What do you look for in a synth?

[TritoneAddiction]

Easy of use
Presets
Niche synth. Does one or two things really well.
Quirky and fun
Versatility
Nice GUI
Workflow
CV possibilities
Endless options. The more the better.
Price
Effects
Uniqueness
Developers reputation
Bug fixes, continuous updates.
Step sequencer
Displays
Patch generator / Randomizer
Great sound. Duh...

Something else?


Also what are some big no no´s for you? Something that's a dealbreaker.

[diminished]

Patch generator - do you mean randomization? Because I'd like to see that on the list. Playing the sound lottery is way more fun than browsing endless patch libraries. And it's a perfect starting point for a song; it might take you somewhere you haven't thought of. Nostromo/Rostnomo and PG-8X are the only synths I know that can do this.

[MrFigg]

LSD. Every time since this got posted.

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=7512405&hilit=LSD

[reasonsuser88]

Niche synthesis can be subjective. I like PX7 just for bell sounds although it can go beyond that. I have a hardware piece for basic synthesis which is fun but really boring in the virtual world. One big no for me is rompler stuff. I saw a video of some guy using a bunch of fancy mixing plugins in Reason and then I saw the cheap rompler rack extension to my dismay. Different strokes for different folks but it was slightly amusing considering the nature of Reason. I suppose the most important aspect to me is character and how it falls into my music. My top three in Reason are VK-2, Parsec 2 and PX7. Those synths have a lot of character while also being in the bread and butter category for me. I can think of other synths that are full of character but they are just too messy for me while not delivering the bread. I can't say that I care much about anything else.

[TritoneAddiction]

Patch generator - do you mean randomization? Because I'd like to see that on the list. Playing the sound lottery is way more fun than browsing endless patch libraries. And it's a perfect starting point for a song; it might take you somewhere you haven't thought of. Nostromo/Rostnomo and PG-8X are the only synths I know that can do this.

Yes that's what I mean with "Patch generator". Fritz (even though not an instrument) also has this. I love that feature. They all use a different description for it, but most seem to include the words "Patch generator". I can add "Randomizer" to that category if it helps.

[TritoneAddiction]

Usually I want niche synths or stuff that does something unique, especially now when I 've got so much stuff already.
Ease of use. I like things to be simple.
Call me shallow but GUI matters a lot.

Over time I've come to realize I don't like to work with synths that tries to do it all. Not a fan of endless options at all. Just feels like too much clutter. If I use these big synths it is as preset banks and nothing else. If it has a random patch generator it's ok too.

[reasonsuser88]

Call me shallow but GUI matters a lot.

I found a good balance between enthusiasm and apathy. VK-2 is a dark, sexy beast that makes me feel like a warlock while PX7 looks very uninspiring and perhaps complicated despite delivering some interesting timbres.

You must really adore that CrapRE GUI.

[TritoneAddiction]

Call me shallow but GUI matters a lot.

I found a good balance between enthusiasm and apathy. VK-2 is a dark, sexy beast that makes me feel like a warlock while PX7 looks very uninspiring and perhaps complicated despite delivering some interesting timbres.

You must really adore that CrapRE GUI.

HAHAHA Yeah Crapre is a true beauty. It's weird, even though it's butt ugly, it does signal "fun" and "go nuts" to my brain, which is actually really awesome when I'm suppose to be creative. The difference is some GUIs are just ugly without triggering any sort of inspiration. Interesting how that works. But I guess it's the same with any art. Some can be charmingly shit while some art is just shit. I guess this subject could be a thread of its own.

[reddust]

Easy of use
Presets
Niche synth. Does one or two things really well.
Quirky and fun
Versatility
Nice GUI
Workflow
CV possibilities
Endless options. The more the better.
Price
Effects
Uniqueness
Developers reputation
Bug fixes, continuous updates.
Step sequencer
Displays
Patch generator / Randomizer
Great sound. Duh...

Something else?


Also what are some big no no´s for you? Something that's dealbreaker.

Good list, can't add anything at this moment, for me it's all about great sound, versatility, simple and nice GUI and uniqueness. My fav synths so far are Serum and Aparillo, I like the Spire GUI and its sound but I don't own it so I can't say I I would like it as much. Super Audio Cart is one I really like too because of its uniqueness on sampled game console sounds plus step sequencer options, the GUI looks retro but nice, which also suits the idea of that synth. My favorite GUI is the one from Taiko Creator, even when not a synth, but a Kontakt library, but as a Japan fan I really love that GUI because of the nice pic choices and simple overview and thematic included in the design of the control buttons.

For me the no go's are ugly old school GUIs, because I almost get depressed when working with such a UI as the one by PinkNoise Maia for example. When I see it I loose any lust to write music almost instantly. And of course lack of flexibility.