Purchasing Advice Needed

[CloudsOfSound]

Hi there!

I have €50 as a reward voucher that I need to use before it dies...

Not many cheap options available in the "Rewards Store", but I've narrowed my list down to the following RE's, that I think could be worth spending an additional €50 or so on, but I don't have time to trial them out to make a good decision, so I rely on the splendid experience from the ReasonTalk users to help me decide:

• The Legend
• PX7 FM Synthesizer
• Predator RE Instrument
• Softube Dyna-Mite
• Reason Electric Bass RE

I have had some time to try out The Legend, and I really like the sound of it, but I kinda have all the analog synths I need in other VST's like Syntronik, but RE's is preferable if they can minimize my need for loading VST's.
The PX7 looks interesting, and comes with a 2GB + ReFill with tons of sounds, but I haven't had time to try it out.
I've heard good things about PredatorRE by Rob Papen, but have no idea if it's worth it.
Softube Dyna-Mite looks like a handy tool to have, but the price is typical for anything Softube.
Reason Electric Bass is a good RE, but I do have the old ReFill version, which includes pretty much the same stuff in Combinators.

So, if anybody has some experience with these alternatives, I'm thankful for your input, so I can make the best use of this voucher and some cash on the side.
They're all in the €100 range, so paying €50 for one of them is probably not a bad investment anyway, but it doesn't hurt to get some input from users with experience using these RE's.

[MrFigg]

I’d go for REB even if you’ve got the refill.
Maybe Legend.
Pretty much just those two.

[Boombastix]

Legend - Superb for THAT MiniMoog sound, not my No 1 choice for other stuff.
PX7 - You have a free VST that sounds basically the same or NI FM8 that does WAY more.
Predator - good "meat n potato" VA, with a few extras, but if you already have good VA, well...
Dyna-Mite - odd compressor if you want to use it for unusual compression, but don't get much use from me. Easier REs/VSTs out there to use for "normal" comp duties. I use transient shapers to shape sounds or dedicated de-essers, faster/easier that way.
RE Bass - nice to have the Refill in a RE, but worth the money? Maybe if you use the refill ALL the time but want better access to the sounds.

RP Quad - the RE to get if you already have a bunch of VA and meat n potato RE/VST - this puppy can do stuff quickly that others cannot - faster than Thor AND with built in FX to get finished patches. Faster than FM8. Check out the eXode patches if you demo it - those really show what it can do... You need to understand that PD/FM adds harmonics so you need to think a little differently when creating sounds, but it does have a nice normal filter section too. It sits really well in the mix.

[CloudsOfSound]

RP Quad - the RE to get if you already have a bunch of VA and meat n potato RE/VST - this puppy can do stuff quickly that others cannot - faster than Thor AND with built in FX to get finished patches. Faster than FM8. Check out the eXode patches if you demo it - those really show what it can do...

Hmm... Never heard of it! I'll definitely check this one out during the night...
Who needs sleep anyway?

[mon]

The Legend is the clear winner for me. Fat, warm and easy to use. It doubles as a great filter for other audio sources.

[guitfnky]

The Legend is incredible. Dyna-Mite is great too, but it’s got a learning curve, so it’s not something I use very frequently.

[two shoes]

i reckon it depends on what kind of music you're making and what other stuff you have. i agree with the other poster that the legend is a standout va synth but you said you have enough of those - Viking 2 is maybe the best va synth in existence btw if you don't already have it and it's in the Rewards shop too. Predator was a great synth when it came out but there's a lot more synths in its league these days and some that have surpassed it as a do-it-all kind of synth (expanse and europa for example). one feature that i really like about PX7 is that there's a free patch converter you can download to convert DX7 banks to work with it and there's a bunch of free DX7 banks floating around online - Bitley also just released a massive refill for it that he made some of and curated/tweaked some of. if you need realistic electric bass sounds quick and easy then the reason bass is prolly the one to get but it should cost $40-50 without the discount imo. if you're open to recommendations not on your list Nostromo happens to be my single favorite softsynth I've ever used and I've used many including almost all of the big popular ones - if you happen to make ambient or really any type of downtempo electronica it's just a treat - like the other guy said quad is good for that kind of stuff too and torsion is a soundscape powerhouse but Nostromo - at least try it before you buy one of those other instruments. VP dynamite is a great model of a classic hardware unit that has several tricks up its sleeve besides basic compression, but it's also abadonware - Softube has indicated to me and others that they have no intention of porting the mk2 update they gave their whole line of vsts to the RE format or otherwise developing them in any way going forward - they seem to be suffering from the delusion that VSTs and REs are now interchangeable for Reason users. they make great stuff - i've used their tubetech units that make up the classic channel more than any other plugins on acoustic sources over the years, but i'm boycotting them till they wise up and start supporting their stupidly expensive REs again. let us know what you pick!

[Loque]

Take Predator, because it can help to get the Explorer VST bundle for a good price.

The Legend is available in the Synapse bundle which can be bought for 100-130 on sale.

For electric bass is a voucher available, which can bring the price down to 25 on sale.

I speculate PX7 will be part of Reason soon...maybe... Dunno...

Dynamite is in a Rig, which was just available for 129.

[MrFigg]

Take Predator, because it can help to get the Explorer VST bundle for a good price.

The Legend is available in the Synapse bundle which can be bought for 100-130 on sale.

For electric bass is a voucher available, which can bring the price down to 25 on sale.

I speculate PX7 will be part of Reason soon...maybe... Dunno...

Dynamite is in a Rig, which was just available for 129.

The REBSAVE voucher doesn’t work any more. Other than that I wholeheartedly agree with what Loque said.

[aeox]

Vk-2

Only thing is, they need some quality control on some of the presets provided with the synth. A lot of them are harsh/not great and don't do the synth justice(if you're just a preset browser). Basically, eXodes presets are all exceptional.

[boingy]

Or let the voucher expire, demo the stuff and wait for the May sales. Just sayin'....

[CloudsOfSound]

Viking 2 is maybe the best va synth in existence btw if you don't already have it and it's in the Rewards shop too[...]

if you're open to recommendations not on your list Nostromo happens to be my single favorite softsynth I've ever used and I've used many including almost all of the big popular ones - if you happen to make ambient or really any type of downtempo electronica it's just a treat[...]

I'm open for suggestions, so I'll give both the VK2 and Nostromo a chance!
Tried the Quad during the night, and while it was certainly able to do crazy and fun stuff, the UI is a disaster IMHO.

[kinkujin]

Of your list ... The Legend.
Off your list (as others have stated) VK-2. Exquisite synth.

[Boombastix]

The thing with Quad, is that it is multi FM/PD so programming is very different from VA. I like the user interface as it makes PD/FM very easy. But it is very "technical", meaning reading the damn manual is important, lol. And if you change the PD X1 knob from 84% to 86% the sound can change dramatically, so just fiddling with the knobs may just be wasted time in the land of unusable sounds. But once you got that figured out and start modulating the Amount knob, then whoha... And with so many options to modulate, it will take several days to get a grip on how they all work, and how they interact.

Two "obscure" settings are the "sync" and the "Osc->Osc" mod. The latter does PD/FM between the Osc1/2, with new previously non-existent FM types, plus a Karplus type modulation.
I love the interface, and getting seriously useful sounds out of it (just bought it in Synth Rig bundle), but I have programmed CZ/FM8 before, so there is that. I'm still just scratching the surface of it. ARP velocity modulation...
The only thing I wish for is drag/drop modulation targets, the FX section from Predator, and more Mod slots.
Anyhow, don't get a synth that just will sit there doing nothing. But you may want to revisit the Quad.

Predator has so many presets, it's like buying a big preset bank and you get the synth thrown in for free. It is easy to program and has a very useful FX section.

For some reason I cannot wrap my head around VK-2 modulation matrix, so I haven't really gotten into programming it. And also it has been killing the CPU, but PH said they have seen up to 30% CPU improvement for some REs too, so there is hope VK2/Expanse will function better a month from now.

[moneykube]

but PH said they have seen up to 30% CPU improvement for some REs too, so there is hope VK2/Expanse will function better a month from now.

oh that is good news here is hoping

[CloudsOfSound]

The thing with Quad, is that it is multi FM/PD so programming is very different from VA. I like the user interface as it makes PD/FM very easy. But it is very "technical", meaning reading the damn manual is important, lol. [..]

Yep, I realized after opening it that this wasn't your grandpa's synth. Or maybe it was. Didn't understand a damned thing, so reading the manual is probably required!

I don't have anything against manuals or reading them, but as I've just recently started to grasp the basics of subtractive synthesis, this one was a tad outside my comfort zone. But I'll get there eventually, I hope.
If you have the required prerequisite knowledge I'm sure it's a blast to work with. It looked insanely complicated and feature rich at least.

For some reason I cannot wrap my head around VK-2 modulation matrix, so I haven't really gotten into programming it. And also it has been killing the CPU, but PH said they have seen up to 30% CPU improvement for some REs too, so there is hope VK2/Expanse will function better a month from now.

Yeah, I read a bit about the VK2, and Blamsoft even say so on their webpage that VK2 is for high end desktop computers, and that VK1 is more suited for lower-end machines, so I guess it's pretty intense!

[CloudsOfSound]

Thanks for all the great responses!

The choices are quite limited in the Rewards Shop, and I've done some thinking.
I've just started to learn the basic workings of subtractive synths, so adding more synths to my toolbox right now will most likely just distract me from learning more of the basics that I really should be focusing on.

I have plenty of VST's already for VA style synths, and I already have The Legend in my PH subscription service, so I lean towards just getting Radical Keys, Reason Electric Bass, one of the A-List Drummer RE's or something more general, or maybe just go for the PX7, as it had a massive preset ReFill freely available with lots of nice sounds, in addition to the online converter for actual DX-7 presets which was a fun addition I think.

Later down the line (maybe around the time for the May sale mentioned), I can expand the synth arsenal with more advanced weapons, like the VK2 or Quad. Until I've learned how the stuff works, I'll continue my Syntorial course and play with the tiny knobs on Subtractor ( have to use the Zoom Tool in the Accessibility Preferences, use a scaled down resolution or open Reason in low resolution mode to see the details on my high res MBP display )

I wouldn't have reached this conclusion without the help from this forum, and all the insights about the various alternatives, so thanks again for the responses!

Now let's make some music!

[mcatalao]

I have more or less the same problem but even worse because I have almost all the stuff in the rewards store.

Anyway... I'd like to add something about predator. It is a beast of a synth and probably the most explored from Rob Papen's stuff either on the vst world or reason. But additionally to a great synth you also have a big sound pack with the RE plus the effects section is simply wicked and you can use them as an effect insert.

Sent from my WAS-LX1A using Tapatalk

[jappe]

I'm planning to buy PX7, so hold your horses on that a bit and pick it at the sales price starting the day after I bought it or so.

[friday]

+1 for The Legend

[guitfnky]

I'm planning to buy PX7, so hold your horses on that a bit and pick it at the sales price starting the day after I bought it or so.

[CloudsOfSound]

Good news is that I managed to lick some *ss with the PH support people, so now I've gotten my voucher turned into regular points again, so I can activate it again whenever I want. Somehow I got an additional 25€ voucher active in the process, so not bad at all.

You can say what you want about Propellerheads but the support I've received on every ticket I've posted has been superior.
Great support for a great product.

[CloudsOfSound]

+1 for The Legend

Yes, The Legend is awesome.
I purchased KiloHertz One yesterday on sale $19 vs $99 full price, and it's a great sounding synth also. Not that far apart from The Legend actually.

But... I spend way too much dough on virtual gear. Jeez, I have to get my act together.

[TritoneAddiction]

From your list my favorite is defintely Legend.

But if you're interested in Legend it might be a good idea to get the Synapse RE Collection instead. I think the bundle went as low as 99 bucks during a sale at some point, which is an awesome deal. Lots of great stuff included.
Two great synths, one of the best EQs for Reason, also one of the best sounding reverbs for big lush sounds, plenty of effects that will easily replace all the stock devices.
If you don't already own a lot of Synapse stuff it's a much better deal than this reward thing.

[CloudsOfSound]

Take Predator, because it can help to get the Explorer VST bundle for a good price.

Been watching some of RP's tutorials on PredatorRE, and it looks like a really cool instrument to play around with.

How would this help me get the Explorer VST bundle for a nice price?
I'm not foreign to purchasing VSTs as I.. ahem.. do use other DAWs now and then.
At least until I can do proper loop recording (like with audio) using midi instruments in Reason without needing black magic and witchcraft...

The majority of users recommend The Legend, and I do agree that it is an amazing sounding synth that uses minimum resources compared to VK2 and many others. But as I said, I already have The Legend in my PH subscription, so while I was thinking I might purchase it for €50 and fill this €99 space with something else, if I can get a good deal on both PredatorRE and the mentioned Explorer VST bundle it might be a better deal all in all...