I've wanted to grab a couple of those Korgs, especially when they are on sale like right now, but they still haven't updated the UI for higher res screens. 

Uneven634
I missed the pre-release sale of Syntronik, I hope it will go again on sale...

Keep an eye on the KVR forum "for sale" posts.  There was at least one used license for sale over there this week.
https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=43

GjB
I just came across this Sonar X2 vid which gives a sneak peak at a couple of nice plugins/synths which I'd like to get my hands on. Making a beat quickly is what I'm trying to adapt to doing, to get that unexpected inspiration if it starts sounding OK.
 
I see that the user is using Geist (superceded by Geist2), Kontact, TruePianos, Nexus and a couple of other things.
(I doubt if he was new to DAWs though, even if he was new to Sonar X2, apparently.)

Interesting video.  I think you already have the tools on hand to do that, without buying any new plugs, unless you just really want to.  Nothing wrong with that! 
 
Session Drummer 3, using the step sequencer to build up the drum beats.
 
Sonar X1 Tutorial - Creating basic drum beats with step sequencer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py_xQgNQnjA
 
(Part 1) SONAR: Master Class - Drum Production Episode II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZiZjQAxjCw
 
Studio Instruments Strings, for the strings part.
https://www.cakewalk.com/Products/Studio-Instruments/Strings
 
Rapture Session, there are some decent piano sounds included in the factory library that should be fine in a mix.  You aren't going to be playing any solo piano here, right?
 
Rapture, Rapture Session, and Hybrid 3 for the synth parts.  Hybrid 3 is loaded with sounds suitable for this style of music.
 
Have fun!

Rapture/Pro can be a good one for such most sounds, esp. with a few libraries.  I've got one of Biolab's atmospheric libs and it rocks - or rules I guess.  Not much use for it in rock songs.  Long evolving atmospheres and not pads.  Upgrading SONAR gives you Rapture (and other tools) which is probably cheaper than buying many of the mentioned synths.
 
But the main thing is even simple/free synths, with the proper programming, can make most of the sounds you mention.  But not as easily, and you have to learn synths like your guitars, which might not be of much interest to you.
 
@

GjB
Thanks AT. I expect I'll upgrade Sonar eventually when I can afford to. I might well upgrade my monitor/screen first to a larger one, primarily for Sonar.

Since you already bought Rapture classic, the upgrade from Professional to Platinum would add these instruments for you:
 
Dimension Pro, AAS Lounge Lizard Sonar, AAS Strum Session 2, AAS Ultra Analog Session 2, True Pianos Amber, and some additional Addictive Drums ADpaks.  
 
You would also pick up some additional effects and Pro channel modules.  You would need to weigh this upgrade decision with purchasing instruments individually that meet your needs.

Hiya Grant,

I would be into Numan and the like also, that analog classic synth sound. Add to that Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, Eno, Jarre.

For that sound the best investment I made ( in my opinion only, others may differ ) is the ARTURIA synths.

https://www.arturia.com/products

Just click on ANALOG CLASSICS along the horizontal menu with black background.

The best deal is the V Collection which includes the lot ( 17 vst synths ) :

https://www.arturia.com/p.../v-collection/overview

Dont despair at the €499 price .. :D .. Arturia do regular great sale prices for this at sites like Plugin Boutique, so keep an eye. I managed to pick up the V Collection Version 4 in 2015 for $149 .. then in May 2017 upgraded ( via a native instruments offer ) for €83 for V Collection 5 .. but that gave me extra instruments also.

Another more affordable option is to JUST BUY the ANALOG LAB Vst / Instrument for €89. This is a one stop shop with the best of from all the individual synths in the V Collection. It would also get you in the door for deals to buy the full V Collection further down the road. But the ANALOG LAB might be a good start for you without breaking the bank.
 
https://www.arturia.com/p...ics/analoglab/overview

All these vst synths are emulations of the real thing used by Numan, T Dream, Jarre etc. TBH .. these alone covers everything for that retro feel and sound. I am now on a 12" core i7 laptop with Sonar and ONLY the Arturia stuff so I can focus on that sound without getting way laid by other VSTs :D ..

BTW .. all have demos. I love them all. And really like the SEM V. Great arpeggios ..

Check here - https://www.arturia.com/community/artists

At this link are PRESET Packs that you can buy giving you sounds from T Dream, Kraftwerk etc. These preset packs also work in ANALOG LAB
 
https://www.arturia.com/sound-banks

Aidan

Thanks Abacab for reminding me of SYNTRONIK .. Re downloaded and installed 
 
Love that too :D
 
Lots of Depeche Mode in there :D
 

TheMaartian
+100 for OB-Xd.
 
Don't forget to pick up Daniel Stawczyk's free Stamina preset bank. It's excellent!
 
http://www.stawczyk.com/stamina.php
 

Yup, got that one already, it's a keeper!  With a total of 21 banks now, OB-Xd is up to about 817 patches here!

GjB
 
At the moment my priority is to get better with and learn more about Sonar. Then I will feel like I deserve to get more sounds and experiment more.

Don't feel as if you have to learn everything about Sonar all at once, unless you plan to be an engineer. 
 
Sonar is an entire virtual recording studio in a box. 90% of the time, I just use it as a synth rack, LOL!!!  Then hopefully, the other 10% of the time inspiration will hit me!!!  Some sounds can do that!!!
 
Just think about what you want to accomplish, and learn those bits first.  The best way is to locate a few tutorials that show you step by step techniques for your type of projects, and work through them.
 
Then if you have any specific questions, that aren't answered in the help documents, the forum is always here to help with "how do I " questions ...
 
And the Sonar Power book by Scott Garrigus is a good resource.  I have the Sonar X3 version and it covers all the basics.  There are lots of new features in Sonar since X3, but since the current GUI is based on the X series, it's not all that different, except for some elements, but the core workflow should still be the same.  The same can be said for videos based on the X1-X3 versions.  Hopefully Scott will release an update one of these days! 

mumpcake
Here's another good freebie:
 
http://www.sonicstate.com...tion-from-full-bucket/

Thanks.

Afrodrum
When I need pads texture, atmo etc. I almost always go for u-he Zebra2. It so rich, might be the only synth you will ever need.

Yeah, thanks. Like a kid I've written down a whole list of VSTs that would be nice to have, and Zebra2 is in that list.
I look forward to deserving to have a fair few of them. First I'm on like YouTube video tutorial episode 16 out of 50 for learning Sonar, so I'll do all that first. Thanks.

I've been wrangling the Akai VIP 3.0 software for several weeks now.  It's a standalone and plugin host for all of your VST plugins.
 
When your virtual instruments are imported, it gives you a universal patch browser for all of your imported patches, as well as a way to host multi patches with up to eight parts within one VIP plugin instance.  Well done, Akai!
 
Now to figure out how to use the 22,000+ patches I have in the catalog now...when I click on the "Atmospheric" tag, it narrows things down a bit.  Only 1,469 of those to wade through...
 
*kaboom*
 
LOL!!!
 

Thanks abacab.  Lot of helpful info in those links.  I'll check them out and probably post over there if I have anything else.  That way I don't hijack this thread over exclusively VIP 3.0 related info.

While free VSTi's are great if that's all you can afford (and I could end up in that boat), the best VSTi synths are Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2, UVI Falcon,  MOTU MachFive ver 3 (which uses a custom UI of the UVI Player), Native Instruments Komplete 11, and the Aturia collection.  If you can wait until the weeks around Black Friday, The Aturia, UVI and Native Instrument's software are half price.  I can't remember if MOTU's MacFive is half on Black Friday... Omnisphere 2 is never discounted.    All of those would be tremendous bargains at half price. I have Komplete 10, and MachFive Ver 3.  If I only concentrated on Synths, The Omnisphere 2 is considered the best of all, and I would have gotten it.  I can't afford it since it's not a priority, though I have their Trillian Bass, and Keyscape.  I focus more on real instruments including sampled ones.  I have plenty of Synths.       Komplete 11 is the best bargain at half price (On Black Friday)... $300.00.  I have Komplete 10 and Una Corda Piano. You  get a huge amount of bread and butter sounds, like Hammond, Farfasia and Vox Organs, Scarbee Rhodes, Wurlitzer piano, and Electric Bass, Acoustic pianos, Una Corda FX piano, 8 gigs of Vienna Instruments orchestral instruments plus some of Native Instrument's own.  It comes with dozens of synths including Monark (Mini Moog), FM, Absinth, Battery, Retro Machines (Vintage Synths) collection, Reaktor 6, and many more. It also includes excellent FX including Reflektor, Replica, the excellent sounding Solid Compressor, Solid Dynamics, and Solid EQ (modeled on API) and more. Those are as good as the Waves Compressors which I also have.  Also included is Guitar Rig 5.    Komplete includes 155 gigabytes of sounds and instruments including Session Horns, The Grandeur Acoustic Piano (Not nearly as good as the Garritan CFX Lite piano, but a bargain included here).  The included drums are not that good. Having the Kontakt 5 also allows you to buy third party instruments and FX that require Kontakt to run. Some are high priced (I have Session Horns Pro, and Soundiron Requium, Venius and Mercury Choirs, Traveller Pump Organ and Italian Pipe Organ, while some great ones are free.  Spitfire Audio recently had 40 different Instruments... each for $3. in their Labs series.  Some were awful, but some were very nice.  They've discontinued them but will soon make most free. Sign up to learn when.   They require full Kontakt 5.   The Cheapest version of Komplete doesn't include the full Kontakt, so those libraries won't work with it.   If I lost everything and had to start over (and that's a possibility) I would try to save up for Komplete 11 at half price.  That would get me back in the game in every area except drums.      The Aturia V collection 6 is $500. now, but should be $250. around Black Friday.  It's also a tremendous bargain for synths. Their Modular Moog is expecially realistic... I know, because I used to own a Moog Prodigy.  Aturia Analog Lab is $89. and on Black Friday would be $45.  A very inexpensive bargain.    The Sampletank synths wouldn't be as good as the above, but if priced on sale low enough would also be an excellent option for rock bottom price.      On a budget, the cheapest (and still maybe the 2nd most awesomely powerful in this list) is UVI Falcon which is $350. now, but on Black Friday for a week or two, it would be $175. I would like to own Omnisphere 2 and UVI Falcon but can't afford them. As I mostly use "real" sampled instruments (and have huge numbers of synths) I have other priorities.      On an absolute low budget, you could make some excellent songs with the included synths in Sonar Platinum and Producer X3.    From what I hear from you, I think you'd be happiest with UVI Falcon when It's half price.  They may run a half price sale on it before Black Friday, so register on the UVI site.  It would probably do the best for the Gary Numan type synth sounds.      If you register with UVI, MOTU, Native Instruments and Aturia they will constantly send you promotions of sales they have going on.  I get promotions for UVI every week.  The same for other Music Software companies.  Spectrasonics doesn't ever send promotions.    P.S.  Everyone should look at the Waves site.  They have the best emulation of the famous 1176 (on sale from $250. to only $39.) and LA 2 and 3 compressors ($29. each).  The LA 3 is solid state.  They have the best API compressors on sale for $50.)They are very cheap and if you don't have one of the excellent ones by Softtube (including the ones they made for Cakewalk Pro channel), Overloud or the Native Instruments Solid Compressors, the Waves are as good as the real hardware.  Having one of that type of compressor is essential to running a Pro studio.  $29. would give you a state of the art professional compressor as good as in any recording studio in the world. _____________________________________________________ My YouTube channel... https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz9R0AoPFTn4A3iAFTSqVvQ  I only posted two temp demos of songs using my new recording equipment and VSTi's, so far.  Most are 30 or 40 years old.     My YouTube playlist of Software instruments shows most of the best, but doesn't concentrate on Software Synths. I have 70% percent of them.  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH50mMkPNp3vwfUJy-slmolzwuqbSyY8j
post edited by Musicers - 4 minutes ago