ORIGINAL: Infinite5ths

...all of which would open up a market for somebody like M-Audio to produce a generic uber-controller that works with all of the soft-synths, while not being as fancy, as refined, a bulky, or as expensive as the full workstations/controllers.

It works for everybody!

I think a generic controller would not have the quick workflow of a dedicated controller. You already have generic controllers that have to be programmed and updated for any given plugin/application (hassle of no standardization). I'd rather have a dedicated controller for each plugin. For example: pull the Motif out of the box, hook it up to the computer, install the motif plugin on the computer....wah lah... Now you have an interactive magic that could only come from dedicated controller. This should be the future of synths.

An M-Audio trigger finger won't give the efficient workflow of a hardware MPC connected to an MPC plugin.

Of course this is all wishful thinking.

ORIGINAL: holderofthehorns

My Yamaha EX-5 sounds real good, but runs out of processing power quickly.
128 polyphony is good, but load a couple different voices and you get "DSP Full" messages.

I still use the EX-5 as a controller and also to add a FEW choice voices to the mix.
Any off loading of voices from the CPU just makes the whole perform better.
I consider hardware synths as a "poor mans UAD". Off loads the CPU work.

That's why I got two EX5's . The EX5 is actually a softsynth running on 2 underpowered CPU's. So I don't think the big three are sleeping on this whole softsynth thing.

ORIGINAL: Skyline In The Office

But the BIG difference is that the fomer is invariably flaky and the latter stable. As I said before, Sonar and my Fantom X6 play very nicely together, Hypersonic 2... hopeless.

My question is what sofsynths have you played with? I have about 20 staples and I have yet to encounter any of the problems you allege plague softsynths. Don't get me going about copy protection, but except for portability hassles (computer to computer), I have had no problem with any softsynth I have ever tried.

ORIGINAL: D.Triny
I think at one point even Korg was licensing keyboard tchnology from Yamaha....maybe they still are.

Actually at one point Korg was part of Yamaha. The success of the M1 enabled them to become independent again.

I would personally buy a Triton or Kurzweil soft synths in a heart beat.

I have a K2500, and have had it for about 7 years. Now when I bought it, it was still the best thing I had for things like drums, piano emulation, strings, etc. However, almost all of those functions have been replaced by bigger, faster and better sounds in soft synths.

There are still stock pads and some user created sample based patches I have that are very distinctive that i will always want to use. If I could use these if a soft synth with no loss of synthesis, that would be great.

I've always been interested in Korg, but I can't justify the cost of getting one. There are some signature Triton sounds I'd love to have though.

There is a lot to be said for both hardware and software synths, IMHO. The ability to change sounds quickly, the keyboard to be used as a controller, low computer resource demands, make hardware synths, king of the hill for live performance. lf you're on a budget, or want to have a big variety of sounds, the VFM of softsynths is amazing! I picked up a used XP 60 recently, and I've fallen in love with it. Seems I wear my heart on my sleave when it comes to keyboard stuff.

ORIGINAL: bunkaroo

I would personally buy a Triton or Kurzweil soft synths in a heart beat.

I have a K2500, and have had it for about 7 years.

There are still stock pads and some user created sample based patches I have that are very distinctive that i will always want to use. If I could use these if a soft synth with no loss of synthesis, that would be great.

V.A.S.T is starting to show its age. 16 years is a long time for any single music technology. I can't believe that Kurzweil will actually try to extend it to a 2700-series. I'm not sure what they are going to do, for replacing their current hardware lines, but to incorporate V.A.S.T into a softsynth might be a good move for them to retain some kind of marketshare.

Speak of the devil...

If they would make the Triton as a dedicated controller for the plugin, that would be an amazing system.

Right. It's like I've mentioned in other threads, I would never let go of my Wavestation SR. But to be able to instantiate 6 of them in a project via the virtual WS and have them all sound...well...better than the original is a dream come true.

I know this is a tangential observation; but in my case, it's less about gobs of SIMULTANEOUS sounds and more about being able to set up as many types, groups, combinations, etc. as I want all at once. That way I can immediately access them all any time I need them -- though not all together. I think this is why some of the big-time pro's have 300+ track templates feeding 6+ external synth/sampler PC boxes. It's not that they plan to use them all at once all the time; but it's a heck of a lot easier to use a wide variety of sounds if they are all loaded and ready to roll. Multiple instances of soft-synths/soft-samplers (with instant full-configuration preset recall) answer this call quite effectively.

I'm speaking more to that myself, Mike. Sure it's great to be able to layer up a big ol pad, etc... But as the Wavestation is not really a true "multi-timbral" unit the virtual WS lets me have all the "different" sounds from it I need in a particular project. And a softsynth version of my Triton would exponentially increase my tone palette. Like my tone palette needs expanding...I've got more now than I know what to do with.

ORIGINAL: WhyBe

mosspa--I don't know if you are into mixing, but having a sound that is layered so deeply isn't going to allow room for much else in the mix. Ever hear of the saying, "less is more". The Triton Combis are capable of layering 8 presets. How big of a sound are you trying to create that you can't just sequence multiple MIDI channels to get the same thing?

No matter how "big" your sounds are, we are all squeezing them into the same "16bit/44.1KHz box".

By big, I mean complex and evolving. Yes, I'm into mixing, and I started with an Allen & Heath 4-bus about 31 years ago, but now I do almost 90% of my mixing in surround. Also, in some of my more ambient stuff, the one big sound IS the only sound in the mix. Besides, if multiple layering of softsynths wasn't a good idea, I doubt NI would have wasted the time developing Kore. My point was, that the M1 softsynth is praqbably as good as a Triton in the long run because many of the things that a Triton can do that an M1 can't is corrected by the improved voice structure of the M1 softsynth, and the ability to stack and treat individual voice componebts with Triton effects.

Same mother corporation I believe...

The action on the Motif ES is identical to the Korg 01/W.
If you're into synth action keys, you can just FLY on those keys!

Hey Jim!!! thanks for the info.

I’ve had this argument with die hard hardware synth users but at the end of the day as far as digital synths go they are only worth the interface they’ve got imho.

PC’s are getting bigger and better every day which means you can push your softsynths further and further without having to but the latest model like you used to have to do with hardware. As far as sound goes the digital domain is always best no matter what soundcard you have.

I find that more complex synthesis methods are best seen on a big 19” screen than a letter box LCD. The FM7, Moog Modular and Virsyn Cube come to mind.

Ok the analogue stuff will still have its niche but just one look at the Arturia site shows that little inaccuracies in the authenticity of the sounds doesn’t go as far as ease of use and functionality with certain major artist who founded thoier career in the analogue world. Klaus Shultz sold his huge Moog Modular because he started using the software version more although he does have it on a projector screen so he doesn’t loose out on scale.

Software is getting closer to hardware and hardware is getting closer to being a PC with a (piano) keyboard.


More exciting interface hardware is where we should be looking now.

I use these and I don’t think I’ll be needing any thing else in while.





Doing it live is another question tho.

So why can't we look at Kontakt, & Halion like a Rompler?? Triton/Fantom??