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VST hunt

i do these occassionally.. go to kvr, check out samples, check out demos, read reviews, etc.
so today i started another one of these hunts, and i thought that it might be appreciated if i post my findings here. also felt like doing it cause i haven't been in this forum for about a year if not more

my main sequencer is Orion Platinum, and my keyboard is an Edirol PCR-M30.

so anyways, if you like the idea of the thread, let me know; also, any contribution you might have (dissenting opinions and such) will be good.

let us begin then:



[unspecified developer] Juno 6
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1064.html
small variety, sound is phat, but can't handle polyphony well. Rejected.

[CodeOperator] DelayPack
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1887.html
requires Pluggo; didn't work.

Cycling '74 Pluggo
http://www.kvraudio.com/get.php?mod...&id=89&news=all
(is required to use the delaypack above)
orion didn't load due to this vst.

Zynewave Podium
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/834.html
sequencer, couldn't get audio out within 10 minutes (neither from experimentation, nor from the premade example songs). rejected.

Zero-G *
various links
all skipped due to being based on native instruments samplers.

Zen Soundcheck Audio Chrissy
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1088.html
not bad, but redundant. one trick pony that doesn't have enough features to warrant keeping.

Yannick Delwiche MadTracker
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1018.html
no midi support, skipped.



Xoxos' synths and effects up next.

xoxos Utopia2
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2293.html
good for various short noises; doesn't make for convincing hihats though.

xoxos Surface
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1779.html
excellent stuff! makes for some awesome electro-ethno sounds (given some smartly used distortion), and also works for very nice thudding deep kicks, this is a keeper!

xoxos Dystopia
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2294.html
while the interface is different to Utopia.. the sound capabilities are pretty much the same, pass on this.

Interesting... I've tried Pluggo but most of those others are news to me. Definitely appreciate the contribution!

Have you tried any of the Ugo synths or ioplong effects? They're fun if you're into the strange and unusual.

quote:

Originally posted by DigiNut Interesting... I've tried Pluggo but most of those others are news to me. Definitely appreciate the contribution! Have you tried any of the Ugo synths or ioplong effects? They're fun if you're into the strange and unusual.

i've tried ugo's string theory, and liked it. haven't heard of ioplong as of yet, but i'll get to them at one point


and as for the ones i tested today:


WWAYM nWsynth
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1619.html
good bass synth, passing because the interface kinda sucks and i'm not in need of a bass synth.

WWAYM nWRCFil
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1706.html
not my kinda filter (this is one of the kind that absolutely kills nearly all frequencies when the resonance is brought up).

Wusik Wusikstation
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1102.html
very nice sound from this beast, interface is a bit convulted to my taste. i might reconsider, but for now i'll stick with what i know and pass on this one.

Wurr Audio WAReverb
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1544.html
i dont like the color of this reverb, pass.

Wurr Audio GreenMachine Amp II
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/946.html
this baby can really abuse a sound, gotta look deeper into it.

WOK Filterbank
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1670.html
keeping this one, got a good sound. very good filter, but not of the resonant type.

and more:


White Noise Audio Zero Vector
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1261.html
very capable synth, need to look more into it.

White Noise Audio WNAdditive
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/806.html
i really don't know enough about additive synthesis to evaluate this as thoroughly as i would like, it sounded pretty good, and the controls were fun to play around with even if i didn't really know what i was doing. will have a deeper look at it.

White Noise Audio Miasma
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1017.html
a blank reverb (didn't hear almost any colour to it), but one with too few parameters to my liking.

White Noise Audio Memory
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1671.html
this is a must have for people who do liveacts i'd say... maybe for ableton dj's; especially people who like to borrow some techniques from glitch. i had lots of fun toying with this thing. oh and the best part - it's free!

White Noise Audio Doppelmangler
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/987.html
this is even more confusing than WNAdditive, i have no idea what i'm doing here.. but it sounds cool... however i must pass on it, since the interface is too large for Orion to accomodate.



i'd love to hear about those additive synths from someone who's familiar with those techniques

You got to try MinimogueVA

Voxengo Vintage Modulator
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1603.html
didn't like the sound of this chorus.

Voxengo Soniformer
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/973.html
good stuff, nothing much else to say.

Voxengo Sample Delay
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1441.html
does what it's supposed to. i have a feeling this util will come in handy at one point.

Voxengo Polysquasher
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1140.html
gentle stuff.. too gentle for me.

Virtuasonic Didj'tizer
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1822.html
what's the point? if i want a didgeridoo i'd rather synthesize one than place this effect over something that i already need. pointless effect.

Virtuasonic COMBSCAPE
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1414.html
, crazy stuff, need to look closer into it.

Virtual Creations UltraChopper
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/714.html
the demo sucks.. it gives out a noisy mono.. and the filters suck. pass.

Vember Audio Surge
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1926.html
amazing filter on this one, loving it... may have to actually get it, also great distortion; excellent synth for leads and bass. on second thought, excellent synth for anything.

thanks for the help Psy-T. I've been buying a lot of the voxengo products and I'm really happy with the results they give. I haven't heard of any of the other products though so I'm going to check them out.

UplandToys BallSequencer
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2135.html
didn't work for me in orion, unfortunately.

Uncut Plugins WhiteLightning
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2344.html
thinner than paper, pass.

Ugo Texture
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1002.html
the sound is good imo, but it isn't for me... there's a slight detuned feeling to this synth i just can't connect with.

Ugo Rez
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/748.html
lovely synth.. just a question of warming up to the interface (didn't like the envelope much,, kinda hard to change in real time).

Ugo Metallurgy
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2044.html
i already have it (the demo, for the moment ) and use it, but i just wanted to add a note about it for the rest of you: it's my fav multi fx.

Tweakbench Triforce
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1080.html
don't let the 3 osc fool you, this is a one trick pony.. and it isn't for me

Tweakbench Toad
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/899.html
cute, but not for me.. if you love nintendo and 8bit music - get it!

Tweakbench Sideslip
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/897.html
there's better 'glitch' stuff out there, pass.

Tweakbench Rebar
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1334.html
the interface is very cute and fun to work with.. but the sonic capabilities are rather limited... hard to call

Tweakbench Pudding
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1335.html
again, there's better 'glitch' stuff out there.

Tweakbench Pressure
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/902.html
nasty (in a good way) fucking bass! keeping this one.

Tweakbench Monomate
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/904.html
does what it's said to do, and does it well.

Tweakbench Minerva
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1235.html
excellent percussive(but not really drums) synth, definite keeper.

Tweakbench Mashup
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/893.html
too heavy on the cpu, not worth it.

Tweakbench Field
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/905.html
mint, as much as i'm usually 'against' sampling.. this can be a very valuable tool

Tweakbench Dropout
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1782.html
not as cool as it sounds in theory.

Tweakbench Breakdown
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/896.html
aptly named plugin. crashed orion 3 times in a row.

TP Works T-Pulse
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1673.html
nice oscillators, poor filters. pass.

Tone2 FilterBank2
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2255.html
not liking the sound.

Thanks for cranking these reviews out. How long do you usually spend messing around with these before you rate them?

quote:

Originally posted by Rhythm Thanks for cranking these reviews out. How long do you usually spend messing around with these before you rate them?

i'm giving the simple ones a few minutes. with synths i listen to the patches (if there's more than 50 i quit at some arbitrary point around that), i then strip some arbitrary patch from it's onboard effects and mess about with it to determine what the oscillators, envelopes and filters are capable of. if there's a mod matrix, i must admit i only check what the patches do with it (because i don't use those sections of synths unless i'm really really getting to know it deeply).

with effects i check out how they sound on drums, on synth stabs, on pads, and on vocals.

the most time i'd give any plugin for these kinda reviews is around 30 minutes.

Holy Shit, you're a madman! But your efforts are appreciated!

Thanks

Nice thread!

i'm not done here yet just didn't have time to test any vst's today or yesterday

Tiny God Meridian
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1463.html
a very distinctive sound with very nice filters, check it out.

Tiny God Heartburn
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/327.html
nearly the same distinctive sound as the Meridian, but the filter sucks in comparison, and despite what the interface might present and the rap sheet by state, it lacks in features by comparison, pass.

Time Control Productions Mantragora
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1829.html
i was gonna check out this and the other product from the same company.. but see... it's 4:15am right now, and when i went to check out their website to download it... it played a loud as fuck noise fucking up my heart rate, so fuck them. i'm not checking it now! (note to webdesginers: dont ever fucking put music/sounds in websites on autoplay!! especially not so fucking loud!)

The Sound Guy SFX Machine Pro
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2311.html
it's a good multi fx with a not-so-good interface, it sounds ok. in other words, pass.

The Interruptor Echomania
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/745.html


Teragon Audio KickMaker
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2321.htm
weak as hell

Syntheway Zephyrus
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1858.html
i love the builtin waveshaper... the oscillators and the filters not so much..

Syntheway Magnus Choir
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1777.html
i wanted a synth, i got a module instead.. but it sounds good.

Synthepolis nrg-A
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1944.html
very good sounding synth with cool oscillators, filters, and extras. recommended.

Synapse Audio Plucked String
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/129.html
good sounding guitar 'synth', comes bundled with orion platinum

Synapse Audio Orion
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/295.html
recomended to be honest, i find it really intuitive and enjoyable to work with... up to the sequencing, which is very pattern-based, forcing a constraint that isn't particularily enjoyable (this might have been resolved by a new feature that allows a pattern to be of infinite length). another negative thing about it is that it doesn't have a scroll bar, which means if the gui of your fav vst is larger than your resolution can accomodate, you're screwed. i'm still in the market for a superior vst-capable sequencer.. i picked this one out of all the demos that were available for pc in january, this year (i tried them all).

Synapse Audio Hydra
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/607.html
sounds ok, but i can't help but feel i heard it all somewhere else, if you know what i mean...

SXP Heizenbox
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/888.html
i kinda like the bitcrushing the demo does every 30second more than i like the actual graunlizer (it's not bad though)

SVAr software SVArTracker
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2023.html
gave me an error and refused to work :/

Stow Music Systems Ensemble
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1005.html
not convincing

Starplugs Resonator Bank
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1573.html
does what it's supposed to do and does it well.

Starplugs Quantum Filter
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1572.html]
another timid filter...

Starplugs MoonClass
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1718.html
another one of those you heard before...

Soundhack +binaural
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2365.html
by the few minutes i spent with the demo of this, i already feel like the panning knobs on the mixer are obsolete, biaural is here to replace them.

SoundFonts.it KTrancer
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/685.html
didn't do shit of what it was supposed to.. just had one little bullshit phaser

Soundbytes HurdyGurdyLE
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2435.html
crashed orion

sonicprojects OP-X
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2393.html
good thing they don't limit the demo TOO much.[/sarcasm] the synth sounds ok, but fuck it.

Sonicbytes Phrazor
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2257.html
i'll check this in a few months, i recommend you follow up on it too, could be a good sequencer.

Sonicbytes Gat'R
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1178.html
good all around gate

Sonic Timeworks SH-1001
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/813.html
very nice oscillators, shit filter, and lacks features

back on the hunt:


Sonic Assault Sinthecyza!4
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1757.html
3 legged one trick pony

Software Technology VAZ Modular
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/328.html
cool modular, interface is pretty good, but the raw materials (sounds) aren't for me

Software Technology VAZ 2010
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/105.html
though a bit convulted interface wise, it's just a bread and butter synth, and since i'm not in the market for one, i'll pass (otherwise it's alright)

SoftPlug.com Adventus
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1449.html
more bread and butter (particularily for trance), this time in a rather lovely interface, with a lovely bunch of oscillators, recommended for beginners.

Smart Electronix Taurus
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1972.html
rather limited bass synth that sounds quite good. pass.

Smart Electronix Foorius
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1675.html
annoying interface, not highly capable

Smart Electronix dmiFlute
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/220.html
too dirty for a flute

Smart Electronix DFX Geometer
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/658.html
this bastard is insane, bring it your most pacifist sound and you'll get a general out of it

Smart Electronix Cyanide
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1374.html
cool waveshaper, would be better to have one like this onboard a basic synth, but i suppose it'll do as is

Smart Electronix ASynth
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1065.html
good basic va.

SKnote Voices
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2077.html
after a really basic run through, this looks like it could make some really nice tailor made noises, but i believe with a bit of work it could do a lot more, keeping this for further testing

SKnote Grainz
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2159.html
don't like the filters

Skale Skale Tracker
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/302.html
couldn't figure out how to load a vst into it

SK Vivaldi MX
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/400.html
it sounds good, and the patches display quite a capability, but a synth without filters goes against everything i believe in

Simple-Media voc-one
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1503.html
too much breath, no matter how far down you take the relevant parameter, just too much noisy breath

Simple-Media retro-GS01
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1224.html
great for 8bit gaming sounds and such

Silverspike Reverb.it
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/886.html
liking the colour on this reverb, and the interface, keeper

Shin'en SHN-1
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/828.html
don't like the filters, oscillators aren't too hot either

Scoofster Kamilla
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1461.html
another subtractor, not much too look at, not much too listen to

scamme Oscill8tor
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1924.html
wicked, interface could be a bit better, but it'll do, 8 osc, 7 waveforms and 5 filters - i'm sold, oh, and it's a freebe too!

scamme B-asault
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1320.html
this has got to be the worst vsti i have ever had the dubious pleasure of testing

SAYO(G-NSK) G-FORCE
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2166.html
if you're alright with the interface - go for it, it's a capable synth with a nice mix of virtual analog and fm, just don't forget to bypass the onboard delay, it sucks

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