KVR Audio

V0RT3X · Post by **V0RT3X** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:38 am

What are your thoughts on this in 2020?

I own a licence, and can't seem to find a use for it in any of my stuff. It just sounds harsh to my ears compared to many other wavetable style synthesizers.

I remember when it was released how it was hyped so much, but now in 2020 does it still live up to that hype??

I don't think so, in fact I think its kind of underwhelming. It also sucks Duda won't allow licence transfers or even respond to requests to delete my account.

martinjuenke · Post by **martinjuenke** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:42 am

It‘s still one of the best, alive and rocking!

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:42 am

Last time I demo'd it (it's been a while...) it sounded very good to my ears. Very hi-fi. Pretty digital filters, but, in a positive way.

I've read quite a few times now that people thought that Serum sounded harsh. I assume that it's because it sounds clean, and has a good top end. Which I can understand that some people will find that "harsh". Waldorf Largo can be a bit harsh as well. But, for certain sounds, that's really beneficial.

I'd say, keep it. If that was your question.

cb8rwh · Post by **cb8rwh** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:43 am

I think it probably depends on the type of music you make. For some genres it's probably still the go to bass synth.

poetd · Post by **poetd** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:46 am

As relevant as it ever was, one of the very best out there.
Its a clean digital wavetable synth that doesn't try and pretend to be analog - happy to let others take that place.
Though its easily capable of sounding very analog with a little bit of tweaking (look at Holo's "Warmed" presets for example).

However, I guess this thread is more about you wanting to vent about the NFR change, which as much as I understand his motives for the change, I do agree was a bit of a bum move.
Sulking over it though is pointless, its still a properly great synth.

poetd · Post by **poetd** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:50 am

Echo Sound Works - How to Make Serum Sound Like an Analog synth:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3pvptfX8O8

recursive one · Post by **recursive one** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:52 am

I still keep exploring all the great things it can do.

I recently found Dash Glitch youtube channel where the guy explains how to make various psytrance-specific sounds with Serum. I guess these sounds are not everyone's cup of tea but it shows that the synth is very flexible and you can change the sound in many different ways.

I prorbably wouldn't want Serum to be my only synth but I wouldn't want to be without it either. For various trippy sci fi sounds and textures it's my first choice.

hivkorn · Post by **hivkorn** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:53 am

it is not a synth for all kind of music, but it is very good when you need powerfull sound.

recursive one · Post by **recursive one** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:53 am

chk071 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:42 am I'd say, keep it.

It's not that he has a choice

antic604 · Post by **antic604** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:57 am

V0RT3X wrote: ↑Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:38 amIt just sounds harsh to my ears compared to many other wavetable style synthesizers.

Many music genres depend on achieving just that, so perhaps just don't use it if yours doesn't

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 10:06 am

recursive one wrote: ↑Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:53 am
chk071 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:42 am I'd say, keep it.
It's not that he has a choice

True, lol.

Anyway, what I dislike about Serum is that it's so expensive. I still don't get why peeps like Duda don't do sales. It's stupid from a business point of view.

Calenberger · Post by **Calenberger** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 10:13 am

Something different for Serum:

https://soundethers.wixsite.com/soundet ... ld-project

WasteLand · Post by **WasteLand** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 10:24 am

you can make a wavetable synth sound the way you like. don't own serum (great synth it seems). have another one (and others... but the one, i mean that is a serum like wavetable synth), in my genre it is difficult to use wavetables, no it is not difficult, make your own, or mangle, bit-crush, sample rate. or use analog base wavetables, the right filters etc.

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 10:32 am

(Un)surprisingly, I think that the quality of wavetable synths also falls and rises with the included wavetables. In all honesty, most wavetables plain suck. Even in Largo, which I really like, there's only 6 or 7 really usable wavetables for me... for the rest, I really don't know what to do with them. But, especially the Alt1 and Alt2 ones (derived from the Waldorf Q) are really golden, and very useful for spacey sounds especially. There are also quite a few very usable ones in Massive X, but, again, there's also many obsolete ones (for me).

4damind · Post by **4damind** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 10:33 am

This somewhat harsh sound is possibly exactly what makes the difference in many current tracks together with other analog sounds?
You can not only use analog emulations or synth with a very warm and soft sound... then it sounds like in the 60s from a tube radio

Nobody really wants that.

There is a lot of competition but I think that Serum is (still) the benchmark for wavetable synth.

Serum in 2020