KVR Audio

DubLifeSD · Post by **DubLifeSD** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 9:42 pm

I see it for $68 total no brainier.

DrGonzo · Post by **DrGonzo** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 9:50 pm

zerocrossing wrote:Well, Omnisphere has a VA engine as well as a synth engine so in that respect it's the best of two worlds. I've not compared Omnisphere's VA to Element but I thought the demo track of Element sounded pretty good.

A bit OT I guess, but the VA engine in Omnisphere is actually pretty good. During the last months I've been working on a bunch of new sounds and although there are many samples in Omnisphere that are very useful - I'm always amazed when I check how the sounds work with the virtual oscillators. With the right filter, plus the VA oscillators Omnisphere can actually rival many traditional VA synths. I've always felt the VA section to be the most underused/forgotten part in Omnisphere.

Although I'm a big fan of Omnisphere, I'm not a fan of the interface, which is pretty inconsistent and messy from my point of view. I still haven't tried Element but what I like is the one-page approach and that it's stripped down to the essentials. I would imagine making sounds with Element would be even more pleasurable than with Diva.

/C

billcarroll · Post by **billcarroll** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 9:57 pm

Sendy wrote:
Yeah. Here's the resultant automation created by whaling on the knob with a physical controller. I was going for a "squeeooweooewwweoowww" kinda sound but you can see steps everywhere. For slower modulations it's fine if a bit weird feeling.

Cubase? That looks interesting. I think I'll have to try writing some automation via controller

BDeep · Post by **BDeep** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 10:00 pm

cyphersuit wrote:Hey guy,

Haven't had the time to try out your synth yet. Any comment on the unison mode? That's the feature everybody in all forums i read seems not to keen about...

Thanks,

phil

I checked it (although briefly) and its a rather simple affair, on or off with no additional settings. It felt a bit phasey as well. Wouldn't buy it for traditional unison effects. But again, limited experience, ymmv, so please try the demo as the overall quality is quite good.

DubLifeSD · Post by **DubLifeSD** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 10:00 pm

The one page layout, ergonomics, and clear gui is what I have been missing since retiring Reason a few years back. Working with Subtractor and Thor was great for getting sounds down quickly because of the straight forward interface. I'm glad to have a synth like that now in native form.

Bronto Scorpio · Post by **Bronto Scorpio** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 10:01 pm

Yeah, as I said earlier, this whole knob acceleration thingy always sounds like a cool feature in theory but it just doesn't work well in reality.

Cheers
Dennis

cryophonik · Post by **cryophonik** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 10:09 pm

Sendy wrote:
Yeah. Here's the resultant automation created by whaling on the knob with a physical controller. I was going for a "squeeooweooewwweoowww" kinda sound but you can see steps everywhere. For slower modulations it's fine if a bit weird feeling.

Playing with the demo (finally!) and, yeah, I see what you're talking about. The jumpy knob thing is annoying. One pleasant surprise, though, is that the scroll wheel can be used to adjust knobs, sliders, etc. Standalone mode is a welcome feature and I really dig the ability to load presets while preserving the MIDI configuration, arp/sequencer, and tempo parameters. The EQ is really nicely implemented as well and gives a lot of tone-shaping control. Not too keen on the reverb, but I like the other effects (esp. the bitcrusher). The oscillators and filter sound good to me - not sure what all the complaints are about there. But, I do agree that the Unison is pretty "meh". Definitely worth $70-ish, or even $99, in my book, but I wouldn't pay $200 for it.

ariston · Post by **ariston** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 10:18 pm

Spent some time with the demo... the downloading and installing of Waves plugins is quite an adventure, but not exactly rocket surgery (sic!).

I can second Sendy's observation; the filter itself is not steppy (envelope modulation works fine), but the knob sure is.

I have to admit, it sounds kinda nice on a first impression. There's something immediately pleasing to it, and in that way, it does remind me of Sylenth1. The comparison stops when you get to the upper and extreme ranges, though, because that's when the sound turns harsh and unpleasant. Using PWM and adding distortion gets you some plopping subs that don't really belong in there. Turning on HD helps somewhat, but only a little. It's a far cry from the bracing and crystal-clear highs on offer in Sylenth1, or Imposcar 2, for example.

All in all, I'd say it's okay provided you keep to a safe middle range of sounds. The low end is weighty enough for some good basses, and for tame key sounds, it's all right. The all-on-one-page philosophy is good for what it is, but it also means that you're buying a synth that's very limited - come on, 6 mod slots in 2013? Next, you'll tell me that there are still smokers around!

The effects are okay - actually, the reverb kinda reminds me of the one on Aalto. No controls, but very effective and nice-sounding. The bitcrusher, however, is another let-down. It doesn't sound anything like a bitcrusher to me. Like the distortion, the filter FM - it's all rather tame. This is a synth you can introduce to your grandmother, but not one with which to rock the house.

This would have been a great synth around 2006 or so. Nowadays, well. No.

Guy Rotem · Post by **Guy Rotem** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 11:19 pm

I will attempt to address a few of the questions.

Q. "is there any chance of a version of Element without the knob physics?"
A. As far as I know, there are no immediate plans to alter the current knob\fader behaviour.
I will forward your question and update you if this changes.

Q. "You've made Element sound fantastic with low CPU use. How in the heck did you do that? "
A. Thank you!
I was very lucky to work with some very talented people.

Q. "I was going for a "squeeooweooewwweoowww" kinda sound but you can see steps everywhere."
A. Will look into it. Far be it from me to stand between a man and his "squeeooweooewwweoowww"..

digitalboytn · Post by **digitalboytn** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 11:23 pm

lotus2035 wrote: Element is just fine but nothing overly amazing. Hey its just another synth, it's not the second coming of Elvis.

No way - it's the 20th coming of the omnipotent Miss Da Rudess

I'm waiting for someone to say that "it's their new go to synth"

That's the one that always cracks me up

But I might have to check Element out now that people are saying that it is the new "Sylenth"...

Just imagine if all of these soft synths we have stacked up on our HDs were hardware...How the hell would we carry them all to the gig ?

hibidy · Post by **hibidy** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:42 am

It's my new go-to

Wormhelmet · Post by **Wormhelmet** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:44 am

Sylenth ith golden. Don't make waves around here.

bluedad · Post by **bluedad** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:47 am

Guy Rotem wrote:I will attempt to address a few of the questions.

Q. "is there any chance of a version of Element without the knob physics?"
A. As far as I know, there are no immediate plans to alter the current knob\fader behaviour.
I will forward your question and update you if this changes.

Q. "You've made Element sound fantastic with low CPU use. How in the heck did you do that? "
A. Thank you!
I was very lucky to work with some very talented people.

Q. "I was going for a "squeeooweooewwweoowww" kinda sound but you can see steps everywhere."
A. Will look into it. Far be it from me to stand between a man and his "squeeooweooewwweoowww"..

welcome to kvr!

Igro · Post by **Igro** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:54 am

New VA? Good, I'm not in the club of anonymous VST-junkies anymore.

pdxindy · Post by **pdxindy** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 1:21 am

hibidy wrote:It's my new go-to

you forgot synth...

Oh boy, another VA synth. This time from Waves!