Best modern sounds software synth

[anguswoodhead]

Hi Electronic music type slutz,
Haven't searched sorry.
I am about to start producing a dance / pop album for a client.
I need some cutting edge synths - you know all those great modern sounds.
Lot's of classic analog synth sounds right?
But I want them in an easy to use. 'preset' type synth that I can 'tweak' and 'modify' to make my own.
YouTube - Britney Spears- Hold it against me (REAL VERSION FULL) NEW song 2011(HQ)
I love the sounds used in this new Britney single.
What do you suggest I get?
BTW - I'm on ProTools HD
Thanks in advance.

[Yoozer]

All synths have presets and options to change the sound. You just need something that comes in an RTAS version.

Check out

- Sylenth1
- Omnisphere
- Native Instruments Massive
- DCAM Synth Squad

Thing is, "modern" is a vague description.

[anguswoodhead]

Originally Posted by Yoozer

Thing is, "modern" is a vague description.

Which is why I put the Britney track as a reference.

[artech909]

First of all what about your synth programming skills?
If you don't know how to tweak the synths well you need one with as many good presets as possible.
In this Britney track i don't hear anything special at all you can do it with combination like Sylenth, Massive & Access Virus TI.
(this track was produced by Max Martin or Dr. Luke i can't remember)

[protoculture]

I don't know man, those sounds don't sound all that 'new' to me. I think you could do better. I think what's new is the way those sounds are being used... I didn't listen that close but there was some interesting modulation on the bass, it seemed to expand and contract.

You can't go wrong with the virus Ti / I think if you looked in that direction you'd have plenty of awesome presets which you could tweak, plus new sets being released all the time by Access.

[plaid_emu]

I don't know what your budget is but the Virus TI is definitely where I'd look first. Check out their TI Snow model.

Plenty of "modern" cutting edge sounds that can be tweaked easily in the software editor. The DAW integration is phenomenally handy. There's also a huge library with thousands of great presets available that can be downloaded if you're having trouble finding something you like.

If you want to save a little money and go strictly software, I'd check out Waldorf Largo or Native Instruments Massive. They both sound very good and have that kind of vibe you're after.

[cane creek]

i find your post confusing as your after modern sounds , then you mention classic Analog ? Analogs have been around since the 1970's which isn't something id consider modern.

I own many soft-synths from U-he,Native instruments,Arturia etc
However i find the 2 synths from xils labs (Xils3 & PolyKBII) are what i'm reaching for most they sound really really superb

last time i heard dontcrackit were selling them both as a bundle.

PS and off course i use Omnisphere as a stable diet , i just assume everybody has that already.

[ohmicide]

Nexus

[msl]

VirusTi is where its at, it has that "modern" sound, maybe you could rent/buy/borrow one for a month or two. It comes with a ridiculous amount of presets you can download from their site, I have like 5,000.



.

[KrisM]

It sounds to me like you want Nexus2. It's basically a sample-based rompler but you can tweak the filter, arpeggiator, envelopes and all that. ReFX samples all sorts of pricey hardware synths for the patches. It's hideously expensive, imo, and not for me, but to those that want a lot of really good sounds all rolled up and ready to go (that are pretty tweakable), it might be a good deal.

Of course, then there is Omnisphere which is very nice and at $500 is more expensive than Nexus, but less expensive than a fully-loaded Nexus, and is very nice. If I bought another soft synth it'd probably be Omnisphere.

[anguswoodhead]

Thanks for your responses so far guys.
I'm going to be off the air for a day or so.
Keep the votes coming.
I will do some research on your suggestions when I get home.


BTW - I am a good programmer / sequencer.
And my point with the Analog synths statement was that all these new offerings use the classics as there backbone right?

[Liam Judah]

Another vote for NI's komplete 7.

[Fred_Abstract]

the virus modern sound we hear it since 15 years

[boon]

ukulele. it's all about ukuleles, banjos and mandolins.

[The MPCist]

If you can, rent/borrow a Virus TI. That will do it. Or if you buy it, you can always sell it off in the future, unlike software instruments that no one wants to buy secondhand....

Or buy Sylenth1 but.... I think it's an AU only.... as I notice I only have it on my Logic rig and not on my PT rig....

[foodeater]

Omnisphere sounds like what you want. Tons of presets. Similar concept as Nexus2, but Nexus2 sounds dated to me. Omnisphere is nice because I still feel like I'm getting my own sounds with tweaking.

Komplete is great, I love it, but for one client is it worth it to learn all those interfaces? Not sure. Presets seem more geared to weird sounds? I hardly ever use any. I think NI's stuff will get you great sounds, but for pop you're going to spend more time dialing everything back. I dunno have other people had different experiences?

If you did buy Komplete 7, Massive, Reaktor Spark, FM8 along with the Reaktor Instrument Lazerbass and tasteful use of The Finger is where I would start.

I think DCAM: Synth Squad makes a lot of sense. If you sold it after you wouldn't be out much. The various Rob Papen synths will work. Maybe the Rob Papen Bundle. Access Virus and sell it after? You might have to get new presets/soundbanks for all of these though.

Plugins by Sugar Bytes or Ohm Force sound very "now" to me. For me a big part of the "modern" sound too is about staying ITB or at least digital until the end to finish everything off.

[DarkPlasma]

Originally Posted by alehoe

Nexus

It needs to be the 2k bundle tough, otherwise it aint modern enough.

[cane creek]

I own a Hardware Access virus C and Virus powercore plugin, in today's climate I wouldn't advise you to get a Virus Ti you can get the virus sound with sylenth1 or Z3TA

I have a rack of hardware synths here and they are just ornaments in my studio.

Look at softsyths and save yourself a lot of time/space/money

[anguswoodhead]

Hummmmm - very intersting.
So... without turning this into a software vs hardware thread,
do the soft synths 'measure up' to hardware ones?

[Yoozer]

Too late

I'd say it depends on the task, and of course what kind of hardware - a Virus isn't a Minimoog isn't a Juno-60 isn't a Waldorf XT. To lump all hardware together and deem all of it superior just because a subset happens to have an edge in a specific aspect is shortsighted, but this happens a lot in discussions.

I also can't agree with Sylenth = Virus; perhaps for a subset of the sounds, but not for the rest - and a TI goes even further. I have a C myself.

Thing is, those popular sounds aren't particularly hard to emulate. No esoteric synthesis and also nothing in the way of vintage character - so that's why Sylenth does the job already, even though the TI does all kinds of crazy granular wavetable stuff; cute but not used in pop.

X vs Y depends on your workflow and your wallet. If you want the most convenience and the most presets, software is where it's at. However, convenience and price don't say anything about sound; on the other hand the low price and high convenience don't mean the sound is inferior either.

Lots of people here have a hybrid setup - why choose exclusively when you can have both?

[fantomen]

+1 for Sylenth1

SW synths might not be 100% as good as HW... still it's 95% which is great if you factor in the faster workflow... and none of your fans will know whether it's a SW or a HW synth in any case!

[r.kd25]

sylenth

[cane creek]

Originally Posted by anguswoodhead

Hummmmm - very intersting.
So... without turning this into a software vs hardware thread,
do the soft synths 'measure up' to hardware ones?

i've never seen a dance floor empty yet because the track contained soft-synths instead of a hardware synths.

The old analog hardware synths do sound better, however when you refer to hardware synths nowadays remember the majority released are virtual analogs and sat next to soft-synths sound wise theres not really any difference (in fact non)

As for the post i made earlier the Virus Ti is without doubt a beautiful VA synth, However you've
got to weight up the grand scheme of things diminishing returns etc.
If i was in the middle of producing a track and bounced sylenth1 to audio then you walking in asking "what is that synth in the mix i like that" i could just tell you its a Access virus and you'd be non the wiser.
Some hardware users prefer hardware because its hands on which is a very fair comment , but remember you pay the premium for "Hands on" , I've got plenty of Hands on ornaments in my studio gathering dust it would seem their sole purpose is eye candy for visitors.
I'm having much more fun nowadays controlling softsynths from my ipad, times are changing very fast indeed.

[systematika]

Originally Posted by cane creek

If i was in the middle of producing a track and bounced sylenth1 to audio then you walking in asking "what is that synth in the mix i like that" i could just tell you its a Access virus and you'd be non the wiser.

Yeah, it's really only about synthesis method. Some synths do better than others on certain things but generally speaking subtractive synths are the easiest to emulate, program, and use out of all of the methods.

[gregwar]

Originally Posted by alehoe

Nexus

plus1

[The Architecture]

The fact that alot of the Glo Fi Artists are using software to achieve analogue sounding tracks, I think thats a testiment to how far software has really come to emulating analog. Stuff like Com Truise had me fooled to originating from expensive hardware when it was just nothing more than sound toys plugs and softsynths. Will I go back to software? nah Im having too much fun with hardware.

But I guess the bottomline is. Software is almost there. Its still slower for the things I want to do so workflow is now what still needs to be resolved.

[daguv]

Originally Posted by msl

VirusTi is where its at, it has that "modern" sound, maybe you could rent/buy/borrow one for a month or two. It comes with a ridiculous amount of presets you can download from their site, I have like 5,000.



.

Not sure you need a TI to replicate that sound on the track above.

Albino or Massive with camelphat or some fabfilter plugins should get you that sound

[djanthonyw]

Originally Posted by anguswoodhead

do the soft synths 'measure up' to hardware ones?

If we're talking about digital synths, yes.

[007]

U-he Ace (by far my favorite soft-synth)
Sylenth (I use this one more for commercial music, ie: tv ads, etc.)
NI Pro-53 (sadly, no longer in production)

Add to that Logic's stock synths.
Often overlooked, highly underrated, yet they just seem to have the sounds we scramble to find elsewhere. They just work. Add a bit of third party spice for effects and you've got most of the 'modern' pop synth sounds covered.

Good luck.

[Dysanfel]

U-he Zebra2 the only softsynth I still use.