Software Synthesizers (Excerpt): Top Music Technology Pages Return to MusicWords Home

[The material below is excerpted from Software Synthesizers, published in 2003 by Backbeat Books.]

Software synthesizers come in two basic flavors. Some are stand-alone applications, and some run as plug-ins within a host application. What's more, there are several plug-in formats, which are not mutually compatible with one another. If you're planning to run a softsynth as a plug-in, you need to check with the manufacturer before you purchase and make sure that the format used by your host app is supported. Some softsynths are available in several formats. The softsynth may be conveniently installed on your computer in all of its available formats when you run the software installer once, after which you can run the synth stand-alone or as a plug-in, whatever you need at the moment.

There are two common plug-in formats in the Windows world -- VST and DirectX (also called DXi, which is short for "DirectX instrument"). VST, which stands for "Virtual Studio Technology," is a protocol developed by a company called Steinberg. It's used in Steinberg products, but has also been made available to other manufacturers. DirectX was developed by Microsoft. A softsynth that uses VST is sometimes referred to as a VSTi (for "VST instrument"). At this writing, the current version of VST is 2.0. All of the softsynths I'm aware of that use VST are compatible with version 2.0.

If your host application (a sequencer or multitrack audio recorder) uses only DirectX, you can run VST plug-ins by purchasing and using a wrapper program. The two leading wrappers are VST-DX Adapter, from FXpansion (currently $60), and DirectiXer (currently $49). Both wrappers can make VST instruments available within a DirectX host. There's no comparable technology for instantiating a DXi (DirectX instrument) in a VST host, but since most of the good softsynths are available in VST format, this is not a major problem.

On the Macintosh side, the major plug-in formats are VST, MAS (used in Mark of the Unicorn's Digital Performer), RTAS (Real Time Audio Suite, used in Digidesign Pro Tools), and TDM (also used in Pro Tools, but requiring Digidesign hardware). Again, you can buy a wrapper program that will let a VSTi run in a MAS host. If you're a Digital Performer user, check with Mark of the Unicorn for their recommendations on wrappers.

When a synth is operating in stand-alone mode, you can use the computer pretty much the way you'd use a hardware MIDI tone module: just start the synth software and then play your MIDI keyboard. The main advantages you'll gain over using a hardware module are the size of the screen and the affordability of the synth itself. The term "affordability" is somewhat puffy, though: If you've already purchased a computer and the necessary peripheral hardware, a softsynth is indeed affordable compared to a hardware instrument with similar capabilities. But if you also factor in the cost of the computer and hardware (including a MIDI keyboard), a softsynth will cost as much as or more than its hardware counterpart. On the other hand, you only have to buy the computer once, and you can run a dozen softsynths on it -- not possible in the hardware world.

When using a softsynth, it's a good idea to quit any other software that might be running in the background, especially screensavers and Internet connections, as these can interrupt the audio output, causing dropouts. Many stand-alone softsynths have "capture to disk" modes, with which you'll be able to record your performance as a high-quality audio file. This file can later be converted to an mp3 (using a different piece of software), so you can share your ecstatic noodlings with the world on your website.

Running a softsynth within a host sequencer/recorder offers far more flexibility and musical power, so I'd recommend using plug-in mode when possible.

First, you can record your MIDI keyboard performance in a sequencer MIDI track, after which it can be edited. You can fix wrong notes, add or remove accents by adjusting the velocities of certain notes, change the timing of notes you played a little early or a little late, overdub knob sweeps, and so on. See your sequencer's manual for information on how to do all this.

Second, provided your computer is reasonably fast, you'll be able to run several different softsynths at the same time. For instance, you might lay down a drum track with Waldorf Attack, some chords with the Native Instruments FM7, and a bass line and lead line with VirSyn Tera. Since each synth has, to a greater or lesser extent, its own sound palette, your ensemble will sound richer and more satisfying than if you used the same synth for all of the parts. Also, running three stand-alone softsynths side by side is likely to be impossible. If nothing else, they'll fight over which of them gets to use the soundcard.

Third, you'll be able to process the sounds coming from your softsynths with plug-in effects. The sonic power of plug-in effects is not to be underestimated: These puppies rock. Whether you want to do some subtle tone shaping with EQ (equalization) or rip the face off the sound with a distortion effect, effects will add a lot to the timbral palette of any softsynth. Some softsynths have very capable built-in effects, but specialized effects will always take you further. Your sequencer/recorder software probably comes with its own suite of bundled effects -- but again, you can accomplish even more with specialized third-party effects. (For more on effects, see Chapter 8.)

Your sequencer may come with a few basic softsynths built in. These are handy for laying down a bass line or a chord part, and with the aid of some plug-in effects they can sound surprisingly robust, but none of the built-ins has the deep features found in third-party synths you can buy separately.