So that’s Reaktor, Massive, Massive X, Monark, Absynth 5, FM8, Super 8, TRK-01 and more, the only notable exclusions being the brilliant Razor (something of a modern classic) and Skanner XT (wild sample/synthesis morphing and manipulation), for which you’d need to step up to the much more expensive Ultimate edition.Ĭertainly, the price of Komplete 13 Standard would be very high for the synths alone, but bear in mind that you also get a ton of top notch effects, Kontakt-powered instruments (320GB of sample content), Expansions and more for your money, and it becomes clear that this is more than ‘just’ a synth bundle.Īs for the synths themselves, despite the age of certain entrants (we’re looking at you, Absynth, FM8 and Massive), these are some of the finest virtual instruments ever written, taking in a diverse array of synthesis types and styles, and showcasing NI’s trademark inventiveness and attention to detail at every turn.

The daddy of all plugin bundles, NI’s Komplete comes in four increasingly gargantuan configurations – Komplete 13 Select, Komplete 13 Standard, Komplete 13 Ultimate, and Komplete 13 Ultimate Collector’s Edition – of which Standard represents the best value in terms of synthesis, providing the vast majority of the company’s non-sample-based instruments. And although initial impressions of the price tag might suggest otherwise, with so many synths in the box, and every one an undeniable winner, V-Collection 8 has to be seen as a bargain. It’s not all about synths, either, as V-Collection also features a raft of excellent keyboards: acoustic and electric pianos, clavinets, organs and more.Īrturia’s analogue modelling chops ensure that every plugin in the collection sounds as near as dammit to the real thing as you could hope, and the addition of various well thought-out new features and extensions to each one (effects, modulation systems, sequencers, etc) brings them all up to modern functional standards. All the giants are here, from the Minimoog, Moog Modular, ARP2600, and Yamaha DX7 and CS-80, to the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, and Roland Juno-6 and Jupiter-8, sitting comfortably alongside less well known contraptions such as the Buchla Easel, Oberheim Matrix-12 and OB-Xa, Casio CZ-101 and CZ-1000, and EMS Synthi. The very definition of ‘comprehensive’, Arturia’s stunning library of 28 classic synths and keyboard instruments puts the history of electronic music at your fingertips in spectacular style.

Arturia ems