(8) Best Plugins For 2013

1. Korg Monopoly  Korg Monopoly is a great option for subtractive synthesis. I like it much better than Diva. It has better presets, more presets, better CPU economy, and doesn't give you that paranoid feeling you get when you've been synthesizing too long. Something about the filter & overall character is much more agreeable.) Go with Korg. With the Monopoly software you can crank the resonance all the way and not feel "disturbed." Korg has better effects too.



2. Cyclop This is the best bass synthesizer. It has the modern tone most people are looking for. There is a somewhat steep learning curve, with odd control labeling, but its worth using. There is not another plugin on the Mac thats quite like it. It is much better than NI Massive.



3. Heel Audio Mix Ref

This is a free Mac OS X plugin that is basically a speaker emulator. If you need to tame a sound or check an entire mix this gives you a virtual reference.



4. Amplitube 3

This classic plugin suite has so many good effects and amp simulations. Its a must have for any producer. The stomp boxes are useable, even with the rest of the chain bypassed.



5. Addictive Drums XLN

A very good interface for creating your own customized drumset. If you have no room to record drums this is your best option. The samples are very responsive. The level of control is very good.



6. Toontrack EZ Mix

If you have no idea what you are doing, and don't want to screw around with FX, this is an easy and fast solution. Its also a decent deal. Everything is labeled and it can make you more creative in record time. The level of FX control is not deep, but its not supposed to be. All the presets generally sound good. You don't need to learn a mixing tutorial with this plug.



6. Oxford Sonnox & Inflator

Great compression and mixing plugins. They make everything you run through them sound "better."



7. Izotop Ozone

I still use this for mastering when time is tight. The presets provided get you 80% of the way there, and with a little tweaking, make your mixes sound more commercial.



8. SoundToys & Filterfreak

A fun set of filters & effects that provide a wild character. Sounds Great.

9. Channel 3

This is mixer / channel emulator designed to replicate expensive consoles. Its kind of an audio exciter or EQ? It puts a nice touch on your sound. It is Free.

10. Elysia MPressor.

This is an excellent plugin for drum compression & pre-master effects. It can do the Daft Punk Homework fast attack and bring up the detail in your sounds.

11. Waves L3 Ultramaximizer. By far the best audio limiter for an extreme sound.

12. PSP Vintage Warmer Plugins Another must have for the end-chain in your mastering arsenal. This plugin inflates the stereo field and bumps bass.

Best Of The Synthy Ladies (20 Pics)

 

Bass Station II Revealed!

"The Bass Station II is a completley reworked version of the original synth and features two filters, two oscillators plus a sub-oscillator, patch save and a fully-analog effects section. Additionally, there’s a step-sequencer, arpeggiator, a two octave (25-note) velocity-sensitive keyboard with full-sized keys and a powerful modulation section."

via mi-pro

Looks like this link hasn't gone live yet, but will soon.

Nord Lead 4 Revealed By Clavia

...and a rack version will be available.



via GearJunkies

The biggest feature difference it seems to have is Wavetable synthesis, including "unique Formant Wavetables." There are also effects: Crush, Talk and Distortion, Reverb, Delay effects (available per slot).

It does seem a little bit boring. Nothing would be a  huge game changer here. The audio demos are pretty good, but on the "hard" side. That might be a good thing.

Nord Lead 4 demos by nordkeyboards

 

Most Collectible Synthesizers

Novation Nova White Special Edition



 

Novation Platinum SuperNova II 48 Voice Pro-X      (number made?) (Added Apr 16th, 2013)



 

DX7 Centennial Gold & Silver



Silver Yamaha Ex5        (non-US?)



Blackout Access Virus 15th Anniversary (only 15 made)

Waldorf XT Shadow Edition   (666 made)



Gold Moog Voyager   (5 Produced, at 15k new)



Nord Lead Ltd Edition Anniversary Model with black keys



UV Orange Future Retro Revolution





There are many limited edition Future Retro machines. Above is the 1 of 2 made silver Future Retro 777, new in box. It has a very rare hand-brushed/screenprinted front panel.

Waldorf Red Q+  (I'm assuming its rarer than the "Halloween Edition" which is on ebay a lot)



Access Virus Indigo Redback



Black Waldorf XT, only 2 made.



Waldorf Mean Green Machine



Red Alesis Andromeda   (around 200 made?)



Camo Korg X50



Many Korg Special editions are not rare..but some are cool. Moog has too many "special" color schemes to list.

And the rarest of the them all: