Synth Sampling Stations: The Ultimate Package

To be honest you've got a good start right there. You might want to look into getting some "world" instruments in there (not sure packages off the top of my head, but the Kontakt 4 library has some decent ones) and maybe some percussion, like StormDrum 2.

It all depends on your style really - if you're going for orchestral stuff then the Symphonic Orchestra will certainly see you right for a while.

Hello,

If you're looking for a lot of bang for the buck, take a look at Native Instrument's Komplete.

Cheers,
Moritz

Thanks for the response guys.

Mortiz: I was looking through KOMPLETE last night on the NI website. Have you used Reaktor and Absynth before? Would you recommend them?

StauntonLick: I was definitely looking at geting SD2 somewhere down the line. And yes, I do need more world music and ethnic type of software. Can you recommend any such ones from your own personal experience?

What I figure I really need to get started right is a good electronic synth software, like Absynth 5 or Halion 4. Are there other electronic synths that anyone can recommend? The sound I'm specifically going to go for once I get good enough is akin to the Uncharted 2, Assassin's Creed Revelations, and Black Ops sound tracks. They combine orchestral compositions with ambient and power electronic music.

Definitely check out Omnisphere by Spectrasonics. This instrument is a beast and can help you to compose in different musical styles too.

http://www.spectrasonics.net/products/omnisphere.php

My impression has always been (although i'm a sucker for new toys to play with and always go against this) that it's not what you have but what you do with it. Particularly with me, I've searched for new software in the hope that that will make me sound better! I think there's definitely enough in what you've got already to make some great sounding music. Of course i've not heard anything yet (you could provide us with a link) but it's always my impression (because i do it so much) that relying on software to make "better music" is often a bit of a cop-out!

As i said, it's hard to tell what kind of level you're at but what you've listed seems to be a pretty solid foundation to work off.

Calum: Its true what you said, but I can't help but feel like I'm missing a strong electronica synth station foundation. And after thinking about it, I think thats what I'm really after. I'm not willing to throw down on FL Studio.


Can anyone tell me what a good/great electronica software is? There is so much to choose from that its really daunting. So far, I have Halion 4, Absynth, Reaktor, Reason, and now Omnisphere as possible candidates.

Mortiz: I was looking through KOMPLETE last night on the NI website. Have you used Reaktor and Absynth before? Would you recommend them?

I never got around to buying Komplete, so I can't really say. People who use it recommend it to me all the time, but I'm at a point where I can say I don't need any more generic sounds for now, they'd just clutter my hard drives.
I'll probably buy the Komplete 10 "ULTRA PERFECTION SUPERBLAST EDITION" when it comes out.

I do use NI's Massive though, great stuff for Electronica and I think it's also in Komplete.

And +1 for Omnisphere! Great sounds, nice synth section, good arpeggiator and FX.

You have me sold Mortiz, I'm going to go for KOMPLETE. Thanks guys.

Hope I didn't sound like I was giving a sales pitch - I'm not getting any money for this. (maybe I should, though)

Anyway, I don't think you'll regret it, with the EWQL Symphonic Orchestra and Komplete you'll be set for a whole while. It will probably take months to tunnel yourself through all the samples and presets, so have fun!

Cheers,
Moritz

Haha, no it didn't sound like a sales pitch. I was just very eager to get started and after hearing Komplete for the 10th time that day, I felt like I should get it.

Give HALion 4.5 a try... incredibly powerful, its library is good for general sounds and also the base for any extensive sound design. Not mentioning that you can load any of your samples into HALion 4.5. Besides that, its sound generating and sound sculpting quality are first class... for this first time from Steinberg. The filter section is so so strong I have not seen yet before anywhere...

I think Cubase 6.5 with HALion4 is a complete solution, you do not need any other instrument, if you know it inside out and you can focus better on song making still you are not limited at all...

Komplete is very good and offers a great deal of flexibility, especially when combined with East West stuff.

Side note: while getting a good library (or set of libraries) is certainly very important, don't forget knowing how to use them is vital. I think sometimes folks feel it's the library's fault or limitations and just by buying a new library, they'll fix all of the limitations or issues with their virtual instruments. Not so. In fact, I'd recommend getting a core library and then study the heck outta of it. Get to where you know exactly how to push it to the limits and make it sound great. Then you can consider adding more sounds as needed.

The same applies to plugins BTW.

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]For me, it is all about Kontakt. I´m still on Kontakt 4.2 but it is pure gold.[/font]
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]80% of my stuff is Kontakt based[/font]. [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I do a lot of sampling & even create my very own Instruments, [/font]
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]so if you want to be creative, a tool like this is your best friend.[/font]

Sorry, guys, but I think that synth smapling station is kind of nonsence itself. Many great software (and even hardware) synths can be purchased for lower price, and they will sound better, offering more flexibility to a musician. But it is important to choose "correct" synths with good algorithms, something like DiscoDSP Discovery, Tone2 Electrax, AAS Ultraanalog / Tassman, or old assembler-based buddy VAZ Modular

Native Instruments Komplete, either the "normal" or Ultimate version, includes Reaktor, and Reaktor includes access to the online repository of a few thousand user-made Reaktor ensembles, which (adding what you already have, and the other synths, effects and sample libraries included in Komplete) should be enough for anybody.
Reaktor is also a great choice for building your own strange and specialized synths, but I suppose it isn't a priority for you.

Sorry, guys, but I think that synth smapling station is kind of nonsence itself. Many great software (and even hardware) synths can be purchased for lower price, and they will sound better, offering more flexibility to a musician.

Back when I was still early in electronic composition/audio production field, I purchased a sound module from Edirol that had some pretty fantastic sounds. It cost me about $700 in 2002 or 2003 if I remember correctly. Many virtual instrument packages I've seen have better sound samples, scripting and can offer more flexibility than some hardware can. Perhaps I just picked a middle tier module back in the day, who knows. What I can say is that after spending several years as a big paper weight in my studio, once I expanded my virtual libraries quite a bit, I sold that module off on Ebay and haven't looked back.

Many top tier composers I know work with most virtual now as well. Takes up less studio space, few opportunities for hardware to go out on you, software updates keep you in the game and help your tools work with OS updates, etc. If you want to be 100% hardware, go for it! After all, it's all about what makes YOU work the best you can. What helps you produce the level of music/audio you're after.

But it is important to choose "correct" synths with good algorithms, something like DiscoDSP Discovery, Tone2 Electrax, AAS Ultraanalog / Tassman, or old assembler-based buddy VAZ Modular

I would think the folks at East West or Native Instrument or [insert name of virtual instrument developer here] would know how to create good algorithms and also know how to create a good product. Otherwise reviews/critiques wouldn't be as good, customers wouldn't purchase them and those companies would have gone out of business, right?

Hi, Nathan

Back when I was still early in electronic composition/audio production field, I purchased a sound module from Edirol that had some pretty fantastic sounds. It cost me about $700 in 2002 or 2003 if I remember correctly...[/quote]

I understand your point, but I'm not sure that you comletely understood what I was going to say. Probably, because of my poor English
The thing I s not actually about Hardware vs. Software, and I'm quite sure that nobody actually needs sample-based hardware instruments in the XXI century. Hardware synthesizers are usually better than their software analogs, and there is a lot of technical stuff behind that, which I'm unable to explain in English, but this is still not a point.

I mean that synth sampling station will never give you as much flexibility as real synth (no matter, software or hardware) does. Acoustic instruments are much more flexible than sample-based, and there is the same thing with synths. And I see no reason in bying synth sample library or synth sample-based instrument, which usually costs more than good software (and sometimes - hardware) synth. Of course, synth sample library offers you samples from many differents synths, but they are still samples and limitations here much higher.

As far as I know, EastWest doesn't produce software synths, they produce sample-based stations. NI does, and their products are good, but sometimes too special and sometimes - not so perfect. For example, FM8 or Absynth are great synths, and I would call them best products in the world of FM-synthesis ever. But FM-synthesis is very complicated thing itself, and needs a lot of special math skills to work with it professionally. Massive is good synth, but it has a lot of aliasing, which is a problem of the most of digitals synths (hardware and software). Sometimes aliasing is not a problem at all, and sometimes it can actually ruin a timbre or a whole mix on some frequence. Reaktor is a great instrument itself, but you should be a really synth geek to operate it well. Downloadable user-made Reaktor ensembles are often too glitchy and buggy, just because making good synth is a very difficult job, and best software synths are made with low-level coding.

Synths I mentioned before are examples of perfect software synth engineering, and they are quite unexpencible. DiscoDSP Discovery, Tone2 Electrax and AAS Ultraanalog are also quite easy to use.

But probably my opinion is kind of corrupted due to I don't like Native Instruments' products (I can't actually explain why, it is intuitive thing), and a great fan of good indie software.

Cheers,
Denis.

I see what you mean Denis. And I agree with your idea but from my experience most clients are only after two or maybe three types of music for their games:

1) retro, chip style tunes

2) highly realistic sounding tracks - either with live musicians are high quality mock ups

3) a fusion of the two

So while you're right, true synthesis programs do offer more flexiblity - most clients I work with are not after that sound exclusively or the synth sounds I already have meet the needs and vision of those projects.