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Help me thin out my "virtual analog" Synths
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Whether you are using preset patches or making your own I would say that the ‘sound’ the the oscillator makes when put through the filter is a key to deciding which VA is for you.
My test would be get a saw/square wave, hold a lowish tone like C1 and then filter sweep slowly manually or with an lfo. Find your fave filter waveform combo on on of your synths and then compare this simple setup with the other synths you have. Maybe a low pass filter with a third resonance would be a good starter.
Obs adding a little reverb and delay can make a sound pop. If you have no effects inside the synth and then use the same external fx to add to the sound then the would be best way to compare.
I say this because I want to do this with my fave synths to see how it goes. Mine would be Zeeon, DRC and probably virsyn’s Tera and the SM synths
Dump them all, wait for the next synth, it’ll be along soon
Why? Are you running out of space or something?
Whether something is semi-modular or modular has no bearing on whether it should be considered a virtual analog or not. If it's fundamentally a subtractive synthesis offering it's a VA. For instance, both Moog Model D and Model 15 are VA's. Zeeon is king of the VA's on iOS (especially as an AUv3, Osyssei beats it by a nose in terms of analog authenticity but it's IAA only).
There are plenty of apps in your folder that aren't as authentically analog-sounding as Zeeon. But that doesn't necessarily mean you should delete them. Continua is a prime example, compared to Zeeon, it can be quite thin sounding. But its morphing oscillators provide it with a unique sonic signature, and you can always fatten it up with a decent saturation plugin.
And then if you take a synth like Agonizer, this does nothing for me, it's far too aggressive sounding for my tastes. But for those looking for an aggressive bass synth for dubstep or drum & bass duties it's the best thing since sliced bread.
Whilst Zeeon is the VA benchmark (not even Model D can match it for true authenticity) none of the synths in your folder are a complete waste of space. Kauldron, Mela 2 and Primer are the ones that feel furthest away from the baseline (but I'm sure you'll hear passionate defences of their capabilities).
Welcome to the club.
I have gotten loads of synths on iOS during the years just because I could mainly because they were cheap. Since then I have come to realize many things… among them that I will never get to learn them all. I simply don’t have the time.
I have kept a few, and they will keep me busy for a long time. IMO many synths cover several areas, and the trick is to make them complement each other, and let them add different things to your collection. There is no point in having for example 33 different synths that all emulate old analog hardware that you never use. Keep one or two good ones that you like the sound of, and that you get the ”feel” for, where you like the GUI and learn them. And so on.
I got this advice from a Youtuber that I found very helpful:
Basically you only need three ”types” of synths for electronic music production, unless you are heavily into sound synthesis by interest or have needs for acoustic emulations. The first type is an emulation of old subtractive analog hardware (Model D, Zeeon, Viking, Obxd or other). Territory one covered. The second is a wavetable sort of synth to be able to make evolving sounds ( Synthmaster One or 2, Nave, Animoog Z or other). Territory two covered. The third and last is a digital sounding synth to capture that late 80’s early 90’s feel from manufacturers like Roland and Korg (Synthmaster again, D1, ZC1 or other). Territory three covered. With those three types you can emulate almost any type of sound. Then add one or two ”spice synths” of your choice if need be, that add something completely different.
Delete all the rest, you can always download them again if you change your mind.
Learn them, trust them, stop collecting and start having fun making music without the stress of folders full of unused synths!😊
/DMfan🇸🇪
Model D, Zeeon, and Sunrizer. That’s all you need.
Edit: Oh, and Continua
Previously I've underestimated Mela 2 but it's one FAT synth especially with it's built-in saturator and compressor.
It's also actively developed and version 2.5 will be fully universal (iOS/iPadOS & Mac (M1 & Intel).
I'm kinda surprised Bleass Alpha is not on the list. It has quickly grown to be a one of the go-to synths for tweaks.
Spoilers!!!
Also surprised about Synthmaster 2 is not on the list...
...sure it's not strictly a VA but covers a LOT of ground!
I keep deleting synths only to realize that I have a preset in AUM, apeMatrix or Zenbeats that uses it.
A few other things to consider:
Mela 2 UI is cool.
Some synth apps are valued for their playability rather than their unique sounds. VOLT with MPE is apparently one of these, but YMMV.
TB Flowtones has got something different. Maybe it's just a killer default preset.
You'll need Primer if you ever want to finish that subtractive synth course you started..
I could go on...
My solution has been to just use Drambo
It doesn't do everything but using just the one app helped me simplify.
Yepp, and building stuff is quite nice and covers a LOT of ground. The wave-table IAP is so worth it...
...it will only get better with time, all I can say is that the next update will be truly EPIC!
It's hard to know what someone else is going to like or dislike. Unless you are short on storage space, I would just keep them all.
The main thing for me is, you have to use it in a track. If you buy something, try to use it in a track ASAP. Even if it is just a 1-minute piece. As long as you use it to solve some real life situation, you'll get a good sense of how useful it's going to be for you. I would just start with any one you've never used before and work with it for an hour. If nothing comes of in an hour or so (and I would be surprised if that happened), move on to the next one. Work through them all until you've used every one in at least a short 30 sec-1 min. track. If you have actually USED it, then you can have some basis to justify keeping it or offloading.
What a great advice!
Believe it or not, I always end up using Sunrizer AU. I have a preset called Worship Pad and wow! Gives me the chills when I add Alteza default preset to it. I basically add the Alteza default preset to all my synths! It makes them huge! All the @Spidericemidas Sunrizer presets are amazing!
Then the Juno emulation is amazing thru Alteza!
Last but not leadt SynthMaster One! Wow! I haven’t got credits to upgrade to SM2 but as soon as I cam i will. These three synths have been such a blessing in finding the right sounds for Worship songs or my own.
Blessings!
It's worth it, very flexible synth with a relatively simple surface, fun to tweak and use.
So yeah it gets my warm recommendation like the rest of the Bleass apps
It's also one of the few iOS synths that can do combined ring-mod, x-mod at the same time with adjustable levels plus sync.
DRC is also due for an update with some nice added features...
(This time I have to send plenty of beta-feedback so PWM is properly done, it's a bit meh at the moment LOL).
If I had to pick just one synth from your list it would be Poison-202 without any hesitation what so ever.
OMG I can’t believe i forgot about the Moogs! I beg forgiveness ☝️🙏❤️😅