Diva 2 Wishlist (purely hypothetical, nothing in development)

[MitchK1989]

I dig the resonator in the Dark Zebra. Would it add something to the other u-he synths?

there's a resonator in repro in the effects section, not familiar with the dark zebra resonator to compare.

[jigsaw-club]

My main qualm is the Skeumorphic UI, especially since it isn't rendered after a single synth, but instead tries to abstract all the components of those synths.

Things like Ableton and Circle can be too scientific, but there is some great middle ground with stuff like Pigment, Nexus 3 etc.

I do feel like a hint of the original machine when using the module drop-down would be great though, or maybe a 'fake logo' at the top of each section in the style of the inspiration, but keep the controls highly usable and immediately obvious at their functionality. The shiny moog style knobs, and switching between knobs and faders for attack etc does nothing for me.

As for layout, having the larger knobs be the most useful for performance, or grouping controls by the oscillator they belong to with a definite visual hierarchy would be great.

Of course, cause Diva is based around analogue synths, I can see why the Skeumorphic UI is used, but if it could be wrapped in a futuristic cyberpunk simulator style using vintage materials with modern, clean, aesthetics, it could look really cool.

[Echoes in the Attic]

Multi-touch friendliness would be my request. Juce!

See the likes of Arturia, Tal, Roli, IK Multimedia, Sylenth1, Rapid, ANA2, Vital, even newer Korg and NI are getting into it.

[davidka]

Hello Urs!
How much coding effort goes into putting a new generator/filter module to press into the architecture? Do you think an SQ80 voice into Diva would be manageable?
What if crowd funding would be involved to get you the financials for it?

It may have happened I asked you about this topic in the past years... Unfortunately there has been nothing similar in the vst world ever since SQ8l left the spot, and in the recent Carpenter craze you might also see it as a rising possibility.

[EvilDragon]

What if crowd funding would be involved to get you the financials for it?

It's already happening with the NI-uhe sale at the moment.

Anyways the priorities are: get Uhbik 2.0 and the rest of Big Sur/Apple Silicon updates out first, then Zebra 3. Then anything else.

[4damind]

My main qualm is the Skeumorphic UI, especially since it isn't rendered after a single synth, but instead tries to abstract all the components of those synths.

Skeuomorphic design has a physiological effect because it maps familiar design from hardware to software. Although it often has no technical advantage, it looks "analogue", "high-quality" and familiar.
For a synth that is dedicated to emulating different hardware and also has a reputation for "warm" sounding, a modern design (as an example Massive X or a vector-based "flat design") might not be optimal. Skins, however, would be a good option.
The question is also: do we need a Diva 2? Would Diva be programmed completely differently today?
Yes, perhaps improved emulations... an even better Jupiter 8 emulation? But you don't need a Diva 2 for that, you can do that under the hood with a small (maybe paid) update.

[davidka]

What if crowd funding would be involved to get you the financials for it?

It's already happening with the NI-uhe sale at the moment.

Anyways the priorities are: get Uhbik 2.0 and the rest of Big Sur/Apple Silicon updates out first, then Zebra 3. Then anything else.

Hey Mario! Oh yes it's a good metaphor!
I did not question the scheduled plan, merely to get an idea on how U-he approaches this topic.

[Ploki]

here's a simple one:
high-dpi knobs

[dangayle]

I want the EQ section from the JP-8080 added. It adds a characteristic high end sizzle to the JP supersaw that I find missing in a lot of supersaw synths

[zerocrossing]

I’d like an ultra-Devine mode for Repro level audio rate shenanigans and a redesign of the mod modifier section which makes more sense. Modulating filter cutoff by “Add” doesn’t really make sense. With the right menu drop down and dual knob interface, you could easily lose that whole tab.

[MitchK1989]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXU_Q_i ... l=HAINBACH

Just saying on the "polyvoks filter and some type of lo-fi digital osc" combo

[faun2500]

Would love to see Diva 2 with more effects. Diva sounds amazing every time I open it. Fine tuning comments too would be nice. Drag and drop modulation would be very welcome too but Diva's layout if good for modulation anyway, Deff more effects though!

[Biopharmer]

I'm less interested in a Diva "2" per se... I'd be more interested in a "Diva Modular". Something like Bazille (which is my go-to U-He plugin) but focused on all the new analog modelling tech U-He has developed since Diva. Repro is just so damn good that it's hard to go back to Diva. But I want *more* timbral options. I want an Arp 2600 filter and Oberheim SEM SVF as painstakingly accurate as Repro. I want the accurate filter FM I love from Repro. I want those snappy CEM envelopes.

I don't necessarily want a whole Diva 2... but an interesting stop-gap might be taking what already exists in Diva, bringing those engines up to the Repro standard (which might be a several year long project in itself), and putting it in a modular plugin more focused on crazy monophonic stuff. I've seen so many Arp 2600 attempts in software and they're all frankly terrible. After experiencing Repro, U-He is the only company I'd trust to do an analog modular right. And by modular, I don't just mean the Diva approach of having a few modules to swap. I mean a fully modular synth like Bazille but focused on analog modelling.

Maybe with a Roland MC-4 clone built-in so you can make full CV/Gate compositions right in the plugin itself. Just spitballing unusual ideas...

Either way... all I know is that a Diva that is up to (or beyond) the Repro standard for analog modelling would be quite something. Repro has brought be EXTREMELY close to selling all my analog hardware, but I just can't replace the flexibility and variety of my hardware. I'd need something modular to truly move on. Even if (and this will never happen) Repro added a SEM filter... that might just be enough already for me to sell all the hardware. As accurate as Repro is and as many boxes as it ticks, I can't do what I do with a 24db lowpass filter alone. I'd need a couple more key filters as accurate as that. Anyway. Enough rambling. Back to lurking for me.

[Biome_Digital]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXU_Q_i ... l=HAINBACH

Just saying on the "polyvoks filter and some type of lo-fi digital osc" combo

Yes that would be awesome!

[Shiek927]

I'm genuinely confused as to what Diva 2 could even bring that Diva hasn't. I mean, qualitatively, Diva set a whole new standard. Repro sounds amazing, but I wouldn't say Diva 1 has aged or is any less authentically sensational than it was in 2012. If classic vintage synths never go out of fashion, I think the same could be said for Diva 1.

Certainly more modules, maybe a mod-matrix, and ongoing refinements in the analog-modeling are welcome, but I'm not really aching for a Diva 2 in the same way I am for, say, Zebra3 because Diva 1 was and is still a masterpiece among softsynths.