Future of Synth Squad - props and cons

[zerocrossing]

I'm tempted to buy DCAM as it seems to be on market place quite frequently. I'm a bit surprise of this considering the rave it caused few years ago. I'm demoing it at the moment and while digging in few questions arised already...

- where does this synth stand at the moment quality wise? ( vs. Diva if you like )

- key commands won't work at least in demo - so how much there are left to be done (bug fixes, general improv.)

- What's the fxpansion support for this. Any updates coming up?

And lastly, any ideas why is it on the market place so often


Thanks

In all honesty, it comes up because a lot of people here are fickle. One day something is the second coming, the next it's forgotten because there's a new kid in town. Hang around here long enough and you'll see the same cycle over and over. There's a "well that's last year's technology, this new thing has to be better!" I was one of the most vocal when Diva hit the scene. I honestly didn't feel it was a game changer. An incremental gain in some areas, and a nice flavor with some cool functions. That's all. I think I said the same thing when DCAM hit the market as well.

Really, all you can do with any synth is demo it and see if you warm up to it. Some synths seem to get me reaching for my wallet faster than you can say "self oscillating" (Zebra 2 was one of these) others, not so much. It took me longer to dig DCAM because I don't share the tastes of their preset writers and it wasn't until a tip from the developer that I realized how sensitive the filters were to being over driven. There's plenty of juice in those filters, but you can't force feed them. Let up and they'll start to sing. Slam them and they'll get stiff and aggressive, which is also nice, but many of the presets show this side of things. FXpansion did the same thing with Tremor... and once again Himalaya had to come to the rescue.

Anyway, I thought it's original price was fair. At the $99 special price it's a steal. If you can find it on the market price for around $99 usd, it's well worth having in your arsenal. I think I'd pay that just for Amber.

[Sendy]

I think I'd pay that just for Amber.

That was pretty much my reasoning when I picked it up, too. That intro patch is just

[pdxindy]

At the $99 special price it's a steal. If you can find it on the market price for around $99 usd, it's well worth having in your arsenal. I think I'd pay that just for Amber.

I meant to buy when it was at that price... then I got busy elsewhere... so I am waiting for it to be on sale again...

[JerGoertz]

I have recently acquired both Diva and Synth Squad.

I think the Synth Squad presets do tend a little toward the "harsh, modern" sound (IMO), but that I've gotten some nice strings out of Strobe, and some very nice/interesting pads out of Fusor. There are a lot of available FX you can patch in using Fusor, which can even be modulated.

I guess I'd say that Synth Squad sounds "analog", but of course this is subjective and relative.

[sabiwa]

In the end I happily went for SS, although the decision didn't come easily. I'm really happy how does it sound and especially how versatile it is.

Thank you all for the feedback

[4damind]

There has nothing changed. Always updates and Betas flying around in the FXpansion Forum. Always highly recommended bundle also when it needs eventually some time to find out the eg. Strobe is not only good for bass lines
The only thing which have changed: it's a bit cheaper because of specials or stuff and it's a bit older so the chance is great to buy for a good price.

FXpansion has the best modulation system I ever seen with a soft synth and it uses not much resources compared to Diva. I don't like Amber but I love Strobe and Cypher.

[codec_spurt]

FXpansion has the best modulation system I ever seen with a soft synth and it uses not much resources compared to Diva. I don't like Amber but I love Strobe and Cypher.

Pwhoarr! Not much missus! Modulation! I should say!


Amber is sweet, like honey.
Cypher is deep, like code.


And then there is ........ Strobe.....

Never have so few, given so much, to so many, for so little.


Shame on you KVR. And bless you 4damind! This is one MONSTER of a synth!
ER, I mean they all are. Gosh. Modulation.

It's like Dub music, but for the 21st century...

[cryophonik]

And then there is ........ Strobe.....

Never have so few, given so much, to so many, for so little.

Good summary. Strobe was worth the price of DCAM alone IMO, and I bought it at full price shortly after it was released.

[whitecloud]

Here is my .02 cents. I've had DCAM SS for 2 months now. Demoed it first and liked what I heard in Strobe but didn't care for some of the other's presets and even some of Strobe. I felt well when I buy it I will have more presets to my liking, but this was not the case. Personal preference I know. I was warned about the cpu hit, but learned to work with it so it isn't a major issue most of the time.
Learning curve: Took to Strobe right off and the TransMod is not as complicated and hard to use as some say. Cypher well it scares me and it will take some time to get my head around it. I know it can sound great. Fusor is starting to make sense to me as well. I have a few niggles with it, so I'll see how much I'll use it to house the other Synths rather than use my other FX etc. I actually really like Amber. I just wish FX enlisted more preset love from Himalaya for the factory stuff and I really want his Antiquity soundset. It cost almost half of what I paid for SS on the Holiday special and I know I will eventually buy it,
but I have my eye on two real Analogs(Pre-order for the MiniBrute) and will more than likely get the Mintaur as well. I need every penny.

As much as I bitch about the SS presets, ones I thought not musical or usable
are now actually finding their way into some of my tracks, so it goes to say
don't be too early to judge. Some of these presets may not of been the initial
backbone of a track, but adds some really interesting textures and sounds I quite enjoy.
FX has been very good with their support, much better than most Dev. I have dealt with.

Diva was brought up and I just want to add that since it was touted as the best Analog Softie, that peeked some interest, but the warnings of Major Cpu hits
made me reluctant to even Demo it.
Well i just did tonight, and I must say it really sounds "Divine" I was floored and most the presets I felt I could use right off the bat. I went for it, set it to Divine and prepared for the worst. A lot of the presets(went through a hundred or so) were comparable to SS CPU wise, then a few just killed My Computer.. The thing that surprised me was I don't think it sounds as "Analog"
as most profess. I know i have owned some worthy real Analogs.
So I'll hold off on Diva and continue to work with SS which I am happy with and
go with the plan for some Analog Hardware fun.