# Best vst synth bass techno/trance



## Trancer (Mar 1, 2021)

Hello,

What is for you the best synth bass vst for techno / trance.

I thought at first of Trilian, but a lot of acoustic bass, which does not really interest me.

Maybe Massive or Cyclop ?

What do you think ?


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## Arbee (Mar 1, 2021)

Not my genre but I have Serum and would suggest it's a frontrunner for techno/trance.


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## Jkist (Mar 1, 2021)

Dune, Serum, Sylenth1, Viper, Spire. Those are the top picks IMO.

Massive is a household name within those genres as well.


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## Trancer (Mar 1, 2021)

Thanks for your feedback.

Dune 3 looks very interesting.

But, there would be under certain conditions, an over consumption cpu, which does not really suit me.

Serum is a must, as is Sylenth. Even though Sylenth is no longer very young, he is not lagging behind the competition.

Serum, difficult to hook with this vst for me.


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## Trancer (Mar 1, 2021)

Thank you for your reply.

Plant phase not bad at all indeed.

In addition very interesting bundle with fx.


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## cloudbuster (Mar 2, 2021)

Dunno about 'best' and nothing against Massive or Sylenth but these days I'd just grab one of the highly versatile Supersynths like Synthmaster 2, VPS Avenger (heavy focus on EDM), Falcon, Zebra 2, etc... or even the free Vital and voilâ. There are ...loads of trance and techno patches out there as well as demos and step-by-step tuts on youtube, just shop around.


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## doctoremmet (Mar 2, 2021)

cloudbuster said:


> Dunno about 'best' and nothing against Massive or Sylenth but these days I'd just grab one of the highly versatile Supersynths like Synthmaster 2, VPS Avenger (heavy focus on EDM), Falcon, Zebra 2, etc... or even the free Vital and voilâ. There are ...loads of trance and techno patches out there as well as demos and step-by-step tuts on youtube, just shop around.


Hard agree. There is no “best”. And synths aren’t restricted to any genre. And any synth can create a bass patch. So basically you’re good with any one of the synths already mentioned. A lot hinges on the kind of sound character you’re after. For eerie digital basses you maybe want to go FM or wavetable. If you want that wavetable FM and reverb filter sound that Serum became famous for... get Serum. Don’t gel with Serum? Get the free Vital and see how you gel with that. For a saturated slightly drifting analog subtractive “feel” you may want to look at software that emulates specific hardware. But the main workhorses (Phaseplant, Falcon2, Pigments2, Hive2, Vital, Massive (X)) will all get you there. So it’s more down to the kind of workflow and synthesizer architecture you’re down with. Or, if you’re more into using presets, which “ecosystem” comes with the most suitable patchbanks. In that regard the U-he synths and Syntmaster synths come well equipped, as does Serum.


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## cloudbuster (Mar 2, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> Hard agree. There is no “best”. And synths aren’t restricted to any genre. And any synth can create a bass patch. So basically you’re good with any one of the synths already mentioned. A lot hinges on the kind of sound character you’re after. For eerie digital basses you maybe want to go FM or wavetable. If you want that wavetable FM and reverb filter sound that Serum became famous for... get Serum. Don’t gel with Serum? Get the free Vital and see how you gel with that. For a saturated slightly drifting analog subtractive “feel” you may want to look at software that emulates specific hardware. But the main workhorses (Phaseplant, Falcon2, Pigments2, Hive2, Vital, Massive (X)) will all get you there. So it’s more down to the kind of workflow and synthesizer architecture you’re down with. Or, if you’re more into using presets, which “ecosystem” comes with the most suitable patchbanks. In that regard the U-he synths and Syntmaster synths come well equipped, as does Serum.


Not much to add here, if at all. At the end of the day a lot boils down to individual preferences and some homework ... the relevant stuff on the developer sites, youtube and whatnot.
Can't walk away without mentioning that with all those fat ass synths in my arsenal (+ Bitwig, lol) I still enjoy designing all sorts of sounds from scratch with more humble but great sounding synths like Synth1 ... after so many years S1 still sees about as much as use as any of the bigger 'uns. I just love to mess around with that thing, YMMV.


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## Pier (Mar 2, 2021)

Dune is THE classic trance/progressive workhorse.

For a modern sound get Vital. It's really awesome and replaces Serum IMO.

For a more analog sound check Diva and The Legend.

Hive lives between the analog world and the more modern world. Excellent all-rounder synth.

PhasePlant is a sound design beast but, much like Zebra, if you're not into complex patches, it might be overkill. Doesn't have much analog mojo though.


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## Trancer (Mar 2, 2021)

Thank you for your feedback and advice.

Dune 3 and Diva, seems to be a good compromise just like the Vital.

What particularly appeals to me is the high CPU consumption for the Dune 3 and the Diva. This is what prevents me from buying one or even both.


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## doctoremmet (Mar 2, 2021)

Trancer said:


> What particularly appeals to me is the high CPU consumption for the Dune 3 and the Diva. This is what prevents me from buying one or even both.


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## Pier (Mar 2, 2021)

Trancer said:


> Thank you for your feedback and advice.
> 
> Dune 3 and Diva, seems to be a good compromise just like the Vital.
> 
> What particularly appeals to me is the high CPU consumption for the Dune 3 and the Diva. This is what prevents me from buying one or even both.


Obviously I agree about Diva, but Dune 3 has a high CPU usage?


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## ReleaseCandidate (Mar 2, 2021)

Trancer said:


> What particularly appeals to me is the high CPU consumption for the Dune 3 and the Diva.


I never had Diva, but Dune 3 is nowhere near the CPU usage of Repro - at least never had been for me.


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## Trancer (Mar 2, 2021)

Thanks for your feedback.

Indeed, read, that Dune 3, depending on the use could be quite cpu consuming.

Glad to read that not at all the case then.


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## Pier (Mar 2, 2021)

Trancer said:


> Indeed, read, that Dune 3, depending on the use could be quite cpu consuming.


Have you tried the demo as I suggested on the other thread?

Sure, you can push Dune to have gazillion of oscillators and layers, but it should be pretty light for normal uses.

Hive is also very light on the CPU if that's a top priority.


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## sostenuto (Mar 2, 2021)

Pier said:


> Have you tried the demo as I suggested on the other thread?
> 
> Sure, you can push Dune to have gazillion of oscillators and layers, but it should be pretty light for normal uses.
> 
> Hive is also very light on the CPU if that's a top priority.


Have Repro 1-5, and considering next venture into u-he as HIVE-2. Is '2' now stronger for OP's interest than original HIVE ? 

Already have Spire-latest, VITAL-Free, Synthmaster(s) as well.


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## Pier (Mar 2, 2021)

sostenuto said:


> Have Repro 1-5, and considering next venture into u-he as HIVE-2. Is '2' now stronger for OP's interest than original HIVE ?
> 
> Already have Spire-latest, VITAL-Free, Synthmaster(s) as well.


Yeah Hive 2 is "stronger", specially if you consider the next free update will include significant new features (new filters, etc).


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## pondinthestream (Mar 2, 2021)

Hive 2, maybe DS Thorn for something cheaper


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## Trancer (Mar 2, 2021)

Thanks for your feedback.

No not trying yet, I intend to do so by Thursday at the latest.

Hive 2 why not, I'll take a closer look.

Regarding Dune 3, happy to read that not greedy.

The lightest resource point of view is still Sylenth 1, no?


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