KVR :: Instruments » Diva vs Sylenth1 [View Original Topic]
There are 64 posts in this topic.

---

declassified - Sun Mar 25, 2012 3:53 am

---

Please, before you say "apples and oranges" etc read on

So I'd like to buy a VA synth, my budget is around 150€. In my songs I don't really use a lot of synths (I work more with audio and effects), usually just one for bass and maybe one for supporting pad/chords. So this will be the synth I'll use 100% of the time I need a synth. I have been trying Sylenth1 for a while and I like how quickly it can get my the sound I need and how easy it is compared to the variety of sounds it can do. I don't like the presets though, they're too trancy/clubby for my taste (my music is more jazzy/"deep"/soulful). I prefer deep, creamy vintage synth sounds over edgy, loud sounds.

I tried Diva because everyone's raving about it, and of course the sound is good. I can't really hear how it sounds "more analogue" than Sylenth1, though. Maybe I'll heear it later when I have used it more often. I think Diva's CPU usage isn't that much of a problem because I'll only use one or two instances per project (a 3x polyphonic pad takes 5% CPU on my 1.7Ghz Core i5). The GUI and workflow is a little strange to me, but I haven't used it as much as Sylenth1, maybe I just have to get used to the different modules.

Which one would you recommend?

---

stimresp - Sun Mar 25, 2012 3:59 am

---

Diva, because it has an assured future.
The Sylenth developer seems to have disappeared.

I was a little disappointed with Diva at the beginning. But honestly I didn;t know what to expect. After spending some quality time with her I now agree with the masses.

---

Bronto Scorpio - Sun Mar 25, 2012 4:04 am

---

For a "more jazzy/"deep"/soulful" feel I'd choose Diva
However, if Sylenth just works better for you and does what you need just get Sylenth instead

Cheers
Dennis

---

braj - Sun Mar 25, 2012 4:05 am

---

I tried the Sylenth demo and it sounded great, but I also had the same 'issue' ie. it is too trancy, not exactly my style, and Diva does really nice clavs, horns, really 'acoustic' stuff if you get my meaning. It is an extremely nuanced instrument, it really feels like a classic synth to me. The interface actually is very simple, straightforward VA, just you can swap out modules. Anyhow I'm so happy to have it, it 'plays' very nicely, and you can count on u-he to further improve it, there is supposed to be an update that will make it much more CPU-friendly soon.

---

breakmixer - Sun Mar 25, 2012 4:08 am

---

I'd recommend you get Diva if your system can handle it, seems LD doesn't seem to be actively supporting his Sylenth, not like Urs anyway.

2 other synths I'd recommend would be Xils-Lab - Synthix, if you could be prepared to learn the layer locking routine(I couldn't, it had a fantastic sound but too steep learning curve for me so I sold it) and the other synth that has a great sound and plenty of presets more suited to you would be Sonic Projects - OP-X and it's different versions...

---

ariston - Sun Mar 25, 2012 5:11 am

---

Honestly, it kind of sounds like both would be too much for your needs. If you're hell-bent on spending some dough, no one will be able to stop you, but have you checked out the great freebies that are around? I'm thinking of Synth1, U-He's Tyrell, TAL Noisemaker... all excellent, especially in the value-for-money category, heh. There are many presets for these to be had around the web, as well.

If you find, after a while, that you've acquired a taste for synthesis, then that would be a good time to invest in something. In that case, I'd go for Diva. It's the future, quite literally.

---

Rimwolf - Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:15 am

---

Good advice. Tyrell in particular sounds great, has a good easy-to-use UI, and comes with a fine assortment of presets. It just might be all you need for now. Definitely check it out (along with the others).

---

darsho - Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:10 am

---

To me it sounds like all you need is the free Tyrell Synth.

---

djanthonyw - Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:17 am

---

If it's a matter of money, get Tyrell and ANA. Then also get Diva later.

---

Kaboom75 - Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:40 am

---

I like Diva if you want bladerunner sounds it nails it if you want 80s pop it nails it.
If you want trance, dance Laddy Ga Ga though I would get DIVA it nails it. It's not just the sounds it can do it's got a character that grabs you.
I still like to hunt for presets in in Tyrell N6 that thing really compliments Diva. Zebra is still great it covers ground that Diva can't do.

I think a lot of commercial and free preset expansions will come out for Diva I will start learning how to programe it soon it looks easy to use.

---

izonin - Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:18 am

---

Comments like "get Tyrell instead of Diva" aren't very fair. Get Tyrell AND Diva.

---

pdxindy - Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:29 am

---

If you prefer deep, creamy, vintage synth sounds, then it would certainly be Diva.

Sylenth has some lovely characteristics. It is effectively crafted and the parts fit well together. It is well suited to supersaw type sounds and trance. I quite like it in some respects, but the feature-set is rather limited. It has no Pulse width modulation. No osc sync, no cross modulation or filter FM. Diva has all of these and they add so much if you want to PLAY expressive music like a real instrument. They add a lot of characterful nuance which can be modulated in musically useful ways. You mention deep and soulful... Sylenth isn't and Diva is.

I find the Sylenth filter uninspiring. It is good in some respects and well behaved, but the resonance is kinda boring to me. Turn it up and it gets chirpy. That is what it does. Turn up the resonance in the different Diva filters and you will hear all sorts of unexpected loveliness and much more variety of tone. You will hear beautiful non-linearities. Then add in the interplay between high resonance and filter FM and you will hear stuff Sylenth can never do.

I think one of the reasons lots of people like Sylenth is because it has a built-in limiter. It is kinda hard to make it too loud and clip. Adjust most any control and it still always sounds about the same loudness. Really good for people who don't want to have to pay attention to that sort of thing. Every preset is almost automatically of equal loudness. Sylenth is kinda idiot proof (and I mean no offense by that). It makes it really easy for the novice, which I think was a smart choice by the developer. Between being strong for trance and super easy to use and forgiving, the developer scored a hit.

But if you want beautiful, deep, nuanced soulful musicality, get Diva.

---

tetsuneko - Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:33 am

---

Really? If the OP says he can't hear much of a diff between Diva and Sylenth?

I'd most certainly recommend the free VA synths first. xhip, synth1, oatmeal, all the TAL synths, u-he Tyrell N6..

When you've played with those long enough to hear the quality differences between them and Diva, then you're ready to spend some cash.. Not before IMVHOFO Especially as you state that synths don't play such a big role in your productions.. Those freebies will keep you covered really nicely for starters, especially with decent processing..

---

braj - Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:59 am

---

Diva really plays like a high-quality instrument, try the JS Bud Pluck preset and just noodle around like you were at a piano. It is heaven. It has a 'natural' sounding resonance like it has a physical body. It is really so wonderful I don't think there is any comparison, if you are looking for trance then Diva I don't think beats Sylenth, someone would be better off with that synth in that case, but since you're not... and Tyrell as wonderful as it is is a far cry from being as expressive as Diva IMO. It is the most rewarding soft synth purchase I have made by far.

---

AnalogModelled - Sun Mar 25, 2012 5:27 pm

---

If you want Analog sound get DIVA. If you want crappy virtual analog sound get Sylenth.

---

braj - Sun Mar 25, 2012 5:39 pm

---

I don't think that's fair, they are two different animals. It all depends on what sound you want. I'm sure plenty would be happier with Sylenth if that suits their needs more.

---

xx JPRacer xx - Sun Mar 25, 2012 5:56 pm

---

DIVA for the sound, Sylenth for the CPU. Or maybe wait a little for Saurus, should have both the sound and low CPU.

---

JimmiG - Mon Mar 26, 2012 12:38 am

---

One of the great strengths of Sylenth1 is precisely that. You can quickly "dial in" a great sound without much effort. It almost feels like cheating sometimes. However it's best for bright, bold sounds (trance, rave etc.) due to its effects, supersaw-type oscillators etc.

I've only tried the demo version of Diva. The difference is there, but it's sublte. In my opinion, you'll only really hear these kinds of differences at certain combinations of (usually high) resonance settings and cutoff values, or when slowly sweeping the filter. At more "common", moderate settings, most digital filters sound rather good, IMO. It's when you really push them that some of the "cheaper" (in terms of quality, not always price) digital filters break apart.

For what you describe, especially the "jazzy" and "soulful" part, I would recommend you take a look at the ME80 as well:
http://www.memorymoon.com/me80.htm
If you have a keyboard with aftertouch, it can sound really "soulful" and deep. It's cheap, but sounds great, and there's a free demo you can try.

---

Urs - Mon Mar 26, 2012 1:22 am

---

Fully agreed. In fact, Diva's "prediction" of the output sample is not needed without resonance. Thus, at no resonance her Fast mode sounds exactly like Draft, and what other synths would sound like if modeled after the same circuit with the same dose of oversampling.

It would be interesting to make a study to see if the preference of sound has changed from "plenty of resonance" in the 70ies towards "maybe not too much of it" in recent years. I tend to think that synthesists have become more generous with resonance in Diva than they were in other virtual analogues. To be honest this might as well be wishful thinking.

---

standalone - Mon Mar 26, 2012 1:58 am

---

Yeah, that's what brought tears to my eyes.

---

Arksun - Mon Mar 26, 2012 4:24 am

---

Depends on the OPs needs. What type of sounds do you like to make, genre?.

If you like to make a lot patches with multiple voice unison sounds, Sylenth might be a better bet simply cause it can handle 8-voice unison per oscillator voice all 4 voices running with low cpu hit. Trying to do that in Diva will completely bring the cpu to its knees.

If the sound of the filter is important to you and having a wide range of different filter flavours, I would pick Diva over Sylenth.

Both synths have a fairly simple synth engine (relative to the likes of say, Zebra, Alchemy or SynthMaster which you can do soo much more with), but there are differences in routing that again restrict particular types of sounds more to one or the other.

But hey both versions have demos, just try em both out for a few days and see

---

declassified - Mon Mar 26, 2012 5:14 am

---

Thank you all for the opinions so far!
It seems to be consistent with the feeling I had when working with Sylenth1...I could get the basic sounds quickly, but they didn't have more than the basic sound, no pleasant surprises.

The more I'm playing with Diva now the more I like it...it's not like Sylenth1 where most presets make me turn the volume down because it's too loud. I especially like the voice modulation (like on polyKB II), where every note sounds slightly different. I love this kind of variation that you would also have in an acoustic instrument.

I've been using the free synths quite a lot, Synth1 and FreeAlpha mainly, but also FXpansion Orca (great sound, but hard to program "with a destination"). I tried impOSCar but found it a little aggressive. So yeah, I hear differences in sound, but I can't really pin them down exactly. Presets play a big role too I guess. The point is, for now I want to focus on one synth and learn it inside out, as opposed to 5 different freeware synths that each fill a special gap.

To be more concrete about my "deep/jazzy/soulful" description, here are some examples of what sounds I want to do:

Lead synth from 2:47
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v61nzW7YL4

The pad at 1:30
http://soundcloud.com/losing-suki/last-magpie-no-more-stories-ep

Chords at 3:06
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiNeGxMkzM8

Am I on the right track with Diva?

---

Phase47 - Mon Mar 26, 2012 8:28 am

---

I think there's some truth in this. If something tends not to sound so good across many instruments/plugs (digital filters/resonance), the usage dries up, trends and habits change - and this over decades now. Going forward, with better/faster CPU, we could very well see that kind of resurgence with resonance specifically, since yeah, it's starting to get really very good - not the (broadly speaking) icy mess from the 80s or the poor emulations of the 90s.

Diva sounds very rich in this area - I don't think it's necessarily wishful thinking. If it sounds good, people will use it. It just takes time to reverse habits and trends. Not an immediate process.

---

Lotuzia - Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:00 am

---

Thanks, the Synthix 1.25 update will make it much more easy to manage layers, getting rid of the locked layer feature ( wich was initially to help the easy "one panel" edit mode but well .... )

For those who compared Sylenth, they forgot to say that Sylenth has 4 oscillators, that it also have ...... two filters, that the routing of the osc to filters is very flexible, that each oscillator has some modulatable phase parameter, wich is different than PWM but is interesting, that it has an additonal third assignable enveloppe, so that you can have two different envelopes for the two filters for example, and that finally, it is also stereo directly on the oscillator level ... there are other differences like additional effects etc but well, just to say that Sylenth can do some instruments that some other synths just cannot do.

Then, for those who think Sylenth is just made for Tarnce music, I'd suggest thay give an hear to our Sylenth Music Box soundset demos, created by Kelvin Ford and wich will eventually demonstrate that it can sound soulfull and inspiring in other musical genres.

LtZ

---

pdxindy - Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:21 am

---

I do like the modulatable phase in Sylenth... but the lack of PWM, hard sync, no modulation of or deeper control of the envelopes, limited modulation targets etc is what makes Sylenth always sound kinda the same... an enjoyable sound in many cases... but it has little variety... Sylenth sounds good, but it is not characterful

I just listened to the sound demos you linked to and they all sound like Sylenth and none of them sound particularly expressive or soulful. They sound like typical electronic music... and if someone wants that (and it is a fine thing to want) Sylenth is a fine choice...

---

pdxindy - Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:44 am

---

Rich is a good term... full of character and variety...

With Sylenth, the resonance just sounds like it sounds. You can play with it some via the filter drive (not modulatable) but as you turn it up it is kinda like turning up a volume but the timbre is basically the same.

With Diva the resonance and how it interacts with PWM, feedback and filter FM as you turn it up is like a whole playground in itself! And it is distinctly different with different filter models.

---

liquidsound - Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:58 am

---

For me
Diva first
DUNE Second
PolyKB if you like its beautiful sound and the way you can allocate it in space..

---

George - Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:01 am

---

None of those

---

xh3rv - Mon Mar 26, 2012 12:03 pm

---

Considering the stuff you posted - peculiarly I think these sounds might reference some things but sort of succeed in how they fail to completely emulate. Matching Diva's differently sourced components isn't a bad way to go about this. Diva's FX might be worth considering for 'vibe' qualities, the rotary and phaser (stoned) specifically associate well here.

Really, up to you though ultimately
I'd feel wrong if I didn't also suggest Zebra, considering that you're also looking for a versatile synth to get really in-depth with - that's Zebra, versatile and in-depth.

---

braj - Mon Mar 26, 2012 1:15 pm

---

Let me guess what you recommend

---

Lotuzia - Mon Mar 26, 2012 1:39 pm

---

PolyKB II, while still simple to programm, has a lot more modulations and posibilities. Try the PmyX and Dmyx engine, or one of the three matrix modulations combined with the play modes, or the sequencer output modulating parameters. With the PolyKB you can program a patch very quickly, then go if you want in endless very subtle or drastic modulations. Then it also have a huge dynamics. This alone can make a difference if you're used to control your sound "with the fingers".

LtZ

---

budweiser - Mon Mar 26, 2012 1:42 pm

---

Don't believe the hype ! New doesn't mean better. I tried diva, sounds great, i own sylenth, sounds great, but over diva i prefer zebra, and over zebra, diva & sylenth i prefer Surge (vember audio) : low price, low on cpu & veeeeery polyvalent.

---

Urs - Mon Mar 26, 2012 2:06 pm

---

But Sylenth has more oscillators, more filters, more envelopes and more effects, and even a stereo signal path.

---

declassified - Mon Mar 26, 2012 2:45 pm

---

I tried it for a while, and while I really liked the sound, the interface just kept confusing me...the strange modulation matrix with those switches and weird cross-cables, and the note entering in the sequencer, the oscillator detune knob not snapping to whole notes (impossible to set it to +12.00 semitones), ...

---

Lotuzia - Mon Mar 26, 2012 3:31 pm

---

PolyKb II has a full stereo path per voice, fully configurable, and articulated with the voices modes, and with dynamic modulations.

It's a True Stereo engine, not just pan. it is capable of captivating and intriguing evermoving textures, for example

But it can do strict mono too, like some other synths, just put all the voices in the center of the stage, or turn off the "stereo" switch.

[Thanks for your interest / Just for your information ]

---

Lotuzia - Mon Mar 26, 2012 3:45 pm

---

For the oscillator tune, just hold the ALT key while moving the knob, it will go by semitones.

There are three modulation matrixes on PolyKB II, the usual hardwired one inherited from PKB I ( still it can do a lot, and most of the standard stuff you can find in a lot of synths) ( center top )

The one with the weird cross cables wich takes probably a few tries to master it, but is very powerfull and versatile. ( LFO can modulate EV segments for example )(center bottom )

And finally the PO mix one, wich has dynamic modulation, and is hidden in the cassette deck. With this one you can really do some unique stuff.

As for the sequencer, I dont know, I recorded most of the sequences in real time, and it works ok for me in this mode.

But its true, like I said some of the most sophisticated functions probably take some time to get familiar with. Otoh you can edit the standard features quite easily (imho) My guess is that sophisticated functions well are .... sophisticated and, therefore, probably require to invest a bit of time ( or ask the good questions in the forums, like you did, thanks for that ) but its also a sign that you won't get bored and still have some things to discover after a while. I'm not liking complexity in se, or just for the fun of it btw, I also like more simple synths like Sylenth, or impOSCar wich do their thing with their own character, and do it well.

---

Urs - Mon Mar 26, 2012 3:51 pm

---

"I really tried to like it."

(my favorite KVR meme)

---

mcnoone - Mon Mar 26, 2012 3:54 pm

---

Judging from your "want a synth you can learn inside and out".
Diva and Sylenth can't hold a candle to Zebra imo.
Both Diva and Sylenth lack the diversity, and depth that Zebra has imo.
While Diva and Sylenth can get that warmer analog'ish tone easier.
They can't get away from it either.
Zebra goes into territory, other synths can't...particularly semi acoustical tones, and great pads. It can do the Sylenth trance bright stabs as well, and the nord lead trance sound too. It can do good analog sounding synth sounds too.
It's got everything Diva and Sylenth lack imo.
For diverse sounds that can do digital(M1-D50) and VA, it simply can't be beat.
But you should get whatever works good for you.
I'll just suggest trying the Zebra demo out here.
http://www.u-he.com/cms/zebra
Then download other free sounds to load and try out here.
http://www.u-he.com/PatchLib/zebra.html
It might just be what your looking for.

I'm not an ad either.
Just a happy Zebra owner for a long time now.


edit:I do need to clarify that I really don't feel Sylenth comes even a little close to the awesome analogue sound of Diva imo, but it is just as easy to program sounds on...if that's what you want.
Of course so is Zebra if you just use 1 oscillator and a filter.

---

SadPuppyBlues - Mon Mar 26, 2012 4:12 pm

---

What's funny is I always thought of myself as a guy who doesn't even like high resonance. Too dancey or strictly club or cheesy or something.

Demoed DIVA, and when you blast the feedback knobs you can get FUNK. It's not hard to get nasty, spitty old world industrial out of it, either. Ugh. I'm coming to grips with the fact that at some point, I'm gonna have to buy this thing. Always thought high res wasn't for me.

---

liquidsound - Mon Mar 26, 2012 4:44 pm

---

Same here
I tried to get familiar with the layers but I was having problems with the UI and I moved on back to DIVA which a purchased the same week together with all kinds of end of the year sales (this time my credit card had a crash)
BTW I read in several posts about Synthix sounding as analog as DIVA and, as of today, I can't understand how they got to that conclusion. Maybe you need to program it yourself ( Synthix) but from the presets, IMO, there is not even a possibility.
Sorry.

---

mcnoone - Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:59 pm

---

mistake sorry.

---

Lotuzia - Mon Mar 26, 2012 11:42 pm

---

Yes, like I said above, the layer management part of the Synthix will be very improved in the next 1.25 update. Its not easy to offer the perfect UI for a synth who can propose up to 40 oscillators per patch, not counting the unisson, 8 different filters, 40 envelopes, and as many LFOs including never seen ones, a true stereo image, and a lot of play modes and voice modes. Though some thousands of users did not express a particular trouble or having hard times with the sophisticated, but also maybe overcomplicated functions they propose, we learned a lot during this experience, and it will be reflected in the next versions, where we intend to implement amuch simpler way to manage them, while still preserving all the possibilities.

As for the sound in itself, no need to be sorry, it's true that it represents a certain area of the analog sound, with DCOs, and a certain Italian polished and "clean", or lush, approach. Well a SYnthex, or an ARP, or a Pro One dont sound identical to a Minimoog ( the main ref for most people ) , a MS-20, or a VCS 3

The PolyKB II is probably much closer to what is associated to classic analog sound by a lot of people : its very easy with it to have basses a la Moog, or to sound close of units like Oberheim brass patches ( LP part of Obies )

Ok sorry for answering these few questions a bit OT and back to the topic : Like I said I like Sylenth for the simplicity of it, and its unique character

LtZ

---

declassified - Tue Mar 27, 2012 12:37 am

---

Fair enough about the alt knob, but I think you'll understand why me and the polyKB II didn't "click"... "It's not you, poly, it's me"
Oh, and iLok/Dongle? Since I don't own any other dongle products, that alone throws it out of the competition against Diva for me.

But back to topic. To check if performance is going to be a problem, I loaded up 7 instances of Diva (MacBook Air Mid 2011, 1.7GHz Intel Core i5, Reaper 32-Bit), playing:

1. "HS Butterscotch" Preset, 3-note-chords, sometimes overlapping
2. "HS model K12" Bass, 1 note at a time
3. "SG What The Pluck", 1-2 notes at a time
4. "SW Magic Flute", 1 note at a time
5. "HS The Plaintive", 3 notes at a time
6. "HS Top Hat", 1 note at a time
7. "KEY Mole", 3 notes at a time
=> That's about 15 voices at once, and a typical varied scenario that would occur in a song.

In Divine Mode, this took 64% CPU, Great Mode 50%, Fast Mode 37%, Draft Mode 31%. Not too bad if we remember that this is more than I'll usually have in a song. I also don't mind working in Fast Mode (I think it's a good compromise), and get an additional boost in sound quality after rendering (in Divine Mode).

@Urs: Reaper is reporting that Diva needs 512 samples of plugin delay compensation. Isn't that going to be noticeable when playing it live?

---

declassified - Tue Mar 27, 2012 1:10 am

---

Oh, and I just tried Zebra2. Amazing instrument, I guess you can do almost every sound in it, but it's a totally different thing from what I'm looking for right now. If my music was more synth-based, I think there would be no way around it

---

Urs - Tue Mar 27, 2012 6:34 am

---

That shouldn't be the case...

Fritz just tells me that Reaper rounds up to the whole buffer size even if it's only 1 sample of latency. My stuff reports 16 samples, to be on the safe side with awkward drivers/hosts.

Here's a trick:

- open Wordpad, create a new text document
- copy "!BLOCK_LATENCY_OFF=YES" (without quotes), paste in text, press enter
- save as "default.h2p"
- into Diva.data/Presets/Diva/
- restart Reaper

This switches the latency off in Diva, but you need to have buffer sizes that divide by 16, e.g. 64, 256, 512 - otherwise you'll get artifacts.

---

hebb - Tue Mar 27, 2012 7:13 am

---

Surge is a great synth indeed. Capable of a wide range of sounds.

---

C-note - Tue Mar 27, 2012 8:08 am

---

Choice be tough, if only one you can buy. Diva sounds great like my old Juno 60 and Sylenth is in a class by itself. Not sure if Lennard (Sylenth Dev) is still in the game as much as he says but new sound sets are still being created for Sylenth. Listen to some of the sounds for Sylenth made by Vengeance, Xenos, Arksun, lelotusbleu, and Rob Lee. Not all Sylenth sounds are trance.

---

declassified - Tue Mar 27, 2012 8:26 am

---

Hm, that didn't work for me...I'm on a Mac, so I assume the file goes to ~/Library/Audio/Presets/u-he/Diva/default.h2p?

---

Urs - Tue Mar 27, 2012 9:27 am

---

It must be in MacHD/Library/...

---

Arglebargle - Tue Mar 27, 2012 9:44 am

---

Sylenth takes very little CPU, Diva a lot. On the other hand, the Diva dev has not abandoned his creation. I personally think Sylenth1 is stable and "finished" as-is, but it's something to be aware of.

---

declassified - Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:10 am

---

Thank you, it works!

Is there also a solution about the default accuracy setting? For me, Diva always goes to "great" (online) and "same" (offline) with every new instance. I tried right-clicking and using "make default"...

---

D N A - Thu Mar 29, 2012 1:20 pm

---

Oh come on, just buy both + Spectrasonics stuff + NI Komplete and you're done

I would say that if you want: soft & warm - go diva. if you want : bright - go sylenth.

---

mcnoone - Thu Mar 29, 2012 2:49 pm

---

That setting works per-instance. At this time, there is no way to set it to any other setting, for saving with the next instance.
I wish there was a way to script it into the h2p file...like a "default Q" part, then just change it to Divine/best or whatever. Then save it as an init patch...but I think it's something written into the synths code, and not with the h2- file unfortunately.

---

Urs - Fri Mar 30, 2012 3:02 am

---

Let me think... the default patch *should* solve that issue, and I have no idea why it doesn't. Once could betrickst it with a script though... I'll ponder a bit about this.

---

pdxindy - Fri Mar 30, 2012 10:23 am

---

Sylenth doesn't fall apart at high resonance, it just isn't particularly interesting. Like many synths, it sounds a certain way, is not unpleasant and can be used to certain effect.

Diva though is an eye opener. There is much musical variety possible. I've made lots of sounds with the resonance turned up in the high range and it is not just that usual chirpy sound. I have noticed with Diva is that you can turn the resonance up and still keep a solid low end. And the way the resonance relates to the feedback, osc type and level, noise, filter FM and cutoff frequency invites exploration... and of course there are the different filter models which have their unique character.

---

Hexfix93 - Fri Mar 30, 2012 5:36 pm

---

Wow, I see sylenth as a modern virus. It is what access should of done, alias free osc, great leads finally. It is not super fat but it does bass ok, leads great, and arps and pads amazing. it cuts in the mix great.

Diva is strange, it sounds vintage but it is just missing the vintage magic. Its ok, i like all the options but honestly, i think the filters on sylenth one sound better, better resonance. I do like diva. But I prefer sylenth big time.

Money wise, i would get Sylenth1, tyrel nexus 6 free, ace for cheap and call it a day. Because I can make all the VA sounds i want with these.

---

saxer - Fri Mar 30, 2012 6:35 pm

---

for me diva and fxpansions synthsquad are the plugins that are closest to the synths a keyboard player had on top of his rhodes in the late seventies.
if you're doin' mostly acoustic oder electric band music with some synths used as a part of this band they will fit perfectly. you have to get the live out of it by playing (realtime tweaking knobs, modwheel, pitchbend) and use external effects instead of deep programming inside the synth. search youtube for the big synth-solo players like george duke, jan hammer, chick corea... they used simple sounds but played it with soul! lot of fun to watch them playing!

---

pdxindy - Sat Mar 31, 2012 4:02 pm

---

Yeah, but most are...

---

C-note - Sat Mar 31, 2012 10:35 pm

---

A few Non Trance listings below:

Music Box - suitable for all Electronic genres like Chill Out, Electronica, Electro, Lounge, House, and Ambient while still being useful for all mainstream genres (Rock, Pop, SynthPop, Vintage, etc.) - http://www.lelotusbleu.fr/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=1_26&products_id=83

Electro House - http://www.cfa-sound.com/wp/sylenth1-electro-house-vol-1/
Un Tranced - http://www.xenossoundworks.com/Sylenth.html
Arksun - http://www.arksun-sound.com/products.html
Veangeance Sound - Four non trance soundsets - http://www.vengeance-sound.com/
Loopmasters - Four more Non Trance soundsets -
http://www.loopmasters.com/search?version=simple&new_search=true&q=sylenth&ql=&qf=&qg=&x=21&y=0

---

pdxindy - Sun Apr 01, 2012 2:43 am

---

The 4 Vengence sets that you say are not trance are still trance-centric... same with some of the others... and for every set you listed there are 8 that are exactly trance.

Outside trance-ish stuff, Sylenth starts to not shine the same... I think Massive is distinctly better for dubstep for example. Sylenth is a bit weak in the bass end in comparison. Whether people want to admit it or not, you get something for the higher cpu use. Massive has a sharp crispness in the bass that Sylenth lacks especially with modulations like a wobble bass. Same in comparison to Diva. There are various areas where the low cpu use of Sylenth is easy to hear in the result.

Sylenth is good at what it does and has been a success and a valuable addition to the sonic arsenal, but it is fairly limited in its sweet spot and toolset and it does have a specialty.

---

C-note - Sun Apr 01, 2012 10:45 am

---

Considering that I own both Massive and Diva - neither one matches Sylenth in any area you mention...I do not agree at all on the stereotypical knock on Sylenth's bass capability. In fact Krishnasynth (BSOD bass sounds) beats Diva and Massive in the bass area and Razor is wobble personified. Of course no objective measure is going to exist here so your opinion is as good as anyones.

---

pdxindy - Sun Apr 01, 2012 4:45 pm

---

There's a reason there is a stereotypical knock on Sylenth bass

---

mcnoone - Sun Apr 01, 2012 5:06 pm

---

It's all just preferences when it comes to sound, and a million other things in life. We like what we like, and describe why we do.
It would be a pointless pursuit if it were not for the reason that...what else are we to talk about on a plugins forum.

---

pdxindy - Sun Apr 01, 2012 10:14 pm

---

It is all just preferences as far as what one likes. Yet there are also measurable characteristics such as amount of aliasing that are objective. Recent high cpu synths have characteristics that low cpu synths like Sylenth do not. Whether a person values those characteristics is personal preference, but the characteristics are tangible and real.

---

There are 64 posts in this topic.