# Best Kontakt library for 80's synthwave sounds?



## Mike Fox (Dec 9, 2018)

Ive been eyeballing Zero-G's Future Wave. Does anyone have it?

What do you guys recommend?


----------



## R. Soul (Dec 9, 2018)

Do you mean drums? 
For synth sounds I'd recommend Synthwave soundset by Luftrum /Unfinished for Diva.
Or the Synthwave soundset for Avenger.

Kontakt is really not the best option for synth sounds.


----------



## Dandezebra (Dec 9, 2018)

https://soundiron.com/collections/all-products/products/cruiser

Maybe? I have it but haven't had time to dig.


----------



## Mike Fox (Dec 9, 2018)

R. Soul said:


> Do you mean drums?
> For synth sounds I'd recommend Synthwave soundset by Luftrum /Unfinished for Diva.
> Or the Synthwave soundset for Avenger.
> 
> Kontakt is really not the best option for synth sounds.


Drums, strings, pads...everything, really!


----------



## Mike Fox (Dec 9, 2018)

Dandezebra said:


> https://soundiron.com/collections/all-products/products/cruiser
> 
> Maybe? I have it but haven't had time to dig.


I almost bought this when it first came out. Not sure why I passed it up. Looks promising!


----------



## rrichard63 (Dec 9, 2018)

Is there a reason for limiting your search to Kontakt instruments? As already mentioned, it's not the best platform for synth sounds. And there are a gazillion emulations of 80s synths (as well as every other period) for other platforms.


----------



## sostenuto (Dec 9, 2018)

wav and HALion shows on pkg ??


----------



## silentunion (Dec 9, 2018)

The thing I found when searching for 80's synth sounds is that I was never really satisfied until I got the Arturia bundle. I know it's not Kontakt, but if you plan on doing a lot of that type of music (or even just needing inspiration), I know that getting that bundle (or similar) nipped that need at the source and then some.


----------



## Mike Fox (Dec 9, 2018)

rrichard63 said:


> Is there a reason for limiting your search to Kontakt instruments? As already mentioned, it's not the best platform for synth sounds. And there are a gazillion emulations of 80s synths (as well as every other period) for other platforms.


Honestly? Nah, not really.


----------



## Mike Fox (Dec 9, 2018)

silentunion said:


> The thing I found when searching for 80's synth sounds is that I was never really satisfied until I got the Arturia bundle. I know it's not Kontakt, but if you plan on doing a lot of that type of music (or even just needing inspiration), I know that getting that bundle (or similar) nipped that need at the source and then some.


That's definitely been in the back of my mind! I guess I wasn't really wanting to spend that much money though, mainly because this is only going to be for a side gig.


----------



## sostenuto (Dec 9, 2018)

Some leaning toward Arturia V Collection.
Have Analog lab and some of their cool Expansions: Floyd Tribute, Tangerine Tribute, Vangelis Tribute. Very pleased with these so far.

FREE Demo too for Analog Lab ….


----------



## Mike Fox (Dec 9, 2018)

I purchased MegaMagic Dreams a few weeks back, and I am loving it. I think this will actually work for the project I am working on.


----------



## Consona (Dec 9, 2018)

Isn't one of the new Kontakt factory libraries all about 80s synth sounds? The Analog Dreams?


----------



## dpasdernick (Dec 9, 2018)

Nostalgia by Zero-G has a ton of beautiful 80's sounds including a bunch of the drum Machine samples.

The Arturia V collection has every 80's synth including the Fairlight and the Synclavier.

Also, Roland's sound cloud has the D50, Jupiter 8 and Juno 106 plus a ton more for only $20 a month.

Zennhiser has some amazing 80's drum sounds ( I use them to make custom kits in Battery)

UVI's vintage vault and especially Synthology II are also packed with 80's sounds.

(I grew up in the 80's. Best time ever for music )


----------



## JPQ (Dec 9, 2018)

dpasdernick said:


> Nostalgia by Zero-G has a ton of beautiful 80's sounds including a bunch of the drum Machine samples.
> 
> The Arturia V collection has every 80's synth including the Fairlight and the Synclavier.
> 
> ...



Arturia V dont sound accurate i think and dont even have all synths. where is Roland Junos ,Korg Polysix for example?


----------



## whiskers (Dec 9, 2018)

Consona said:


> Isn't one of the new Kontakt factory libraries all about 80s synth sounds? The Analog Dreams?


Ish yeah. Warm 80s style synth sounds. Definitely would fit the bill.

Cruiser by Soundiron and TAL U-NO-LX should also be considered.


----------



## Hanu_H (Dec 10, 2018)

I did some synthwave kind of stuff few weeks back and had to do some research on it. I bought the Cruiser and it has some nice sounds, but is not something I recommend. The arpeggiator in it has some problems staying in sync and the controls are a bit limited. Best synth for the job, is the Tal U-No-Lx. It has the sound and you can control everything you need. Also Korg Wavestation has a lot of nice sounds for the genre and is recommeded by many composers in the genre. For drums, check this free plugin out:


Or then go with http://www.alyjameslab.com/alyjameslabvlinn.html
Or http://www.alyjameslab.com/alyjameslabvsdsx.html

-Hannes


----------



## kavinsky (Dec 10, 2018)

ALl you need is some synths and drum machine samples. Sampled synths as mentioned above is not the best option.


----------



## Goldie Zwecker (Dec 10, 2018)

For authentic 80's drums i recommend Wave Aalchenmy's "Revolution", for Kontakt. 
For synth sounds - don't use samples. Diva, Repro, Arturia collection etc are the way to go.


----------



## VSTBuzz (Dec 10, 2018)

Hey @Mike Fox we're about to launch a new library called "Power Move" that is perfect for what you're looking for. Drop us an email to [email protected] and we'll hook you up with a free copy - here are some demo tracks to give you a taste


----------



## ChazC (Dec 10, 2018)

VSTBuzz said:


> Hey @Mike Fox we're about to launch a new library called "Power Move" that is perfect for what you're looking for. Drop us an email to [email protected] and we'll hook you up with a free copy - here are some demo tracks to give you a taste




Sounds great! Any more free copies going?!


----------



## ChazC (Dec 10, 2018)

Mike Fox said:


> Ive been eyeballing Zero-G's Future Wave. Does anyone have it?
> 
> What do you guys recommend?



I picked up Future Wave on intro pricing. TBH I don't even think it'd be worth it at 50% off... the guitar samples are especially disappointing. It's not 'bad' per se but it's not great & IMO not worth the price.

For synth sounds TAL-U-NO (my number 1 go to for synthwave bass), OP-X Pro gets a ton of use and Synth 1 (which is free). Serum is worth a look and I also use a lot of IK's Syntronik as it's really easy to get huge sounds with the stacking/multi function.

For drums I've been using Spark2 (Linn Dream Kit mainly) but I picked up Revolution in the BF sale but haven't had a chance to try it in anger as yet. I've been using a TR8s externally for my last few tracks with the Spark samples dropped into it. There's something about punching patterns in on physical buttons which makes the writing process more satisfying!


----------



## Mike Fox (Dec 10, 2018)

ChazC said:


> I picked up Future Wave on intro pricing. TBH I don't even think it'd be worth it at 50% off... the guitar samples are especially disappointing. It's not 'bad' per se but it's not great & IMO not worth the price.
> 
> For synth sounds TAL-U-NO (my number 1 go to for synthwave bass), OP-X Pro gets a ton of use and Synth 1 (which is free). Serum is worth a look and I also use a lot of IK's Syntronik as it's really easy to get huge sounds with the stacking/multi function.
> 
> For drums I've been using Spark2 (Linn Dream Kit mainly) but I picked up Revolution in the BF sale but haven't had a chance to try it in anger as yet. I've been using a TR8s externally for my last few tracks with the Spark samples dropped into it. There's something about punching patterns in on physical buttons which makes the writing process more satisfying!


Thanks for that info! I'll be sure to pass on Future Wave then.


----------



## Mike Fox (Dec 10, 2018)

VSTBuzz said:


> Hey @Mike Fox we're about to launch a new library called "Power Move" that is perfect for what you're looking for. Drop us an email to [email protected] and we'll hook you up with a free copy - here are some demo tracks to give you a taste



Wow! Thank you very much!!! The demos sound exactly like what I was looking for!


----------



## whiskers (Dec 10, 2018)

nice @VSTBuzz with the hookup!

That instrument sounds great - what's the ETA on release?


----------



## Dandezebra (Dec 10, 2018)

whiskers said:


> nice @VSTBuzz with the hookup!
> 
> That instrument sounds great - what's the ETA on release?




I'm curious too!


----------



## dpasdernick (Dec 10, 2018)

JPQ said:


> Arturia V dont sound accurate i think and dont even have all synths. where is Roland Junos ,Korg Polysix for example?



The Arturia collection has a Jupiter 8. IMHO if you can't get a Juno 106 or Polysix sound out of a Jupiter 8 then you might want to look into learning some additional programming skills. I owned both a Polysix and a Juno 106 (boy, I wished I had kept those money-wise) and they both had the same saw, pulse and triangle(?) wave forms. The Juno's chorus was beautiful and the poly 6 had a nice ensemble effect. Yes, technically they are different keyboards but in a mix I doubt there are many of us here that could identify a single Jupiter 8 sawtooth from a Polysix or Juno 106 sawtooth.

Then to know you have the Synclavier, the DX7, the Fairlight the Prophet 5 and VS, etc, etc. IMHO that's a lot of bang for the buck.


----------



## Ian Dorsch (Dec 10, 2018)

Don't forget, if you have Omnisphere 2, the new hardware library update has a ton of great, ultra-playable 80s sounding presets.


----------



## DivingInSpace (Dec 10, 2018)

JPQ said:


> and dont even have all synths. where is Roland Junos ,Korg Polysix for example?



I can see the "not sounding accurate" as a problem but how du you expect them to have an emulation of every synth? It is already a huge amount of content and value. I'll stick to Diva though.


----------



## DivingInSpace (Dec 10, 2018)

Oh, and i hidden gem that not many people talk about is Psychic Modulation's Phonec. If you ever bought an issue of computer music you should be able to download the CM version which is pretty damned good for a CM synth!


----------



## VSTBuzz (Dec 11, 2018)

whiskers said:


> nice @VSTBuzz with the hookup!
> 
> That instrument sounds great - what's the ETA on release?



Thanks! We're just finishing some extra snapshots and multis at the moment - hope to have it released in January time. Its going to be €49 and you can use your VSTBuzz reward points to reduce that price (even down to €0!)


----------



## Mike Fox (Dec 12, 2018)

Alright guys, brace yourself for one of the best (if not the best) one stop shops for 80's synthwave sounds. Seriously. Power Move is that good!


----------



## whiskers (Dec 12, 2018)

Mike Fox said:


> Alright guys, brace yourself for one of the best (if not the best) one stop shops for 80's synthwave sounds. Seriously. Power Move is that good!


Jelly you got a free hookup. But cheers - the @VSTBuzz folks are awesome.

Maybe you could post a video review one day?


----------



## Mike Fox (Dec 12, 2018)

whiskers said:


> Maybe you could post a video review one day?


You can expect one in January.


----------



## Mike Fox (Jan 18, 2019)

whiskers said:


> Jelly you got a free hookup. But cheers - the @VSTBuzz folks are awesome.
> 
> Maybe you could post a video review one day?


Got the review done!


----------



## ChazC (Jan 18, 2019)

I can fully endorse Mike’s review - at the price point it’s about as much of a no-brainer purchase as you can get if you do any synthwave or similar material.


----------



## pderbidge (Jan 18, 2019)

Not to take away steam from Power Move as it does seem like a nice library but there are quite a few Kontakt libraries that have been focusing on these sounds for a long time as well as usable interfaces to manipulate them to the extent that these samples can be manipulated. All of them have done so at some pretty affordable prices too. 

Some that come to mind are:

https://www.cl-projects-sound-design.com/
http://www.hollowsun.com/
and 
http://www.kontaktbanks.com/

Having said that I personally prefer soft synths a little more for anything synth related as they are more tweak-able and of course you can create something from scratch if you dig in and learn.
Stuff from UHE have always been famous for that "analogue" sound and I've recently been really impressed by the sounds coming out of Ultra Analog VA-2 by AAS. I don't own this one yet but I do have the stripped down Ultra Analog Sessions and picked up some sound packs for free that can be played in their free AAS player and I have to say that while the player is extremely limited with only modwheel control and that's it, the sounds themselves have blown me away even if the tweaking was minimal. I'm thinking the upgrade to the full version for $49 is a better investment for me than another Kontakt synth library.

On the other hand, a genre focused kontakt instrument can certainly be a great way to assist in a fast workflow for projects calling for that type of sound, so there is definitely merit in that and I have gotten use out of my Pink Studio stuff from Kontaktbanks.


----------



## ionian (Jan 19, 2019)

VSTBuzz said:


> Hey @Mike Fox we're about to launch a new library called "Power Move" that is perfect for what you're looking for. Drop us an email to [email protected] and we'll hook you up with a free copy





Mike Fox said:


> Alright guys, brace yourself for one of the best (if not the best) one stop shops for 80's synthwave sounds. Seriously. Power Move is that good!





Damn, I might be new around these parts but do members here really fall for this shit as often as it seems around here?!


----------



## Parsifal666 (Jan 19, 2019)

Try Spitfire Earth EDNA.


----------



## ptram (Jan 19, 2019)

UVI has some collections, and the ones I have do sound very good. However, they use their own sampler/player, and not Kontakt. But it works and sounds as good.

Paolo


----------



## DivingInSpace (Jan 19, 2019)

ionian said:


> Damn, I might be new around these parts but do members here really fall for this shit as often as it seems around here?!


People here usually use their ears and form their opinions from that. Have you tried the library? Because chances are that it might actually be that good.

*Edit*

Listening to the review it actually does sound really good, but this definitely seems like a marketing stunt lol.


----------



## reutunes (Jan 19, 2019)

I had to laugh at one of the posts above that pointed out the chain of events between VST Buzz saying "Have a free copy" and the recipient claiming "It's brilliant". However, I'm not going to start another discussion about NFRs for reviewers and potential bias - as that has been done to death on VI Control.

What I will say is that I think @Mike Fox has done a good job with the video and there are ample audio examples there for people to make up their own mind.

I helped to test Power Move, wrote a demo track, created the official video and also programmed the Multis. This kind of library is right up my street as I'm a big fan of synthwave music and I have to say that I had such a fun time working on the product. I urge anyone who's even semi interested to log in to their VST Buzz account and check to see how much Power Move is with their reward points. A couple of composers I know had enough points to pick it up for free!


----------



## germancomponist (Jan 19, 2019)

You can also use Kontakt "as" a synthesizer. It is all there ...! Listen to this demo song, done with Kontakt Sampler-3 , with only a snippet of one sample with what I have programmed all the sounds you can hear: https://app.box.com/s/fb81d8e193ec920d62ec


----------



## Mike Fox (Jan 19, 2019)

@ionian @DivingInSpace

With the way the chain of events occurred (and with my genuine, yet over-enthusiasm for this library) I can see where you're coming from, but I wouldn't read too deep into it.

It's really nothing more than VST Buzz giving me a free copy of the library, and then me overly geeking out about it. 

Besides, if this was a marketing stunt, don't you think this would be all a bit too obvious? 

I'm just glad to see that others have come forth to share similar excitement for the library.


----------



## StefanoM (Jan 19, 2019)

Don't Forget : Zero-G Ethera EVI ! Has a powerful Wavetable Synth with over 1000 Preset Snapshots, usefull also for 80s music and "contemporany" 80s music :

This demo is make only with Ethera EVI.


----------



## sostenuto (Jan 19, 2019)

pderbidge said:


> Not to take away steam from Power Move as it does seem like a nice library but there are quite a few Kontakt libraries that have been focusing on these sounds for a long time as well as usable interfaces to manipulate them to the extent that these samples can be manipulated. All of them have done so at some pretty affordable prices too.
> 
> Some that come to mind are:
> 
> ...



Lotsa luv here for hollowsun libs. THX for these other two !! Can't believe my unawareness. Will be picking up some libs from each to audition. 
If you have definite favs from kontaktbanks and CL-Projects …. some tips appreciated !


----------



## Mike Fox (Jan 19, 2019)

reutunes said:


> What I will say is that I think @Mike Fox has done a good job with the video and there are ample audio examples there for people to make up their own mind.



Thanks Reuben!


----------



## Bansaw (Jan 19, 2019)

+1 for VPS Avenger. The ability of Avenger to combine analog samples (and there are many within its factory library too) with other OSCs in one preset has the potential to make the sound really thick. If you're going for Synthwave you need a beefy sound. With most synths to rival Avenger's big sound you have to put down more than one track.


----------



## pderbidge (Jan 19, 2019)

sostenuto said:


> Lotsa luv here for hollowsun libs. THX for these other two !! Can't believe my unawareness. Will be picking up several to audition.
> If you have definite favs from kontaktbanks and CL-Projects …. some tips appreciated !



Glad I can help Kontaktbanks (Pinknoise) has a few 50% off sales throughout the year so I would wait for one of those unless your desperately in need of something along those types of sounds. Also Hollow-sound puts a lot more into their interface and tweak-ability whereas pink-noise is more about having those sounds with basic tweaks, however they are on version 2 of their libraries and it looks like from the screenshots that they have completely revised their interface to have more of that synth like tweakability so they might be on par now in that area.
Virology is their most popular since it takes samples from the popular Virus synthesizers. I actually don't own that one cause I felt I had a lot of Virus sounds already but this video will give you an idea of those sounds: Keep in mind the video is showcasing the first gen of this Instrument. Virology 2 looks completely redesigned.



CL Projects also has a Virus type library called Virologic. I actually haven't picked any of their stuff up yet but have been eyeing them for some time but as I said I got side tracked onto softsynths like Monarch, Ultra-Analog 2, Hybrid 3 and Synthmaster one (the last two not being known for their analog synth sounds but still cool and fun to work with nevertheless.

For more musical sounding from Pinknoise I would look at Lemon, Orange, Virology and perhaps Analog Night or Analogue Mosters. I have Lemon. I also have Revolver and Deepflight which seem to fit more of the experimental side of sounds.

Edit: Pink noise has a free download patch for each of their libraries so you can get a taste of how they sound and work.


----------



## sostenuto (Jan 19, 2019)

pderbidge said:


> Glad I can help Kontaktbanks (Pinknoise) has a few 50% off sales throughout the year so I would wait for one of those unless your desperately in need of something along those types of sounds. Also Hollow-sound puts a lot more into their interface and tweak-ability whereas pink-noise is more about having those sounds with basic tweaks, however they are on version 2 of their libraries and it looks like from the screenshots that they have completely revised their interface to have more of that synth like tweakability so they might be on par now in that area.
> Virology is their most popular since it takes samples from the popular Virus synthesizers. I actually don't own that one cause I felt I had a lot of Virus sounds already but this video will give you an idea of those sounds: Keep in mind the video is showcasing the first gen of this Instrument. Virology 2 looks completely redesigned.
> 
> 
> ...




Super cool Reply !!  I too have Synthmaster (both), Hybrid3, K11U (Monarch, +), Ultra-Analog 2 Sessions; although Omni2.5 is mainstream workhorse. Lotsa Virus content there.

Will be checking out the PinkNoise demos to learn a bit more.

Thanks and regards


----------



## JonSolo (Jan 20, 2019)

CL Projects is great and there are great deals to be had on it from time to time. From the Blue Orb series to the Viralogic, it is amazing.

I am also a fan of Hideaway Studios. I think I have everything they have done. Rich and analog!


----------



## sostenuto (Jan 20, 2019)

JonSolo said:


> CL Projects is great and there are great deals to be had on it from time to time. From the Blue Orb series to the Viralogic, it is amazing.
> 
> I am also a fan of Hideaway Studios. I think I have everything they have done. Rich and analog!



THX for tips on CL Projects. Will checkout Hideaway Studios next.


----------



## ProfoundSilence (Jan 20, 2019)

my hot take on vst buzz's library?

if you have a bunch of points hanging out - use them. Do these libraries have strengths and weaknesses? yes. Is this a one stop shop for everything you could possibly want? Depends on how invested you are in that sound. 

in my case, I spent a steak dinner for a bunch of sounds I don't have - incase I feel like messing around with a genre I never write in. If you were absolutely serious about this stuff, you'd buy actual synths or modelled versions of these synths.


----------



## Mike Fox (Jan 20, 2019)

ProfoundSilence said:


> my hot take on vst buzz's library?
> 
> if you have a bunch of points hanging out - use them. Do these libraries have strengths and weaknesses? yes. Is this a one stop shop for everything you could possibly want? Depends on how invested you are in that sound.
> 
> in my case, I spent a steak dinner for a bunch of sounds I don't have - incase I feel like messing around with a genre I never write in. If you were absolutely serious about this stuff, you'd buy actual synths or modelled versions of these synths.


Well said.

Curious though, what would you consider to be Power Move's strengths/weaknesses? 

I personally couldn't find any weaknesses. My only nitpick is that I would like to have seen a bit more percussion fx.


----------



## ProfoundSilence (Jan 21, 2019)

haven't toyed enough with it to know, and im not familiar enough with how it's supposed to sound to really have an opinion. 

to me, it's pre-made synth patches that sound slightly more analogue. If I ever get the itch to make something electronic or hybrid, I'll probably poke around for sounds until I get something I like. Was just stating the obvious - that if someone was THAT picky about the authenticity of these sounds, they'd want to know how the actual synths operated, and find software modelled versions and make these sounds manually. 

these are all things a typical listener would never in a million years notice when listening though.


----------



## kitekrazy (Jan 21, 2019)

I guess it depends on what synths you have but there are developers who make presets for such things.


----------



## sostenuto (Jan 21, 2019)

and this popped up yesterday: 

https://www.beatskillz.com/shop/syn...8-3058497&mc_cid=f4f57809e8&mc_eid=908f86c793

plus this:

https://www.beatskillz.com/shop/synthwave-drums/


----------



## whiskers (Jan 21, 2019)

re: Power Move - I'm having a hard time justifying this one to myself, having Omnisphere, Ethera, The Komplete synths, TAL-U-NO-LX, etc. More of a fan of the darker stuff anyway, less so of the nostalgic lighter pad sounds.

Think: 

So I will probably be passing. Great review though, @Mike Fox!


----------



## nas (Jan 22, 2019)

I recently picked up Synapse Audio's* The Legend* soft synth with the *Modern Analog* Expansion pack and I'm really impressed with the quality of the sounds. The Legend is probably the best software emulation of the classic Moog Modern D that I've heard and the Modern Analog expansion pack has some amazing patches that will get you into 80's analog synth territory, reminiscent of the _Stranger Things_ soundtrack and some Vangelis _Blade Runner_ tones.

Another often overlooked but great soft synth if you're in Logic is the ES2, which is packed full of wavetables and is incredibly versatile with some powerful routing options. If you can get your head around the U.I. it will deliver some of what you're looking for.


----------



## Lode_Runner (Jan 22, 2019)

sostenuto said:


> and this popped up yesterday:
> 
> https://www.beatskillz.com/shop/syn...8-3058497&mc_cid=f4f57809e8&mc_eid=908f86c793
> 
> ...


That's on sale through VST Buzz at the moment, for about another 12 hours I think.


----------



## Mike Fox (Jan 22, 2019)

whiskers said:


> re: Power Move - I'm having a hard time justifying this one to myself, having Omnisphere, Ethera, The Komplete synths, TAL-U-NO-LX, etc. More of a fan of the darker stuff anyway, less so of the nostalgic lighter pad sounds.
> 
> Think:
> 
> So I will probably be passing. Great review though, @Mike Fox!



Thanks whiskers! Glad you enjoyed the review.


----------



## Crowe (May 16, 2019)

Sorry to necropost, but can anyone tell me how much of this library (Power Move) is dedicated to drum sounds? I'm wondering if getting "Synthwave Drums" by Beatskilzz for $20 is at all useful if I'm planning to get this as well.


----------



## Mike Fox (May 16, 2019)

Shiirai said:


> Sorry to necropost, but can anyone tell me how much of this library (Power Move) is dedicated to drum sounds? I'm wondering if getting "Synthwave Drums" by Beatskilzz for $20 is at all useful if I'm planning to get this as well.


Not much of the library is dedicated to percussion, which is my only complaint. You get your basic kit, and that's about it.


----------



## Consona (May 16, 2019)

Kontakt itself!  Analog Dreams in v.6 sound truly great!


----------



## VSTBuzz (May 16, 2019)

Shiirai said:


> Sorry to necropost, but can anyone tell me how much of this library (Power Move) is dedicated to drum sounds? I'm wondering if getting "Synthwave Drums" by Beatskilzz for $20 is at all useful if I'm planning to get this as well.



There's only a basic synthwave drum kit in there. Power Move is more focused on synths than drums. If you're looking for synthwave percussion, the Synthwave Drums library from Beatskillz is brilliant! (I bought it myself a while back and got great use out of it).

Alternatively, we're actually working on creating a synthwave drum library at the moment and have a pretty big collection of samples recorded so far (unedited and pretty raw). We've got 606, 727, 808, DD30, Drumtracks, LinnDrum, Oberheim DMX all recorded through a range of equipment. Drop us a PM if you'd like a free download of those before we start work on them


----------



## ChazC (May 16, 2019)

Shiirai said:


> Sorry to necropost, but can anyone tell me how much of this library (Power Move) is dedicated to drum sounds? I'm wondering if getting "Synthwave Drums" by Beatskilzz for $20 is at all useful if I'm planning to get this as well.



The drums in Power Move are fine for layering but IMO not strong enough for main drum tracks. If you head over to JRR Shop you can pick up Beatskillz Synthwave Drums for $9.99 at the moment.


----------



## sostenuto (May 16, 2019)

ChazC said:


> The drums in Power Move are fine for layering but IMO not strong enough for main drum tracks. If you head over to JRR Shop you can pick up Beatskillz Synthwave Drums for $9.99 at the moment.


 New to this …. Ueberschall 80s Synthwave or Power Move ?? 
I would want to get JRR Shop Synthwave Drums either way ??


----------



## ChazC (May 16, 2019)

sostenuto said:


> New to this …. Ueberschall 80s Synthwave or Power Move ??
> I would want to get JRR Shop Synthwave Drums either way ??


I'd say yes to SWDrums for sure (esp. at $9.99) if you don't have any synthwave drums currently. Ueberschall 80's is at it's most basic 10 construction kits so it's good for inspiration but you get more loops than one shots - I got it on sale, if I'd paid full price I'd have been a bit disappointed. It uses it’s own player for the loops as well (not Kontakt). Having said that it has given me a number of starting points for tracks.

Power Move will give you a whole load of actual synth instruments you can play. They're tweakable too.


----------



## sostenuto (May 16, 2019)

ChazC said:


> I'd say yes to SWDrums for sure (esp. at $9.99) if you don't have any synthwave drums currently. Ueberschall 80's is at it's most basic 10 construction kits so it's good for inspiration but you get more loops than one shots - I got it on sale, if I'd paid full price I'd have been a bit disappointed. It uses it’s own player for the loops as well (not Kontakt). Having said that it has given me a number of starting points for tracks.
> 
> Power Move will give you a whole load of actual synth instruments you can play. They're tweakable too.


Many thanks ! Was trying Elastik3 Player and too early to judge. Power Move + SWDrums is good starting point.


----------



## Mike Fox (May 16, 2019)

VSTBuzz said:


> There's only a basic synthwave drum kit in there. Power Move is more focused on synths than drums. If you're looking for synthwave percussion, the Synthwave Drums library from Beatskillz is brilliant! (I bought it myself a while back and got great use out of it).
> 
> Alternatively, we're actually working on creating a synthwave drum library at the moment and have a pretty big collection of samples recorded so far (unedited and pretty raw). We've got 606, 727, 808, DD30, Drumtracks, LinnDrum, Oberheim DMX all recorded through a range of equipment. Drop us a PM if you'd like a free download of those before we start work on them


Considering how good Power Move is, I'm definitely stoked to hear this! 

Do you have a release date?


----------



## ChazC (May 16, 2019)

Mike Fox said:


> Considering how good Power Move is, I'm definitely stoked to hear this!



Likewise - can never have enough drums for synthwave!


----------



## Crowe (May 16, 2019)

VSTBuzz said:


> Alternatively, we're actually working on creating a synthwave drum library at the moment and have a pretty big collection of samples recorded so far (unedited and pretty raw). We've got 606, 727, 808, DD30, Drumtracks, LinnDrum, Oberheim DMX all recorded through a range of equipment. Drop us a PM if you'd like a free download of those before we start work on them



Whoah, thanks! I might have to take you up on that .




ChazC said:


> The drums in Power Move are fine for layering but IMO not strong enough for main drum tracks. If you head over to JRR Shop you can pick up Beatskillz Synthwave Drums for $9.99 at the moment.



Aaand now I have Synthwave Drums. That's a ridiculous price.


----------



## VSTBuzz (May 17, 2019)

Mike Fox said:


> Considering how good Power Move is, I'm definitely stoked to hear this!
> 
> Do you have a release date?



Not sure on release date yet. We've only recorded content so far and haven't started the editing / soun design process yet. I'd say its a few months off still


----------



## VSTBuzz (May 17, 2019)

Another question for everyone - would you like:

1. Kontakt or WAV (or both)?
2. Pre-designed "kits" or just all samples divided into kicks, toms, hats etc.?


----------



## ChazC (May 17, 2019)

VSTBuzz said:


> Another question for everyone - would you like:
> 
> 1. Kontakt or WAV (or both)?
> 2. Pre-designed "kits" or just all samples divided into kicks, toms, hats etc.?



Personally I have hundreds of raw wav samples of drum machines (and there are loads freely available) and if we’re being honest, any synthwave track would use heavily processed sounds in any case so unless the wavs would be provided already processed then not necessary IMO if it means a cheaper product.

As for kits vs categories, then categories would get my vote every time. I much prefer making up my own multi’s so I can organise everything to my own templates rather than hoping a kit kick is on C1 not C0 or C3 for example. For some reason Arturia have the default Spark kits start on C3 which is bonkers. You can re-map obviously but when you do an update it resets all the custom mappings! Categories over kits any day of the week as far as I’m concerned!


----------



## Crowe (May 17, 2019)

VSTBuzz said:


> Another question for everyone - would you like:
> 
> 1. Kontakt or WAV (or both)?
> 2. Pre-designed "kits" or just all samples divided into kicks, toms, hats etc.?



1. I use both whenever the option exists, using kontakt libs for easy iteration and experimentation. Depending on the awesomeness of the Kontakt instrument I may grow to love the on-board effects.
I do use a Sample Manager whenever possible, however.

2. Predesigned kits are great for experimentation, but I'll probably not use them in any real capacity. In NI Battery, for example, I use the kits to find sounds I like, which I then move to my own kit.


----------



## Mike Fox (May 17, 2019)

VSTBuzz said:


> Another question for everyone - would you like:
> 
> 1. Kontakt or WAV (or both)?
> 2. Pre-designed "kits" or just all samples divided into kicks, toms, hats etc.?



1. I personally prefer Kontakt. Dragging and dropping wav files isn't really my thing.

2. Definitely both!


----------



## SoNowWhat? (May 18, 2019)

Beatskillz Synthwave Drums drop below $10 in cart at JRR Shop. GROUP discount code.
Just FYI.


----------



## Will Blackburn (May 18, 2019)

Really nice freebie 80s drum pack here

https://www.samplescience.ca/2019/01/samplescience-rx-11-hd.html


Also some great synth presets over at The Patchbay

https://thepatchbay.co.uk/search/?search=synthwave&description=true&page=3


----------



## SoNowWhat? (May 18, 2019)

Don’t know if this has been mentioned earlier in the thread but Trash Audio have some nice LinnDrum LM2 samples as donationware. Other drum machine samples too. 

http://trashaudio.com/2012/10/linndrum-lm2-samples/


----------



## Wes Antczak (May 18, 2019)

If you want to get away from samples, besides what Arturia is offering, you can also look at things like the Legacy collection synths from Korg. That is, if you can deal with the outdated and small GUIs. The Legacy synths cover things like the M1 and the Polysix. Not exactly an 80's synth (it debuted in 1990), but with that you also get the Wavestation. Both the M1 and the Wavestation are very well done, imo. With the legacy M1 you get ALL the extra program cards that Korg sold back then. With the legacy Wavestation you get ALL those extra program cards.

And then there is Repro from U-He, which brilliantly covers the Pro-One and the Prophet 5.

For drums, D16 group has very nice emulations of the TR808 and TR909, as well as the silver boxes.


----------



## Dandezebra (May 18, 2019)

Wes Antczak said:


> If you want to get away from samples, besides what Arturia is offering, you can also look at things like the Legacy collection synths from Korg. That is, if you can deal with the outdated and small GUIs. The Legacy synths cover things like the M1 and the Polysix. Not exactly an 80's synth (it debuted in 1990), but with that you also get the Wavestation. Both the M1 and the Wavestation are very well done, imo. With the legacy M1 you get ALL the extra program cards that Korg sold back then. With the legacy Wavestation you get ALL those extra program cards.
> 
> And then there is Repro from U-He, which brilliantly covers the Pro-One and the Prophet 5.
> 
> For drums, D16 group has very nice emulations of the TR808 and TR909, as well as the silver boxes.



Repro and Diva are great for this genre. Phonec is the schnitzel too. So much fun!


----------



## Mike Fox (May 19, 2019)

Downloaded Synthwave Drums from Beatskillz last night. Very nice!


----------



## Loeberg (May 20, 2019)

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, I can highly recommend Splice if you're looking for drum samples. There's literally thousands of sample packs there, and there's some really nice synth wave stuff there as well. Besides, you can choose which individual samples you'd like to get instead of getting the full packs.


----------

