Best soft-synth?

[bitflipper]

Like most here, I have a pretty extensive collection of synths and VIs. Some definitely get used more than others. But is it because they are better or simply because I know them better? Whatever the reason, looking back at their usage over the years there have been two clear favorites. 

1. Omnisphere

2. Zebra2

Synthmaster is also very good, and versatile. But I only use preset libraries with it (there are a lot of them and they are cheap and high-quality). If I want to program something from scratch, it'll always be Zebra. I've done some from-scratch patches with Omnisphere but sheesh, it's deep. Zebra's a lot easier.

(But for ease of programming nothing beats old-school Moog or Oberheim emulations. I often recommend the free OBXD to people who are just setting out on the synthesis learning adventure. I also have the Cherry Audio emulation of the Oberheim 8-voice, also easy to use and currently only $29. But good as they are these synths don't meet your criteria for an all-in-one solution.)

If you want one all-encompassing solution you'll find everything you need in Omnisphere. Sure, it's pricey, but you could easily spend far more on multiple synths and still not cover as much ground.

[Jeremy Murray-Wakefield]

1 hour ago, bitflipper said:

If you want one all-encompassing solution you'll find everything you need in Omnisphere. Sure, it's pricey, but you could easily spend far more on multiple synths and still not cover as much ground.

Yeah, it's a bit like what folks say about telescope eyepieces: "Don't keep buying loads of cheap ones, save your money and buy two or three of the very best instead!"

Probably worth mentioning that Omnisphere is from THE man who defined the sound of the 1980's - Eric Persing. It's one of those synths where so many presets evoke a deeply emotional response when you hear them. Omnisphere is a class act for sure.

It does however have a couple of bizarre licensing conditions:

- You cannot use it - even as a tiny component - in any sound packs you sell

- You cannot supply your clients with stems of tracks that feature it.

That second one is pretty unreasonable IMO as it prevents using it in many TV/Film composing scenarios - crazy! 

Edited December 13, 2021 by Jeremy Murray-Wakefield

[abacab]

I already have too many soft synths to keep track of, but the three big ones I still don't have are Omnisphere, Dune 3, or Zebra 2.

I'm still considering the last 2 for next year, if I can find a deal. I would consider Omnisphere if it had a demo version to test, but that's not happening... and I probably already have enough other synths to cover Omni turf.

Anyway, I did pick up the U-He Repro this year on sale, and it is probably the best sounding synth I have.

Tone2 Saurus 3 is a good one in the sound department if you just want analog goodness that you can twist knobs on a single page and program from scratch easily! Be careful, as the bottom end here could melt your monitors!!!

 

Edited December 13, 2021 by abacab

[bitflipper]

2 hours ago, Jeremy Murray-Wakefield said:

Yeah, it's a bit like what folks say about telescope eyepieces: "Don't keep buying loads of cheap ones, save your money and buy two or three of the very best instead!"

Yeh, I literally can't count how many times that has come up in conversations with musicians. 

But I get the analogy. That's why I drive a 1969 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. Sure, I'm still paying it off, but it kept me from buying a Pacer in 1973.

</Tongue_In_Cheek>

2 hours ago, Jeremy Murray-Wakefield said:

It does however have a couple of bizarre licensing conditions:

- You cannot use it - even as a tiny component - in any sound packs you sell

- You cannot supply your clients with stems of tracks that feature it.

Spectrasonics does take a bit of a haughty attitude. You may know that I write software reviews for SoundBytes, and in that capacity have been fortunate to deal with many top-tier developers. Out of all of them, only Spectrasonics demanded a pre-publication copy of my review. And then sent me detailed "corrections".

I remain a Spectrasonics fan, though. As you point out, Eric created many of our favorite patches on 1980's-era hardware synths. My main synths in those days were the Jupiter 8 and Juno 106, so I was a fan of his even before I'd ever heard his name - when I saw him demo Omnisphere at NAMM 2008. He's a great presenter who exudes infectious enthusiasm for synthesizers. I wanted to buy it then and there, but it would be a couple more years before I made the plunge.