Software synths: Power user's guide

Software synths are no longer the poor relations of their hardware forebears. Mark Cousins assesses what’s available and how to use it with distinction.

The reign of the hardware synth has been long and distinguished, bringing us design classics such as the minimoog, Jupiter 8 and DX7 along the way, but its days are seemingly numbered. Today, the cutting edge of synthesis technology is clearly in the software domain – few manufacturers will risk developing new hardware, given all the associated costs and inflexibility. And with the appearance of supercharged computers such as Apple’s G5 and the proliferation of software synths, the old days of struggling to run one somewhat mediocre instrument seem long gone. More importantly, the sound quality has reached such a level that re-creations now actually sound – rather than just look – like the original devices, and groundbreaking synths such as Absynth are able to push the boundaries of electronic music making further than any hardware device costing ten times the price.

This feature first appeared in Music Tech Magazine issue 19
Filed under General Features

/mtm/features/software-synths-power-user-s-guide

New users, please register here

Please enter your details below to set up your new account. Fields marked with a red asterisk * are required.

Your name
*First name:
*Last name:
Job title:
Company:

Account settings
*Email address:
	Please make sure your email address is correct, as we will send you an email with a link to activate your account.
*Username:
	Choose a username between 7 and 100 characters in length, without spaces or unusual characters. You may use your email address as your username, but note that it may appear in community areas of the site where others can see it.
*Password:
*Confirm password:
	Choose a password between 7 and 100 characters in length, without spaces.
	Remember me on this computer

Your address and contact info
Address 1:

Town or city:
County or state:
Postcode or ZIP:
Country:
Telephone:
Fax:
Website:

	By registering to use the Music Tech website you agree to allow us to contact you with our Music Tech email newsletters featuring news, competitions, exclusive content and special offers, as well as with communications from our carefully selected music technology retail and manufacturer partners. If you provide phone and post details we may contact you by those means as well with special offers relating specifically to Music Tech Magazine and our other publications. WE WILL NOT PASS YOUR DETAILS TO ANY THIRD PARTY. If at any time you wish to stop receiving our email newsletter, simply follow the Unsubscribe instruction on our newsletter. Contact us by email of post if you wish your post or phone details to be removed from our database.

MTM 107	25 Tips for Mix Processing There is a multitude of mixing tools and features to be found in every DAW, but how and when should you use them? Liam O’Mullane takes you through the options.	MTM 107	Control for Live Performance Marrying technologies old and new with the traditional aspects of live performance, controllerism is one of the fastest-growing arenas, both in terms of music itself and the kit we use to make it. Hollin Jones reveals how you can get a slice of the
	Music Tech Focus - Synthesis 2012 MTF Synthesis 2012 is on sale now featuring tutorials for Arturia, Cubase 5, Logic Pro 9, Massive, Reason 5, Razor, FM8 and more	MTM 106	25 Pro Tips for Kick-starting Composition Initial ideas that spark the songwriting process must inspire you enough to see it through to completion. Liam O’Mullane explains how he gets the fire going...
MTM 106	Contemporary Mastering Mastering is often thought of as little more than a final gloss of EQ, compression and limiting, but there are plenty of tasks beyond these that are required of the modern mastering engineer. Mike Hillier explores the world of today’s mastering.	MTM 105	Re-creating the Sound of Old-skool Dance Like fashion, music likes to nod to the past while moving it forward with elements of the new. Liam O’Mullane re-creates that old-skool vibe.
MTM 105	25 Tips for Live Sound If you want to avoid embarrassment – as well as the wrath of an irate band or venue boss – it pays to be prepared... Mike Hillier engineers the perfect gig.	MTM 105	Mixing Tips from the Industry Pros A good mix is key to a song’s success, both from a technical perspective and as a listening experience. But what constitutes a good mix ,and how is it achieved? MTM talks to ten world-class mix engineers to get their perspective on this subjective an

Sign in to download this article

New users, please register here

See also...

Menu