spacem8

A very long standing and well known soft-synth in the production world comes in the form of Synth1 made by Ichiro Toda. Not to be confused with a piece of software with a similar name, [Sylenth1](https://equipboard.com/items/lennar-digital-sylenth1-software-synthesizer), Toda’s magnum opus is a great tool for any producer’s workshop, especially because it’s completely *FREE* to download. Synth1 supplies users with two oscillators, FM modulation, ring modulation, and modulation envelopes. Its simplicity both visually and functionally makes it easy to pick up from scratch and I would recommend it as an amazing learning tool to use before making a jump to a more complicated product. Many will agree that Synth1’s best quality is that it does an excellent job of mimicking the feel of a hardware synthesizer (it was originally meant to emulate a [Nord Lead 2](https://equipboard.com/items/clavia-nord-lead-2-synthesizer)). You can achieve very clean and large sounds that some other synthesizers would have trouble doing without compression or internal EQing. Synth1 has very lacking effects panel compared to the newer software synthesizers, though it makes up for that in ease of use and still provides effective options (compressor, ring modulator, decimator, distortion, phaser). The interface itself, while rudimentary and in need of a visual update, provides a very good representation of working with an actual piece of hardware and allows users to become comfortable with the product quite quickly, myself included. Don't be put off by appearance though, Synth1 has a great personality and is very functionally sound. After personally messing around with Synth1, the presets provided seem a little bit outdated. Fortunately, however, the large Synth1 user base has developed an enormous databank of preset sounds if you’re looking for starting blocks in your productions. Synth1 does a very good job of sticking to its strongest aspects. With a lack of content focused updates, the software has been able to hammer out all of the bugs over years of steady maintenance and careful attention. The built in arpeggiator and filter leave nothing to be desired and allow for automation in all DAW platforms. Overall, Synth1 is an amazing VST synth, especially for beginning producers or someone new to sound design. So far in my journey through the production world, I have yet to find a software synthesizer that provides such a straight forward approach to creating sounds and helping someone write music. If you can master Synth1, you’ve basically learned everything they would teach through a mid-level sound design class in most production schools.

As all dance music producers and artists know, the kick drum is the most essential piece of percussion in a track. The kick sets the pace and rhythm and is always the most noticeable sonic property in any particular dance music song. With this in mind, the partnership of [Nicky Romero](https://equipboard.com/pros/nicky-romero) and Sonic academy set out to revolutionize the producer community with a go-to kick drum (and other percussion) synthesizer. Personally, I’ve use this piece of software on about 95% of the tracks I’ve made since acquiring it. KICK itself is visually appealing and allows you to see the whole process behind shaping and creating your own customized kick drum, as opposed to just turning knobs. The main window has 3 panels: pitch, amp, and click. As they intuitively suggest, each of the panels control the features for which they are labeled and allow you to shape the waveform of the kick drum by moving around pinpoints in the main window. This feature is singlehandedly my favorite part of the software. As a visual person, I like to be able to witness the process of creation in my sounds and it helps me better understand what I’m doing in the overall experimentation process. The visual component for KICK makes it a bare essential for any producer’s list of tools because it teaches you how to better customize your own sounds and allows producers to move away from reusing percussion samples. The secondary features that I think need to be addressed and explained are the pitch panel itself and the click customization. Firstly, the pitch control panel is the Holy Grail of this synthesizer. Sonic Academy provides you with a clearly labeled illustration of what the kick’s shape actually looks like and the frequency of each individual point along the ADSR curve. Being able to perfectly tune each kick to the necessary parameters is one of the best implemented features in the entire world of dance music production, especially with regards to work flow. Additionally, the frequency information provided allows producers to quickly and easily EQ the kick and other instruments in the mix for a cleaner overall fit between sounds and more satisfying finished product. Along with the pitch panel, you have the click customization menu in the upper right hand corner. Producers are able to load in their own click samples or choose from a preexisting list of clicks created by [Nicky Romero](https://equipboard.com/pros/nicky-romero) and Sonic Academy. The click menu is comes with an organized drop down menu, and when paired with the click visual panel, it gives complete control over the high end piece of the kick itself. This revolutionary piece of software has become commonplace in my production projects and I honestly believe some of my tracks would not have reached the quality they did without it. I’ve never had any issues with the user interface or had any bad things to say about the product in its entirety and I would recommend getting this product immediately if you don’t have it already (you can get the Artist Edition of KICK for just $40).

Mention "wavetable synthesis" around most producers and the first name you're likely to hear is [Massive](https://equipboard.com/items/native-instruments-massive-synth), the ubiquitous synthesizer from Native Instruments and a favorite of new and seasoned EDM producers alike. While other wavetable synthesizers do exist, few have been able to gain a widespread appeal and acclaim on the same level as Massive. Then came Serum. Serum, developed by producer [Steve Duda](https://equipboard.com/pros/steve-duda) under his plugin development alias [Xfer Records](https://equipboard.com/brands/xfer_records), comes with several unique waveforms, the ability to import your own waveforms if you so choose, several built-in filters and effects, and a somewhat compact version of Duda's revered [LFO Tool](https://equipboard.com/items/xfer-lfo-tool-plugin) which can be attached to any editable parameter in the synthesizer. So, is Serum the antidote to Massive boredom? After opening Serum for the first time and typing in my serial number, one is treated to the Oscillators panel displaying a standard saw wave display. It doesn't take long to find what you needed to do to start creating new sounds, and navigation is straightforward and relatively simple. Massive users will feel at home after a few minutes of looking around, and the labels are clear enough to guide you (or at least get you poking around). Every possible modification is laid before you, and it's quick work to create new sounds that work right off the bat - not that you'd need to, as the built-in presets are also fantastic. [Steve Duda](https://equipboard.com/pros/steve-duda) knows his audience well, so all manner of growling basses, swelling pads, and chirpy leads are included out of the box. This is to say nothing of the LFO control, which gives users full control over the shape of each oscillation. Instead of working with pre-designed waves, a "performer", or a step modifier, Duda has handed every Serum user keys to a compact version of [LFO Tool](https://equipboard.com/items/xfer-lfo-tool-plugin), with the ability to create whatever kind of shape we want with which to modulate our sounds. This is a huge timesaver for those who prefer to work in-synth instead of automating the paramters in-DAW. One complaint this writer, a long-time Massive user, has regarding Serum is how it handles macro and LFO control. While Massive gives users a whopping eight macros of MIDI CC control, Serum cuts this in half and provides only four. Additionally, instead of a two-click process to assign a macro to any editable parameter, users must now drag-and-drop the familiar four-arrow icon directly onto the knob. From here adjusting each macro follows much the same process (drag up on the newfound macro icon by the knob to adjust the range, adjust the knob itself to determine the starting or center point, etc), but for macro power users and live synth performers, the shift is one of Serum's few drawbacks. Serum is a direct answer to prayer for modern producers - all the best features of what's already available, with enough power to manipulate them as needed, yet with a comfortable and intuitive layout that makes learning one's way around easy and enjoyable. It's no Massive-killer - [Massive's](https://equipboard.com/items/native-instruments-massive-synth) simplicity and superior macro handling add appeal to an already lower price tag, making it more user friendly - but it's definitely more powerful, and lends itself better to direct expressive creativity.