KVR Audio

rlared · Post by **rlared** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 10:57 pm

I read a few different forums for music and synthesis. I've noticed that since I can remember, u-he has gotten a TON of love. I don't own any u-he synths but I do own Komplete 10 and AIR Complete 3.

I'd like to get some opinions about why u-he has been so successful and has such strong user recommendations online. Are the synths themselves just awesome compared to the competition? Or is some of it marketing/hype and they are the "en-vogue" manufacturer right now? Or something else?

Also, would you consider it to be a significant upgrade in terms of sound quality or creativity-enhancement versus what's included with Komplete 10 or AIR Complete 3?

I know this is all subjective. I just want to know what people's opinions are who actually own (or owned) a u-he synth recently.

Dasheesh · Post by **Dasheesh** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:02 pm

OY VEY. I might need to go hit the whiskey and then come back to read this one.

Examigan · Post by **Examigan** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:05 pm

Why are they special/successful?

Well thought-out design, high quality sound including great filters and modeling of components, resizable displays, lots of useful presets, and a nice variety of products. In my opinion, they deliver on all fronts.

BBFG# · Post by **BBFG#** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:07 pm

Stellar company.
Stellar support.
Stellar sound.
And a copy protection system that rewards its customers with trust.

zzz00m · Post by **zzz00m** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:08 pm

Well is is mainly all about the sound. Most of the synths have unlimited trial versions, so I would encourage you to check them out!

There are a couple of freebies available as well. Check out the Zebralette, which is a trimmed down, one oscillator version of Zebra 2. It is 100% functional, without any limitations. https://www.u-he.com/cms/zebralette

The other great u-he freebie is the TyrellN6, a circuit modeled emulation of the Roland Juno 60. https://www.u-he.com/cms/tyrelln6

IMHO, the Diva and the Zebra 2 are the best ones, but others will surely have their favorites. Grab a few demos, and just have fun!

Bottom line, it's not marketing hype, or a cult conspiracy... just ask Hans Zimmer!

gentleclockdivider · Post by **gentleclockdivider** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:09 pm

THey are all great

Zebra : swiss army knife , and it will be een better when it will allow for audio ratemodulation .
Diva : was the pinnacle of analogue modelling ..back in 2011 , imho it's been surpasssed by the legend and reaktor ( blocks ) .
Bazille : fantastic synth , phase distortion / phase modulation etc..all at audio rate

Pro-1 : amazing .
Hive , don't care about this one really .

Great company, urs worked his way all up to the top , and still finds time visit the forum .

Dasheesh · Post by **Dasheesh** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:11 pm

nope, no no no. I will tell you. It's because of the engineering. Most synth designers were catering to the EDM kid crowd. The more club kids you can get to buy in, the more units you can sell. u-he's philosophy early on was build it better and they will come. Unfortunately the club crowd doesn't know the difference and could care less. They just want to look cool. So engineering has been slowly morphing into a middle ground with more recent outings. Hive was full EDM design instrument, but the new repro is trying to hit a smarter middle ground between engineering and design. The kids want design, the players want engineering, so it's a difficult middle ground to strike. Where some go more and more into the design aspect, u-he is again trying to break ground by doing it SMARTER. Personally, I'm not buying into repro because I don't want to sound like every other goof with a computer, but it is a ground breaking piece. Merging art with science. I'm excited to see what comes next. A middle ground will have to be found because of the limitations of the cpu.

bmrzycki · Post by **bmrzycki** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:15 pm

I like 'em because they make me smile when I hold down a note and turn the knobs.

wagtunes · Post by **wagtunes** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:18 pm

I own every U-he synth. In short, they are just quality products. I don't love them all equally, but with one exception, they are all among my favorite synths. It all comes down to the sound and the programming options, especially synths like Zebra 2 and Bazlle.

In short, it's not hype. They earned their rep.

Demo the synths and see for yourself.

rlared · Post by **rlared** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:34 pm

I didn't realize they have a good demo policy. I'll try zebra2 for sure. . . that's always been the one that's interested me the most for some reason.

rlared · Post by **rlared** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:35 pm

wagtunes wrote:I own every U-he synth. In short, they are just quality products. I don't love them all equally, but with one exception, they are all among my favorite synths. It all comes down to the sound and the programming options, especially synths like Zebra 2 and Bazlle.

In short, it's not hype. They earned their rep.

Demo the synths and see for yourself.

Now I have to ask. . . which one is your favorite?

JerGoertz · Post by **JerGoertz** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:38 pm

The perfect storm of marketing, good guy running the company, and quality products. The fanboys can get a little annoying, but U-He is definitely legit.

Bodhisan · Post by **Bodhisan** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:54 pm

I think the OP could use some “this is where u-he excels over Komplete 10 or Air” - but maybe that’s what everyone’s saying. I don’t know that u-he kicks Massive’s ass (but does rise above purely from resizable UI and appealing UI), but when it comes to customer support, free updates, and innovation, u-he kicks ass.

wagtunes · Post by **wagtunes** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:57 pm

rlared wrote:
wagtunes wrote:I own every U-he synth. In short, they are just quality products. I don't love them all equally, but with one exception, they are all among my favorite synths. It all comes down to the sound and the programming options, especially synths like Zebra 2 and Bazlle.

In short, it's not hype. They earned their rep.

Demo the synths and see for yourself.
Now I have to ask. . . which one is your favorite?

Here they are, in order.

Zebra 2
Bazille
Diva
Repro-1
Ace
Hive

Dasheesh · Post by **Dasheesh** » Tue Sep 26, 2017 12:04 am

Bazille
ACE
Diva
Hive
Podolski
Zebra

haven't even played with repro, but I've owned a few dave smith, I'm sure it's amazing.

u-he synths - what makes them special?