Sylenth1 Awesome Alternatives?

[Nielzie]

Not sure why people are so hung up on Sylenth, it was a great plug when it came out in 2007 but I don't see the appeal in todays market.

Because nothing sounds like it & it's very light on CPU.

There are alternatives, some of the newer synths can do lots of extra things, they do sound great, but still, they're different.

All in all...why not?

This says it all. Amen.

[pdxindy]

Dune 2 is a CPU hog compared to Sylenth.

I don't think so. What kind of patch are you comparing? A basic supersaw patch uses the same CPU on my machine. It's true that many Dune 2 patches use more CPU than your average Sylenth 1 patch but think about what they do, can you achieve the same sound in Sylenth 1 with less CPU or at all in one patch? I doubt it.

Exactly... the same sort of preset in Dune uses about the same amount of cpu as in Sylenth...

Sylenth uses a low amount of cpu because it has no features that take more cpu... pulse width modulation, ring mod, osc sync, multi-segment envelopes, audio rate modulation etc...

Dune has like 20 times the feature capability and it is the equivalent of 4 instances of Sylenth (8 layers to 2). Of course it can use more cpu... duh!

[Kriminal]

everything is awesome compared to sylenth1..its got a stupid fuckin name for starters, and dont even mention pwm, or the 7 million soundbanks that all sound the same

[Phorous]

Japan made a nice alternative to Sylenth One





In all seriousness, Dune 2 is a far better investment than Sylenth.

[Examigan]

I'd like to see an ANA 2, and what they could do with that one. Seems like it's been a while with no updates. Maybe they're working on something. (?)

[idfpower]

Sylenth uses a low amount of cpu because it has no features that take more cpu... pulse width modulation, ring mod, osc sync, multi-segment envelopes, audio rate modulation etc...

Dune has like 20 times the feature capability and it is the equivalent of 4 instances of Sylenth (8 layers to 2). Of course it can use more cpu... duh!

You don't get it, do you?

If Sylenth has virtually no CPU impact on my system and I'm satisfied with the sound I get out of it, why would I need a plugin that uses more CPU? 'Cause "it can do more"? So what?

If you're not on an old PC running 32bit Windows you probably won't understand how CPU hit can be far more important that "features" when it comes to laying down a song and maintaining a fast & smooth workflow (I don't like rendering to audio in the middle of the creative process).

[Examigan]

The only problem is after a while it all sounds a bit the same, as their aren't enough modulation options. I love its sound, no question, and I used to own it. I just wanted more options.

[Examigan]

The great thing about Sylenth1 was I could use many instances on my old single core 2600 Barton CPU, and have Battery 3 running at the same time. Now that's a low CPU usage.

I composed this on my old PC with just Sylenth1 (no other synths used) and Battery 3:

https://soundcloud.com/examigan/blueshift

[Sendy]

Sylenth uses a low amount of cpu because it has no features that take more cpu... pulse width modulation, ring mod, osc sync, multi-segment envelopes, audio rate modulation etc...

Dune has like 20 times the feature capability and it is the equivalent of 4 instances of Sylenth (8 layers to 2). Of course it can use more cpu... duh!

You don't get it, do you?

If Sylenth has virtually no CPU impact on my system and I'm satisfied with the sound I get out of it, why would I need a plugin that uses more CPU? 'Cause "it can do more"? So what?

If you're not on an old PC running 32bit Windows you probably won't understand how CPU hit can be far more important that "features" when it comes to laying down a song and maintaining a fast & smooth workflow (I don't like rendering to audio in the middle of the creative process).

I think pdx's point is also missed by you. If you create these same sounds on Dune 2, you'll get about the same low CPU hit, and it may even sound better. Plus, you have extra options should you feel like sacrificing the CPU cycles for them.

[idfpower]

The great thing about Sylenth1 was I could use many instances on my old single core 2600 Barton CPU, and have Battery 3 running at the same time. Now that's a low CPU usage.

Well I'm on a P4 dualcore 3 Ghz / 3072 MB Ram (running Windows 7 32bit) - so that's certainly my main concern as well I could save money and buy a better computer and get another Windows license for 64bit, or...I could just stick to plugins that were released around the time my computer was built (or newer but light on CPU instruments) and still make music at no additional cost I used to upgrade my machine quite often so I'd be able to play the latest games, until I've realised how stupid that was

I don't have Sylenth anymore either, but I've used it a lot in the past and it was maybe the only non native synth that could run 15 (or more) instances on top of other plugins without driving my DAW into CPU overload

PS: cool song, btw Very nice

[Examigan]

thanks idfpower

[idfpower]

I think pdx's point is also missed by you. If you create these same sounds on Dune 2, you'll get about the same low CPU hit, and it may even sound better.

Um... no. Maybe the same "type" of sound, but not quite the same sound - these 2 plugins do sound different. But again: why would I feel the need to build (or find) a coresponding sound in a different synth if I already have it in the synth I'm already working with? What's the point?


Bottom line is: I think Dune 2 sounds good. Featurewise...I don't care. And I strongly dislike the GUI. But that's just me - I can totally understand why others love it. The same way ppl are raving about Spire while I don't find it interesting at all. But it's ok

[pdxindy]

I think pdx's point is also missed by you. If you create these same sounds on Dune 2, you'll get about the same low CPU hit, and it may even sound better.

Um... no. Maybe the same "type" of sound, but not quite the same sound

Irrelevant to the claim that Dune2 is a cpu hog... which is what I responded to... and I made no claim that they sound identical or whether you are or aren't happy using Sylenth.

If the same sort of supersaw sound in Dune and Sylenth uses roughly the same cpu, then saying Dune2 is a cpu hog does not accurately represent the situation.

[Sendy]

I think pdx's point is also missed by you. If you create these same sounds on Dune 2, you'll get about the same low CPU hit, and it may even sound better.

Um... no. Maybe the same "type" of sound, but not quite the same sound - these 2 plugins do sound different. But again: why would I feel the need to build (or find) a coresponding sound in a different synth if I already have it in the synth I'm already working with? What's the point?


Bottom line is: I think Dune 2 sounds good. Featurewise...I don't care. And I strongly dislike the GUI. But that's just me - I can totally understand why others love it. The same way ppl are raving about Spire while I don't find it interesting at all. But it's ok

Ok, that's your perogative I guess, but unrelated to CPU claims. I A/B'ed Sylenth against Dune 2 using a typical supersaw with filter envelope and slightly preferred the sound of Dune 2, plus it has a lot more options. In fact in linear mode and with matched settings, I could get D2 to sound identical.

Plus, it's acid filter lets it do mutant acid sequences that would make some 303 emulators blush.

I've been tempted by Sylenth for a long time. I like it's sound and some of it's unique features, like it's effects (especially the blurred delay). I guess I just feel it isn't good VFM nowadays.

[samsam]

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