KVR Audio

braj · Post by **braj** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 4:02 am

Just wondering what you all think, I am looking to get this soon but is it a 'good buy' at this point in time? I will get a deal or get it used, $100 or less.

braj · Post by **braj** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 4:03 am

I have heard really good things about it. My 'synth style' that I am planning to use it for is 70's progressive/space rock sorts of stuff, and early 80's synth pop.

VitaminD · Post by **VitaminD** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 4:14 am

If you like it, use it.

What does it matter what we think of the synth you enjoy? *bonk*

braj · Post by **braj** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 4:15 am

VitaminD wrote:If you like it, use it.

What does it matter what we think of the synth you enjoy? *bonk*

I'm considering value, I know the plugin is a little dated at this point, that's all. Educated opinions are helpful.

bill45 · Post by **bill45** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 5:16 am

For prog rock I'm considering Z3TA 2 with Xenos 70's/80's pack.
Cost $114.Omnisphere has lots of good prog stuff.Poly ana, DCam and arturia SemV
are also good choices.Diva sounds awesome for prog.Demo it and check out protical, a great synth organ patch! Opx pro II also good.Ultra analog demos sounded good, but a little to soft for prog.There is a retro bank for ultra analog.

VitaminD · Post by **VitaminD** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 5:20 am

I found the timbre punchy but bright and a little harsh with filter full open.. hard to make it sound rich at high filter settings.. even on commercial banks I hear this signature which I didn't find appealing.. Mid-to-Low cutoff and it sounds great imo.

I don't think it consumed much CPU either.. but that might be why it sounded a bit harsh at high filter settings to me.. hmm.

It was once an Audiomidi no-brainer deal for 25 USD IIRC. I bought it then and ended up selling my license later on. Might find someone willing to sell it dirt cheap in Marketplace.. worth a shot.

Xenos has a rather affordable 80s bank for it that sounds pretty snazzy.

But, again, one persons opinion is just that.. their opinion.. my shoes may not fit your feet properly. (That is, I hope you are trialling before buying to ensure that you wont discover our tastes were completely different than yours and then you become upset at us)

MickGael · Post by **MickGael** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 5:46 am

FWIW, I write a lot of 70s-style prog music. I own Ultra Analog. I've never use it in those songs.

braj · Post by **braj** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:06 am

MickGael wrote:FWIW, I write a lot of 70s-style prog music. I own Ultra Analog. I've never use it in those songs.

Whzt synth would you recommend?

MickGael · Post by **MickGael** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:10 am

As often as not, I use MTron and NI B4. For pads, I find that Minimonsta sits better alongside my guitars and vocals.

braj · Post by **braj** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:23 am

You can kinda get an idea of the textures and 'mood' I'm after, to my ears Ultra Analog sounds really deep and warm, but I admittedly don't have much experience.

MickGael · Post by **MickGael** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:40 am

Great record!

braj · Post by **braj** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:59 am

The fact that UA sips lightly from the CPU also is a big plus for me, I just demo'd Diva and yikes! Some patches are ok but some chew up 40% or more of my CPU. UA is sitting right at 2% most of the time, so I can also get full use out of it on my laptop.

A.M. Gold · Post by **A.M. Gold** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:15 am

I like it for brighter, sort of plucky sounds. I've never thought it sounded particularly analog.

You should check out all of the xils lab synths.

There's a free Arp Odyssey synth you may like:

http://www.synthschool.com/downloads.html

ariston · Post by **ariston** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:19 am

braj wrote:The fact that UA sips lightly from the CPU also is a big plus for me, I just demo'd Diva and yikes! Some patches are ok but some chew up 40% or more of my CPU. UA is sitting right at 2% most of the time, so I can also get full use out of it on my laptop.

If some patches chew up "only" 40% of your cpu,you must have one hell of a machine!

Diva is cutting-edge and will tax your system up to and beyond its limits (use draft mode for playing, then render at the highest setting). The plus side is quite obviously the sound. You won't find a qualitatively better software emulation of analogue sounds IMO.

Alternatives are:
- from the same developer: Ace (ridiculously cheap, quite heavy on cpu also) and Tyrell (ridiculously free, also heavy).
- SynthSquad (check out the Himalaya expansion - classic prog heaven)
- Fabfilter Twin 2

Or buy an issue of Computer Music and get the PolyKB II CM version, Dominator, which is an often-overlooked good-sounding workhorse, and ZebraCM. These should cover enough ground to start with.

Really, though: Diva - "Nothing compares to you".

braj · Post by **braj** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:54 am

Yeah maybe I'm being a little conservative saying only 40%, not like I was fast and furious on the keys when demo'ing, and many patches even at 8% sounded glitchy. My computer is a few years old now, not that fast so I was surprised that Diva was even usable

but I think I need a new machine before I can make use of a synth like that. Right now I need something that sips lightly so I can get the most from my current machine. I don't know when I'll be able to upgrade.

Ultra Analog Vs. ?