Old Synapse native synths as a VST package?

[Boreal Music]

Nowadays when Orion is driven down, I wonder if the good old Synapse native synths could be available as a VST package. Why not? I would hate to abandon those fine tools (if I had to find a permanent compensatory DAW).
I mean XR-909 (I still like it), Monobass, Screamer, Tomcat, Ultran, Wasp (!!), WaveFusion!!, even old PluckedXT.

Especially Synapse audio sampler and its marvellous multisample guitars.
If I remember right, somebody mentioned here, that Synapse sampler is licensed to another firm. Is this true? I really would like to have it as a VST. It is the best sampler there is.

[Teksonik]

I'm more interested in new synths from Synapse. The time it would take to strip those old synths out and make them all 64 bit VSTi's would be better spent on something new in my opinion.

[Boreal Music]

Hmm, maybe so. But simplicity and effectiveness are the features which still fascinates me in those little monsters. It would be so sad and such a waste to abandon those synths for good.
Anyways the Synapse Sampler is The Sampler which I really would like to keep.

[Teksonik]

simplicity and effectiveness are the features which still fascinates me in those little monsters.

I'm more concerned about the sound and all those old synths sound.....outdated to me. Wasp might be the exception but with DUNE 2, I've never looked back at the Wasp.

The Orion Sampler is not.....a sampler. It's a sample playback device. It's all about the sample content and with Kontakt 5, Sampletank 3, and Xpand!2 here I'm afraid the Orion Sampler content is a bit dated as well. I can't even remember what formats it loads. Soundfont ? Old Kurzweil files ? I don't remember it loading .sfz files.

[HYPNAGOGIA]

...all those old synths sound.....outdated to me.

To each their own. I prefer simpler synths - the simpler, the better

Well, not ALL synths, of course, but Orion's stuff is great to me. To this day I'm still using Monobass

[Tux]

The XR909 which the OP mentions died with Orion 8.0 anyway. The pro 9 is far better imho (but who needs another 909 clone be it hardware or software?)

[ThehakkeMadman]

Maybe ReWire is an option? Afaik Slavemode works for Orion 7.62 but I never tried it out...

[Kriminal]

The XR909 which the OP mentions died with Orion 8.0 anyway. The pro 9 is far better imho (but who needs another 909 clone be it hardware or software?)

No it didnt, its just hidden, likr a few other synths and fx. They are all still usable

[Teksonik]

...all those old synths sound.....outdated to me.

To each their own. I prefer simpler synths - the simpler, the better

Well, not ALL synths, of course, but Orion's stuff is great to me. To this day I'm still using Monobass

Well again to me in this case it's not about simplicity or complexity it's about sound. Take your example of Monobass. I use Image-Line's Transistor Bass which was closely modeled after a real TB303. I don't really care if it sounds like a real TB303 but to me it sounds miles better than Monobass and has added features like distortion modeled after a ProCo Rat which is supposed to be a favorite of those who use the hardware 303, Reverb, Delay, Built in Sequencer. So in a way that does lend itself to simplicity since the effects are built into the patch and you can trigger internal patterns from the Piano Roll.

The same goes for all the Orion synths. The way technology has moved over the years the fact that they haven't been updated in quite some time has all but guaranteed their obsolescence. Wasp has been replaced by DUNE, Ultran sounded great in it's day but something like Wusikstation just kills it now and so on. There is nothing wrong with Orion synths they just sound dated compared to the alternatives available today.

So to get back to my original point, rather than Synapse spending it's time on creating VSTi versions of the Orion synths I'd rather they spend that time on something new. Of course I don't know how much work it would be to convert each Orion synth to VSTi. Perhaps only a few lines of code, perhaps a major rewrite and of course they would have to be in 32 and 64 bit versions to garner any attention. I don't know if the package would sell or not making it worth the effort. Again who knows, it could sell well or not at all.

[ThehakkeMadman]

I can understand that people don't want to change things they have been familiar with for a long time. For myself, I have that problem too. But I have to be honest: I am not using another DAW because... I don't make music anymore. My last FINISHED song is 3 years old. But hey, I don't give up the hope. I've been making my own tracks since I was 12 or 13 (20 years ago, WOW!), my neighbour and friend was even my "music pal", we shared Music Maker 3.0 and made tracks together. Then he moved to another city and since then, I've been producing alone. And that's the problem: I made everything I wanted. Now I have that strong feeling that I'm at a dead end, not be able to develop my productions any further. I live in a small town with other small towns surrounding, so naturally there have always been little chance to get acquainted with other producers
So I tried many things to change that. Like getting rid of outdated VSTs (except Korg Legacy Polysix. There's a better sounding updated version but sadly only in Reaper and the hardware Polysix has gone too expensive). Or trying other music styles.

Beside the VST folder I have another folder, called "old VST". Whenever I want to hear my old tracks again, I can use it. But which VSTs do I really need or respectively really use? 2 percent?

btw having many old VSTs could slow down modern DAWs!

PS: WASP is still a great softsynth!

[HYPNAGOGIA]

Well again to me in this case it's not about simplicity or complexity it's about sound. Take your example of Monobass. I use Image-Line's Transistor Bass which was closely modeled after a real TB303. I don't really care if it sounds like a real TB303 but to me it sounds miles better than Monobass and has added features like distortion modeled after a ProCo Rat which is supposed to be a favorite of those who use the hardware 303, Reverb, Delay, Built in Sequencer. So in a way that does lend itself to simplicity since the effects are built into the patch and you can trigger internal patterns from the Piano Roll.

The same goes for all the Orion synths. The way technology has moved over the years the fact that they haven't been updated in quite some time has all but guaranteed their obsolescence. Wasp has been replaced by DUNE, Ultran sounded great in it's day but something like Wusikstation just kills it now and so on. There is nothing wrong with Orion synths they just sound dated compared to the alternatives available today.

I always hated those integrated sequencers on modeled TB synths. Venom VB-303 was supposed to be a faithful recreation of TB-303, but then dev locked midi input from piano roll with a code you had to enter every time a synth loads, which also failed like 75% of the time. Couldn't even raise the concern about that, the KVR mob would call you ungrateful moron right away for "not appreciating the good free synth" As good as it may sound, I'm not using it simply for that reason. But I digress. Some people appreciate sequencer being there. I find it distracting, and I'd choose not to use a synth if something is distracting me.

See, reading more about IL Transistor Bass, I'm thinking that Monobass actually has an advantage there. Aside from visually being simpler (not too many controls to look at), you can also choose your own effects. Sure, you'll say that you can do that with IL TB, but to me, MB still has simplicity in its favor - and the looks!

I too am not concerned with authenticity, as long as I can make some decent acid likes on a synth. Most of the time when I want it to remotely resemble 303 with that squelchy sound, I actually use TBstrip synth. I'm sure that many synth sound better than that, so you'd probably call it "dated" as well.

And what the heck does it even mean to be "dated" anyway? TB-303 is 35 years old, yet people still trying to recreate it to this day. Sounding old or retro? Can't really see anything wrong with that, if you're into it. Obsolete? Developers discover new and efficient techniques to program synths, but whether or not that new sounds better is a matter of opinion.

I have DUNE2 that I barely include into my projects. For sure I wouldn't use it for a simple TB line no matter how not-dated (modern?) it sounds. It's a distraction for me when you have a behemoth with a gazillion controls in front of you and you just want to do simple things. I'm in no way near the proficiency with it required to make my own patches, so I flip through patches and if I find something interesting, I'll invest time to edit it to my needs. But do I have to use it because it's not "dated"? If I have to do the simple acid line, honestly, I'd rather use Monobass than Dune.

Here's the bottom line. We live in times where we have options. You can use something or you don't have to. But sometimes you just get used to something that no alternative is good enough. I personally don't know about anything as functional as DrumRack. I love how Monobass, Screamer and Wasp sound and operate. I think Plucked Strings is interesting. I like Sampler's controls coupled with its slicing abilities and auto-slicing of REX files (don't know if other samplers have the same or not). So, if I ever move from Orion, I think I'd really miss those... as dated as they might be. I think I could live without Ultran and Wavefusion as I've used them the least of all those, and there are always samples for drum synths. But that's me. You have other things you value more. And we can debate on this to no end, and we'd probably disagree on many stuff. In the end, like I already said, to each their own.

[Teksonik]

See, reading more about IL Transistor Bass, I'm thinking that Monobass actually has an advantage there. Aside from visually being simpler (not too many controls to look at), you can also choose your own effects. Sure, you'll say that you can do that with IL TB, but to me, MB still has simplicity in its favor - and the looks!.

See that's the problem with being locked into the past and not exploring what the present has to offer. You can reduce Image-Line's TB right down to the same simplicity as Mono Bass as there are four different views available in Transistor Bass.



You don't have to use the additional features but they there are there if you want them. Those are Options not Requirements. You can drive the TB with the the Piano Roll just like you can with MonoBass and not use it's onboard Sequencer. But again my point remains...TB sounds better to me than Monobass. Mono Bass is not bad it just doesn't sound as good as TB...in my opinion.

And what the heck does it even mean to be "dated" anyway?

It means something has come along that sounds better.

TB-303 is 35 years old, yet people still trying to recreate it to this day. Sounding old or retro? Can't really see anything wrong with that, if you're into it. Obsolete?

The subject is not the TB303 hardware but MonoBass. It's simply not the best sounding TB emulation or best sounding acid/synth bass, again in my opinion.

If I have to do the simple acid line, honestly, I'd rather use Monobass than Dune.

The comparison was between Wasp and Dune 2 not with Monobass. Dune 2 has replaced Wasp at least for me. Again you don't have to use all the features of Dune but they are there if you want them. Kind of a form of "headroom". There is room to grow unless you have no desire to grow. As for being distracted by options....I feel sorry for you, I really mean that with all due respect.

Here's the bottom line. We live in times where we have options.

That's my point. We have so many options beyond using 15+ year old synths.

I personally don't know about anything as functional as DrumRack

Again that comes from simply not exploring the options available today. FL's FPC Drum Plugin simply kills Orion's Drum Rack in terms of function and integrates with my Akai MPK 261's Drum Pads perfectly.

like I already said, to each their own.

Yes I agree with you 100% to each his own but I think we're losing sight of the original discussion. The OP wants Orion's synths extracted and made into VSTi form and I'm simply expressing my opinion that I would rather see precious development time spent on something new.....looking forward not back. Since you will only use Orion you've already got all those synths at your disposal so his request will not benefit you in the least bit. However something new from Synapse will bring you something new. You may not wish to use it or it may become more valuable to you than any of the current Orion synths. That's the great thing about progress....we never know what it will bring.