One Synth Challenge #171: Apricot by nakst

Favorite KVR One Synth OSC 171 Songs

KVR OSC Personal Top Three

OSC Winners

One Synth Challenge 156 @ KVR. Sequenced using 12x instances of Synister.

DLA (Osc156 - Synister)

My entry for KVR One Synth Challenge #166.  This month it's Wave Manuel, a quirky but very flexible synth. Really surprised at the tones that came out of it.
Recorded in Reaper with 16 instances of Wave Manuell, and some free and native FX. All sounds produced with Wave Manuel.

OSC166 - Wave Manuel

One Drop Manuel

This is my submission for the OSC 171 Apricot. It was made with 27 instances in Reaper.
Transient Shaper (Kiloheartz)12
TDR Kotelnikov 1
Bass Professor 2
ReaEQ 17
OTT 1
FRANK 1
master_me 1
A1StereoControl 1
Distortion (Kiloheartz) 11
epicPLATE 11
Spaceship Delay 2
Valhalla Supermassive 6
Compressor (Kiloheartz) 2
STUF (ZEEK) 3
ReEQ Parametric Graphic Equalizer 5
A1 TriggerGate 2
SPAN 1

Not as interested this time as much in critical feedback. (Edit: oh go ahead and be critical if you like). I realize it's a bit repetitive. Simplistic bassline. Not even any drum fills. But I really like it as is. A lot. The harmonica sounded like it was saying "down the river". From there I started thinking of a river on fire that was sort of like the infinite corridor in the castlevania tv series on netflix. I might try to find a more representative picture. (Originally uploaded on 5/7/23. On 5/9/23 I went back and changed the high pass on bass and kick from 50hz down to 25 hz or so. And made drums a bit more coherent in general.)

OSC171 Down Fire River (Apricot) 30/44 68%

This is my entry for the 171st edition of KVR's One Synth Challenge - this month every sound was made using Apricot, a free synth by nakst.

There are just 10 instances of the synth this time, and it's an experiment in timekeeping. Seven out of eight people can dance to this - are you one of them?

Made using Ableton Live 11, with no third party effects. Each track has an EQ8, Utility, Saturator (in clip mode) and Compressor. No returns. The master has EQ8, Compressor, Glue Compressor, Utility.

Everything Is On The Seven - OSC 171

Final Placement: 39/42 (top 93%)
Made for KVR Audio's "One Synth Challenge" #171

This month, it was nakst's "Apricot:" a hybrid subtractive synth/sampler in CLAP and FL formats. Only one instance of Apricot was used. Other usual rules apply (no samples and no commercial effects). 

DAW:
FL Studio 21

Plugins used:
Apricot x1
(FL) Frequency Splitter x1
Cymatics Origin ("movement" and "chorus" disabled) x1
Fruity Balance x1
Fruity Parametric EQ 2 x1
LoudMax	x1
Magic Dice x1
Ozone Imager 2 x3

Art:
https://www.instagram.com/_thelowestkey/

--------------

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/NeuKatalYst
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/neu-katalyst/tracks
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/NeuKatalYst
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neukatalyst
Email: NeuKatalYst@gmail.com
Discord: Neu KatalYst#8632

Thanks for all your support!!

KVR One-Synth Challenge entries

Bath Salts (Apricot)

Neu KatalYst - 𝒷𝒶𝓉𝒽 𝓈𝒶𝓁𝓉𝓈 [KVR OSC #171: Apricot] [Vaporwave]

One Synth Challenge entry
https://sites.google.com/site/kvrosc/2023/osc-171-apricot

Equilibrium

When cleaning up I found that cute, fluffy little monster under my bed and disturbed its slumber. Boy, was it cranky, such a drama! But listen for yourself...

My submission for KVR's One Synth Challenge, using Apricot as only sound source. All patches made from init.
Screencast: https://diode.zone/w/eB7R49oKuWU2iKBzQapjpD

DAW: Zrythm 1.0.0-beta.4.9.1-1-g623246531 https://www.zrythm.org/de/index.html on Archlinux
28 instances of Apricot CLAP synth https://nakst.gitlab.io/apricot/

Used effect plugins (all free and open source):
-LSP paramatric EQ (MidSide and Stereo)
-ZaMultiCompX2
-Dragonfly Hall Reverb
-LSP Multiband Dynamic Processor
-LSP Gate
-x42-eq 
-airwindows ToTape5
-airwindows Cabs
-airwindows Galactic
-ZamCompX2 
-Calf Vintage Delay
-x-42 MIDI strum

Master Chain:
-LSP paramatric EQ
-clean-machine
-LSP Multiband Compressor
-ReFine
-PeakEater
-x42-dpl Limiter

cranky!

My entry for the KVR OSC#171

I was talking about planetary formation with some other OSC'ers (as you do) and this early violent period of Mars came up - which inspired me.

20 instances of Apricot - all designed from Init.
DAW: Reaper
Dead Duck: AutoPan, Filter, MonoDelay, Limiter
ReaEQ, ReaXComp
OrilRiver Reverb (but mostly the Apricot  reverb)
Reaper JS Saturation, Kilohearts Gain
Limiter No6, SPAN, YouLean Loudness Meter.

The Late Heavy Bombardment Of Mars

This is my One Synth Challenge for May 2023 using Apricot from Nakst on Bitwig.

It uses 36 instances of Apricot and the following Free / DAW plugins.

Free: 
AirWindows Air2
AirWindows Buttercomp2
AirWindows KPlateA
AirWindows PurestGain
AirWindows ToTape5
BusterSe
KHS Limiter
Limiter No6
MVMeter2
Pancake 2
PeakEater
STFU
Supercharger
TDR Kotelnicov
TDR Molotok
TDR Nova
TDR Vos SliceEq
Valhalla Supermassive


Bitwig:
Arpeggiator
Chain
Convolution
Delay-2
EQ-2
EQ+
FX Selector
Humanize
Note Filter
Note FX Selector
Note Repeats
Note Transpose
Tool

Silver Threads

Silver Threads - OSC - Apricot

OSC 171 - All sounds developed in Apricot by Nakst including percussion. 19 tracks in Reaper with ReaComp, ReaDelay. TDR Nova EQ, Valhalla Supermassive, and Limiter 6.

bh9090 - Chapter 3

Written and created by me with a single instance of the free Apricot synth by nakst, for the monthly KVR One Synth Contest. This synth produces an amazingly rich sound!
As this synth cannot use automation with Cubase, I could only use one preset, using only a few mod wheel inputs plus reverb and EQ to change the sound.

Amaretto

Spridgeon - Amaretto (single instance)

An entry for the KVR One Synth Challenge #177 - Synful Orchestra & VSCO Percussion.

As the sun sets on the horizon, casting long shadows across the alien landscape, a lone figure sits cross-legged, silhouetted against the fiery sky. In his hands he holds his trusty bass guitar, its strings gleaming in the fading light.

Lieutenant Spaceman D. Bassman had been stranded on this planet for 7 months, his crashed spaceship was damaged beyond repair, but he hadn't given up hope of being rescued. Every day he would refill his oxygen tank and walk into the poppy fields at sunset to jam on some dubby grooves, his music echoing across the vast expanse.

As he plays, he feels a sense of peace wash over him. The sounds emanating from his instruments are an ethereal mix of orchestral timbres and heavy dub, infused not only with the smells, sights and sounds of the alien planet and his hopes for the future, but also mixed with the melancholy of longing for his home-world. Music is his last connection to humanity, his way of staying sane in the face of loneliness.

One day, as Bassman was jamming on a particularly bad-assed groove, he heard a faint sound inside his helmet. His heart beat faster with excitement; At last, the Corp had located his damaged ship and had come to rescue him! Then, almost imperceptibly at first, he started to make out a strange melody, not entirely inharmonic to his tasty bass licks.

Bassman was stung violently on the forehead. He flinched and almost dropped his guitar. "Feck!", he howled. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a bee crawling on the inside of his visor, it's wings implausibly buzzing in a near perfect B Major. Desperate not to be stung again, he flailed his head around inside the helmet, attempting to squash the musical intruder against the side. After many attempts and with great effort, he struck one blow, then another, and with each strike the bee's buzzing became more and more erratic and atonal. Sensing victory, and with a final yank of his head, Bassman dealt a fatal blow, and the bee was silenced. 

As the sun continued it's slow descent below the horizon, Bassman composed himself, picked up his bass and continued jamming. Tomorrow he would seek out more of these alien musical bees, not only in the hope that one day they could forgive him for killing one of their own kind, but also that they might continue the collaboration between their two species on some more of those sweet-assed tunes.

Fin.

Reaper 7
Synful Orchestra (8)
VSCO Percussion (7)

A special guest appearance from an alien bee. RIP.

TrackFx : BC Chorus, CHOWTapeModel, db_Glitch1, IVGI2, MComb, MFlanger, MFreqShifter, MPhaser, Pro-C2 (7), Pro-Q3 (13), Ripple Phaser (Geraint Luff), Tape MELLO-FI, TEOTE, Kotelnikov GE.

MasterFx : Satin, TEOTE, Pro-Q3, Pro-L2, Loudness Meter (Cockos)

SendFx : Pro-R2, ValhallaDelay, ValhallaVintageVerb (2), Echobode, Ripple Phaser

OSC177 - Synful Orchestra

Dub Synfony

One Synth Challenge 179 @ KVR. Sequenced using 35x instances of Universal Audio PolyMAX Synth.

BIZ (Osc179 - UAD PolyMAX)

One Synth Challenge 181 @ KVR. Sequenced using 30x instances of SurgeXT.

KIN (Osc181 - SurgeXT)

Stream on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1jq80Sv2MztNAhprgvTCjl

DAW: Reaper
Synth: Thorn (47 single instance patches from INIT)
Mixing FX (Free): Orilriver (for bus), GClip (for bus), Loudmax
Mastering FX (Free): Nova, Kotelnikov, LoudMax
Metering FX (Free): Prism, YLM2
---------------------------------------------------
The Awakening is a playful musical journey through the battle within—an exploration of self-doubt, fear, and the struggle to break free. It captures the voice inside that holds us back, the moments of uncertainty, and the eventual realization that the only true enemy is ourselves.

Narrative:
---------------------------------------------------
Krit was a small boy, often feeling like he didn’t quite fit in.
Despite his achievements, there was always a quiet voice telling him, 
"You don’t belong". 
He told himself it was normal, part of growing up. But it never went away. 
Then one night, he had a dream.

🌅 Act 1: The Dream
He ran through wide, golden fields, feeling light and free. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t have to think, everything just felt right.

🌑 Act 2: The Nightmare
Suddenly, the world grew still. The fields shrank, and a shadow appeared in front of him.
"You don’t belong."
The air thickened. He couldn’t move, and the doubt that always lingered felt overwhelming.
"You are nothing."

⚔️ Act 3: The Ascent
A shift. Krit started to move. Slowly at first, then faster. The shadow loomed, but he kept going. The doubt didn’t disappear, but it no longer held him back.

🌟 Act 4: The Awakening
He pushed forward, the weight lifting with each step. The shadow faded, and with it, the doubt.
Krit didn’t stop. He had awakened, and nothing would hold him back again.
---------------------------------------------------
I would like to thank Taron and The Sound Of Merlin for their valuable feedback and guidance in refining certain aspects of this song, truly grateful!

The Awakening (OSC 193 Thorn)

made for KVR "One Synth Challenge" with Full Bucket Ragnarok 2

ZioMau - jasf2 (not so stupid)

OSC#196: Primer 2 

Instances: 20
DAW: Reaper
FX: DearVR Pro 2, Panagement 2 (free), TENSjr, Deelay, FrankCS, LoudMax, ZL Equalizer


Taron - A Rat's Tale

Track i made for KVR OSC contest.
100% Synthesizer (Odin 2 by TheWaveWarden)
Made in 10 hours with one free synth and free/FL effects.

Dedicated again, to Song Ruoxuan , 愿你在天堂安息, until i accept your loss.

Photography by Irion Da Ronin.
All music rights reserved to Irion Da Ronin.

THANKS!!! ♥

✪ The last time i saw you (1st Prize awarded at KVR Audio) [FREE DOWNLOAD]

For this OSC Any Synth Challenge, I chose the PS-3300, a beautiful software emulation of a late 1970s analogue polyphonic synthesizer from KORG. Cherry Audio developed this soft synth. Every sound you hear was created using the PS-3300. I tried to create an overall sound that matches the capabilities of a studio production in 1978. This is in honour of this beautiful synthesizer and its creators.

29 instances of PS-3300 by Cherry Audio 
Reverbs: Body &Soul by TSOM, VertiVerb by Audiority and VitaliumVerb
Delays: Deelay by Sixth Sample and Dual Delay X by UVI
EQ: Claro by Sonnox and Graphic EQ by Viator
Compression: FET-76 by Arturia
Enhancer: Type B by Audiothing
Mastering: Smart:Limiter and Smart:EQ4 by Sonible

Please note: I haven't used any distortion or saturation plugin to create the guitar tone. It's all been synthesized in PS-3300

The Late Heavy Bombardment Of Mars

SilverPants