Non-EDM Synthesizers

The two I find most useful are MiniMonsta and Korg's MonoPoly, both classic vintage analogue emulations that are good for rock music, funk and pop (and EDM).

Away for vintage emulations I am slowly getting into Z3tA 2. Once you get away from the EDM biased presets and start building things from scratch its very versatile.

And of course there are sampled synths and sampled synths. Some of the things Hollow Sun do in their Music Laboratory Machines are pretty amazing. 

I can relate to Bitflipper's musical tastes, and while I haven't worked much with purely synthetic sounds lately, the ones I find most pleasing have been from Fairlights and vintage Moogs (as used in '70s-style rock).  Hollow Sun has a Vintage Samplers Kontakt library that includes the Fairlight -- I haven't used it, but the price is right. 
 
I've also found interesting stuff in Dim Pro, but I assume you've already explored that one.
 
Cheers,
Eddie
 
 

Eddie: I wonder if anyone else sees the irony in offering 24-bit Fairlight samples.

Even though I have written a fair amount of EDM, among many other diverse styles, I see the OP's point.  The synths mentioned thus far should do the trick, as should any soft synth that attempts to emulate classic hardware synths from the 70s-80s (i.e., pre-dating EDM).  One synth that you should definitely look into is U-he DIVA.  It's arguably the most faithful emulation of classic hardware analogues, although it does require some pretty serious horsepower to run it.  And, if you need any evidence that it was not designed with EDM producers/DJs in mind, note that the original webpage proudly boasted "no supersaws!" as one of its features.  

http://www.u-he.com/cms/diva

...the original webpage proudly boasted "no supersaws!" as one of its features.

Well, that's a good sign. And the "Venus" demo on his web page is encouraging. I know Diva regularly gets a lot of props on KVR, but I take everything I read there with a grain of salt.

cryophonik, the stuff on your SoundCloud page features a nice mix of organic- and synthetic-sounding synths and acoustic instruments. Any comments on which synths were used?

bitflipper

...the original webpage proudly boasted "no supersaws!" as one of its features.

Well, that's a good sign. And the "Venus" demo on his web page is encouraging. I know Diva regularly gets a lot of props on KVR, but I take everything I read there with a grain of salt.

cryophonik, the stuff on your SoundCloud page features a nice mix of organic- and synthetic-sounding synths and acoustic instruments. Any comments on which synths were used?

Thanks!  Actually, the synth I use the most is one that is widely used in EDM - my Virus TI2 (hardware VA synth).  It's a far more versatile than many people realize and, even though it is widely used for trance, I use it mostly for non-trancey sounds.  You'll also hear a lot of my Kurzweil PC3X in those sounds, but mostly for more organic/real sounds, particularly pianos, strings, and pads.  Some of the other soft synths that I use a lot include U-he Zebra, Omnisphere (and Atmosphere on a lot of my older tracks), Rob Papen Blue (FM/VA hybrid), and Tone2 Gladiator 2.  Gladiator is one that has features and a ton of presets that are squarely aimed at EDM, so it's not one that I'd really recommend for someone with your needs.  However, I picked up their newest synth Saurus a while ago and it might be worth checking out.  Like DIVA, it's very much trying to capture the old-school analog sound, but with some modern features that would appeal to EDM producers, like a trance-gate.


As for DIVA, it definitely gets its props on KVR, both for being a great synth and for the developer, who is really active there and very likable.  You might also want to check out his other main synth Zebra, if you haven't already.  It's also a great synth that isn't designed with EDM producers as the main focus.  It has a semi-modular architecture that some people find very intuitive, but others don't.  Either way, it's incredibly versatile and, between the factory banks and the user-contributed banks on the U-he website, there are about a gazillion non-EDM presets available for it to get you started.  Also, if you own a hardware synth, you just send a photo of it to U-he and you'll quality for his "dinosaur upgrade" discount that saves you about $50 as I recall.

Great thread!

I do more chilled and ambient than EDM. I must be really good at it because after putting a few bars together I am too relaxed to have any motivation to write any more. In other guises, I have done things that sound like Radiohead, some garage rock/power pop, and some soul infused pop. I am a little surprised you said you got on well with Z3ta+ but not Rapture. I find Rapture to be a very versatile sound tool. I've used it to make everything from cyberpunk soundtracks to new age pads to some passable Richard Wright leads. It's also relatively easy to get unique sounds quickly. I have Komplete. I like Absynth a lot for the sounds from beyond this world. I also like some of the Reaktor ensembles (Steampipe, Prism) for making things that sound sort of like acoustic instruments but not. I don't use Massive that much though. While there are some presets that sound reasonably organic, I just haven't been able to take it in that direction from scratch. It really is targeted towards the more agressive branches of EDM. If you want a taste of Diva, check out the free Tyrell synth. It's a simple VA that was developed while urs was working on Diva. Similarly, he put out a magazine add for the free Zebralette (with the fine print that once you tried that you would be sure to buy Zebra). I wonder if you have checked out the MLM series from Hollow Sun. They are sample based, but they are definitely organic sounding

Presets are a big part of it, but I also think that it has to do with some of the features and the oscillators/waveforms.  A lot of synths that excel at EDM are loaded up with features and effects that take the sound into more aggressive territories and have rhythmic effects like trance-gates and step sequencers built into them, spatial effects like big reverbs and delays that are implemented for heavy layering, and oscillator sections that primarily emphasize heavily detuned supersaws and harsher or "fizzy" sounding digital waveforms.  Many EDM styles rely so heavily on supersaw plucks and sidechained pulsing sawtooth (or saw-square) pads, so those types of sound sources are featured prominently on synths targeted at EDM producers.  Of course, you can usually just ignore those features if you want a more traditional sounding synth, but I think that what bitflipper is getting at is that he wants a synth that doesn't have all those add-ons and instead focuses its sound and features on a more vintage and warmer sound and, possibly, a more traditional interface and workflow.  And, of course, those types of synths also are useful for EDM, even though that may not be its target market.

Bajan Blue


Bit
I use various Arturia synths a lot these days. I used to use a couple of Gforce synths, but since I went 64 bit / X1 these do not seem to play well at all - Imposcar 2 does and is a fantastic product which I have and use. 

I have never had any issues with G-Force in 64 bit 8.5 using bitbridge.
 
According to posts on the X1/X2 forum 64 bit versions of M-Tron Pro and MiniMonsta are beta testing now. MiniMonsta probably accounts for 75% of the synth sounds I use so I am looking forward to that, it will leave the Korg Mono/Poly as my last frequently used 32 bit VSTi.
 
I may even buy Oddity at some stage if a 64 bit version is available, however now Arturia have dropped their prices their ARP 2600 is also in the frame.

I must be really good at it because after putting a few bars together I am too relaxed to have any motivation to write any more.

So that's why the genre typically has two chords that repeat very, very slowly for five minutes and then fade away on a wash of reverb. It's stoner music! I can relate.

What exactly is the distinction you are making here?

The distinction is that no synthesizer is capable of generating every imaginable sound. Designers have a general type of music/market in mind when they decide what features to include. 


EDM likes bright, aggressive, fizzy sounds, swept highly-resonant filters, arpeggiators and randomizable step sequencers. EDM is all about exotic tonality set to a simple, repetitive beat. Because it is so repetitive and quantized, tonal interest is the only thing it's got going for it. So EDM producers are always on a quest for new and interesting sounds - it's not like they can switch to a 5/4 time signature to mix things up, or use a long acoustic guitar intro to build dynamics. Many basic musical principles are off-limits to EDM producers, lest they drift too far from the required elements of the genre.


Synth vendors who want to cater to that genre are going to try and make it very easy to get those interesting sounds. Let's face it: most EDM practitioners are preset-punchers, and most are actively trying to mimic other EDM artists. Savvy synth vendors make sure that their products achieve that with a couple mouse clicks.


I also use synthesizers for tonal color, but in a more subtle way. The sounds I employ are more likely to be reminiscent of something you could actually create in acoustical reality. It might be a deep percussive hit similar to a large oil drum hanging from a rope, and mixed under traditional tom-toms. It might be a modulated soft wailing sustained tone mixed under a violin lead line, or an ethereal pad that reminds one of distant music wafting over a windswept plain. 


Percussive effects require a white noise generator, and strangely, many software synthesizers don't have one. Not needed for EDM. Evolving pads need multiple independent oscillator/filter/envelope/modulation sets. Not all EDM-oriented synths offer that, because complex evolving pads aren't part of the EDM landscape. I like to base sounds off samples so that they're grounded in reality even if subsequently strangely warped. EDM is content with sawtooth and square wave oscillators.


So yeh, some synths are better suited to EDM than others, while other synths are better suited to my kind of applications. Which is not to say that the line is carved in stone. 

Love the OPX demo, which has the balls to duplicate decades of well-known synth leads and pads. It was fun listening to it while trying to name the tunes you'd heard those patches in. This does look like a capable synth, especially if you're going for a vintage 70's or 80's sound.

Now, if somebody would just post a convincing demo emulating Tomita's "Snowflakes are Dancing" or "Kosmos", they'd be getting my money for sure. But sadly, nobody ever does.


EDIT: watch this video, a persuasive demonstration of OPX. Definitely not EDM.

SonicProjects OPX

I forgot to mention I have this and use it reasonably often - but the VERY best thing about Sonic Projects is the after sales service - I had some issues - ALL PROBLEMS my end basically with my Akai MPK49.
Peter helped sort them out for me with almost instant responses to my emails - I don't think he ever sleeps!!!
Very very nice Company to deal with - long may they remain in business!!
Nigel

Yes, Tassman 4 is indeed a versatile synth that would likely suit my needs. Unfortunately, at $350 it's not a contender. Not at this time, anyway. (Although I did cough up $500 for Omnisphere, those kinds of purchases are rare occurrences in these belt-tightened days.) 

Synthmaster appears to be a comparable product, in that it's semi-modular and versatile - but less than half the price of Tassman. Do you think if I told them I was a student of life they'd give me the academic price of $59?

Somewhat appropos to this thread, anyone interested in vintage synth emulations might want to look into this:
 
http://www.wayoutware.com/products.html
 
Cheers,
Eddie