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SynthMaster 2
Reviewed By Trusty [all]
May 19th, 2007
Version reviewed: 1.0.4 on Windows
Synthmaster is a really great synthesizer, and it comes at a very reasonable price at $99 as well. It has a great sonic character to it that doesn't give that feeling of "heard this before" when you hear it. Considering the endless possibilities of such a feature-packed synth, it would be easy to find the multi-page GUI daunting at first glace, but a second glance after a few minutes of tinkering will demonstrate that the layout is to an advantage. It makes programming the multiple synthesis types easy.
The sound is wonderful and can be as warm and fuzzy or as cool and harsh as you like. I found that the patches I have used so far sit nicely in a mix and it stands on its own against more expensive commercial synths. It is nice that such a versatile synth that can be both thick and thin, and the amount of control over the sound the user has works in favor of its usefulness in a mix instead of against the mix like some newer overblown commercial synths hitting the market these days that want to dominate tracks regardless of the actual output volume.
The features are heavy, but using them couldn't be easier. This is in part due to the clear and easy layout of each page of the GUI. Everything is big, and easy to navigate.
Synthmaster is both a great addition for pros and a probably the best option for the hobby musicians wanting to get out of presetville and get heavier into programming patches. A pro will appreciate the features and functionality of the depth of the synth's capabilities, but a novice programmer (like me) will find that learning to program from scratch is made very easy thanks to the layout, and also the wonderful tutorials included in the presets that are set-up in a way so users that wish to settle down and learn synthesis can get first hand response of what different things on this synth, or really any synth, (that has both the basic functions and parameters and the more complex parameters) can do. This synth would be my first recommendation to those looking to dive deeper into patch programming. It really is the master that can teach willing students how to program synths.
Its $99 value has been tripled in terms of what this synth has been worth for me considering the understanding of synthesis in general it has given me and these lessons have translated into great results when working with other synthesizers in my arsenal.
The sound is great, complimented nicely by the wonderful filters on Synthmaster, and the effects are decent enough. However, it is the arpeggiator and step sequencer that are quite excellent standouts, and considering that I normally ignore those functions on synths in favor of my host's capabilities in that area (Project5), this is quite a compliment.
I would like to see some more of the effects that aren't quite as common on every other synths as well...these programmers seem quite capable to pull of some interesting stuff, as this synth well demonstrates...so the future does seem bright in that area.
There are a few kinks that pop up concerning its stability, but nothing too serious to hamper its use, and the commitment by the developers has shown that every kink gets ironed out.
I'd say the only other drawback is in the presets. The ones that are there mostly sound good and they do the synth justice in terms of sonic capability, but leave a lot to be desired in terms of actual usability. After the wow factor of some of the more outlandish presets wear off, it is easy to be wanting a more rounded bread and butter selection to work with (this problem seems to be more and more common these days with the newer feature-laden synths). While programming couldn't be easier on Synthmaster, a great set of presets are now considered a requirement these days in terms of softsynths and this one in particular could be better served with more, and more in the bread and butter sounds.
All in all, Synthmaster certainly does live up to its namesake. Great sound, great features, and a great price make this a nice addition to any arsenal, and it stands out as the must have synth for newbies and novices that want to go deeper into programming synthesizers than the usual preset tweaking. Highly recommended!Read Review
The sound is wonderful and can be as warm and fuzzy or as cool and harsh as you like. I found that the patches I have used so far sit nicely in a mix and it stands on its own against more expensive commercial synths. It is nice that such a versatile synth that can be both thick and thin, and the amount of control over the sound the user has works in favor of its usefulness in a mix instead of against the mix like some newer overblown commercial synths hitting the market these days that want to dominate tracks regardless of the actual output volume.
The features are heavy, but using them couldn't be easier. This is in part due to the clear and easy layout of each page of the GUI. Everything is big, and easy to navigate.
Synthmaster is both a great addition for pros and a probably the best option for the hobby musicians wanting to get out of presetville and get heavier into programming patches. A pro will appreciate the features and functionality of the depth of the synth's capabilities, but a novice programmer (like me) will find that learning to program from scratch is made very easy thanks to the layout, and also the wonderful tutorials included in the presets that are set-up in a way so users that wish to settle down and learn synthesis can get first hand response of what different things on this synth, or really any synth, (that has both the basic functions and parameters and the more complex parameters) can do. This synth would be my first recommendation to those looking to dive deeper into patch programming. It really is the master that can teach willing students how to program synths.
Its $99 value has been tripled in terms of what this synth has been worth for me considering the understanding of synthesis in general it has given me and these lessons have translated into great results when working with other synthesizers in my arsenal.
The sound is great, complimented nicely by the wonderful filters on Synthmaster, and the effects are decent enough. However, it is the arpeggiator and step sequencer that are quite excellent standouts, and considering that I normally ignore those functions on synths in favor of my host's capabilities in that area (Project5), this is quite a compliment.
I would like to see some more of the effects that aren't quite as common on every other synths as well...these programmers seem quite capable to pull of some interesting stuff, as this synth well demonstrates...so the future does seem bright in that area.
There are a few kinks that pop up concerning its stability, but nothing too serious to hamper its use, and the commitment by the developers has shown that every kink gets ironed out.
I'd say the only other drawback is in the presets. The ones that are there mostly sound good and they do the synth justice in terms of sonic capability, but leave a lot to be desired in terms of actual usability. After the wow factor of some of the more outlandish presets wear off, it is easy to be wanting a more rounded bread and butter selection to work with (this problem seems to be more and more common these days with the newer feature-laden synths). While programming couldn't be easier on Synthmaster, a great set of presets are now considered a requirement these days in terms of softsynths and this one in particular could be better served with more, and more in the bread and butter sounds.
All in all, Synthmaster certainly does live up to its namesake. Great sound, great features, and a great price make this a nice addition to any arsenal, and it stands out as the must have synth for newbies and novices that want to go deeper into programming synthesizers than the usual preset tweaking. Highly recommended!Read Review
