Looking for VSTs similar to DIVA

[HunterKiller]

I'd agree with DCAM, ACE, G-Force synths. And to some extent ultra analog. But the others there I don't find anything like DIVA at all. I don't think he's going for any vintage VA style synth. I know what he's talking about when he says the "Power" of it. Minimonta is another good example of a synth with that raw power. I find that soft synths often tend to fall into the "smooth" or "punchy/power" camp. Synths like Arturia, Xils and sylenth1 are very much the "smooth" camp if you ask me. Whereas DIVA has the power sound.

Yeah that's a very good way of putting it.

Arturia and Sylenth1 are polite and well behaved.

Minimonsta, DIVA, Unique, TimewARP2600 are audacious, raw, gritty, burly...

[Uncle E]

Can an Andromeda also function as a midi controller? (sorry for the OT)

The knobs don't send CC#'s:

http://www.macosxaudio.com/forums/viewt ... =1&t=47155

And can you post some audio of Cypher sounding like it?

Here are some blind tests I made, have a listen and then I'll tell you which is the Andromeda and which is Cypher:

www.jrrshop.com/eric/padamongous_1.mp3
www.jrrshop.com/eric/padamongous_2.mp3

www.jrrshop.com/eric/series_900_1.mp3
www.jrrshop.com/eric/series_900_2.mp3

[Sendy]

Can an Andromeda also function as a midi controller? (sorry for the OT)

The knobs don't send CC#'s:

http://www.macosxaudio.com/forums/viewt ... =1&t=47155

And can you post some audio of Cypher sounding like it?

Here are some blind tests I made, have a listen and then I'll tell you which is the Andromeda and which is Cypher:

www.jrrshop.com/eric/padamongous_1.mp3
www.jrrshop.com/eric/padamongous_2.mp3

www.jrrshop.com/eric/series_900_1.mp3
www.jrrshop.com/eric/series_900_2.mp3

FWIW, in both cases, I thought mp3 1 sounded better (asin, more organic, interesting, dynamic) than mp3 2 on both counts. Now I'm interested to know which is which

[breakmixer]

www.jrrshop.com/eric/padamongous_1.mp3
www.jrrshop.com/eric/padamongous_2.mp3

www.jrrshop.com/eric/series_900_1.mp3
www.jrrshop.com/eric/series_900_2.mp3

A. Not sure, think it's no.1 the Andromeda
B. Definately think it's no.1 the Andromeda(prefered that)

[Crackbaby]

The synths diva is based on was invented before there was any genre called trance... (if trance that resembles of how it sounds today emerged 1993)

Trance and all other EDM came from experimentation of analog synths and drummachines accompanied by digital samplers and FM synths

Thanks for starting this thread, made me load Trancentral - A Trip to Goa into the player. Best goa mix ever ever and ever Guess the synths and drummachines in this track Can you see the sequencers blip in front of you? The live mixing during the recording, the unautomated tweaking of knobs and sliders? Can you feel the naked almost uncompressed sound?


Groove on everybody!

[Uncle E]

FWIW, in both cases, I thought mp3 1 sounded better (asin, more organic, interesting, dynamic) than mp3 2 on both counts. Now I'm interested to know which is which

I'll provide the answers as soon as pdxindy posts a guess.

[pdxindy]

FWIW, in both cases, I thought mp3 1 sounded better (asin, more organic, interesting, dynamic) than mp3 2 on both counts. Now I'm interested to know which is which

I'll provide the answers as soon as pdxindy posts a guess.

Hey, thanks for posting some audio... audio is more fun than talk!

I figured the Andromeda doesn't send cc's but thought I would ask.

Sound A - I like the first of the two better. Especially the first low notes are more coherent on #1 so I would say that is the Andromeda.

Sound B - I guess that the 1st is the Andromeda, but though it is more dynamic, the second I like also because it has less high content and I tend to like more bassy basses.


Of the 4 sounds, only Sound A #2 doesn't work for me cause the first notes fall apart.

[Uncle E]

Amazing! All three of you preferred Cypher over the Andromeda every time! Personally, I prefer the extended high-end of the Andromeda, it reminds me of all those Jupiter 8 and Prophet 5 sounds I love.

[Uncle E]

Oh, and to clarify, #1 was the Cypher and #2 was the Andromeda in both examples.

[pdxindy]

Amazing! All three of you preferred Cypher over the Andromeda every time! Personally, I prefer the extended high-end of the Andromeda, it reminds me of all those Jupiter 8 and Prophet 5 sounds I love.

I thought Sound B #1 was the Andromeda, but I liked #2 a bit better cause it was bassier... a bit punchier

But that is a happy result cause Cypher is a helluva lot cheaper than the Andromeda!

I had meant to buy SS during the $99 special, then I was busy and forgot the deadline so am waiting for the next special price! I've liked the sound of Cypher especially since the first time I heard it.

[Uncle E]

I thought Sound B #1 was the Andromeda, but I liked #2 a bit better cause it was bassier... a bit punchier

Yeah, I heard that, too. That may have been my programming, the Andromeda has a lot of presets that use the second filter to beef up the bass (100% key follow, resonance at 80-90%, cutoff low enough to resonate at a sub frequency) and I may not have had that high enough. Those patches took me a long time to do (about 30 minutes each) and none of Cypher's presets sound anything close to them.

I had meant to buy SS during the $99 special, then I was busy and forgot the deadline so am waiting for the next special price! I've liked the sound of Cypher especially since the first time I heard it.

We may still have some left over from the sale and have been giving them away for free with certain Arturia titles.

[D-Fusion]

Amazing! All three of you preferred Cypher over the Andromeda every time! Personally, I prefer the extended high-end of the Andromeda, it reminds me of all those Jupiter 8 and Prophet 5 sounds I love.

Make that 4
I was listening but didn't guess.

DCAM Synth squad is awesome

[Sendy]

Well, I feel a lot better about not being able to afford the A6 now

I've not had DCAM long, and have picked it up for silly money, and I really think it's one of those synths that not only takes a while to reveal it's-self to you, but also that you have to apply yourself to and adapt to.

And it's another case where I thought the presets weren't really hinting at the depth of the synth (apart from perhaps Amber).

It's a bit like the Alesis ION board in that every time I turn it on I grow more in awe for it.

Is Cypher the only VA with thru-zero FM? It sounds amazing!

[musikmachine]

Oh, and to clarify, #1 was the Cypher and #2 was the Andromeda in both examples.

I preferred 1 but i thought watch out, it will turn out to be Cypher.

[himalaya]

Cypher can do "modern", most definitely (with FM, waveshapers, dual drive units, filter FM, dual hard sync, rind mod, dual multimode filters...etc it has all the right to sound full-on), but it can do juicy vintage sounds as well:

Vintage Cypher

Starting with OBXa style brassy bad, some famous songs, and the last sound a milky pad (with no chorus in sight).

Some factory presets are not very good, agreed, and mine are rubbish I have to say (certainly not of the same quality as my current work. There is also a problem with some being saved at an octave too low). But Cypher has a very strong vintage analog flavour, which perhaps not shown in the factory set, is definitely there, just a few tweaks away.

Is Cypher the only VA with thru-zero FM? It sounds amazing!

Don't know if it is, Sendy, but like you I love its FM. It can do fantastic DX impersonations and more gentle, wacky stuff like this:

Cypher FM tweaks

I think, right now, there are some exquisite VA synths available, all offering something special, be it DIVA, Xils synths, Tassman, SynthMaster, DCAM, Gforce, plus many more etc. We can be like those musos from the 1970s/80s, who played live surrounded by lots of synths, each doing something else, so we can do the same with these VA synths.