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Recommend me a soft synth.....


electrobaby

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1. Has to be compatible with Mac OS 10.6 newest macs

2. Looking for something relitively inexpensive...couple hundred bucks

3. Has to be stand alone..I wont be using a host

4. Has to be able to be controled by an Older M Audio Oxygen 8 Midi controller

 

Sound wise Im kinda open...want some pads and effects kinda stuff...dont really need old skool analog emuation ala arturia but Im not opposed to it...I guess the most flexable in that price range is best.

 

thanks

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funny..thanks guys that was kinda what I was thinking too...whats the learning curve??? I have experience with synths but just wondering if its relatively complex to learn or not too bad...thanks.

 

 

 

I was going to tell you to try the demo, but I guess they're not offering a demo program anymore. :confused:

http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/producer/absynth-5/

 

 

Anyways, I think you can get pads and fx type sounds from any softsynth with a little programming. Why not try a free one, like Crystal?

http://www.greenoak.com/crystal/download.html

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funny..thanks guys that was kinda what I was thinking too...whats the learning curve???

 

It's not that it's complicated; it's just that there are a -lot- of settings in Absynth, and envelope shapes can get really complex.

 

A "standalone" version is still not a standalone version by the way; every plugin uses a host, because something has to handle the audio and MIDI and that's not the plugin itself. It's just that the host in such versions does not include a sequencer and doesn't shove itself in your face like a sequencer does.

 

A mini-host allows you to layer sounds, which is very usable if you want to make some really nice pads.

 

Check http://www.youtube.com/user/FXpansion too, and

in particular. Don't dismiss these as analog emulations; they go far beyond that, and the layering system is insane.
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...

A "standalone" version is still not a standalone version by the way; every plugin uses a host, because something has to handle the audio and MIDI and that's not the plugin itself. It's just that the host in such versions does not include a sequencer and doesn't shove itself in your face like a sequencer does....


 

 

 

Are you sure? :confused:

 

All the NI stuff I have has a standalone mode. You can click on a desktop item (like Absynth, Reaktor, whatever), and the program opens up by itself without a host program. Assign your inputs and outputs and the program is good to go.

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Absynth definitely works, as an un-analog "pads and FX" softie. FM8 is another good one, in a different programming style.

 

Camel Audio Alchemy is also a contender for a *little* more than $200 (like $250 or so). In theory I think this would kick Absynth's behind doing somewhat similar stuff, with a much better interface. Someone who has actually used Alchemy should chime in, though...

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Are you sure?
:confused:

All the NI stuff I have has a standalone mode. You can click on a desktop item (like Absynth, Reaktor, whatever), and the program opens up by itself without a host program. Assign your inputs and outputs and the program is good to go.

 

Guess what that thing is called that allows you to assign your inputs and outputs. It's not different at all from something like http://www.tobybear.de/p_minihost.html - just made by NI themselves.

 

Anyway, my main point is that a host like that doesn't cost a fortune and doesn't require all the horsepower a sequencer demands, so it should not be a reason to exclude non-standalone synths.

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ok now this is interesting...tell me about the instruments - synths in Logic Express...are they pretty cool? can I use my oxy 8 with them? Dont care about the guitar stuff....I use all hardware there....how abut the drum module...what do you think about that??? Its actually only 200 bucks...how flexable is the drum module??

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can I use my oxy 8 with them?

 

 

MIDI is MIDI. The software does not care whether you've hooked up a 26-year old JX3P with rudimentary MIDI or a brand-spanking new M-Audio Axiom Pro; all it cares about is whether the controller sends CC or NRPN.

 

 

how abut the drum module...what do you think about that??? Its actually only 200 bucks...how flexable is the drum module??

 

 

.
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funny..thanks guys that was kinda what I was thinking too...whats the learning curve??? I have experience with synths but just wondering if its relatively complex to learn or not too bad...thanks.

 

 

Not bad at all. A few controls work in ways that seem counter-intuitive to me, but I wouldn't say they are terribly hard to figure out.

 

For instance, when you want something to control a filter cutoff, you set the filter to the maximum value, and the depth control of the envelope or CC controls where the bottom of the modulation range is.

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If no one else is going to call Yoozer on the host/softsynth issue, I guess I'll do it. :poke: :lol:

 

When you get Absynth, it comes with both .exe and .dll files. The .exe file operates standalone. But it doesn't act as a host for other softsynths. You can open and run it by itself, without having to open it from within a separate host program.

 

You can put the .dll Absynth file into a host program and run it from there. In Cubase it goes in the VST plug-ins folder. So, in that case, Cubase is acting as the host.

 

But when you open Absynth standalone, you don't have to open it from within a separate host program. Nor can it host other softsynths.

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When you get Absynth, it comes with both .exe and .dll files.

 

What do you think that .exe file is? It's a host. Just a host that doesn't allow you to open any other stuff, and probably with some minor configuration settings so they can adjust the number of outputs and the colors.

 

To do otherwise would be to ignore the concept of software re-use. It means a lot less effort required in testing, which is already bad enough since you're dealing with several sequencers and two major OSes.

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I realize that it sounds like meaningless wankery about semantics.

 

I think standalone is no longer as important as it once was, unless you run on a netbook.

 

Even then, the fact that you can just add a few effects of your choice gives a light-weight DAW an advantage over a completely standalone version.

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