Alchemy or Sylenth??? Forgive me.

[kuniklo]

I'd say the minimoog can do kickass filter FM patches. Can sylenth do filter FM?

Good point. This single feature opens up the sound palette of the Minimoog *tremendously*. If you've got audio rate LFOs you've got a lot of options.

[ozmoz2008]

A well crafted instrument, in hardware or software has a certain ju-ju that makes it a potential classic. I think it's that ju-ju that got Sylenth1 into the top 10 synth list in that Computer Music Magazine poll they did. Same with Zebra 2. I'll even defend Massive's position there although I don't totally dig it, myself, but I can see how others would.

Maybe then, but could be different now...since other VSTs such as Alchemy are out now!

Could be interesting to have a new top10?

I do like Massive, it already found it's place in some of my soundtracks ...if you talk about fatness this is one of the good VSTs out there...

Maybe it is because Sylenth have a lot of presets in the euro-trance type of sounds...Nexus can easily do that though(rompler or not) with some interesting arpegio patterns on top ...

[Examigan]

I apologize for this posting, especially for it being my first, as I'm normally a voyeurist on KVR who does not want to contribute to any mayhem.

Two great deals. Two great different products.

I'm already swayed on one for my own reasons, but curious if others were in this same dilemma, what would they choose and why?

Thanks.

I just loved Sylenth so I got it. If you like it, buy it, if not, get something else. There is a demo version you can try. Isn't Zebra a bit on the expensive side, how much is Zebra these days anyway?

I bought Sylenth1 on the Groupbuy and it was a steal.
Before I bought in, just so you know what I had at that point already:
Wusikstation 5 and tons of soundsets for it (including Viral Outbreak, OB and VS Resurrection from Nucleus Soundlabs), plus Rapture LE and Dimension LE, Battery 3, Sampletank 2XL and SonicSynth 2.

That said, another good one to get if you are into the morphing/experimental/futuristic sounds is Absynth.

[Examigan]

I'd say the minimoog can do kickass filter FM patches. Can sylenth do filter FM?

Good point. This single feature opens up the sound palette of the Minimoog *tremendously*. If you've got audio rate LFOs you've got a lot of options.

There are some real nice Moog-like sounds available for Sylenth, and you can always design your own too, of course.

[Examigan]

Alchemy's great but will we be talking about it's awesome filters a year from now? Probably not, because that's not what Alchemy is really about. A big complex instrument isn't better than a simple instrument.

I don't have alchemy (yet), but I love the filters in camelspace and camelphat. Camel makes great filters. I'm not weighing in on the argument between the two because I think sylenth has some of the best digital filters I've ever heard.

+1

I have tried demos of nearly everything, and just love Sylenth1, but that's just me.

I think everyone should just try the demo of each one they are interested in, see the way it is layed out and how it works, especially how it sounds and how easy it is to change a sound.

[bmanic]

Neither does Sylenth1 have osc hard sync.
The sound in the Sylenth1 demo starting at 2:20 is made with high filter resonance and distortion.

Well then I guess it's perfectly possible to duplicate it within Alchemy as there is plenty of distortion available. I just assumed it was oscillator hard sync as the prodigy lead is created in this way. I think I have to give the mp3 a listen then eh?

Cheers!
bManic

[bmanic]

I'd say the minimoog can do kickass filter FM patches. Can sylenth do filter FM?

Good point. This single feature opens up the sound palette of the Minimoog *tremendously*. If you've got audio rate LFOs you've got a lot of options.

Nobody has been able to pull off the audio rate modulation in digital yet. At least I've never heard anything that sounds even remotely as smooth as analogue modular systems. I'm pretty sure this is one of the reasons it is usually left out.

I think aciddose had a good example of this and his Xhip is actually, as far as I remember, one that pulls it off quite nicely.

Cheers!
bManic

[MitchK1989]

I'd say the minimoog can do kickass filter FM patches. Can sylenth do filter FM?

Good point. This single feature opens up the sound palette of the Minimoog *tremendously*. If you've got audio rate LFOs you've got a lot of options.

Nobody has been able to pull off the audio rate modulation in digital yet. At least I've never heard anything that sounds even remotely as smooth as analogue modular systems. I'm pretty sure this is one of the reasons it is usually left out.

I think aciddose had a good example of this and his Xhip is actually, as far as I remember, one that pulls it off quite nicely.

Cheers!
bManic

I never found a problem with Zebra's XMF filter's FM, or with the filter FM in minimonsta... I agree that not many synths can go into audio rate with every parameter and sound smooth, and that's mostly because most parameters are not updated at audio rate (to save on CPU)... But when you have dedicated FM capable modulation going on (like filter fm routings) I find it can be done in a very acceptable manner.

[olepro]

Neither does Sylenth1 have osc hard sync.
The sound in the Sylenth1 demo starting at 2:20 is made with high filter resonance and distortion.

Well then I guess it's perfectly possible to duplicate it within Alchemy as there is plenty of distortion available. I just assumed it was oscillator hard sync as the prodigy lead is created in this way. I think I have to give the mp3 a listen then eh?

Cheers!
bManic

Hi again
I made some sounds with the VA engine in Alchemy.
Some of them is clones of Sylenth(they have the same patch name as in Sylenth).
Others is just free fantasy and
one is a Hard Sync try out.

Sound demo: http://www.jepptunes.dk/Ole_Wav/Alchemy_VA_sounds.mp3
Sounds: http://www.jepptunes.dk/Ole_Wav/VA_Sounds.rar

[xx JPRacer xx]

VERY nice olepro!

Your hard-sync at the end sound pretty good too. And some nice keyborad skill.

[bmanic]

I never found a problem with Zebra's XMF filter's FM, or with the filter FM in minimonsta... I agree that not many synths can go into audio rate with every parameter and sound smooth, and that's mostly because most parameters are not updated at audio rate (to save on CPU)... But when you have dedicated FM capable modulation going on (like filter fm routings) I find it can be done in a very acceptable manner.

Audio rate alone does not guarantee good modulation. It needs to be quite heavily oversampled to sound like analogue audio rate modulation. In the digital domain everything is always a bit "grainy" and "hard", whereas in the analogue domain you can do surprisingly smooth sounds that are audio rate modulated.

Same applies for ring modulation. It too, sounds wicked and very different, in the analogue domain. I'll try to post some samples at some point but perhaps it would be quicker to ask somebody with an analogue modular to demonstrate? The difference is truly night and day.

Cheers!
bManic

[bmanic]

Here is a short clip of a preset I've been working on today. Sorry about the chaotic example, I am feeling lazy and thus did only a single pass of the sequence while tweaking the performance controls. It should show that Alchemy is far from "boring" when it comes to it's VA section. In fact, it is possible to create unique subtleties in the sounds due to the enormous flexibility of creating the oscillator. Here I've made a custom saw wave from scratch, using the additive section, combining 3 partials by manipulating their relative phase and amplitude. The results are a slightly nasal and phasey saw wave that sounds awesome in a cutting lead sound like this.

Alchemy Attitude

This is pure Alchemy. No external effects were used. It's a single (!!) oscillator preset. No detuning, no multiple oscs. I did not on purpose try to recreate yet another 303 sound, it just happened.

Cheers!
bManic

[kuniklo]

Audio rate alone does not guarantee good modulation. It needs to be quite heavily oversampled to sound like analogue audio rate modulation.

The modulation plugins like Minimonsta are capable of may not be that close to real analog audio-rate modulation but it still opens up a lot of detuned, metallic & percussive sounds that broaden the sound palette enormously.

[Soundsauca]

I never found a problem with Zebra's XMF filter's FM, or with the filter FM in minimonsta... I agree that not many synths can go into audio rate with every parameter and sound smooth, and that's mostly because most parameters are not updated at audio rate (to save on CPU)... But when you have dedicated FM capable modulation going on (like filter fm routings) I find it can be done in a very acceptable manner.

Audio rate alone does not guarantee good modulation. It needs to be quite heavily oversampled to sound like analogue audio rate modulation. In the digital domain everything is always a bit "grainy" and "hard", whereas in the analogue domain you can do surprisingly smooth sounds that are audio rate modulated.

Same applies for ring modulation. It too, sounds wicked and very different, in the analogue domain. I'll try to post some samples at some point but perhaps it would be quicker to ask somebody with an analogue modular to demonstrate? The difference is truly night and day.

Cheers!
bManic

You are right about audio rate modulation. Oversampling is essential to reduce artifacts in the sound

[Examigan]

I'd say the minimoog can do kickass filter FM patches. Can sylenth do filter FM?

Good point. This single feature opens up the sound palette of the Minimoog *tremendously*. If you've got audio rate LFOs you've got a lot of options.

There are some real nice Moog-like sounds available for Sylenth, and you can always design your own too, of course.