IK Multimedia Syntronik Review – A Synthesizer Workstation For Studio & Live Musicians

Sounds Sounds Sounds 

As mentioned at the beginning, the full Syntronik version comes with over 2000 presets and over 50GB of sample content. Here are the differences of the different versions

Syntronik FREE includes 50 instrument presets from the 17 different available sound libraries. You can see it as a preview where users get an insight into the different sounds.

Syntronik includes over 2000 presets from 17 different individual instrument libraries.

• 99 is a based on the Yamaha SY99 hybrid Synthesizer that combines FM synthesis and sample technology in one device. It features over 7 GB of content and comes with 155 instruments. The sounds are very authentic and shows nicely how the original instruments sounds. The library features nice FM percussive sounds, FM basses, lovely key sounds and much more. The available sounds have a modern but authentic vintage touch that allows you to used well also in modern productions.
• Blau is based on the PPG Wave 2.3 wavetable Synthesizer from the 80s. It includes over 1.5 GB of content and offers you 90 ready-to-use instrument presets. The sound quality of the presets are great but unfortunately, I’m missing here a lot the charm of the old PPG Wave Synthesizer. Especially the well-known cold but all the more beautiful sound character. Some of the presets have this iconic character but many of the instruments doesn’t sound unfortunately like the PPG synths, more like a different synth.
• Bully is a 100 preset instrument library that covers sounds of all three versions of the famous Moog Taurus Synthesizer. In my opinion is the sound quality high and includes some excellent fat analog bass sounds. Unfortunately, some of the presets are quite special and difficult to use.
• DCO-X is based on sampled sounds from the Roland JX-10, JX-8P and JX-30 analog polyphonic Synthesizers. The DCO-X is very good and is a nice sound summary of this well-known analog Synthesizers from the 80s. The presets are excellent designed here and captures nicely the sound character of these vintage instruments. They are also very authentic and are very useable in modern productions.
• Galaxy captures in 79 new designed instruments the sound of the modern analog Alesis Andromeda Synthesizer. Some of the presets are designed by Taiho Yamada, one of the chief designers of the original instruments. In my opinion is the sound quality of this library top notch. Galaxy summarise nicely the big fat sound of this iconic modern analog synths and brings them to any DAW. The included sounds are super useable and very authentic.

Sound demo of these five instrument libraries. 

• Minimod is based on several iconic Moog Synthesizers: Minimoog D, Moog Modular and Moog Voyager. The library features over 2 GB of content (5000 samples) and comes with 143 ready-to-use instruments. The sound quality of the Minimod is in my opinion excellent. The designers designed here excellent presets that shows nicely why Moog synthesizers are best known and on top they expand their sonic possibilities. Per example, they include polyphonic Minimoog patches.The presets sound excellent here as the interplay between the samples and the emulated Moog filter is perfect here. Beside this, the sounds were almost all very well to play and fit into any music production, whether pop, rock or electronics.

Syntronik Minimod Review & Sound demos 

• SAM summarises the sound palette of the iconic Oberheim SEM (Synthesizer Expander Module).  It features over 4 GB of content (4000 samples) and includes 126 ready-to-use instruments. Same as in the Minimod library, the sound quality is here on the same level, top notch. Due of the excellent interplay between the samples and the emulated state variable filter, the presets sound excellent and very authentic here. Especially the lead and bass sounds are super fat and can dominate a track. Like in the Minimod library, the team designed here great presets that covers nicely the sound of this synth but also expand it with new timbres (polyphonic, different effects…)

Syntronik SAM review & sound demos