# Can you survive on 1?



## turtletooth (Jan 10, 2022)

Hope you all are having a great day. 

I currently have Zebra and Pigments- two very capable synths. I've lately been trying to simplify my setup and only keep the essentials. Synths are tricky because it can take quite a while to really learn a synth, and instead of spending too much time learning multiple synths, I'd rather be making music.

I know Zebra is king around here and can do things that other synths can't do. Pigments is also really coming along and showing great potential. It has more traditional wave table stuff, granular, additive and samples. The workflow in both synths is very different, and I love the sounds of both. I may be a sucker for pretty colors and animations, but I really like the workflow of Pigments.

If you had to pick only one synth, what would you pick? 

I know Omnisphere will be suggested, but it just has too much in it for me.

Thanks in advance for your input.


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## doctoremmet (Jan 10, 2022)

My desert island pick used to be Falcon 2. It still is, but I have to say Phase Plant is a serious threat.


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## Markrs (Jan 10, 2022)

If I could only have one synth.... Maybe Omnisphere or Pigments or maybe something more simple like Vital or fun like Generate?

Even though I have barely touched it I would probably pick *Reaktor*. With that I would have nearly any type of Synth including modular, plus all the paid and free ensembles.

Saying that Omnisphere is the one currently on my list to learn fully. Reaktor often feels too deep to even get started with it and there are good tutorials on using Omnisphere.


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## gamma-ut (Jan 10, 2022)

If you don't need to use samples, Zebra2 is the more versatile of the two, particularly if you want more organic sounds.

Frankly, the two complement each other pretty well, so I'd call it a day at those two unless you find something you really, really need. And with sound design, there's generally more than one way to do things, so it's rare that it absolutely needs a specific tool.


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## CATDAD (Jan 10, 2022)

gamma-ut said:


> Frankly, the two complement each other pretty well, so I'd call it a day at those two unless you find something you really, really need. And with sound design, there's generally more than one way to do things, so it's rare that it absolutely needs a specific tool.


I was thinking this too. They both have slightly different flavours of "standard" sounds, but are each capable there. Beyond that, Zebra can do a lot of unique mangling/morphing/evolving to otherwise basic oscillators and can go deeper with things like FM, while Pigments can get more detailed custom wavetables, granular, and additive patches.

Use them both each for what one can do that the other cannot, and forget about other synths for awhile. That'd be my vote!

As for my pick, it very well might be those two, for those reasons.


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## cloudbuster (Jan 10, 2022)

Tough one ... right now I'd pick VPS Avenger (latest version without Codemeter) over my beloved Synthmaster 2 because of the granular engine but I'd rather wait until summer and probably be all over Synthmaster 3.


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## turtletooth (Jan 10, 2022)

Thanks for all the feedback so far. 

This is kind of like the desert island synth question, but I've been considering making it a reality.

I am certainly not looking to pick up any more synths. I already cleared out several and am down to two. I'm the type that is pretty easily distracted and having too many options usually gets in the way of my brain.

I've kept Pigments and Zebra specifically because they can do some different things. But I've been wondering if keeping just one of those would still work. It would give me a more limited palette, but I could really learn the synth better.

When you combine learning a synth with practicing piano, guitar and composition, I don't have enough brain space for too many options.


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## turtletooth (Jan 10, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


> My desert island pick used to be Falcon 2. It still is, but I have to say Phase Plant is a serious threat.


I hear great things about Phase Plant. Never messed with it myself.


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## turtletooth (Jan 10, 2022)

gamma-ut said:


> If you don't need to use samples, Zebra2 is the more versatile of the two, particularly if you want more organic sounds.
> 
> Frankly, the two complement each other pretty well, so I'd call it a day at those two unless you find something you really, really need. And with sound design, there's generally more than one way to do things, so it's rare that it absolutely needs a specific tool.


I was wondering if I should do just that - keep both. They are both great tools. The minimalist in me still likes the idea of getting down to just one. But two ain't bad.


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## CATDAD (Jan 10, 2022)

If you must keep only one, I would suggest keeping on with the one you find more inspiring to use. Theoretical sound options don't mean much if you don't feel compelled to explore them!


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## gamma-ut (Jan 10, 2022)

Or, it can come down to the kinds of sounds you prefer. If you tend towards the organic, Zebra. For things are obviously synthetic and artificial, Pigments. Not that one can't do the other, but it's easier in one than the other.


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## KEM (Jan 10, 2022)

I’d go with Omnisphere just because it’s capable of really anything, but I also not just a synth, if we’re talking about pure synthesizers then ZebraHZ no doubt


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## turtletooth (Jan 10, 2022)

KEM said:


> I’d go with Omnisphere just because it’s capable of really anything, but I also not just a synth, if we’re talking about pure synthesizers then ZebraHZ no doubt


I just watched some videos about Omnisphere and was totally overwhelmed. I mean, it sounds great, but they were bragging about having 14,000 patches. That is way too many for me to mess with.


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## turtletooth (Jan 10, 2022)

You are all like the brain trust. Thanks for your feedback and thoughts. You have some great insights.


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## Alex Fraser (Jan 10, 2022)

If I had to…Logic’s Alchemy would do.


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## KEM (Jan 10, 2022)

turtletooth said:


> I just watched some videos about Omnisphere and was totally overwhelmed. I mean, it sounds great, but they were bragging about having 14,000 patches. That is way too many for me to mess with.



It is daunting at first but don’t forget you can narrow it down to exactly what you’re looking for very easily, and then you can rate patches so you know exactly how useful they are for you


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## Zanshin (Jan 10, 2022)

One VI synth? I'd pick Generate right now. But one synth including hardware? Virus Ti2 no contest.


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## dunamisstudio (Jan 10, 2022)

I could uninstall my synths and leave myself with Omnisphere and keep my Virus TI, I would be happy.


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## jcrosby (Jan 10, 2022)

Omnisphere for me for sure... I use it almost as much as Kontakt.


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## Shad0wLandsUK (Jan 10, 2022)

I think it would be Omnisphere for me too
Or Zebra2 (since I can use HZ with it cheekily)


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## Pier (Jan 14, 2022)

No synth is perfect, but if I had to pick just a single synth in its current state to use forever I'd toss a coin between Zebra and PhasePlant (including all its effects).

Both have pros and cons but I'd be happy with the limitations of either of those. Zebra has amazing filters and the comb filter is really unique. PhasePlant is extremely flexible with the effects and its audio rate modulation capabilities.

Of course the real answer to this will probably be Zebra 3... 😂


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## KEM (Jan 14, 2022)

Pier said:


> No synth is perfect, but if I had to pick just a single synth in its current state to use forever I'd toss a coin between Zebra and PhasePlant (including all its effects).
> 
> Both have pros and cons but I'd be happy with the limitations of either of those. Zebra has amazing filters and the comb filter is really unique. PhasePlant is extremely flexible with the effects and its audio rate modulation capabilities.
> 
> Of course the real answer to this will probably be Zebra 3... 😂



Which, sadly, is probably never actually happening lol


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## Pier (Jan 14, 2022)

KEM said:


> Which, sadly, is probably never actually happening lol


It will happen! Have a little more faith! 😂


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## KEM (Jan 14, 2022)

Pier said:


> It will happen! Have a little more faith! 😂



I have faith but I’ve completely lost all hope


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## Bee_Abney (Jan 14, 2022)

I don't have an issue with being distracted by wide options - I can just grab anything and go. I was used to working with one acoustic guitar for more than twenty years, with no creative effects. Any moderately complex instrument can keep me going. 

'Organic' can mean different things. Both Zebra and Pigments are capable of evolving complexity, both can get close to approximating acoustic sounds (you could think of Zebra as a reed instrument and Pigments as a flute). They both layer well with acoustic instruments (or sampled ones); but I think Zebra is the best for that.

For me? Probably Falcon. I find it fun and easy to make patches in, and it is great for multisample patches.


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## R. Naroth (Jan 14, 2022)

Zebra HZ. It is worth investing your time learning it (IMO). Hopefully that knowledge should translate well when the next version comes around.


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## AmbientMile (Jan 14, 2022)

For me it's Omnisphere for sure. While I have many other synths, I have had Omni for so long (back to Atmosphere) that I know it inside and out and can do just about anything I want with it. It's all about muscle memory for me.


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## AmbientMile (Jan 14, 2022)

turtletooth said:


> I just watched some videos about Omnisphere and was totally overwhelmed. I mean, it sounds great, but they were bragging about having 14,000 patches. That is way too many for me to mess with.


As I said, I have had Omnisphere since day one and I don't think I have even listened to all the patches that come with it. The search functionality, ratings and Sound Match selections make it easy to find what you want quickly. I also tend to make my own patches more than I use presets. Don't let the number of patches sway you away from it.


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## Lode_Runner (Jan 14, 2022)

I think you've got a wise approach turtletooth. These synths are capable of so much, getting to know just one in depth would give you an almost unlimited range of sounds, and you'd have far more chance of knowing how to roll the sound you're after then you would having a shallow knowledge of a half dozen different synths. You'd only need to look further if you discovered a sound you wanted that somehow couldn't be done with your current go to synth. You'll also save a small fortune. I wish I could limit myself to just one, but I'm a sucker for Synapse, U-He, Tal and Xils analogue hardware synth modeling, so I'm not going to try to answer the question. I already have them and I'm not going to delete them.


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## turtletooth (Jan 14, 2022)

Lode_Runner said:


> I think you've got a wise approach turtletooth. These synths are capable of so much, getting to know just one in depth would give you an almost unlimited range of sounds, and you'd have far more chance of knowing how to roll the sound you're after then you would having a shallow knowledge of a half dozen different synths. You'd only need to look further if you discovered a sound you wanted that somehow couldn't be done with your current go to synth. You'll also save a small fortune. I wish I could limit myself to just one, but I'm a sucker for Synapse, U-He, Tal and Xils analogue hardware synth modeling, so I'm not going to try to answer the question. I already have them and I'm not going to delete them.


Thanks. I've only been doing computer based music for a few years and made the mistake that I think many people make- of getting a lot of stuff before you really know what you need. Luckily most of my earlier purchases were relatively cheap pluginboutique deals, but now I'm trying to really narrow my toolkit and get down to fewer (but quality) tools that will last me quite a while. 

I have a lot of respect for those who can have a bigger arsenal and use it effectively. I get analysis paralysis pretty easily and need to narrow it down.

Thanks everyone here for the feedback. I love the variety of perspectives here at VIC.


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## AmbientMile (Jan 14, 2022)

turtletooth said:


> ....relatively cheap pluginboutique deals....


This was my problem awhile back. I got sucked in by "cheap" deals and got a bad case of GAS. I have so many plugins that I couldn't possibly master them all unless I gave up making music and just studied all day. I concur with Lode_Runner. If you master a well rounded soft synth, it is easy to get the sound you want. I recently did a clean reinstall on my main studio computer and only put about 5% of everything I own back on it. It is VERY streamlined now and I am writing more and better music because of it.


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## jononotbono (Jan 14, 2022)

I wouldn’t be able to choose between ZebraHZ and Omnisphere 2. It’s a choice my brain simply can’t make.


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## Junolab (Jan 15, 2022)

Keep both but don't open one of them for the next 6 month. When you get deep in to the first, it might be fun and good for learning to try to emulate the same idea in the second synth.

High five to a good approach by minimising the setup!


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## Saxer (Jan 15, 2022)

Different synths have different strength and weakness. Dexed and Phonec do absolute different kind of sounds and most of them would sound very different on Zebra or Omnisphere.
I'm not even a synth nerd but it's good to have a selection of synths. I also agree that it's counterproductive to have too many. But I think having too many is the way to go to choose your personal selection over time.


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## vitocorleone123 (Jan 15, 2022)

Software? If I could only have one software synth?
Hive 2, as it walks the line between depth and the immediate.
I could live without sample libraries (I mostly use them for drums, anyway).

I'd rather have 5 lovely synths that are easy to "pick up and use" than one overly deep synth like Omnisphere. This is something I've learned by, well, having multiple lovely synths that are easy to use while also having Omnisphere (which is on my To Sell in 2022 list, barring anything surprising).

Being able to do everything has often resulted in me doing nothing. But I'm getting there, paring down from having a lot of synths and effects. I just sold The Legend and Obsession, for example, but Korg Polysix (software) has become a "you'll have to pry this from my cold, dead hands" because it's simple but sounds beautiful.


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## apollinaire (Jan 17, 2022)

Alex Fraser said:


> If I had to…Logic’s Alchemy would do.


I agree...my favorite soft synth. It could do just about anything.


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## Braveheart (Jan 17, 2022)

I would keep both Omnisphere and Avenger. For me, they stand out above the rest.


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## Pier (Jan 17, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> Software? If I could only have one software synth?
> Hive 2, as it walks the line between depth and the immediate.
> I could live without sample libraries (I mostly use them for drums, anyway).
> 
> ...


I've been thinking about your comment for the past couple of days.

At first I thought you liked simple synths but now I don't think that's what you meant. After all, Hive is simple compared to Omnisphere or Zebra, right?

But the problem you touched on is not really on the number of features a synth has, but how immediate it is, or how easy it is to get started and accomplish something.

It's true deep synths like Omni or Falcon typically tend to be tedious and bureaucratic, the complete opposite of what you're referring to as "easy to pick up and use". But I've come to realize this is really a failure of usability/workflow design.

For example, in terms of synth features, PhasePlant is really comparable to Omnisphere but the workflow is so well thought of that it mostly works on a single screen. In Omni you need to navigate a lot between pages to do stuff. Less so in Zebra, but it's still not as polished as PhasePlant. I wouldn't say PhasePlant is as immediate as Hive, but it's close, and it allows you go deeper without limiting your creativity.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we typically associate flexibility and depth of features with a tedious and difficult workflow, but it really shouldn't be that way.


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## vitocorleone123 (Jan 17, 2022)

Pier said:


> I've been thinking about your comment for the past couple of days.
> 
> At first I thought you liked simple synths but now I don't think that's what you meant. After all, Hive is simple compared to Omnisphere or Zebra, right?
> 
> ...


Yes!

While I'm an aspiring musician (some year I'll make that $10 in streaming revenue! ha), that's not my career. I've actually been a user researcher and sometimes-UX designer for over 20 years. Needless to say, usability matters to me.  

With music gear and software, I've often had to compromise, because, at the end of the day, the sound is what matters more than the interface. At least to a point. And we all have different tolerances. For example, I can't stand the DAW Reaper because of the usability and design, despite knowing how stable and powerful it can be for others. Omnisphere is another, and it suffers from a legacy design, likely due to when computers had much lower resolution standard, so their in-place navigation diving made more sense in 2008 than in 2022... probably 1024x768 was popular then, if I remember correctly (I was mostly focused on mobile then). The sound quality of Omnisphere has NEVER been in question.

I've learned that, while I enjoy sound design, I'm pretty much OK with just a couple mod slots and a couple LFOs if they're readily available. I'd rather spend more time either learning each component of creating music or pulling together what I've learned and assembling it. I don't have the time or patience to tinker for days to create a single, perfect sound - getting really deep like that starts making me bored and sleepy. It's also one reason why I've purchased some hardware, with my clear favorite being the combination of easy to use AND amazing sound: an OB-6. I have a Digitone, and it's at the far limit of complexity, but it's also surprisingly well-designed - more akin to Hive2 in many ways. I have gravitated toward some simple synths, but more because they're immediate than because they're simple. Those aren't mutually exclusive qualities, though it takes skill, knowledge, and time to add depth while keeping it simple - and, frankly, not everyone has those or prioritizes them. Thankfully, there's a lot of options out there.

I'll have to try PhasePlant this year, though I'm afraid I might like it.... heh.


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## JohnG (Jan 17, 2022)

My favourite sounding synth is u-he's Diva. 

I also like Zebra HZ but Diva just has more charisma. Versatility? Omnisphere, no doubt.


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## Stephen Limbaugh (Jan 17, 2022)

Serum! Many Gen Z experts on Youtube with tutorials to reduce the learning curve. 😂


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## Marcus Millfield (Jan 17, 2022)

Pier said:


> But the problem you touched on is not really on the number of features a synth has, but how immediate it is, or how easy it is to get started and accomplish something.


This is why I've sold all of my software synths and use hardware instead. A lot of the top software synths are just too much for me. I don't want to spend the little time I have for making music dealing with layers upon layers of knobs, graphs and other graphics screaming for attention. There is such a thing as information overload and I suffer from it.


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## el-bo (Jan 17, 2022)

Stephen Limbaugh said:


> Serum! Many Gen Z experts on Youtube with tutorials to reduce the learning curve. 😂


So you've not been swayed by Vital, then?


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## turtletooth (Jan 17, 2022)

You all are bringing up some things I've been feeling for the past few days.

So, after spending some significant time with each of them, I've decided to sell Zebra + HZ. The workflow just didn't gel with me. It can make some absolutely glorious sounds for sure, but I didn't find myself enjoying the process. Compared with more recent options, the usability of Zebra just isn't there. It often feels tedious to me.

There are so many other areas of music that I want to continue working on (guitar, piano, composing), so I need a synth I can work with faster. This is just a hobby for me, so I don't want to spend too much time tweaking sounds, but rather making music. Someone mentioned finding joy in instruments that have a greater immediacy, and that resonates with me as well.


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## el-bo (Jan 17, 2022)

In terms of one synth, that I would use alongside a handful of Kontakt instruments, I'd find it hard to choose between Omnisphere, Repro, Cypher 2 and Equator.

If you were asking for a one 'desert-island' instrument for everything, then definitely Omnisphere


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## el-bo (Jan 17, 2022)

turtletooth said:


> There are so many other areas of music that I want to continue working on (guitar, piano, composing), so I need a synth I can work with faster. This is just a hobby for me, so I don't want to spend too much time tweaking sounds, but rather making music. Someone mentioned finding joy in instruments that have a greater immediacy, and that resonates with me as well.


This 'screams' Omnisphere, to me


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## Henrik B. Jensen (Jan 17, 2022)

turtletooth said:


> You all are bringing up some things I've been feeling for the past few days.
> 
> So, after spending some significant time with each of them, I've decided to sell Zebra + HZ. The workflow just didn't gel with me. It can make some absolutely glorious sounds for sure, but I didn't find myself enjoying the process. Compared with more recent options, the usability of Zebra just isn't there. It often feels tedious to me.
> 
> There are so many other areas of music that I want to continue working on (guitar, piano, composing), so I need a synth I can work with faster. This is just a hobby for me, so I don't want to spend too much time tweaking sounds, but rather making music. Someone mentioned finding joy in instruments that have a greater immediacy, and that resonates with me as well.


Have you thought about simply buying patches for Zebra/Dark Zebra?

Unless you want to mess with making sounds yourself, that could be a solution.


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## Thomas Costantino (Jan 17, 2022)

Having switched over to Cubase from Logic, I must say that Alchemy was pretty darn good. A few tweaks here and there or slapping GuitarRig on it made for some great sounds. I know it’s nowhere near the best but it was certainly a go-to in my tool box.


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## Bee_Abney (Jan 17, 2022)

If I've understood correctly, for some people here three things are part of the same music-making activity. Four counting improvisation. 

Playing music is joined with composing, to which an improvisational approach is taken. Creating the synth sounds used is part of that.

When either the playing or the composing is the principle focus, it becomes incredibly important that the sound design be a relatively quick and easy process. However, since it is still part of the whole, using pre-existing patches is not a musically satisfying option.

For such a creative model, using other people's patches - even with heavy tweaking - simply can't be done. That would be a compromise of the activity to an extent that turned it into something else that does not satisfy the creative ambitions driving the whole endeavour.

Other people may just be absurdly fussy about user interfaces. Absurd or not, that's their business! To me, sound design takes multiple processes using multiple bits of software and hardware. But that doesn't mean that I'm not bothered by some interface issues. Too much mouse clicked enflames my gout!

But I'm also pretty happy to use other people's sound design. Or to improvise without recording, or compose without doing much free improvising. I tend to approach sound design as it's own creative endeavour, not as a part of an integrated whole activity. I'm also happy to grab a preset and play.


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## Marcus Millfield (Jan 17, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> If I've understood correctly, for some people here three things are part of the same music-making activity. Four counting improvisation.
> 
> Playing music is joined with composing, to which an improvisational approach is taken. Creating the synth sounds used is part of that.
> 
> ...


May I add that for me, playing/composing and sound design can be separate processes that don't always end up in one or the other. I can sit in front of a synth wanting to build a sound from scratch without insisting on any outcome, may it be musically or otherwise. Just the exploration of manipulating the oscillators and seeing where it takes you can be really satisfying in itself. Also the challenge of trying to mimick certain sounds with a synth can be a very rewarding journey. Even if you do not meet that goal, you'll find and learn something new along the way.

My synths are full of my own patches that never get used in a composition or even played once in a while, but were a journey worth taking.


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## José Herring (Jan 17, 2022)

Had to think about my answer for days. If I could only have 1 synth, 1 would be Phase Plant and the other 1 would be MSoundfactory.


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## TomislavEP (Jan 18, 2022)

My main choice for virtual synths was always Komplete. if I should pick a personal favorite, it would be probably Massive X. I really like some types of sounds it can make, namely those outside the usual EDM scope. However, I still haven't begun programming my own patches more seriously, so I can really judge its ease of use.

If this choice assumes a rompler, I would probably go with Xpand2. While dated by today's standards, it still gathers a number of usable synth sounds in one place and is pretty intuitive and lightweight.


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## JasonSchoepfer (Jan 18, 2022)

turtletooth said:


> Hope you all are having a great day.
> 
> I currently have Zebra and Pigments- two very capable synths. I've lately been trying to simplify my setup and only keep the essentials. Synths are tricky because it can take quite a while to really learn a synth, and instead of spending too much time learning multiple synths, I'd rather be making music.
> 
> ...


So I seriously can die a happy man with just……. Wait for it….. you already know….. Omnisphere. 

Doing my own designs for it I am forever discovering new ways of doing things. There are also untouched features that get missed because it truly is a deep deep instrument. I have seriously looked at developing for other plugins and I come back to the idea that I only have so much time outside of my career- why not just keep explore how deep Omnisphere can go. It also is a stable instrument. You are not dealing with yearly updates. Spectrasonics keeps throwing free enhancements to it and now with the new Sonic Extensions, we even get more free enhancements to help support their releases. Can’t spend money more wisely then with Spectrasonics.


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## vitocorleone123 (Jan 18, 2022)

JasonSchoepfer said:


> So I seriously can die a happy man with just……. Wait for it….. you already know….. Omnisphere.
> 
> Doing my own designs for it I am forever discovering new ways of doing things. There are also untouched features that get missed because it truly is a deep deep instrument. I have seriously looked at developing for other plugins and I come back to the idea that I only have so much time outside of my career- why not just keep explore how deep Omnisphere can go. It also is a stable instrument. You are not dealing with yearly updates. Spectrasonics keeps throwing free enhancements to it and now with the new Sonic Extensions, we even get more free enhancements to help support their releases. Can’t spend money more wisely then with Spectrasonics.


Not to make this a referendum on Omni, but it seems more polarizing than many other software bits in terms of whether someone finds it useful or not. For me, it turned out to be an overall unwise choice, with the largest dollop of wisdom from it being that I learned it was unwise to buy it.

I also enjoy more regular updates in other software. Like little gifts. I kept holding on to Omni to see what v3 would be like, but all we got were unappealing (to me) add ons. That’s what ultimately will put it on my list to sell in the coming months. 

If someone is literally profiting from Omni, that’s fantastic. For those of us who tried it and ended up disappointed, it’s a different story with a different ending. Both are possible, and there’s undoubtedly a number of people who have it and use it from time to time and keep it around.


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## Cinebient (Jan 18, 2022)

Plasmonic all the way followed close by P900 since I just like organic sound which feels alive as they would came from an unknown acoustic instrument.  Kind of sounds I am after like in this example 2/3 Plasmonic and 1/3 P900 (some slight use of extern FX too).


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## Bee_Abney (Jan 18, 2022)

Cinebient said:


> Plasmonic all the way followed close by P900 since I just like organic sound which feels alive as they would came from an unknown acoustic instrument.  Kind of sounds I am after like in this example 2/3 Plasmonic and 1/3 P900 (some slight use of extern FX too).



Plasmonic does produce marvellous sounds. I wasn't familiar with the P900 modular synth. It sounds very solid.


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## Pier (Jan 18, 2022)

José Herring said:


> Had to think about my answer for days. If I could only have 1 synth, 1 would be Phase Plant and the other 1 would be MSoundfactory.


Off topic, but the other day I found out your avatar is a Magritte painting.


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## Bee_Abney (Jan 18, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> Not to make this a referendum on Omni, but it seems more polarizing than many other software bits in terms of whether someone finds it useful or not. For me, it turned out to be an overall unwise choice, with the largest dollop of wisdom from it being that I learned it was unwise to buy it.
> 
> I also enjoy more regular updates in other software. Like little gifts. I kept holding on to Omni to see what v3 would be like, but all we got were unappealing (to me) add ons. That’s what ultimately will put it on my list to sell in the coming months.
> 
> If someone is literally profiting from Omni, that’s fantastic. For those of us who tried it and ended up disappointed, it’s a different story with a different ending. Both are possible, and there’s undoubtedly a number of people who have it and use it from time to time and keep it around.


I'm sorry to hear Omnisphere didn't work out for you. At least it can be resold. No synth is going to work for everyone and while there are plenty of videos on Omnisphere, sometimes you don't find out until you get it that it doesn't suit you.


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## Cinebient (Jan 18, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> Plasmonic does produce marvellous sounds. I wasn't familiar with the P900 modular synth. It sounds very solid.


Yes indeed. If I would choose one for only analog and vintage sounds P900 is by far my favourite synth. I own it since some years and mastered it really (back in the day it was way more cheap and also development is not really there anymore). I own most of the famous other ones but P900 is still unmatched for me. Together with Plasmonic its the only other synth which feels like it has its own life for me.
My third would be Alchemy which has some very unique tricks for me too (especially in the FX part) which no other synth could cover yet for me.
I mean all synths are great in some ways but these are my big 3, well if there would be only one Plasmonic get the crown at the moment.


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## vitocorleone123 (Jan 18, 2022)

I've been thinking about surviving with 1 hardware synth after naming Hive2 as my one software. It's a challenge, for sure!

The challenge comes from choosing between a synth that can do a lot - entire songs! - in the form of the Digitone, or a synth I simply love that tugs on my heart and soul, in the form of the OB-6.

If I could pair my 1 software with 1 hardware, I'd easily choose the OB-6 (Hive2 can do percussive sounds better with a 24db filter).

If 1 and only 1 and it had to be hardware.... ugh. I'd still have to choose the OB-6, but there'd be times I regretted it. I'd rather have the joy and inspiration, but it'd be clouded by frustration at times when trying to do drums (it does OK but, without the 24db filter, it is harder to get as much variety in kicks, etc.). I'd love my Digitone more and more over time, but it still hasn't reached that level of love I have for the OB-6. One is more heart, the other more brain. Which is why I have both to begin with!


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## b_elliott (Jan 18, 2022)

I am at a different stage in my synth acquisition/learning phase than many. 

I certainly have too many synths ATM; however, my approach: drums are what I "mastered" in my youth. So, drums are my main inst.; however, my focus now is not on instruments rather it's the craft of composition. I could care less whether I master any synth; I do care that I advance my craft. 

TL;DR Master one inst., however don't let that be an excuse to limit or impede your curiosity.


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## Tusker (Jan 18, 2022)

I am of the less is more school for my own programming, but I like all the sound design the digital luthiers have done. So why not have several sound sources which bring their own personalities (and their presets!) to the party while focusing on one or two synths for sound design? At the moment it’s Reaktor and Zebra HZ for digging under the hood. I am willing to test drive anything though. Who knows when inspiration will strike? 👍👍


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## Voider (Jan 18, 2022)

turtletooth said:


> If you had to pick only one synth, what would you pick?


Dune or Pigments, no contest. 🕵️‍♂️


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## MLaudio (Jan 18, 2022)

I own a lot of the big synths including Dune 3, Pigments 3, Hive 2, Rapid, Phase Plant, Thorn and Europa. Narrowing down to 3 for me would be somewhat easy, but between the top two would be tough.. For the longest time Dune 3 was easily at the top for me, but Rapid (my most recent purchase of the group) I think is taking over as it provides the same 8 layer, 3 voice stacking, granular, and its just quicker and more visual to work with. With Europa, its the most friendly synth i have used. Dune 3 i still give the slight edge in overall sound with its filter and effects, but its close with Rapid. 

This would be my order with what i got and how i'd keep them:

1. Rapid
2. Dune 3
3. Europa (not as powerful as some, but its just so easy to use and get good results)
4. Thorn
5. Phase Plant
6. Hive 2
7. Pigments 3 

So if only keeping one, and it's hard to not pick Dune 3, id go with Rapid.


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## José Herring (Jan 18, 2022)

MLaudio said:


> I own a lot of the big synths including Dune 3, Pigments 3, Hive 2, Rapid, Phase Plant, Thorn and Europa. Narrowing down to 3 for me would be somewhat easy, but between the top two would be tough.. For the longest time Dune 3 was easily at the top for me, but Rapid (my most recent purchase of the group) I think is taking over as it provides the same 8 layer, 3 voice stacking, granular, and its just quicker and more visual to work with. With Europa, its the most friendly synth i have used. Dune 3 i still give the slight edge in overall sound with its filter and effects, but its close with Rapid.
> 
> This would be my order with what i got and how i'd keep them:
> 
> ...


Europa! Yes that synth is amazing and so underrated. But you can really get some great sounds from it. I considered it the next evolution of Wavatable meets Westcoast synthesis. Never understood why it's not as highly regarded. It's got an amazing array of features and some of the best envelopes and it's easy as pie to figure out.


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## MLaudio (Jan 18, 2022)

José Herring said:


> Europa! Yes that synth is amazing and so underrated. But you can really get some great sounds from it. I considered it the next evolution of Wavatable meets Westcoast synthesis. Never understood why it's not as highly regarded. It's got an amazing array of features and some of the best envelopes and it's easy as pie to figure out.


100%. For anyone new to Wavetable synthesis, Europa is the synth id recommend. It's just so intuitive and at the same time quite powerful. Despite being limited compared to things like Phase Plant, I much prefer working in it. And you are right, the 4 envelopes it are so good that ill often just use them to modulate other devices!

Being dedicated to Reason is likely why it's not as popular. I just so happen to be a Reason user so it works out . They did have a VST version for a short time but it was discontinued a while ago. I was fortunate enough to get a free copy and actually use it more than the Reason version.


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## Pier (Jan 18, 2022)

José Herring said:


> Never understood why it's not as highly regarded.


Simply because Reason is not that popular.

I'm sure Europa and other Reason synths would be more popular if they had released them standalone, instead of making the Rack plugin thing.


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## José Herring (Jan 18, 2022)

Pier said:


> Simply because Reason is not that popular.
> 
> I'm sure Europa and other Reason synths would be more popular if they had released them standalone, instead of making the Rack plugin thing.


Not popular? There's atleast a dozen of us that post regular on the Reason FB forum.


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## Pier (Jan 19, 2022)

José Herring said:


> Not popular? There's atleast a dozen of us that post regular on the Reason FB forum.


Compared to Live, Cubase, and Logic?


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## MLaudio (Jan 19, 2022)

I agree with @Pier. Reason doesn't have nearly the footprint. I would of liked to see them explore VST / AU offerings more like they did with Europa years ago. 

Europa to me is the perfect balance of power and ease of use.


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## José Herring (Jan 19, 2022)

Pier said:


> Compared to Live, Cubase, and Logic?


I was joking. I know it's not as popular as Cubase, Logic or even Live or DP. Initially it wasn't inteded to be a DAW. It was intended to be a modular style rack. So it going to offering the Rack as a VST Plugin makes total sense.


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## Pier (Jan 19, 2022)

José Herring said:


> I was joking


I'm an idiot 😂


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## José Herring (Jan 19, 2022)

Pier said:


> I'm an idiot 😂


Oh not that. Sometimes subtle humor gets lost in print. I usually try and watch out for it.


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## Bee_Abney (Jan 19, 2022)

José Herring said:


> Oh not that. Sometimes subtle humor gets lost in print. I usually try and watch out for it.


It was clearly a joke but, in Pier's defence, he's a Bitwig user. To him, twelve people wanting to talk about a DAW on this forum looked like a huge number!


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## Marcus Millfield (Jan 19, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> It was clearly a joke but, in Pier's defence, he's a Bitwig user. To him, twelve people wanting to talk about a DAW on this forum looked like a huge number!


Ouch! That's harsh! 😂


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## José Herring (Jan 19, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> It was clearly a joke but, in Pier's defence, he's a Bitwig user. To him, twelve people wanting to talk about a DAW on this forum looked like a huge number!


In the last month alone Bitwig User Group posted a whopping 68 post. Going strong.

But joking aside Bitwig seems really cool. It's what Reason could have been if they had decided to take the DAW portion of the program more seriously.


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## Pier (Jan 19, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> It was clearly a joke but, in Pier's defence, he's a Bitwig user. To him, twelve people wanting to talk about a DAW on this forum looked like a huge number!









(in my defense, English is not my first language so I do miss some subtleties from time to time)


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## Marcus Millfield (Jan 19, 2022)

José Herring said:


> But joking aside Bitwig seems really cool.


It is really cool. I dabbled with version 4 for a few weeks last year and it does take the "your DAW as an instrument" to the next level as long as you need that instrument to be from the electronic persuasion. The GridFX are awesome and building your own synth is a piece of cake. CV integration is good, but I had a really hard time wrapping my head around their workflow concepts and finally gave up on it.


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## Marcus Millfield (Jan 19, 2022)

Pier said:


> (in my defense, English is not my first language so I do miss some subtleties from time to time)


@Bee_Abney gives you a run for your money in the "miss some subtleties" department 😂

Love you Bee 😘🤭


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## Bee_Abney (Jan 19, 2022)

Marcus Millfield said:


> @Bee_Abney gives you a run for your money in the "miss some subtleties" department 😂
> 
> Love you Bee 😘🤭


Subtlety is a sign of weakness. Only simple thinking and coarse language can stand strong!


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## Marcus Millfield (Jan 19, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> Subtlety is a sign of weakness. Only simple thinking and coarse language can stand strong!


In that case, I'm golden!


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## R. Naroth (Jan 19, 2022)

Pier said:


> Simply because Reason is not that popular.
> 
> I'm sure Europa and other Reason synths would be more popular if they had released them standalone, instead of making the Rack plugin thing.


Being a fan of physical modeling, among other synths, I also own Friktion. It can produce some fantastic String simulations — realistic or otherwise. Using it in a rack is a bit of a non standard “plugin within a plugin”. But I am glad they do make the synths available outside Reason.


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## turtletooth (Jan 25, 2022)

So I ultimately ended up selling both Zebra(HZ) and Pigments. I purchased them both when I was getting started, and before I knew what I really wanted. I got them both at a great sale price and purchased them knowing their reputations.

I've since spent a bunch of time with the synths and realized that I don't really enjoy making sounds from scratch. I have limited time for this hobby and finding new sounds isn't really where I want to spend my time. I'm much more of a tweak a preset kind of guy. And from that perspective, I think that Pigments and Zebra are pretty expensive preset browsers, especially when there are great presets to be found in free synths(mostly u-he), or paid synths that I got for free along the way (AAS Soundpacks, Synthmaster). As long as I can tweak the cutoff or adjust the envelope or LFO speeds, there is enough flexibility for me.

Luckily I was able to sell them without losing anything, and will keep them in mind if/when the free options are no longer enough. It is amazing how good/diverse the sounds are in the free options.

When I was starting getting instruments, I often fell into the trap of thinking I needed the thing that had the most buzz or had all the features. It's been a good reminder that this is a personal journey for each of us and there is no one size fits all solution.

Thanks again everyone for your feedback and insight.


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## Bee_Abney (Jan 25, 2022)

turtletooth said:


> So I ultimately ended up selling both Zebra(HZ) and Pigments. I purchased them both when I was getting started, and before I knew what I really wanted. I got them both at a great sale price and purchased them knowing their reputations.
> 
> I've since spent a bunch of time with the synths and realized that I don't really enjoy making sounds from scratch. I have limited time for this hobby and finding new sounds isn't really where I want to spend my time. I'm much more of a tweak a preset kind of guy. And from that perspective, I think that Pigments and Zebra are pretty expensive preset browsers, especially when there are great presets to be found in free synths(mostly u-he), or paid synths that I got for free along the way (AAS Soundpacks, Synthmaster). As long as I can tweak the cutoff or adjust the envelope or LFO speeds, there is enough flexibility for me.
> 
> ...


Good for you! You can, indeed, spend a lifetime with the amazing free synths, whether designing sounds or tweaking presets!


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## CATDAD (Jan 25, 2022)

turtletooth said:


> When I was starting getting instruments, I often fell into the trap of thinking I needed the thing that had the most buzz or had all the features. It's been a good reminder that this is a personal journey for each of us and there is no one size fits all solution.


Very nearly everyone here has bought stuff they didn't really need, so don't feel too bad about it. At least you chose to do it with products you were able to recoup losses on!

And actually you did gain something from them, this current realization wouldn't have been possible until you at least explored your more premium options! Honestly, any gear-related hobby/career is bound to have a few mistaken purchases when you are at a point where you don't know what you are looking for in the first place, and now you are that much more knowledgeable.


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## kgdrum (Jan 25, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> Subtlety is a sign of weakness. Only simple thinking and coarse language can stand strong!



I guess that’s why we’re friends 🤬


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## turtletooth (Jan 25, 2022)

CATDAD said:


> Very nearly everyone here has bought stuff they didn't really need, so don't feel too bad about it. At least you chose to do it with products you were able to recoup losses on!
> 
> And actually you did gain something from them, this current realization wouldn't have been possible until you at least explored your more premium options! Honestly, any gear-related hobby/career is bound to have a few mistaken purchases when you are at a point where you don't know what you are looking for in the first place, and now you are that much more knowledgeable.


Thanks for the reassuring words.

I'm a teacher and getting into this hobby reminds me of every first year teacher I've met (including myself 17 years ago). At the start of our careers we don't know what we really need and what we don't so we gather and hoard as much as we can just in case it might come in handy. It isn't until a little while into a career that you have the experience to know what will actually be useful.

On the VI side of things, I'm only just now getting a decent grasp on what I will actually use and what is noise (sometimes literally). I've been lucky to be able to sell or at least give away most of the items that weren't part of the toolbox that I need, and remove some of the distractions.

It's a journey.


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## Pier (Jan 25, 2022)

turtletooth said:


> And from that perspective, I think that Pigments and Zebra are pretty expensive preset browsers


Omnisphere begs to differ.


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## KEM (Jan 25, 2022)

Pier said:


> Off topic, but the other day I found out your avatar is a Magritte painting.



Magritte is awesome, probably my second favorite artist after Goya

Funny you mention that because his profile pic always stood out to me and made me pay more attention to what he was posting, I figured any Magritte fan would have opinions I could trust and feedback I could rely on, and I guess that’s turned out to be true!!


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