Soft synths vs. outboard synths in live performance

Arash · Healthy Organism Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 7

What are your views/preferences on software synthesizers vs. outboard synthesizers in live performance? I've been expending my limited energy tweaking sounds on my fully-weighted 88-key Yamaha Motif ES8 (which weighs between 1000-2000lbs., and boy are my arms tired!) but lugging it to band practices is wearing me down. I'm considering getting a light, travel keyboard and using software synths in performances and putting my energy into tweaking THOSE sounds. I figured I'd have a much larger library of sounds to choose from, but I suspect there are potentially significant pitfalls in using only software synths (such as latency issues, etc.) What are the pitfalls and how to avoid them?

Specificially for me, I am a Mac (yeah, Craig, I've chosen a side--thanks for that Ableton tip), but I'm sure others would be curious about how it would work for PC's. What softsynth programs would you recommend for live performance, other than those mentioned in another thread in this forum.

craig · Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 8:59 am Post subject:

As long as you have a good audio interface, you shouldn't have latency problems. I'm not sure how to configure your buffer and latency on a mac, but on a PC with ASIO drivers, you can set the delay down to 2 or 3ms with a good interface. I don't notice the delay until it starts hitting 10ms or so (at least when playing guitar).

As far as which synths, there are literally thousands to choose from. If you're willing to spend some money, you might look at something like Native Instruments Reaktor, which should provide more than enough versatility to match your motif's large sound bank.

Arash · Healthy Organism Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 7

Thanks for the tip, Craig. Reaktor is a good option for synthy sounds, which I love. I like its modular design, but I am no expert on any of this.

Is there another softsynth you'd recommend that is more sample-based, for orchestral and ethnic sounds?

Also, just to let you know, due to finances, I may have to come over to the dark side and get a...gulp...PC. Oh, the humanity!

craig · Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 11:20 am Post subject:

I'm sure someone has made orchestal modules for Reaktor, but you can also go the route of something like Native Instruments Kotakt with an orchestral sample library. Unfortunately, the good symphonic libraries tend to be insanely expensive, like thousands of dollars. For ethnic instruments though, there is an amazing library from Sonic Implants called Silk Road that sells for $249.

http://www.sonivoxmi.com/Produ.....CDSilkRoad