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Virtual instruments and synth sound design at Tonstudio Leipzig for sonic worlds of your own.
Your own synth sound. Virtual instruments at Tonstudio Leipzig.
Factory presets sound good, but familiar too, plenty of others use them. If you want to stand out sonically, you need sounds that are only yours. I build virtual instruments, custom synth patches and sound banks with the u-he family, Native Instruments Komplete and my Komplete Kontrol S61 N.
The u-he family
Diva, Hive 2, the complete Zebra package
NI Komplete 13
Massive, Reaktor, FM8, Absynth, Battery
Komplete Kontrol S61 N
my own hardware on site at the studio
over 220 licences
for effect and mixing presets as well
Factory presets sound like everyone else. whether it is u-he Diva, NI Komplete or a hardware synth.
The synth market is flooded with ready made sound banks. Often well programmed, but every other producer has them too: a popular Diva bank sounds like the pad standard of many pop productions. If you want to stand out sonically, you need sounds nobody else has. Programming your own synth sounds is the answer.
Synth sound design is a service in its own right, clearly separate from sampling real instruments. It is about new sonic worlds built from synthesis, filters, envelopes and modulation. My setup: the u-he family (Diva, Hive 2, Zebra 2, Dark Zebra HZ, Zebralette), Native Instruments Komplete 13, Kontakt 6 with KSP scripting for hybrid instruments, and the Komplete Kontrol S61 N as the playable control centre. Complete inventory: equipment page.
Three routes to choose from: a synth patch collection as a start, a custom sound bank as the most popular option, or a hybrid instrument or a sound bank to sell. Bringing your own hardware is possible by arrangement, and so are effect and mixing presets. Want to digitise an acoustic instrument instead, that is the separate sampling and sound libraries service.
Six setups where custom synth programming at the studio is regularly asked for.
Synth sound design projects come in different shapes, from a single cinematic pad in u-he Dark Zebra HZ to a commercial sound bank release. Here are six situations that come up regularly.
A u-he specialist
Custom patches in Diva, Hive 2 and the Zebra family
The complete u-he family is available at the studio. Diva as a faithfully analogue professional synth for vintage sounds with real warmth, ideal for synthwave or warm pop patches. Hive 2 as a modern polysynth for contemporary pop and electronic productions. Zebra 2 as the legendary modular synth with a wavetable engine for experimental sound design. Dark Zebra HZ as the Hans Zimmer edition with cinematic modulation, the tool behind Inception and Interstellar. Zebralette as a wavetable playground for simple, effective sounds.
NI Komplete 13
Sound banks for Massive, Reaktor, FM8 and Absynth
Native Instruments Komplete 13 is available at the studio with all its engines. Main areas: Massive and Massive X for bass, lead and experimental sounds, Reaktor for individually built synth architectures, FM8 for FM synthesis with a classic DX7 character, Absynth for evolving cinematic pads, Battery for drum programming, Monark as a Minimoog emulation for classic analogue leads, Razor for additive synthesis. Form, Rounds, Kontour and Prism round it out as specialist synths for experimental work.
Komplete Kontrol S61 N
Genuinely analogue playable setups right at the studio
The Komplete Kontrol S61 N is available right at the studio as a genuine analogue synth, a sonic character software can only approximate. Patches are programmed on the instrument, stored in the internal memory or exported as a SysEx file. Where you want it, they can then be sampled and made usable as a sample library, the bridge to the sampling service. Sensible for genuine analogue character in production, film scoring or warm synth layers.
Bring your own hardware
On site programming of your own analogue hardware
Have a hardware synth of your own but want someone else to programme it? Just bring it to the studio: a Moog Subsequent or Matriarch, a Roland Juno or Jupiter, a Korg Minilogue or Prologue, Sequential, Behringer, Arturia, or any other analogue or digital hardware synth. You describe the sound you have in mind, I programme on the instrument, you listen along and give feedback. Patches are stored in the hardware memory or exported as a SysEx backup; with digitally connectable synths, a remote workflow is possible too.
A hybrid in Kontakt 6
Complex multi engine instruments with KSP scripting
Kontakt 6 is the hybrid platform for instruments that need more than pure synthesis: custom GUI elements, performance logic, velocity crossfades, round robin scripts, programmed with KSP. That combines several layers of synthesis with sample material, say from an earlier sampling project or the studio's own piano, over 100 years old, whose quiet attack samples sit under a synthetic pad sound. Sensible for elaborate performance tools, commercial Kontakt banks or a hybrid logic of your own.
Selling a sound bank
Offering your own sound bank commercially as an indie producer
You want to sell sound banks of your own to other producers, say through Splice, Loopcloud, ADSR Sounds, Bandcamp or your own website, a growing indie market. The workflow: developing the concept together (platform, market gap, genre conventions), programming within a consistent sonic concept, cover design through the CD and vinyl cover production service, demo track production, writing the description and platform recommendations. Complete preparation for release is part of the sound bank to sell package.
Three packages
Three packages from a patch collection to a complete sound bank to sell.
Three routes depending on scope and goal, from 350 euros, each costed individually. For a patch collection a short enquiry is enough, for a custom sound bank or hybrid instrument the paid initial consultation is worth it.
A synth patch collection
10 to 30 individual patches for your workflow
The way into custom synth programming: 10 to 30 individually programmed patches on a platform of your choice, from u-he Diva through the Zebra family and NI Komplete 13 to Kontakt 6 or the Komplete Kontrol S61 N. Tailored to your style or your next project, say a synthwave, trap bass or cinematic pad collection. A short email or WhatsApp enquiry is enough: platform, style and, if you have them, 1 to 3 reference tracks.
A custom sound bank
50 to 100 patches within a consistent sonic concept
The most popular option: a complete sound bank with 50 to 100 patches within a consistent sonic concept for one platform, like a curated factory bank with a sonic character entirely your own. Typical balance: 30 per cent pads, 25 per cent leads, 20 per cent bass, 15 per cent plucks/sequences, 10 per cent FX, all from the same sonic universe instead of sitting side by side at random. Examples: a cinematic bank for Dark Zebra HZ, a vintage analogue bank for Diva, a modern pop bank for Massive X. The paid initial consultation is worth it for developing the concept together.
A hybrid / a sound bank to sell
A complex performance tool or a sellable bank
Two directions within the same premium package. A hybrid instrument: a complex performance tool with several layers of synthesis and, where applicable, sample components, in Kontakt 6 with KSP scripting or in Reaktor with an individual architecture. A sound bank to sell: complete preparation for release with cover design (the CD and vinyl cover production service), demo tracks, a description with technical specs, platform recommendations for Splice, Loopcloud, ADSR Sounds or your own website, and advice on licence terms. The paid initial consultation is essential here, because the complexity has to be developed together.
Effect and mixing presets as a complement
At the studio there is an inventory of 172 plugins with more than 220 active licences, including an extensive arsenal of effect plugins. Tailored presets can be built from it: reverb templates (u-he ZRev and others), compressor chains for drums, bass or vocals, EQ templates, complete vocal chain presets, mastering chain templates, and saturation chains with u-he Zebrify. Combinable with a sound bank or as a small package in its own right.
Delivery for several synth platforms at once
If you use several synth platforms in parallel (say u-he Diva and NI Massive X), the same patch idea can be realised on both. Sensible for producers with a broad platform setup, or for sound banks that want to offer sales in several formats.
Demo track production with the finished sound bank
With sound bank releases, demo tracks (30 seconds to 2 minutes) show potential buyers how the patches sound in a musical context. Where needed, including mixing and mastering for a professional sonic impression.
Two factors that set this synth programming apart from factory presets and quick patch tweaking.
Quickly modifying a factory preset is possible, but it rarely leads to a sonic identity of your own. These two factors make the difference in professional custom sound design.
A u-he specialisation with the complete Zebra family
While many providers specialise in a single synthesizer, this studio is specialised in the complete u-he family, from Diva to Dark Zebra HZ, the synth Hans Zimmer scored Inception, Interstellar and Dune with. That depth within a single brand makes real sonic differentiation possible within the u-he universe, matched to whatever character a project needs.
Real hardware of my own on site instead of only software emulations
Other providers often work purely in the software world: analogue emulations come close but do not reach the last per cent of character. At the studio the Komplete Kontrol S61 N is available directly as a genuine hardware classic, with analogue quirks such as a slight drift in pitch, organic filter resonances and characteristic distortion that software can only approximate. If you bring your own hardware (Moog, Roland, Korg, Sequential, Behringer, Arturia), we programme on the instrument together on site, listening and iterating directly.
This u-he specialisation and the real hardware on site make the difference between an average patch collection and a professional sound bank at commercial level.
What stays
What comes out of a sound bank of your own, beyond the finished patches.
A sound bank of your own does not only change your setup, it changes your artistic identity, your live advantage and sometimes your leverage in the market as an indie producer. Six stages of how that unfolds.
01 The first time you call them up
You play your own patches in your DAW
You hear sounds you wanted for the first time, not factory presets, and the synth turns from a generic tool into a personal instrument.
02 In your tracks
Your productions get a synth fingerprint of their own
Your tracks develop an audible sonic fingerprint over time, while other producers keep using standard presets.
03 An advantage in live performance
At live shows you sound like yourself
With performance patches of your own you go on stage with a sound that makes you recognisable, instead of everyone else's factory presets.
04 When you sell a sound bank
Passive income from a sound bank of your own
A published sound bank is produced once and sold again and again, with the potential for passive second income.
05 In a composing career
Film composers with a sonic world of their own
A sonic world of your own becomes recognisable to clients and a selling point when chasing new commissions.
06 Over time
Your patch collection grows into an artistic library
With every project your patch collection grows into an artistic library that, unlike short lived sound trends, still works in years to come.
Preparation & setup
Six points that make your synth sound design project better.
Good preparation makes the difference between an efficient sound design process and chaotic rounds of correction. Six points to settle before your enquiry.
1
The platform
Which engine should the programming happen in?
The studio focuses: the u-he family, Native Instruments Komplete 13, Kontakt 6 with KSP scripting, the Komplete Kontrol S61 N as hardware, plus your own hardware you can bring. For platforms outside this list, simply ask if you bring the software. Complete inventory: equipment page.
2
The purpose
The studio, live use or sale?
The intended use affects the conception: for studio use, tighter patch collections; for live use, performance needs matter (multi layering, quick programme changes, controller mapping); for a commercial release, consistency plus preparation for sale; for film scoring, cinematic conventions with Dark Zebra HZ or Absynth preferred.
3
The sonic concept
Which mood, which genre?
Describe the mood you want (warm, cold, aggressive, organic, vintage, cinematic ...), the genre (pop, hip-hop, EDM, synthwave, cinematic, ambient ...) and the main categories (pads, leads, basses, plucks, FX). These descriptions get translated into specific synthesis decisions.
4
Reference sounds
1 to 3 reference tracks or patches
Name 1 to 3 existing tracks or sound banks that go in the direction you have in mind. For cinematic work, composer references help too (Hans Zimmer, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Trent Reznor, Jóhann Jóhannsson), for synthwave say The Midnight, FM-84, Carpenter Brut.
5
Do you have hybrid material?
Do you have samples of your own, or are you bringing hardware?
Samples of your own from an earlier sampling project (say your piano digitised) can serve as layer material in Kontakt 6. You can also bring your own hardware synths, then I programme on the instrument together with you on site.
6
The schedule
When do you need the finished patches?
A synth patch collection 2 to 4 weeks, a custom sound bank 6 to 12 weeks, a hybrid instrument 8 to 16 weeks, a sound bank to sell 3 to 6 months. On site hardware sessions are shorter (1 to 2 studio days). For time critical plans, such as an album release or a film delivery, ask early.
How a session runs
How your synth sound design project works actually goes.
Four structured steps from the first enquiry to the finished patch collection or sound bank.
01
An enquiry with a synth concept
A short email or WhatsApp message with: the platform you want, the purpose (production, live use, sale, cinematic work), the sonic concept and genre, 1 to 3 reference tracks, any hybrid material or hardware you're bringing, and the delivery date you want. For a patch collection a simple enquiry is enough, for a custom sound bank and a hybrid instrument to sell I invite you to a paid initial consultation.
02
Developing the concept & sound sketches
With a custom sound bank and a hybrid instrument: the concept is developed together in the initial consultation, settling the sonic universe and patch balance, taking genre conventions into account. Where useful, first sound sketches with 3 to 5 example patches to adjust direction before the whole bank is programmed. With hybrid instruments there are also decisions about the synthesis engine, sample layers and KSP scripting logic.
03
Programming & sound design
The sound design phase itself: software programming usually remote on the studio computer, hardware programming (S61 N or hardware you bring) on site at the studio. With a custom sound bank, particular attention goes to consistency across all 50 to 100 patches, checked in different registers and dynamics. With hybrid instruments there follows a KSP scripting phase. Optional listening sessions along the way.
04
Handover, testing & documentation
Delivery in the native format of the platform: h2p for u-he, nmsv for NI Massive, an nki container for Kontakt 6, a SysEx file for the Komplete Kontrol S61 N. Testing in your own setup, with corrections where needed. With a sound bank to sell, also the cover, demo tracks and description. Delivery through a secure cloud link with PDF documentation, a patch list and recommendations for use.
The studio & remote work
Synth sound design at Tonstudio Leipzig. or remotely through cloud exchange.
Six points about workflow and delivery. Software synths often run entirely remote, while hardware synths and hybrid instruments make on site phases worthwhile.
The studio address
Bernhard-Göring-Straße 17 in 04107 Leipzig
My studio is at Bernhard-Göring-Straße 17 in 04107 Leipzig, in Zentrum-Süd. Listening sessions, initial consultations and on site programming happen here. Parking in the courtyard, low barrier access. Complete inventory: equipment page.
Remote workflow
Software synth patches entirely through cloud exchange
With software synth projects (u-he, NI Komplete 13, Kontakt 6) remote is often entirely sufficient: initial consultation by video call, patches programmed on the studio computer and handed over through a secure cloud link. With hardware you bring, an on site session is necessary.
The Komplete Kontrol S61 N on site
Genuinely analogue playable setups right at the studio
The Komplete Kontrol S61 N is available as the studio's own hardware for genuine analogue patches, programmed on the instrument and stored in the internal memory or as a SysEx file. Bridge to the sampling service, should the patches be sampled afterwards.
Realistic schedules
A patch collection 2 to 4 weeks, a sound bank to sell 3 to 6 months
From a few weeks for a patch collection to several months for a sound bank to sell, broken down in more detail in the preparation section above.
Travelling to Leipzig
With hardware programming from further away
From Berlin, Dresden or Erfurt (1.5h each), Halle (40min) or Hannover (3h), a day trip is easy, and several sessions can be bundled into one weekend. Purely software based projects often run entirely remote, so a trip to Leipzig is not required.
First consultation
A paid initial consultation for a sound bank and a hybrid instrument
With a custom sound bank and a hybrid instrument, the paid initial consultation is worth it, at the studio or by video call: sonic concept, patch balance, platform choice and, with commercial plans, the sales strategy. For a patch collection, usually a short enquiry is enough.
Frequent questions
Questions about building virtual instruments at Tonstudio Leipzig.
The most important answers before your enquiry. For short questions you can reach me by email or WhatsApp. For a custom sound bank and a hybrid instrument there is the paid initial consultation in the studio shop.
The u-he family:
• Diva. faithfully analogue, a vintage specialist
• Hive 2. a modern polysynth
• Zebra 2, Dark Zebra HZ, Zebralette
• Zebrify & ZRev (effects)
NI Komplete 13: Massive, Reaktor, FM8, Absynth, Battery, Monark, Razor.
Kontakt 6 with KSP scripting.
my own hardware: the Komplete Kontrol S61 N at the studio.
Both create playable instruments, but in completely different ways.
Sampling: recording an acoustic instrument and mapping it into a sampler.
Virtual instruments: programming a sound from the ground up in a synthesizer.
Want to digitise an acoustic instrument? More about it here: the sampling page
1. A synth patch collection: 10 to 30 patches.
2. A custom sound bank: 50 to 100 patches within a consistent concept.
3. A hybrid instrument / a sound bank to sell.
All packages on enquiry, not standardised in the shop.
Genuine analogue sound right at the studio.
• A slight drift in pitch for a lively character
• Warm filter resonances
• Characteristic distortion
Patches stored permanently in the hardware memory or as a SysEx backup.
The bridge to the sampling page: synth patches can be sampled.
Yes, that is a central part of the offer.
It works with:
• Moog Subsequent, Matriarch
• Roland Juno, Jupiter
• Korg Minilogue, Prologue
• Sequential, Behringer, Arturia, your own hardware
Programming it together on site on the instrument.
Main areas:
• Massive / Massive X. bass, lead, experimental
• Reaktor. individual synth architecture
• FM8. FM synthesis, DX7 character
• Absynth. pads & cinematic
• Battery. drum programming
• Monark. Minimoog emulation
• Razor. additive synthesis
A coherent collection of 50 to 100 patches.
Consistent: a shared sonic universe.
A typical balance:
• 30% pads
• 25% leads
• 20% bass
• 15% pluck/sequence
• 10% FX
Yes, available as a complement.
The studio: 172 plugins with more than 220 licences.
Possible:
• reverb templates (u-he ZRev and others)
• compressor chains
• vocal chain presets
• mastering chain templates
• saturation (u-he Zebrify)
Yes, a speciality in its own right.
Studio controllers for test sessions:
• Komplete Kontrol S61 N
• the feel of a keyboard
• sound control
• virtual instruments
Platforms: Mainstage, Cantabile, Gig Performer.
Yes, it is a main area of use.
u-he Dark Zebra HZ = the Hans Zimmer edition!
(Inception, Interstellar, Dune)
In addition:
• u-he Diva. analogue and organic
• NI Absynth. complex pads
• NI Reaktor. individual sound design
• Komplete Kontrol S61 N. a vintage layer
It depends heavily on the scope:
• A patch collection: 2 to 4 weeks
• A custom sound bank: 6 to 12 weeks
• A hybrid instrument: 8 to 16 weeks
• A sound bank to sell: 3 to 6 months
• Hardware programming on site: 1 to 2 studio days
This page is written for private artists and indie producers.
For sound design studios, software makers, sample pack labels, game studios, advertising agencies: separate business site at unternehmen.leipzig-tonstudio.de.
Related services
What goes well with synth sound design with a vocal recording.
Synth sound design is often part of a larger musical workflow. Here are six related services that are regularly combined with it.
Let me talk about your synth sound design project.
I offer synth sound design projects individually, not standardised in the shop. For a synth patch collection a short email or WhatsApp enquiry is enough, with your platform, style and, if you have them, 1 to 3 reference tracks; for a custom sound bank or hybrid instrument, the paid initial consultation at the studio or by video call is worth it. Effect and mixing presets and hardware programming can simply be asked for along with it.
