspect it wouldn't take too much.
Form is my favorite--a great way to get to new places with samples.
I use Reaktor, Razor and Monark too, now and then, but none of the NI synths weekly.
I own/buy too many VSTs. Still, one would think NI would have at least one great synth VST.


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## doctoremmet (Aug 6, 2021)

For years and years FM7, Absynth and Massive were among THE best and most well known / most used softsynths, alongside Omnisphere back when it wasn’t even called that, and the U-he synths (Diva). So NI for sure HAVE a great synth. A number of them. I mean, Reaktor alone has spawned an entire universe of instruments…

But since they don’t really seem to poor a lot of love and effort into maintenance and upgrades, maybe for younger people nowadays it may seem NI aren’t really a top tier player any more?


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## Mornats (Aug 6, 2021)

I've loved Massive X ever since it came out. For some reason I just gelled with it, watched a few videos and got to grips with using it really quickly. I use it for dark evolving gritty sound beds, textures and pads. I'm building up a nice amount of custom patches that I use and tweak regularly. Most other synths I tend to use presets. I've got a load of them from Leap Into the Void and The Unfinished for Absynth and Massive that I used before Massive X came along.


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## EvilDragon (Aug 6, 2021)

SupremeFist said:


> Massive X for huuuuge leads (though I stopped using it because of the dangerous noise-blast bug which is now apparently fixed but I'm still scared of it)



It's fixed alright - you should be fine.


BTW Super 8 is more of a Roland Alpha Juno (oscillators) + Prophet 5 (filter) bastard child. 



SupremeFist said:


> Eg Super 8 sounds gorgeous, as I was just recently reminded, but you can't resize the GUI and I work at 4k



VST3 version of Super 8 should be able to scale up to 200% automatically for you.


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## AmbientMile (Aug 6, 2021)

I feel like the odd one out here, in that I have never gotten along with Absynth. Some type of mental block that I can't get past. But since I have Omnisphere, I'm good with pads and other organic sounds. Another way I feel out of sync with the others here is that I LOVE Trk-01. The GUI seems odd, but once you get the hang of it, it is great fun to program. Check out this video if you're curious:


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## vinnie2k (Aug 7, 2021)

Massive X just looks... massive. Kind of a one-stop shop synth. Can do everything.

But then would you?
Or would you rather trust the pedigree?

The difficulty I have as an amateur is knowing where to go to create. Since I don't have a history with hardware synths, I'm always hesitant as to where I should turn to create what sound. With the answers above, I now get a sense of that. Without this thread, my instinct would have been to focus on Massive X because it has the potential to take me in a lot of different places.

I guesss another way to look at the whole thing is to forget this whole notion of what synth for what use and focus on presets: listen to every preset for every synth, use the favourite system and off you go.


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## doctoremmet (Aug 7, 2021)

If I were you I’d start with Super 8 and/or Massive X because of the modern interface. They’ll get you to almost any synth sound pretty fast.

Find a couple of presets you like and start to reverse engineer them. Also, in a recent iteration of our weekly “what is the best synth for X” thread it was mentioned how Syntorial (a course) can help you in this regard.


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## doctoremmet (Aug 7, 2021)

Soft synth


Apart from Omnisphere..what other soft synth libraries would you recommend ?




vi-control.net










Synth for every style!


So, guys, I'm looking for a complete synth. I have Reaktor, massive, massive x, fm8, all very good. But, I'm looking for something that can help in any genre, from pop to EDM, house, trance, and cinematic. my first choice is Omnisphere(everybody says is old, curious if that's true). Of course...




vi-control.net


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## EvilDragon (Aug 7, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> If I were you I’d start with Super 8 and/or Massive X because of the modern interface.


This is definitely a good suggestion. MX can do an awful lot of things, and sound sublimely great doing any of those things, really.


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## vinnie2k (Aug 7, 2021)

Daren Audio said:


> Don't forgot 'Modular Icons' (Kontakt Play Series) as another option for synths.


I voluntarily did not include those to keep the list short, even if they are synths.


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## SupremeFist (Aug 7, 2021)

EvilDragon said:


> VST3 version of Super 8 should be able to scale up to 200% automatically for you.


I use logic on a Mac, and running the Super 8 VST3 inside of Komplete Kontrol doesn't let me resize it as far as I can see? (Thanks for the reassurance re MX!)


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## Montisquirrel (Aug 7, 2021)

No love for NI Razor? One of my favorites. I really enjoy the sound of Razor.


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## gsilbers (Aug 7, 2021)

I just found out massive x does not work with m1 macs .

Another reason this synth is a massive clusterfuk of a product release.


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## vitocorleone123 (Aug 7, 2021)

SupremeFist said:


> I use logic on a Mac, and running the Super 8 VST3 inside of Komplete Kontrol doesn't let me resize it as far as I can see? (Thanks for the reassurance re MX!)


No, it’s yet another NI plugin that can’t be resized. It’s almost too small. For the sound quality it’s definitely worth $50. I’d have a hard time paying $99 for it because of the small UI.


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## SupremeFist (Aug 7, 2021)

vitocorleone123 said:


> No, it’s yet another NI plugin that can’t be resized. It’s almost too small. For the sound quality it’s definitely worth $50. I’d have a hard time paying $99 for it because of the small UI.


I'd say the sound of it is worth $99 at the very least, but the small UI is indeed off-putting. But I have set up my mac to zoom the whole screen with cmd+scrollwheel, so that's how I use NI stuff (Inc most Kontakt libraries) relatively comfortably for the time being.


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## Mornats (Aug 7, 2021)

This is one of the things I love about Massive X - this is just one patch, one single note. No modwheel or anything, all internal modulation in MX.


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## doctoremmet (Aug 7, 2021)

Impressed!


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## EvilDragon (Aug 7, 2021)

SupremeFist said:


> I use logic on a Mac, and running the Super 8 VST3 inside of Komplete Kontrol doesn't let me resize it as far as I can see? (Thanks for the reassurance re MX!)



That'd be because KK itself doesn't support scalability just yet, I think... But try some other plugin chainer like Blue Cat Audio Patchwork or Kush Element, perhaps?


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## Flintpope (Aug 8, 2021)

Absynth. A little out of date in my opinion but paved the way perhaps for the "modulate everything" approach NI took in the first version of Massive

FM8. Similar to Absynth in my opinion.

Form. WOW. This is an exciting sample modulator that I have tried (and failed) to emulate in some of my own ensembles. The joy of the unexpected is what makes this stand out. My wish list includes a standalone (non-Reaktor) version.

Kontour. Early days LFO modulated synth. Perhaps a bit dull these days.

Massive. The original wobble-bass and dubstep sound creator. NI even credit it as a genre-creator. Very lovely synth that hasn't really been upstaged by its big X version. Only criticism is sounds metallic.

Massive X. Very hard to write patches for but has so many presets why bother? Added noise samples are the best thing about this update for me. Still all sounds metallic though and digital. It is after all not a synth really but a wavetable modulator. These days I expect more visual, editable representations of wavetables than Massive X delivers, though they have kept the GUI very compact and super-smart.

Mikro Prism. An old favourite of mine. I once updated the GUI and wrote 48 patches for it and got over 2K downloads on the Reaktor user lib. Them were days... deleted all my free stuff now.
A really lovely mix of a noise gen and a pluck gen that can create immense variety from marimbas to the sound of waves crashing.

Monark. Looks cool but sounds Yuk. Many love this clunky analog beast...

Prism. Big version of Mikro but I never use it as TOO MANY CONTROLS!

Rounds. Hmm. A gorgeous mystery. Great House sounds and IDM (neither my thing) but has a very creative arp or something that produces really long interesting ambiences. Never got to the bottom of how Rounds works which makes it more fun. I think four oscillators modulate each other randomly or something.

Reaktor Primary. Um... Primary? is that the old library of factory sounds or do you mean Blocks Prime? Maybe they re-named it. Not a fan of blocks as I don't like to work too hard to make a sound. never enjoyed modular patching. Having said that, easy to break down into stuff that acts like a "normal" synth. Indeed I still have a blocks synth on my sales page.

Spark. No idea as it never got me going. I avoided the pun here.

Super 8. NOW we are talking. I have just released a pack....
A very trancey sound creator that is lush and rich. Very easy to program once you work out the signal flow or read the manual lol. I didn't. Doh. It really is a wonderful synth and the GUI is beautiful.

TRK-01. The bass gen on this is wub wub sub fabulous. I don't use the pattern gen much as I have no use for kicks in my style of music. The bass is the best... fabulous wub wub sub etc etc. I had the free version to start with and in many ways it is still the best wub etc. (Enough now:Ed)


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## Flintpope (Aug 8, 2021)

sean8877 said:


> I use Rounds a lot because you can get some really cool off-beat arpeggiations with it and it's a great sounding analog/digital combo synth. If you take some time to mess around with it you can get some unique things out of it.


Yes. I need to back to Rounds and try and get my head Round (sorry) that arp thing.

Just turned it on went to the Soundscapes section. Blimey, this is a deep and deeply satisfying sound generator. I am dropping all other projects to get some sounds of my own out of this amazing synth.


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## wst3 (Aug 8, 2021)

I don't really use many of the NI synths - they came to the party a bit late for me I guess. I do use a couple of them regularly.


Absynth - I tend to turn to this for "sound design" tasks. If that makes sense. I love the fact that I can create very long, evolving sounds.
FM8 - FM synthesis is fascinating from a technical perspective, and it can sound very cool. FM8 seems to me to be at the top of the heap for software FM synthesis but that could be because I started with FM7? I use it to create your typical FM type sounds, and I especially like the arpeggiator.
Massive/Massive X - Just a cool synth that is a ton of fun to play around with. I don't use it for anything specific, more like I use it to give me new ideas.
Reaktor - I used to use this a lot, but recently I've started using other modular synthesizers (Cherry Audio, VCV, and Softube), and yet I often turn to Reaktor for the sound. It is different, not better, not worse, just different, and often exactly what I am looking for.

You did not ask, but in case it puts things in perspective, I tend to use other developers emulations because sometimes I like to return to my youth. Among my favorite are u-He, GForce, Korg, and Arturia. This is cyclic - I will eventually go back to using only synths that don't try to emulate anything (Reaktor, Tassman, etc.) And then back again<G>.

No discussion of software synthesizers would be complete without a nod to Eric Pershing and Spectrasonics Omnisphere. Some folks do not consider it a synthesizer, and I think they are missing half the fun. It is complex, and there are a ton of presets, but once you start looking under the covers you will discover endless possibilities.
In fairness to the rest of the NI catalog, I have tried all of them that I have (I am still on Komplete 11) - they are all cool in their own way, but none of them have grabbed me yet.


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## vitocorleone123 (Aug 8, 2021)

wst3 said:


> You did not ask, but in case it puts things in perspective, I tend to use other developers emulations because sometimes I like to return to my youth. Among my favorite are u-He, GForce, Korg, and Arturia. This is cyclic - I will eventually go back to using only synths that don't try to emulate anything (Reaktor, Tassman, etc.) And then back again<G>.


You should definitely demo Super 8, then, and consider picking it up when it's on sale (if you're not upgrading Komplete). To my ears, Super 8 sounds as good as, for example, Diva. If not a little better. But doesn't have the flexibility, resizeability, etc. that Diva has. Super 8, if I remember right, has Alpha Juno inspired oscillators with a Prophet inspired filter.


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## GtrString (Aug 8, 2021)

This is a great thread, tnx!

I have tried many times to find sounds in the NI synths, but failed most of the time. I have Ultimate 12, but haven't even installed the synths now. I use Omnisphere all the time, and it's rare that I don't find something I can use. I liked Kore 2 a whole lot more, so maybe I should try using Komplete Kontrol instead of the individual synths?

But I would give the NI synths another try, if I can find a convincing case for it. They just elude me.


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## sean8877 (Aug 8, 2021)

Flintpope said:


> Yes. I need to back to Rounds and try and get my head Round (sorry) that arp thing.
> 
> Just turned it on went to the Soundscapes section. Blimey, this is a deep and deeply satisfying sound generator. I am dropping all other projects to get some sounds of my own out of this amazing synth.


Yes Rounds is an overlooked gem IMHO.


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## Wally Garten (Aug 8, 2021)

Reaktor—the “everything” synth, and the user community library of ensembles is a wonderful playground. Mostly I use it for either physical modeling sounds (there are some truly wonderful breath-controlled woodwinds out there) or weird, out of control sound generators that I don’t understand. Or, occasionally, both types of instruments in one package. (The Ginger Moon modeled violin, for example, is completely bonkers.)

Monark—whatever I’d use a Moog for, so basses and space rock leads, mostly. 

And that’s... it, really. I always wish I used the NI synths more, but I rarely do. I prefer the tactile experience of hardware synths and when I do want to dial up a soft synth I have many others that I know better. (Although the tactile experience thing reminds me — there are a bunch of presets for the Expressive E Touché using various NI synths. So that’s another place where I use them.)


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## AceAudioHQ (Aug 8, 2021)

I only use these from Komplete since I have Diva, Zebra 2/HZ, Tal U-No-LX, UVI Vintage Vault 3, IKM Syntronik, Tyrell N6, Synth1, Vital, FM Tines 2, Korg M1 and Wavestation and a bunch of Karanyi Sounds Kontakt libraries which I get most of my synth sounds from

FM8 - for a source of DX7 type sounds like bells and basses
Massive - Plucks and organic sounds
Massive X - Plucks and organic sounds
Monark - Basses


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## SupremeFist (Aug 8, 2021)

EvilDragon said:


> That'd be because KK itself doesn't support scalability just yet, I think... But try some other plugin chainer like Blue Cat Audio Patchwork or Kush Element, perhaps?


I guess I could… but I shouldn't have to.


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## greggybud (Aug 8, 2021)

Montisquirrel said:


> No love for NI Razor? One of my favorites. I really enjoy the sound of Razor.


Other than Kontakt & Reaktor, Razor is my most used NI synth. However I certainly don't use it like the NI promotional videos I see which to me are very dated.

I use it for unique and beautiful vocodor sounds.


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## Pier (Aug 9, 2021)

I used a ton of NI stuff back 20 years ago with Cubase VST, but stopped using their synths when they moved everything into Reaktor and I got into U-He.

I took a listen to Massive X and it does sound really good. It also looks like an incredibly powerful synth considering the modular aspect and all the filters, oscillators, effects, etc. Shame, I missed the NI summer sales to upgrade Komplete at 50%... Maybe, next sale.


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## doctoremmet (Aug 9, 2021)

Rediscovering REAKTOR, and all of the spin-off (PRISM) - thanks to this thread.


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## Macrawn (Aug 9, 2021)

From your list

Absynth- I don't program on this one but I should. It just has a MASSIVE amount of good ambient presets that I use and flipping through presets on Komplete Kontrol is all I need to do. 

Kontour- I really like the sound of this synth and I like programming it. I hate reading manuals so I watched the course on Groove 3 on it. The FM stuff makes really interesting sounds that make it into a lot of my stuff. 

Massive X- This synth is insanely good and easy to use. It is very versatile and much easier to churn something out than say using Falcon 2 maybe because It's basically a one pager with easy sub menus. It has great effects and the page where you can arrange and map out the order and routing of effects is so much better than a grid because it's visual. This synth is fantastic but because of it's rough start a lot of people got turned off on it which is a shame. 

Super 8- Just has some really nice fat synth sounds. I kinda ignored this one for a while which was a mistake. It's great.


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## Jamie Hunter (Sep 2, 2021)

I'm pretty sure i've used most NI synths on at least 1 project, I find my main stays are Massive, Monark, FM8 and Razor. Out of all of them Razor is my favorite, a great additive synth and when mastered can produce all kinds of interesting and unique sounds and the vocoder is top notch. My only complaint is the GUI's need updating, on a 4k screen Absynth and FM8 are basically unreadable.


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## Pier (Sep 2, 2021)

Jamie Hunter said:


> My only complaint is the GUI's need updating, on a 4k screen Absynth and FM8 are basically unreadable.


Kontakt too... they practically haven't changed the UI in over a decade.


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## Jamie Hunter (Sep 2, 2021)

Yes that would be another complaint NI don't seem to support their old software and only provide updates when they have too. u-he have recently updated all their synths and Diva is about the same age as Massive.


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## Pier (Sep 2, 2021)

Jamie Hunter said:


> Diva is about the same age as Massive.


From memory I'd say Massive is maybe 4 years older than Diva.

But Zebra 2 was released in 2006 while Massive was released in 2007.


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## Technostica (Sep 2, 2021)

Pier said:


> Shame, I missed the NI summer sales to upgrade Komplete at 50%... Maybe, next sale.


There is still stock in the channels at half price, well at least in the UK. 
If you are keen to buy and can't source one locally, I am happy to buy one for you and email the serial number. 
I don't want to get involved with shipping drives abroad though. 
As long as you pay the PayPal fee on top that's enough for me. 
So about £85 in total.


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## Daren Audio (Sep 2, 2021)

Jamie Hunter said:


> My only complaint is the GUI's need updating, on a 4k screen Absynth and FM8 are basically unreadable.





Pier said:


> Kontakt too... they practically haven't changed the UI in over a decade.


I ended up resolving this issue (and saving my eyes) with a 40" 4K HDTV as a second monitor. Kontakt/Synth GUIs look great on it.


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## Pier (Sep 2, 2021)

Technostica said:


> There is still stock in the channels at half price, well at least in the UK.
> If you are keen to buy and can't source one locally, I am happy to buy one for you and email the serial number.
> I don't want to get involved with shipping drives abroad though.
> As long as you pay the PayPal fee on top that's enough for me.
> So about £85 in total.


Thanks, I appreciate the offer.

I'm in no hurry. Will wait for the next one probably on BF or Christmas.


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## Soundbed (Sep 2, 2021)

Absynth - randomly generate pads and atmospheres, with control over which parameters to randomize and by how much each iteration 

FM8 - retro, bells, 80’s … also I have some cool presets for it

Massive - I have thousands of presets in many genres mostly dance stuff, very easy to use and tons of tutorials online

Mikro Prism - one or two presets are super awesome to play with and customize, sort of sound like physically modeled strings meets hang drum type of sound 

Monark - bass lines

Prism - see mikro

Reaktor - Razer is one of the best synths. Cool presets from plugin guru too. 

Also lots of cool effects and instruments from boscomac for free or donation ware


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## b_elliott (Sep 2, 2021)

Don't have answers for the OP but my take-away after reading this thread is that FORM and MX would likely by the most useful in terms of workflow, ease of use. 

Would it be correct to assume that FORM does to samples what Izotope's Iris2 attempts? If so, I much prefer FORM's layout + controls.

Watching a couple videos on FORM, including one by @Databroth, it seems to take you faster into the abyss of timbre-ocity (a word I'm sure).


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## Databroth (Sep 3, 2021)

b_elliott said:


> Would it be correct to assume that FORM does to samples what Izotope's Iris2 attempts? If so, I much prefer FORM's layout + controls.


you'd be incorrect to assume that, form is wildly different from iris, or any other sample based synth tbh

form is particularly unique in that it generates a pitch curve along side the sample, this is used if you want to flatten the pitch, but can also be used as a modulator for filters and other controls

what makes form so powerful is the fm, formant, and other morph controls available, along side the time stretch based "granular" control

it's a very unique and quirky and weird synth


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## EvilDragon (Sep 3, 2021)

Databroth said:


> or any other sample based synth tbh



Well...

Form uses PSOLA method of timestretching, which was also used in Roland V-Synth. Just FYI


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## bill5 (Sep 3, 2021)

Pier said:


> Kontakt too... they practically haven't changed the UI in over a decade.


They're sadists. You didn't know? 

As you can see I'm not an NI fan to put it mildly, but I will say Massive and Absynth are good synths. I haven't messed with the rest (and Reaktor probably never will...hate modular synths).


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## b_elliott (Sep 4, 2021)

EvilDragon said:


> Well...
> 
> Form uses PSOLA method of timestretching, which was also used in Roland V-Synth. Just FYI


PSOLA = new term I just added to my vocabulary. Thanks!
Recently listened to @Databroth's sound design with Form video. Plan to watch it again to see what he does in case it helps in grokking Form. I watched his Rounds sound design as well -- I agree with @Flintpope and others on it being special. 
Cheers to Croatia from Canada!


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## doctoremmet (Sep 4, 2021)

Bill, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Are you into Boards of Canada at all? If not, I have the feeling their Geogaddi will be a HUGE inspiration for you. That album and Campfire Head Phase have been a big influence for me.


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## doctoremmet (Sep 4, 2021)

Sorry guys, now back to NI synths. Pretty sure Imma fire up REAKTOR later today. Cheers, and enjoy your weekend. Maybe listen to some BoC!


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## b_elliott (Sep 4, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> Bill, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Are you into Boards of Canada at all? If not, I have the feeling their Geogaddi will be a HUGE inspiration for you. That album and Campfire Head Phase have been a big influence for me.


Short answer: Haven't really followed them.

Longer answer: Enjoyed these BoC clips. Outside of Bach and Zappa, I listen to a group whom @charlieclouser brought up in a past interview: Die Antwoord out of South Africa. I agree with Mr. Clouser on this one, although I wish FZ was alive to do a Mothers' take. Likely you know 'em well enough to sing their lyrics in your sleep; but, in case not, check it out: 



ps. sorry OP. Back to you.


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## charlieclouser (Sep 4, 2021)

Die Antwoord is kind of a one-trick pony - but it's a good trick. I randomly encountered their first video a few years back and I thought it was the only fresh and new thing I'd heard in a long time. Not an evolution of some previous style like dark-industrial-techno or tropical-house, but a completely faulty cherry-picking of elements of other styles with utterly wrong elements over the top. I thought it was very punk rock, and I foolishly believed the story line in their first video, thinking they really were straight out of the townships in SA.

Come to find out it was a put-up job, a calculated attack / performance-art project coming from experienced art-mongers. 

I was deceived.

But I still liked how it sounded and the musical risks and idiocy that it encompassed. Saw them at Coachella a few years later and it was mental, a really good performance, and the kids went nuts.

Then there was a hilarious video where Ninja told the story of playing basketball at Kim and Kanye's house, a really funny piss-take. And I genuinely enjoyed Chappie and thought it was a good movie.

Too bad that it appears they are (or at least Ninja is)... problematic. Oh well, the videos are still good fun.


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## b_elliott (Sep 4, 2021)

charlieclouser said:


> Die Antwoord is kind of a one-trick pony - but it's a good trick. I randomly encountered their first video a few years back and I thought it was the only fresh and new thing I'd heard in a long time. Not an evolution of some previous style like dark-industrial-techno or tropical-house, but a completely faulty cherry-picking of elements of other styles with utterly wrong elements over the top. I thought it was very punk rock, and I foolishly believed the story line in their first video, thinking they really were straight out of the townships in SA.


This video (Ugly Boy) was my first Die Antwoord encounter just after listening to your interview on Youtube. It made for a "whoa! WTF" moment: lots happening musically and visually. Then, when I noticed Maryilyn Manson in this vid I googled Die_A and learned of the off-stage problem-os. 

Still, I love their groove and that gal casts a spell on me with her unique voice. 
In my mind, here is where I think Zappa could bring the genius into what they got going. No offense to FZ fans since Frank enjoyed the bizarre, the film-ic; the morphing Die_A does with costumes, he did with clay animations. 
Thanks for the share,
Bill


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## jcrosby (Sep 4, 2021)

charlieclouser said:


> Then there was a hilarious video where Ninja told the story of playing basketball at Kim and Kanye's house, a really funny piss-take.


Hilarious for sure:


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