• Alchemy *
• Cameleon 5000 *
• CamelPhat *
• CamelSpace *

• Poizone *
• Toxic Biohazard *
• Morphine
• Sytrus

• z3ta+ *
• Rapture
• Dimension Pro

• Kinisis (Coming Soon)
• Soup
• Shape Shifter

• Reason *
• ReBirth *

• Kubik

• Synth 1*

• EVOL

• Oatmeal

• UnoFM

• FM
• Absynth
• Reaktor
• Battery

• Atmosphere (now obsolete) *
• Stylus RMX
• Trilogy

• Garritan Personal Orchestra *
• Garritan Concert and Marching Band

• Sylenth 1*

• Crystal *

• Rob Papen Albino

• Vinyl

• Moog Modular V

• Spook Keys *

• Virtual Sound Canvas *

• Zebra 2

• Wusikstation

• Gear Box

• JamStix*

• AXON AX-100
• AXON AX-50
• Roland GR-20

A NOTE ABOUT "DEMO" VERSIONS. Synth manufacturers seem to be more paranoid than Jesse Jackson at a Ku Klux Klan rally. It's understandable that demo versions would be "crippled" in some way, to prevent their general use. But most manufacturers just go too far, as if you're going to make millions of dollars creating the next platinum-selling album using their demo version, without sending them a Benjamin or two for their contribution. Demo versions are typically crippled in one or more of five ways: 1) a loud, harsh white noise that blows your speakers into dust every 30 seconds, 2) a repeated volume drop to silence at a frequency that's about 10% faster than your LFO rate, 3) a brief time restriction before the demo stops working altogether (e.g., 10 minutes of use), 4) nag screens, and/or 5) the demo includes only 10 random presets out of the 2000 presets that come with the full version--and 8 of them are pads. The Cakewalk Rapture Demo goes to silence every 12 seconds, even though most sounds take more than 12 seconds to cycle. Sylenth1 and Alchemy make the best compromise: Sylenth1 disables superfluous features and superimposes a spoken message ("Thank you for using this demo") at a reasonable volume. Alchemy gives you the full version, with very limited presets, for three weeks (You should reward Camel Audio by purchasing Alchemy for that reason alone). Let's hope that one day all soft synth developers will finally pull their heads out of their asses long enough to realize that you can't win the Kentucky Derby with a three-legged horse. In other words, you can't effectively test a synth that intentionally breaks down all the time, AND MANY PEOPLE WON'T PURCHASE A SYNTH THEY CAN'T EFFECTIVELY TEST. That is all I have to say.

A NOTE ABOUT AUTHORIZATION/COPY PROTECTION. I included the "Authorization" column above because 1) it's important to know what kind of authorization hoops you'll be forced to jump through before you install your new synth, since software can't be returned, and 2) some copy protection schemes are so offensive that we need to think twice about showing support for companies that treat paying customers like criminals. Some forms of copy protection require the use of a dongle and/or some kind of tedious online request for authorization codes. Some schemes allow you to easily re-install your synth whenever you re-install Windows, reconfigure your computer, or get a new computer, while others essentially limit you to the first installation--even if it doesn't work. Many schemes require you to authorize your synth "live", online, even though connecting your production computer to the internet is suicidal--especially if you earn your living with that production work.

The simplest and least offensive copy protection scheme is to enter a serial number/authorization code. Cakewalk seems to have found a good compromise by providing a serial number with the product, and requiring that you submit it via the web within 30 days to receive an authorization code (which doesn't require using your production computer on the web). The only problem is that Cakewalk's automated store software doesn't seem to actually work. It failed to provide me a serial number when I made an online purchase. So once again, crackers and thieves get to enjoy their software before paying customers do. And they wonder why people steal their software?

As much as I empathize with software developers, I'm not comfortable with anything more than a serial number. Why? Because hackers and crooks will get around just about any scheme developers come up with anyway, leaving only paying customers to suffer from the authorization hoops, while the hackers alone enjoy hoop-free software. The best solution to illegal copying is to purchase your software. And when you consider that soft synth developers offer demos, and they charge a fraction of what comparable hardware synths would cost, it's really inexcusable (and unconscionable) to use illegal copies of their software. So please, don't use illegal copies. Support small developers by purchasing their products, and then they'll continue to offer us innovative new products as reasonable prices. The only alternative is to let the huge, monolithic software companies offer mediocre products at unreasonable prices.

A NOTE ABOUT PURCHASING ONLINE. I recently burst a few blood vessels in my forehead trying to purchase an additive synth with resynthesis capability online, because the only companies that make decent additive synths seem to be located in Europe. I have nothing against Europeans, mind you, but when the United States is $10 trillion in debt, and part of that national debt came from defending European nations from the Soviet menace for half a century, I don't quite understand why I was being asked to pay the European Value Added Tax (VAT) when purchasing a European synth from the bowels of Minnesota. There's just something obscene about asking a U.S. citizen to pay for Europe's socialist system. So let your own conscience be your guide when you purchase these synths.

Update (May 2006): According to an email I received from Europe, European shoppers are charged a similar tax when purchasing products from the United States. However, this tit-for-tat tax does not justify the European VAT--it only means that shoppers everywhere are being asked to financially support the governments of countries they don't even live in. Or would it be a good thing if the next greatest synth comes from North Korea or China, and shoppers around the world are forced to finance those brutal regimes if they are to own that product at all? If the U.S. tax does exist for foreign shoppers, it is equally wrong, and it should be eliminated for foreign buyers.

Okay, enough people have asked me to choose my very favorite soft synths, so I've decided to do so. Your mileage may vary. Here are my favorite synths, with absolutely no explanation.

1. Reason 4 (Propellerhead)
2. Jamstix (Rayzoon Technologies)
3. Kubik (ConcreteFX)
4. Alchemy (Camel Audio)
5. Kinisis (Progress Audio) - Coming Soon!
6. Cameleon 5000 (Camel Audio)
7. Poizone (Image Line)
8. Garritan Personal Orchestra (Garritan)
9. Wusikstation (Wuzik)
10. z3ta+ (Cakewalk)
11. Soup (Progress Audio)
12. Gearbox (Line 6)
13. Toxic Biohazard (Image Line)
14. Spook Keys