I specifically need a synth to create ambient sounds that will help carry my rhythmic instruments effectively. Sure, lots of synths do this job fine, but I'm trying to choose between Absynth, FM8, or Korg's Wavestation Legacy. However, I need a soft synth for ambient pads. I currently produce bare-boned, as I'm broke. I guess I'm just a little surprise that the sluts around here don't come up with some more off-the-beaten-path suggestions for different uses of synths, since we are all so crazy about gear around here. And a producer friend of mine gets great filter tweaked bassline insanity out of Alchemy. Massive is equally great at lush pads and soundscapes, though most people use it for harsh grinding basses and leads. But you rarely hear it suggested as such. Absynth, for one, is also capable of really interesting and raw bass tones for DnB or similar bass musics. While this is understandable, it makes me wonder how much people explore what each synth is actually capable of. Why so lazy on the utility of soft synths? For EDM synth sounds, people often suggest Sylenth, Massive, and Spire, for example. I.e., for ambient, the usual suggestions are: Alchemy, Omnisphere, and Absynth- all of which are marketed as "pad machines". So often in these threads, the way a synth is marketed, is the utility that people suggest it for. I actually bought it to imitate the sound of V-Synth, as it was the closes I could find in software, but ended up not having as much use for it as I'd like to have. I also find it difficult to program, and the filters behave in strange ways in context of a patch- it can be hard to find a sweet spot with it, IMO. I bought it a while ago, and have gone through bouts of using it, but I find that the sound is really inconsistent- sometimes grainy and fuzzy, sometimes crisp, sometimes it can have a phasey quality I can't quite put my finger on. If you already have reason, it's a good way to go, if perhaps a bit expensive for a budget conscious ambient musician.įor me, Alchemy is a strange one. Speaking of, which DAW are you using? you may already have some decent options on hand.Īgreed about Reason- Parsec and PX7 are very interesting options, and Thor is no slouch either. but these all cost additional money and Reason itself is somewhat spendy if you're on a budget and already using another DAW, otherwise it could be a great all-in-one solution. the stock synths are all very useful and all of the CV control really adds to its versatility, plus with the RackExtensions it can now be expanded and there are some excellent synths such as PX7 (which I like a bit more than NI's FM synth) and the new Parsec spectral synth looks very cool. it is a new semi-modular physical modeling/granular synth and over the short time that it's been available it has already become one of my all time favorite synths and for only $129 it is hard to beat - Īnd this may be a bit of a stretch, but Reason is also a great package to consider. I would suggest also taking a look at Kaivo from Madrona Labs. My go-to "ambient" softsynth is probably Alchemy from Camel Audio, at $249 it is pricier plug-in but that's less than Omnisphere and just a bit more than Absynth and personally I find it to be a much better instrument than either - Alchemy - Additive Synth, VA, Granular, Sampler - VSTi Instrument, Audio Units plugin that said, it does include a huge preset library and although dated, the Wavestation is yet one of the great synths (especially for textural/ambient uses) I have a Wavestation A/D and the legacy Wavestation plug-in and the software version is excellent and while it is a bit easier to work with than the original hardware, it isn't really a synth that you can simply jump into. Regarding the Wavestation, I agree with the rest. Listen to some of Simon Stockhausen's patch patches/banks for it | Sounds and Presets by Simon Stockhausen | Absynth Shop and you'll get a big smile on your face.įM8 on the other hand is a straightforward FM synth, does many things very well and has a very under-rated arpeggiator. I wish I knew it better, I probbly don't get 10% of the horsepower out of it I could. It has the same "blend" kind of capabilities that Wavestation has though exponentially more flexible. Paired with free synths like Alchemy player, this can open up some sound possibilities.Ībsynth is by far the most versatile of the synths you list but it's not the most straightforward thing to program which is part of the attraction. In terms of Ambient, one important sound tool is effects and the good news with FM8 and Absynth is either can also be used as Effects plug in. It's more limited than the other two and, as you point out, half the cost. I tend to agree with Metaphor regarding Wavestation though I have it and use it.
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