Subject:free/shareware synths for Acid 4.0

Posted by: mortalengines

Date:2/22/2003 1:50:56 PM

I'm going to load some free/shareware synths to work in Acid 4.0- anyone have suggestions for synths that work particularly well? any other suggestions?

Subject:RE: free/shareware synths for Acid 4.0

Reply by: nlamartina

Date:2/22/2003 2:11:18 PM

Check this list. It should give you the information you're looking for. Personally I'd recommend Crystal, Claw, Cheeze Machine, and ZR-3 to start off the freebies. There's a ton out there. It just depends on what you want. Also go here for some review of various free instruments. If you need a link for one and you can't find it anywhere, let me know and I'll help you out.

HTH,
Nick

Subject:RE: free/shareware synths for Acid 4.0

Reply by: dkistner

Date:2/22/2003 4:53:15 PM

Nick, you know Stefan Kuhn has completely removed Vivaldi, Vivaldi MX, and Ganymed from his site? This is so sad, too, because these are great VSTis; the last two are among my favorites. I just thank heaven I downloaded them all and backed them up to CD before he axed them. Maybe if enough people beg him...I know he reads the forum at kvr-vst (where you can find tons of VSTis, both cheap and free, along with reviews). Anyone who wants to know the gory details can find plenty in the kvr forums. Stefan's taken down his contact info, too, so that's just about the only way anybody can communicate with him now.

Hug a generous and brilliant freeware VSTi developer today. Let 'em know they are loved....

Subject:RE: free/shareware synths for Acid 4.0

Reply by: dkistner

Date:2/27/2003 6:45:34 PM

Just got the news that Stefan Kuhn has allowed KVR to put Ganymed and the Vivaldis back up on the site for download. He's not developing them anymore, but they handle quite nicely now. Go get 'em.

Subject:RE: free/shareware synths for Acid 4.0

Reply by: quadjacks

Date:3/4/2003 6:22:23 AM

what is all this stuff here. as U can read i am a novice to all this.
i attempted to read what the link is U provided, and what i gather is that this is sum type of plugin for making sounds. the only prob is the PDF file says to load the .dll file in the vst folder, dont have a clue. using acid 4.

Subject:RE: free/shareware synths for Acid 4.0

Reply by: Kered5

Date:3/4/2003 7:21:45 PM

quadjacks

The default folder for VST plug ins is :

C:\Program Files\VSTplugins
Create that folder and put your .dll in there.

Now...in ACID4.0 insert a new midi track and in the "track list" for that track (pull down where the tiny keyboard icon is) select "Insert Soft Synth". CLick on the "VST Preferences" button at the bottom left and you should see your new Soft Synth. Check the box by your new soft synth and click OK. You can now slect your new soft synth in the soft synth chooser.

Subject:RE: free/shareware synths for Acid 4.0

Reply by: dkistner

Date:3/4/2003 8:11:31 PM

You may have to tell Acid to refresh your VSTi plugins list before you'll see it. You do that on the Options/Preferences/VSTi tab. While you're in there, you can see that you can enable or disable plugins in your plugin folder here. Some people have literally hundreds of plugins--there's just so much candy out there, a lot of it free or dirt cheap--and it can get cluttered after a while. No doubt you'll do what I did in the beginning and download EVERYTHING. Everything is not worth downloading, though, so read the reviews on KVR and be sure it sounds like something you're ready and willing to use before you download it.

You understand, of course, that VSTis are used to play midi files. VST effects, on the other hand, can be applied to audio files. That little "i" after the VST is a really big deal, so be sure you make note of it. (I remember it by thinking "Vist-E/mid-E." But you don't pronounce VSTi as "vist-E" :))

Try some tried-and-true freebies first. Get SampleTank Free VST from IK Multimedia (Download tab), and that will give you an idea of what you can do with these VSTi plugins. It's midi channel (not program/instrument change) driven, so it'll be easier for you to break into all this that way. All you have to figure out is which instruments are in which channels in your midi files (look in Acid's List Editor), and then load appropriate instruments into the channel slots in SampleTank Free. (I can't remember, though, how many channel slots SampleTank Free has. SampleTank XL, which I saved for months to get, has 16 slots corresponding to the 16 midi channels, so I can match up all the channels to the slots. The LE version, which comes with any of the add-on sets for the not-free SampleTanks, only has four.)

Get Ganymed (which is program-change-driven) or some of the other VSTis that have a lot of presets included just to hear the presets and get a feel for how they work. Ganymed at least shows you pretty clearly what's going on under the hood...don't try to understand it yet, although if you want to, muck around with the settings and hear what happens! When you can't figure out how to play the presets you want because your midi file keeps changing back to some weird Indian preset, then learn about how to edit program changes in Acid to coincide with the presets you want to use--kind of a hassle--and then try Vivaldi MX which is going to handle more like SampleTank (channel-driven) and gives you more control but has fewer presets.

Get Crystal 2 (although it's going to blow your mind) because when you figure out all this VSTi stuff, you're going to want it for sure. Get some of the other ones that have been mentioned here. And just play around in them. What at first does not appeal to you may later, so don't be too judgmental at first.

Note: Some VSTis can play more than one instrument at a time and some can't. SampleTank can play more than one instrument at a time. Ganymed can't. You can load five different instances of Ganymed, for example, for five different instruments and rename each instance in Acid so you can keep 'em straight. I use Ganymed for the Warm Bell Bed or the Fairy Pad, mostly.

Many of these VSTis depend on sound synthesis methods to make their sounds. They are not "real sounding"--although some sound really incredibly good. I really do think that, in the hands of somebody who knows what they are doing, synthesized sounds are the instruments of the 21st century. But if the synthesized instrument thing is not for you, stick with sample-based VSTis...something that will let you import soundfonts. (Jeskola XS-1 is supposed to be one of the best-sounding samplers out there, and I own it, but I get frustrated with its interface. I deal with the soundfont issue by converting my soundfonts to SampleTank format with EXSC because I like how SampleTank drives and I can't handle too much complexity these days.)

If you do like the sound of the synthesized instruments but aren't satisfied with the presets and just can't cope with learning how to make your own, get a plugin like daAlfa2k and use its random preset generator and just play with it. Then graduate to Crystal. Crystal's a powerhouse, and the most incredible VSTi I've ever seen, but I haven't come up to the level of its knees yet. Lots of presets, though, that you can experiment with.

Be sure to consult the list of VSTis that work with Acid! Some don't.

Sorry for going on and on. Winding down after a long day....

Subject:RE: free/shareware synths for Acid 4.0

Reply by: spectre1

Date:3/5/2003 3:37:03 PM

Ditto on Crystal! Absolutely fabulous. Also check out Synth1. Those two freebies have rocked my world (truthfully I'd probably pay for either one).

Subject:RE: free/shareware synths for Acid 4.0

Reply by: quadjacks

Date:3/5/2003 5:55:58 PM

but here is the real deal. i dont have a clue as to how to even work this out. what do i do after i put the synth in acid. what do i do to play something. i dont know how to play a piano. in other words i got acid but i dont know anything about midi's or anything. um, sorry. i need a tute or somehting. am i making my own sound. um, i have created the midi track but nothing is there, where do i get the file to play. ha, got U smart guys huh. now what. still willing 2 help.

Subject:RE: free/shareware synths for Acid 4.0

Reply by: oofunk

Date:3/6/2003 5:29:00 AM

Should be fairly simple... Acid isnt very easy to set up for midi and to be honest is a real pain to work with!!

But if you have your midi keyboard connected and the VSTi Synths loaded then it should easy enough to get sound out.

OK... Start new track or load existing one... On Mixer Tab, Click Add SoftSynth, Load Synth of your choice. This should take you to the SoftSynth Plugin Properties Tab automatically.. At the top of this tab on the right there are i think 4 buttons from memory. The first one enables real time midi playing, the second lets you choose the midi control device and the other two are for deleting the synth or editing the chain i think. Just press in the real time button and choose your midi keyboard as the control device.. There you go... Play some keys and you will hear the synth!!

To record you dont need to make a midi track first... Just hit record and in the properties box select midi, choose where to save it, where to record from etc etc as normal but at the bottom of the box you can choose the midi through.... From the list select the synth you want to hear when recording. Remember that this isnt set in stone once recorded its just so you can hear something!! You can always change the instrument later on the same midi track!! Hit record and play away.

Once you stop you should see your midi track that you can then edit in the pianoo roll ie quantise and nip n tuck the notes etc. The midi track can be used now the same as any audio track but of course you can tweek it at any time!!

The only that is rubbish is the fact that it records midi to a file! This too me seems crazy as adding to an existing midi track then isnt as easy! Like in reason you just select the instrument and your away! I tend to use acod for its time stretching and simple arrangement tasks and then to output to either REX files in reason or as samples.. Works very well...

hope this helps..

Funk

Subject:RE: free/shareware synths for Acid 4.0

Reply by: SkZ

Date:3/6/2003 7:25:55 AM

>>>> free/shareware synths for Acid 4.0? <<<<<



Synth 1...... KVR