Best Service has introduced a new virtual instrument, Synth-Werk, that looks a lot like the recently announced and then ‘unannounced’ Kraftworker.
While the name may be new, it’s still pretty clear what The Model for this virtual instrument collection is….
Features:
- 1300 electronic sounds: Synthesizer Sounds, Chord Sounds, Electronic Speech Synthesizers, Choirs, Vocoders, Computer Sounds, Pad Sounds, Organic Sounds, Basses, EFX Sounds, Musical Patterns and Sequences.
- Original instruments: Orchestron, TI Language Translator: german-english-french-spanish, FX-501P Pocket Calculator, Speak & Spell, Stylophon, BG Rhythm Machine.
- DMS – Digital Modular System.
- Flexible routing of all modules und effects.
- Extreme fast Sound-Loading, average access and loading of a new instruments with all its parameters and effects in less than a second.
- Direct stepping through the soundpool.
- Analog reproduction of digital sounds.
- Solo-Mode, Legato Mode, Portamento und Samplestart shifting.
- Multi Mode Filter / Resonator.
- QuickEditPage: Green english SYNTH-WERK interface with instant access to all important parameters.
- ProEdit Page: Offers every possible parameter, FX-Rack with 46 effects, Convolution Reverb etc.
- Infinite polyphony*.
- Infinite number of modulators*.
- Infinite number of effects*.
- Extremely flexible Arpeggiator including MIDI-file player.
- Step and Modular Sequencer.
- Library size 8GB.
* depending on CPU performance
Synth-Werk is available now for US $297.86.
Woohoo! I was getting worried about it not being available at all. Thank you! 🙂
Looks pretty good. I'm just going to make sure there's enough content I'll use to warrant the price. Great concept, as just about anybody doing electronic music likes Kraftwerk or at least appreciates their vast influence.
auto acompaniment, music…………..can't people write there own music?how cheesy and unoriginal is this software/
Doppler effect do a track called I want to fuck a manikin, there will be some dummies buying this crap……
Or maybe they don't appreciate Kraftwerk…and what's the point of telling us about this Doppler track? Yes Kraftwerk parodies do exist, and are usually quite amusing.
@ midiboy
I think you have some severe issues. Seek some professional help a.s.a.p.
Music is great because it is original and ground breaking, not when it copies.
The point about the doppler track is amusing and shows people can make piss takes of kraftwerk (or copies) v skill fully,
The idea someone is going to copy kraftwerk and it's going to some how be great is rather sad. Like going to art school to copy ,Picasso, george grosz ,damian Hirst or music school to learn to copy the stones,(or Kraftwerk, or Juan Atkins) sorry but it seems a bit sad to me such software,
surely if someone gets there hands on music gear , it really isn't a big deal to think original sounding music would have more merit? I am sorry to have upset you.
A flock of budgies , what are my severe issues? I am amused by rip off software ? It isn't quite the Israel /Palestine conflict but it still is comical all this kiddy software for people who can write a note themselves and at 240 euros, is a fuckin rip off. If we look at ground break music, from Joy Division, martim hannet, Space, cabaret voltaire, Jarre, Drexciya,Grandmaster flash, Sugar Hill Gang,Georgio Moroder,daft punk,Luke Slater,juan Atkins,Underground Resistance,Massive Attak, Benn Watts, throbbing gristle, human league,phuture, etc etc they did there own thing, thankfully!!! Is this to difficult a point to make?
Lighten up bro. Is fun a difficult point to make? You're the one turning this into a conflict. Also a couple of your examples are flawed as well. Grandmaster Flash ascended to prominence for a few things, one of which is "Adventures on the Wheels Of Steel", which is nothing more than him mixing other records. By your logic in your statements you shouldn't even be bigging up someone like Flash. Any live music on a Flash record was played by Keith LeBlanc and the Sugar Hill Band, as you seem obviously aware of. So how does Flash fit into your major beef of people not writing or playing their own notes?
I love most everyone on that list, and fully respect them all, you obviously have very good taste. But I don't see the point of your exacerbation.
Is it so crazy to think that through sampling, chopping and re-arranging people will use this product to create original sounding material with a nod to Electro's foundations?
And even if people just use it to create their own take on Kraftwerk's sound these tracks will probably never leave their home setups, but they will have a great time, what's wrong with that?
I don't think anyone here is upset except you.
The real original stuff is unlistenable to most people. All popular music takes cue from earlier concepts… The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Mozart, Aphex Twin, etc… none of them were 100% "original" and yet they are considered great (to me, at least…)
This instrument looks like it will be really useful to someone who isn't rich, and is a kindred spirit with and vibes to Kraftwerk's sound… How is that not musical?
$297.86!?!? Pass
…i think The Synth-Werk software offers a lot of very cool sounds to play on a keyboard, not original or copied Kraftwerk Music…..and everybody decides for himself what keys to press or melodies to play with it.
This is the same to damn somebody to make music with a guitar or piano or to buy a yellow colored car, because other musicians have done before….what problems do you have…midiboy ?????
People who like these sounds and the possibilities this software offers should buy it…others don't have to….and i am sure many people (me too) have tried before to program sounds sounding like this software and now they get an easier way to achieve this …"es wird immer weitergehen, Musik als Träger von Ideen" 😉
hey mate I'm not exacerbated. The amount of crap software and shit samples amuses me, it cracks me up. (the shit for the Ipad imparticularly)
I though I would check back in and see the response.Good on any music making but 250
euros and its based on a bands sound. I am sorry but I can't relate to that . Money could be better spent? Fun in music I'm all for . For those of us who have been into it for years are we not entitled to express opinions on whats going on in the market place? I have had synths since just before midi, I have taught music tech,had records out etc I am going to judge products and offer opinions and be critical. Some people shell out a lot of money for gear and then realise they have been ripped off .
Why not 298.76, why 297.86?
Seriously, I can get a lot of software for that.
Well your reply here is far less trollish than your original post, had you adopted this more even keeled tone I doubt myself or Flock of Budgies would have even said a word. For the record I agree this is too expensive. But you were still off base in trying to use Grandmaster Flash and Sugar Hill's house band's interpolations trying to support an argument about being a real player crafting original notes and melodies, it's just patently ridiculous. You brought up life history; I've been involved in hip hop since 1981 so I know how those records were made,
I have no ill will toward you and respect that high standards in music are very important to you and inform your opinions, as you are correct in stating that has fallen by the wayside too much and for too long.
When the boys from Germany produced songs like "Autobahn" or "The Model" in the 70s or 80s, the simpliest and cheapest synthesizer was 10 times more expensively than every synthesizer software nowadays. I downloaded the demo from bestservice, very cool sounds and a nice interface. Has anybody already bought the complete product? Tell us more….
I downloaded it yesterday from their site – after waiting some hours (info shows 5,3 GB but it was 8,3 GB) and a pretty intricate installation process i got it working – now i also understand the difference between the blue and green surface 😉 It's the same as for the KW records/CDs, they always released a german and an english version, in Synth-Werk you also can choose between "german" or "english" sounds – if german you get the blue surface with german lettering on buttons and sliders – if you choose english sounds – everything is green and english.
The sounds are divided in about 10 sound-groups like "chords" (or Akkordklang in german) "synthesizer" "basses" "computersounds" "drums and rhythm" "pads" "organic" "effectsounds" "originals" (includes different patches from Orchestron, Texas Instruments language translator in german-english-spanish-france, BeeGees RhythmMachine, Stylophone and other instruments originally used by KW) than numbered from 001 to ??? — very tidy, no phantasy names like "klangkling" or "robotic"…..
Then i began stepping through the soundpool and playing around with the presets, they promise 1300 multisampled instruments plus 1500 drumsounds, i didn't count them, but there is an endless amount available 😉
What i have heard so far is really gorgeous und imposing, i couldn't make out from which synthesizers the sounds do come from or how the samples were programmed – and i truly have heard a lot of synthesizers before, i only can say about every sound is a "touch", "feel" or "flair" from the pioneers from Dusseldorf…the youtube demos actually don't promise too much 🙂
The sounds have pressure, are very lively and not too static and about every 5th preset uses the built in step-sequencer, midifiles or arpeggiator and plays very nice pre-programmed "little melodies" or sequences. The free demo gives only a minimal insight, there is much more offered with the complete product.
The user interface is easy to use when you have experience with synthesizers, haven't tried out the ProEdit Page yet, this looks pretty complicated, but the presets are programmed very well and everything is synced to bpm or midi, there was no need to change anything. On my Macbook Pro the standalone and also the AU in LogicPro worked fine with less CPU usage.
After hours of playing i was really blown away – at 5 in the morning i felt like a robot, but my battery was empty 😉 – a fantastic unique product for me – i will post more infos when i've created my first songs with it – Enjoy!
Thanks so much for sharing your initial impressions.
SYNTH-WERK does not offer any music. It just offers a lot of great synth sounds in a certain style like any other (hardware) synthesizer did in the past 40 years as far as I remember. And arpeggiators and step sequencers have always been part of many keyboards.
If you don´t like the sounds, don´t use it. If you like the sounds – make YOUR music!
PS: I guess you have never downloaded the free demo version 😉
Greatest Synth i have ever heard !!!