Bargain Hunter's Delight

May 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Brian Smithers

Okay, I'll admit it — I'm a cheapskate. My aversion to spending money is almost pathological. So when the idea of an article looking at inexpensive soft synths was bandied about, I jumped at the chance. There are plenty of amazing virtual instruments available to anybody with a big bankroll, but what's out there for those of us who don't want to spend an arm and a leg? I'm happy to report, my fellow skinflints, that there's a lot of good inexpensive stuff to be had.

There's so much, in fact, that whittling the list down to a manageable size was quite a challenge. The virtual instruments discussed in this article are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, a sampling to whet your appetite for the larger world of lesser-known and less costly synth plug-ins. Many interesting and deserving instruments didn't make the cut, so I encourage you to check the listings at places like www.kvr-vst.com and www.synthzone.com and uncover additional gems.

So what's included? First and foremost, the synths examined herein are instruments that I found particularly great-sounding, innovative, fun, or just plain useful. A subjective test, no doubt, but that's the nature of this thing we call music. I further restricted the list to one instrument per manufacturer, so check out the rest of the product line where applicable. Also, all of these synthesizers are just that — they synthesize sound rather than triggering samples or loops. Last but not least, these are practical, mainstream, utilitarian instruments that you'll use frequently: analog-modeling synths, electromechanical-keyboard emulations, and a couple of guitar simulations.

If the list seems a bit Windows-heavy, that's not for lack of trying. There just seems to be a lot more Windows-based development activity in this price range. In particular, the world of inexpensive Audio Units soft synths is sparsely populated right now, but have faith, Mac fans, because this is bound to change before long.

SYNTH YOU'VE GONE

Interest in analog-modeling synths shows no signs of abating, and this is particularly evident in the under-$100 class (all prices listed are for download versions). It may be because the principles of subtractive synthesis are well-known and therefore more accessible for developers without deep pockets, or it may be due to the insatiable appetite for new synths that meet the expectations of certain musical styles without sounding exactly like last week's hit.

Whatever the reason for virtual-analog synths' popularity, the following four specimens only hint at the variety of square-wave-slinging instruments out there. Whether you're after fat basses, searing leads, spacey pads, or special effects, you don't have to take out a second mortgage to fill the bill.

Fat-Ass Plugins BCG Monosynth 1.0 (Win; £15 [about $27]). What else would you call a company whose premier product was a bass synth with a big bottom? BCG Monosynth is Fat-Ass's VSTi for keeping the subwoofers busy. It's not the fanciest synth on the block, and it's not the most flexible, but it's easy to use and does exactly what it sets out to do.

BCG's primary interface consists of only eight sliders and three switches (see Fig. 1). The switches toggle between square and sawtooth waveforms and also determine the instrument's root octave. There's an octave-up switch and an octave-down switch, and it took me a minute to figure out that they can cancel each other. Having both switches off yields the same result as having both switches on.

The sliders control transposition, glide time, cutoff, resonance, filter-envelope amount, attack, decay, and overdrive. BCG is a good example of an interface made simple by making good default assumptions. For example, there is no fine-tuning slider, but the transposition slider can be set to fractional values down to 0.001 semitones by typing a value into a number box. Glide (portamento) between notes can be varied from none to way slow, and it occurs only when notes overlap. Lousy keyboard player that I am, it took me only seconds to be able to control when gliding happened. Only one filter type is available, but it's a sharp lowpass with resonance that self-oscillates at its highest setting. The simple 2-stage envelope doesn't let you sustain a note forever, but the Decay curve at its highest setting is shallow enough that it resembles about a 2-second hold before decay actually begins.

One key to BCG's ability to get your attention is its Drive slider. It provides a nice bit of overdrive distortion that lends heft to any basic patch. Another key is the built-in chorus. I must admit a general bias against built-in effects, but BCG's chorus has an aggressive character that is perfectly suited to its overall attitude. In fact, a number of the presets lose a lot of guts when you turn off the chorus. The delay is a nice touch, too, but it loses something by not syncing to the host's tempo. Every control has an assigned MIDI Control Change message, so you can tweak on the fly or automate tweaks in the host sequencer.

If you're into fat bass lines, BCG is definitely worth a look. It's probably not the instrument you're going to use on every track, but when you need that big bass sound, it delivers.

MHC Voxynth 1.5 (Mac/Win; $89). If ethereal is your bag, you'll want to check out MHC's Voxynth (see Fig. 2). As the name suggests, it's useful for sounds suggesting choirs, particularly of the surreal kind. Its primary weapon for achieving this end is a formant filter that can be modulated by an envelope generator or directly from your MIDI keyboard. For $89 you get a bundle of synths (called the Studio Setup) including Voxynth, Fatsondo, and Space Synth, along with several standalone effects plug-ins. The bundle is available in two versions, one for Windows VST hosts and one for Mac OS X VST or AU hosts.

Voxynth provides three oscillators per voice. Each oscillator offers four waveforms: one sawtooth, one square, a pulse wave whose symmetry is neither explained nor adjustable, and an undefined “distorted” wave that is hard to categorize. (The documentation lists “sine wave” instead of distorted wave, but this is incorrect.) The distorted wave is said to be useful for adding a breathy component, and indeed it has more fizz than fundamental.

The heart of Voxynth's vocal character is its formant filter. The formant filter is designed to emulate the sonic character of various vowel sounds, thereby lending a human quality to the synthesized tones. Twenty formant modes are available, each representing a “morph” from one vowel to another. For example, a sound could start as an e and change to an o. The filter doesn't let you choose any morph you want (which would be nice), but the 20 modes provide a good deal of variety. The entire spectrum of formants consists mainly of bass vowels but also includes some alto and even countertenor vowels. Additionally, there are fictives, formants not found in nature that nevertheless contribute a vocal quality, and a few formants that have been frequency-shifted for effect.

If you're looking to make your keyboard talk or trying to create an electronic Carmina Burana choir, you'll find that Voxynth is not that articulate. It's not trying to be a vocoder — it's subtler than that.

The formant filter can be controlled by a single ADSR envelope. The EG's affect on the filter is variable, and it can be inverted — a nice touch. The bandwidth of the formant filter can be tweaked with the Q control. Furthermore, Voxynth puts the formant filter under the control of “performance keys,” namely the C0 octave of your controller. These keys raise and lower the frequency of the formant filter, giving you real-time control over the brightness of the effect. A Glide control determines whether the change is abrupt or gradual.

Voxynth's toolkit is rounded out by pitch modulation, left and right delays, and an Ensemble switch that essentially layers detuned clones of the basic program to thicken the sound. Voxynth is a one-trick pony, but it's a decent trick. For the money, it ranks high on the value scale, but be aware that its siblings don't stray too far from Voxynth's sonic turf. Watch for a revamped version with new graphics and additional features around the time you read this.

Muon Software Electron 1.2 (Mac/Win; $80). Electron is a 3-oscillator synth with dual multimode filters, two envelope generators, and two LFOs. It runs as a DXi or as a VSTi under Windows or Mac OS 9 or OS X. At first glance, it's a straightforward, unassuming instrument. But when you consider its flexibility, you'll start to see its potential.

For example, its filters can operate in parallel, in series, or linked, or you can opt to use only one filter to save processing power. With the filters running in parallel, you can use the Mix slider to crossfade from one filter to another to shape the sound in real time. Although EG1 is always assigned to Electron's final output volume, it can also control other parameters at the same time. EG2 is assignable, as are the two LFOs. Available LFO waveforms include sine, square, saw, and triangle, and rate and depth can both be modulated by Velocity, Aftertouch, or Mod Wheel.

Interestingly, Electron's oscillators offer fewer options. Oscillator 1 is always a sawtooth wave (although it does sync to Oscillator 2 or 3), and Oscillator 3 is always a square wave. Oscillator 2 is a pulse wave with variable pulse width, which can be modulated by either of the LFOs or EGs.

Perhaps the coolest thing about Electron is its x-y control pad. Click on the X-Y button at the bottom of the window, and the usual knob-based interface disappears, revealing a virtual touch pad that gives you real-time control over two parameters simultaneously (see Fig. 3). You can choose from 28 parameters for each axis and then drag your mouse on the pad to tweak them. This is the answer to the age-old problem of trying to adjust cutoff and resonance at the same time with a mouse.

Electron's sounds range from bright leads to tense pads and articulate basses. They are generally colorful, but not inherently gutsy. I solved this quite easily by running Electron through Sonar's default Tape Sim plug-in. The sound was immediately warmer and more compelling. I'm sure that a bit of experimentation with your favorite amp-simulation or tube-simulation plug-in would prove most rewarding.

All of Electron's knobs have preassigned MIDI controllers, including the very cool Mix slider. You can opt for circular or vertical mouse movements to adjust the knobs and can choose whether the current value is updated while the knobs are being moved. Muon gets high marks for a tweakworthy interface.

Software Technology VAZ Plus 2 (Win; £50 [about $91]). Where do I begin? VAZ Plus is simply one of the best-sounding analog-modeling synths you could ever hope to buy for under a hundred bucks. From fat to smooth to gritty, its lively and malleable timbres leave no doubt as to why subtractive synths remain popular across generational and stylistic divides. Its feature set is every bit as impressive as its sound, with flexible modulation routing, an arpeggiator, and a step sequencer packed into an efficient and accessible interface (see Fig. 4). It runs under Windows as a standalone synth, a VSTi, or a DXi.

VAZ Plus features “only” two oscillators, but they're powerful. Oscillator 1 gives you a sawtooth wave that can be tilted into a triangle wave or a variable pulse wave. Oscillator 2 adds a multisaw, four layered sawtooths (sawteeth?) with variable detuning, and a multisample. Both oscillators support frequency modulation, and oscillator 2 can sync to oscillator 1. Each oscillator's frequency and waveshape (triangle) or pulse width (pulse) can be modulated by any 1 of 15 sources, including LFOs, EGs, Velocity, and more.

Between the two LFOs you can find just about any variation you could want. LFO 1 can be a variable sawtooth or a variable pulse wave, and LFO 2 can be either a triangle or sample-and-hold. LFO 2 lets you delay the onset of the modulation, and both LFOs let you retrigger the waveform at the beginning of each note. Only a single filter is available, but it offers eight different modes and variable resonance. Cutoff can be modulated by up to three different sources, and resonance can also be modulated. Two ADSR envelope generators and a flexible amplifier section with overdrive round out the feature set.

VAZ Plus can be operated in Mono, Poly, or Unison mode with high, low, “duo,” or last-note priority. Duo assigns the lower note to oscillator 1 and the higher note to oscillator 2. Pitch-bend range can be as high as two octaves, and portamento can be set to occur all the time or only when notes overlap.

Every control slider can be modulated by 1 of the 15 modulation sources and can have its modulation source inverted, so that, for example, an EG assigned to cutoff could start wide open and get lower through the attack stage. Virtually every control can be modified by MIDI, either by using the Controller Mappings page or by right-clicking and invoking MIDI Learn. Yes, you can even change from Mono to Poly mode or change pitch-bend range in the middle of a solo.

As if that weren't enough, VAZ Plus gives you an arpeggiator with five modes (up, down, up/down, and two random modes) covering from one to four octaves, as well as a full-featured step sequencer. You can create 16 different patterns of up to 16 steps and 16 voices each, and then you can chain together up to 256 individually transposable patterns. Better still, each step gives you 2 control sliders that are among the 15 modulation sources mentioned earlier. I'm not easily impressed by step sequencers, but this one's a doozy.

Great sound, cool features, easy to program, and fun to play — not bad for the bargain basement. Download the demo and see if you're as impressed as I am.

KEYS TO MY HEART

Models of electromechanical keyboards (electric pianos and organs) are equal to analog-modeling synths on the utility scale but way ahead on the number-of-hernias-saved scale. Sure, analog synths can be bulky, but they're nothing compared to a Rhodes Suitcase or a Hammond B-3.

The field is not as thick with competitors in this category, but there are nevertheless some worthy contenders. These three virtual keyboards cover a lot of sonic ground without breaking the bank.

Big Tick EP-Station 1.0 (Win; EUR 40 [about $50]). That's EP as in Electric Piano, of course, and for not a lot of cash you get a standalone or VSTi plug-in that covers an awful lot of bases. EP-Station layers up to three different electric-piano models taken from a library of 97 different models (see Fig. 5). The result is a flexible and usable set of Rhodes and Wurlitzer emulations that, although they probably wouldn't survive direct comparison with their role models, are quite rich and satisfying.

Each of the three layers can be fine-tuned extensively. The balance of the three is variable, and each can have one of three Velocity curves: linear, exponential, or inverse exponential. The layers can be transposed and detuned. The Velocity response of the volume and harmonics of each layer can be tuned independently, so that, for example, you could have a piano whose volume tracked Velocity but whose timbre stayed constant or a piano whose volume stayed constant but got brighter with higher velocities. Each level's decay time and overall brightness can also be adjusted, as can the overall decay of the patch.

The basic models sound quite good, but the built-in effects add a lot to the realism. Tremolo and autopan were always part of the classic electric-piano arsenal, and EP-Station provides good versions of both. Speed and depth are adjustable in each. What else comes to mind when you think of classic EP sounds? Why, phaser and chorus, of course, and EP-Station delivers the goods here as well (a standalone VST version of the phaser effect also comes with the software). Each of the effects brings a little more character to the emulation. I confess to being a big fan of suitcase-style autopan and tremolo, and EP-Station covers it nicely.

With so many electric-piano sounds covered and the flexibility to go beyond mere emulations, EP-Station is a lot of fun to play. I found it lacking in only two ways. First, I could not get it to run in standalone mode at low latency, but since it worked perfectly as a plug-in I didn't lose any sleep over that. My other gripe is that its sustain is too long, yielding a bit of a synthy characteristic when notes are held for long times. Even when I shortened the decay time, the shape of the decay seemed slightly off. These are minor quibbles at any price, and at EP-Station's price they're more than forgivable.

DASH Signature Combo Sister 1.4 (Win; $30). Too often when we think of organs we think only in terms of the Hammond B-3. But the B-3 isn't the only organ with a place in rock 'n' roll history. Transistor-based combo organs such as the Vox Continental and instruments from Rheem and Farfisa had their own personalities, and Combo Sister is a VSTi tribute to these workhorses. It represents a hybrid of the various transistor organs and can cover a broad range of their sounds.

Combo Sister's interface is about as straightforward as they come (see Fig. 6). In addition to six drawbars and a handful of knobs, it features the same sort of rocker switches that characterized combo organs. You build a sound starting with the two oscillator switches marked Osc and Bass. These determine the basic waveforms, and then the stops build the sound at harmonic intervals. The 5⅓-foot stop has two alternate modes, Hp1 and Hp2, that control two higher banks for additional brightness. The timbre stops Add, Strings, Reed, and Flute provide additional control over the color of the sound.

Percussion adds a bite to the sound's attack, and Sustain rounds off the release of a note. Booster emulates analog saturation and can be switched on and off and varied in intensity. There's a Soft knob to “smooth” the tone and a Transistor knob to add noise and key click. Vibrato and Tremolo are available independently and can be varied in both depth and rate.

Combo Sister can be set to recognize Velocity or to ignore it, a setting that is remembered at the patch level. Assigning controllers is a snap with the MIDI Learn function. Just right-click on any control and move the desired controller, and Combo Sister will attach that controller to the selected knob, switch, or stop. If you paint yourself into a corner, there's a MIDI Forget function that will take you back to square one.

The sound of Combo Sister is just what you remember from classic recordings, and it's a great complement to the more common B-3 sims. It won't take you long to start playing sci-fi themes and reach for a theremin to overdub. You'd have to be a curmudgeon or a zealous B-3 purist not to get 30 bucks' worth of pure fun out of this one.

Linplug daOrgan 2.01 (Mac/Win; $49). Speaking of B-3s, daOrgan, a VST instrument for Windows or Mac OS X (10.2 minimum; AU support is planned) gives you a single manual of a B-3 emulation, with MIDI-controllable drawbars and a rotary speaker (see Fig. 7). If your host supports multiple MIDI inputs, you could easily fire up two copies of daOrgan, split your keyboard, and have a dual-manual instrument in no time. (If you launch a third instance for pedals, you're far more coordinated than I am!)

DaOrgan offers control of virtually everything you need to make realistic Hammond sounds, including variable key click, drive, percussion, and even motor noise. The Vibrato section lets you vary the speed and depth of the effect and includes a tremolo dial to add intensity variation to the pitch variation.

You can choose to have daOrgan respond to Velocity or not. Of course, “not” is the realistic choice, but who says realism is always your goal? This choice is saved with presets, so you could have Velocity and non-Velocity versions of the same patches if you wanted. Interestingly, most of the included presets have Velocity sensitivity turned on; keep that in mind when auditioning sounds.

The Leslie rotary speaker is an instantly recognizable part of the B-3 sound, and daOrgan includes a rotary function to complete the package. It offers fast and slow modes, each of which can be fine-tuned, and separate low and high zones with adjustable crossover pitch. Even the speed at which it accelerates and decelerates can be tweaked.

MIDI control is extensive, with a learn mode (called ECS) that lets you set up knobs and sliders easily. All speed controls in the Vibrato and Rotary Speaker sections can be synced to the host sequencer's tempo at up to 32nd-note resolution.

If all this doesn't quite get you there, dial in the Spread option to play five slightly detuned organs simultaneously. DaOrgan is a well-thought-out, great-sounding instrument. Combined with a MIDI control surface to help you mold the sound on the fly, it'll almost make you wonder why your back isn't hurting.

GETTING PICKED ON

Our tour of the low-budget virtual bandstand ends with a pair of guitar simulators. They take different approaches, but both strive to model the behavior of strings being picked or strummed. Using a keyboard synth to create convincing guitar parts is always a challenge, but these instruments attempt to resolve some of those difficulties in order to help you come closer to the real thing.

ReFX Slayer 2 (Mac/Win; $90). Slayer 2 is a VSTi for Mac OS 9, OS X, or Windows that covers almost every aspect of a guitarist's bag of tricks. From string and pickup characteristics to amp and cabinet models to pick position to stompboxes, Slayer 2 has it covered (see Fig. 8). Its sounds range from good to great, and it even includes some intelligent performance features, strum patterns and power chords among them.

Slayer 2 gives you nine string models from which to choose, up to two pickups with adjustable position, variable pick position, and variable guitar size and material. All of this runs through any of five amps and five cabinets. Two effects bins — one before the amp and the other after — let you line up any of 16 stompboxes. Effects include wah-wah, distortion, chorus, flanger, EQ, harmonizer, and more, and they can be reordered with drag-and-drop ease. All this flexibility would mean nothing if it didn't sound good, but it does.

Achieving convincing guitar articulations is always a challenge without a guitar controller, but Slayer 2 includes several performance modes. It will automatically arpeggiate a chord in any of five patterns at an adjustable speed. Similarly, five strumming patterns with adjustable speed are available. Slayer 2 will also generate power chords — you get either root-fifth-octave (for example, C-G-C) or root-fourth-octave (as in C-F-C) from single-note triggers. The Autochord feature offers complete strummed chords created from single-note triggers. Each octave of the keyboard creates a different chord type, so with planning and practice you can play a wide variety of chord progressions.

The more I dig in to the various performance modes, the more useful I find them in creating authentic-sounding guitar parts. Slayer 2's MIDI implementation extends the potential even further. Virtually every control has a controller assignment. You could, for example, change pick position and strum speed in real time as you're recording a rhythm part so that the strum isn't predictable and static.

It's easy to get a number of basic guitar figures happening with Slayer 2, and it's deep enough that some research and practice will pay off with even more realism. The sounds are very useful, and the performance modes add a good deal of realism. Last, and certainly least, there's a Hue slider that lets you change the color of the onscreen guitar body.

Synapse Audio Plucked String 4 (Win; $49). Plucked String 4 is a much simpler guitar emulation than Slayer 2, but it has its own charms (see Fig. 9). Available in VSTi and DXi versions, its strength is acoustic and clean electric sounds. It has no amp effects or stompboxes, but it offers a great deal of control over articulation.

You get five models to choose from, although their names won't do much to help you decide which one to use: Noise, String, Gourmet, Nylon, and Acoustic. In addition to coarse and fine tuning, you have control over timbre, strength, and pluck. A simple filter section lets you control cutoff and damping for muted sounds.

A 3-stage envelope provides control over attack, decay, and release, letting you transcend the literal behavior of a guitar string and create interesting not-quite-a-guitar sounds. A vibrato section features independent control of rate, amount, and the too often overlooked delay. Once you have your basic sound dialed in, you can double or triple it with panned detuned copies for a choruslike effect that sounds quite good. A fine-tuning parameter lets you control the amount of detuning.

It would be nice if Plucked String had built-in strum capability, but I was able to accomplish the same thing running it through some MIDI plug-ins. Similarly, it responded quite well to a couple of amp-simulation plug-ins. Its essential sound and attack characteristics do a nice job of conveying the feel of a pick on a string.

CHEAPSKATES REJOICE

It's a good time to be a penny-pincher, as this is just a small portion of what's out there. Most of the companies mentioned here have additional offerings that you should check out, and of course there are many more folks waiting for you to discover their offerings. An inexpensive tool that does one or two things well is a great value, and an inexpensive tool that covers all the bases is a thing of beauty. Every instrument discussed has a demo version waiting for you at its maker's Web site, so why not give them a try?

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Brian Smithers is Course Director of Audio Workstations at Full Sail Real World Education in Winter Park, Florida.

MANUFACTURER CONTACT INFORMATION
Big Tick e-mail bigtick@pastnotecut.org Web http://bigtick.pastnotecut.org	DASH Signature e-mail info@dashsignature.com Web www.dashsignature.com
Fat-Ass Plugins e-mail fat-ass@studiosense.org Web www.fat-ass.tk	Linplug Web www.linplug.com
MHC e-mail mikael@mhc.se Web www.mhc.se	Muon Software e-mail service@muon-software.com Web www.muon-software.com
reFX e-mail support@refx.net Web www.refx.net	Software Technology e-mail vaz@software-technology.com Web www.software-technology.com
Synapse Audio e-mail service@synapse-audio.com Web www.synapse-audio.com