Need to limit myself to max 5 VST synths. Please suggest.

[hotpinkbirds]

HALion 4.
Believe it or not this new sampler has all you could need and sounds good!!

[Looping Loddar]

If Battery is still in question i suppose you don't need it

Here are my 5:

* Reaktor (strictly limited use: "only" the 10 most inspiring ensembles)
* Kontakt or Halion 4
* Omnisphere
* Zebra (a new one for you to compensate the loss)

Additional a synthesizer which is very easy to operate -
one of these, depending on your taste:

* SQ-8L (if you get used to the sound and user interface)
* ImpOscar (one of my favorites - i still love the filter)
* Massive (which does some magic on the low end)
* Albino 3 (which is flexible AND very easy to operate)
* FM8 (just for using the presets, which are able to color you tracks)

Oh, and i forgot these simple free toy which still can be fun and helpful:

* TS-404 (the very old one, including FM - it is so limited, that it does not count as the 6th synthesizer)

[Whalez]

I gota say real talk if you have that many and have to choose only 5 cause you haven't learned any it sounds to me like you pirated them that's like thousand of dollars worth of stuff plus i know 2 dudes from my school that both wanted to start learning production when I started and they got all that stuff but they pirated it. Thing is two months down the road tthey don't even mess with music anymore and I am making tracks everyday even though I don't have crap basicly. Knowledge is way more important that possessions

[Looping Loddar]

Originally Posted by Whalez

Knowledge is way more important that possessions

+ 1

So he is on the right track. Limiting his synthesizer choices usually helps the improving and development of knownledge very much. More music. More fun.

(somehow there are grammar mistakes - but i hope its understandable what i mean)

[greenears]

Oh dear, obvious pirate. I mean whatever, I'm not gonna judge, but for Christ's sake, GFY.

That is just the craziest thing. You downloaded 22 VST's, assumingly without even knowing what they do, and now want us to pick which ones you should use.

Shameless.

[subby33]

Sylenth
Omnisphere
Massive

Personally I feel no need to buy anything else.

[foodeater]

This is a weird question...which 5 of the synths that you own do you like the most? Sorted.

I think maybe Whalez is right and the answer is:
Synth1
ZynAddSubFX
u-he Zebralette
Hexter FM
Vember Audio Shortcircuit

Anyway, start with less than 5 and cycle through them every few weeks/months. You'll naturally gravitate towards what works for you. If you miss a synth then you know....

I'm a slut, but I try to be (semi)monogamous....well, it's not a full blown orgy, at least. Every synth works slightly differently and it can really inhibit my process having to adjust to their unique interface quirks. I'll take a break and come back (a few days, weeks, hours) later to add new sounds from a different synth. And I'll have fresh ears too!

You can get a heck of a lot done with 1 sampler + 1 synth + quality effects + interface(s) you enjoy playing/programming/sequencing. Once you have experience and know a synth you can feel how to incorporate it with other synths without having to think about it.

For me this week: Aalto, samples I made of FM8, Massive, hardware analogue poly. Making lots of great rhythms. Last few weeks it's been recordings of the Reaktor user library chopped up with Redmatica KMP and I was focusing more on harmony n melody.

When I use hardware I like to have a lot of it set up and ready to go because I can't come back to it later as easily, but with software that isn't an issue. The more software I use at once the more opportunities I have for flow breakers like bugs and what not to occur.

[Roberto Alvarez]

Originally Posted by Whalez

I gota say real talk if you have that many and have to choose only 5 cause you haven't learned any it sounds to me like you pirated them that's like thousand of dollars worth of stuff plus i know 2 dudes from my school that both wanted to start learning production when I started and they got all that stuff but they pirated it. Thing is two months down the road tthey don't even mess with music anymore and I am making tracks everyday even though I don't have crap basicly. Knowledge is way more important that possessions

+1.

I don't know what's wrong with those young guys who have millions of VSTs. Guys, approach the VSTs as If they were hardware, so buy one, and learn every aspect of it, experience its strong and weak points, keep it for its strong points and buy another one for what the first one lacks to complement it, so on and so forth. And then you will master your tools. If you would get millions of tools at once, quite possibly you would be paralyzed and desperately need help.

[Schwarzwald]

I'd get Tone2 Gladiator (IF i had the money...)
To mess around with with synthesis

I'd get Z3TA+ and download EVERY PRESET I COULD FIND, and use it as possibly the GREATEST ROMPLER OF ALL TIME.

Then I'd get either Minimonsta or Sylenth1 as well...

I went through something of the sort of what you're going through (albeit, I'm smarter and more handsome than you in real life for the most part :P) and limited myself to Nexus (I use to regret that hole in my wallet, now, I see it for what it is, and its decent) Z3ta+ and Sylenth1...when I want to actually synthesize sounds I go straight to Sylenth for basses (pretty much the only thing i use it for now that i think about it) then when I'm looking for a lead, I go over to z3ta almost everytime, and get a nice patch, then edit it to fit my likings, I also use z3ta for a few pads, mainly melo or pad and oragnish pad, and if I can't find ANYTHING in z3ta i want (rare but it happens) I go over to nexus and usually theres a preset sitting nicely ontop and I cop it, turn off the reverb and delay, and get to business.

edit:
HOLY SHIT I JUST READ ALL THE SYNTHS YOU ALREADY HAVE

WTF?!

[Looping Loddar]

We don't know much about Toka. I don't think he is "very young". Maybe he is 25 years old, and he concentrates a bit too much on software synthesizers. Improving his mixing skills, using of external FX and a good mixer could help him to go the next step as a musician.

If he bought all these software synthesizers he could easily sell 10 or 12 of his software synthesizers. Maybe he would get 1.000 Dollar or more. For this money he could easily buy a used good mixer (with at least 4 aux sends), a middleclass multi I/O audio card and some external FX.

Musicians live can be that easy!

Hey, and please believe me: It is possible to get good sounds out of the very old and odd TS-404.