Codex vs Serum

[golddustwoman]

Tried both extensively and bought Serum. I am amazed at the thought that has been put in to this thing. It's literally the best plugin I've ever used, I've been about a while and I don't get excited easily.

[4damind]

Codex is not bad, there are better presets and I like the Wavetables more and it's very stable. But if it comes to usability and features Codex is a very limited synth. For me it's a bit too limited and after some more hours I'm relatively sure that this synth is not for me.

The bad thing with Serum: it's a bit unstable (I had some crashes also with the latest Beta 5). Sometimes while dragging waves from outside the DAW to the Serum, sometimes if switching the filter mode if the filter cutoff is modulated by an LFO. I hope that Steve can fix some of this things with some of the next updates.

[chaosWyrM]

i had purchased serum before i even knew about codex. out of curiosity i demoed codex for quite some time yesterday. after reading a lot of these posts ive come to the conclusion that my ears are broken.

to me serum absolutely destroys codex soundwise. is fuller, more detailed, and i dont get this "edgy or harsh" thing people keep talking about. in my experience, codex sounds thin and weak in comparison. i also found the sounds produced with serum were more varied and interesting than with codex.

add to that that codex will absolutely NOT cooperate with my automap...and im not regretting my purchase choice in the least.

dont get me wrong...i like codex, it think it sounds great, but in a direct comparison with serum? no way, its not even close.

just my $0.02

[PietW.]

Codex is no risk for serum.
No Wavetablesynth is available now has as many features as serum.

[Ingonator]

Codex is no risk for serum.
No Wavetablesynth is available now has as many features as serum.

Recently i had come to the conclusion that features are not always everyrthing which is one reason why e.g. Tone2 Saurus, Waldorf PPG wave 3.V and NI Monark belong to my favorite synths while i got several others which got a lot more features than those.

I had tested the demo of Serum for a while and somehow it was not really for me sound wise.

Anyway i already owned Waves Element and just decided to install the latest Waves Softawre including the full Element and the demo of Codex.

I have not played as much with Codex as with Serum yet but i already really like the sound of Codex.
I would also not call Codex really limited, it actually includes a lot of features including an Arp/Sequencer tat i am missing in Serum.
I like what i have heard from the presets and and the wavetables in Codex so far and the filter sounds more pleasing for me than those in Serum. Codex seems to be perfectly suitable for typical analog, typical digital and hybrid sounds.
I also like the one page approach without hidden menus, like it was with Element.

Bot synths do seem to be quite heavy on the CPU while Codex does not kill my CPU as fast as Serum does (e.g. when layering two instances).


Have not decided to purchase Codex yet but currently i would prefer it over Serum.
If I would get Codex it would not be as a replacement for other wavetable synths i already own but as an additiional synth with it's own sound and character.


Ingo

[kelvyn]

So after having both synths for a short while my first impression remains the same. Codex is a nice analogue sounding synth that's relatively easy to tweak with cool features and some good presets, but I wouldn't call it groundbreaking. Serum on the other hand is a beast and I reckon the presets are only scratching the surface with regards to its sound potential. I'm really looking forward to Simon Stockhausen's forthcoming lib.

[Chris-S]

after reading a lot of these posts ive come to the conclusion that my ears are broken.

Beside of the sound... What I really like about Serum is the optical feedback of the envelops and modulation.

[PietW.]

Codex is no risk for serum.
No Wavetablesynth is available now has as many features as serum.

Recently i had come to the conclusion that features are not always everyrthing which is one reason why e.g. Tone2 Saurus, Waldorf PPG wave 3.V and NI Monark belong to my favorite synths while i got several others which got a lot more features than those.

I had tested the demo of Serum for a while and somehow it was not really for me sound wise.

Anyway i already owned Waves Element and just decided to install the latest Waves Softawre including the full Element and the demo of Codex.

I have not played as much with Codex as with Serum yet but i already really like the sound of Codex.
I would also not call Codex really limited, it actually includes a lot of features including an Arp/Sequencer tat i am missing in Serum.
I like what i have heard from the presets and and the wavetables in Codex so far and the filter sounds more pleasing for me than those in Serum. Codex seems to be perfectly suitable for typical analog, typical digital and hybrid sounds.
I also like the one page approach without hidden menus, like it was with Element.

Bot synths do seem to be quite heavy on the CPU while Codex does not kill my CPU as fast as Serum does (e.g. when layering two instances).


Have not decided to purchase Codex yet but currently i would prefer it over Serum.
If I would get Codex it would not be as a replacement for other wavetable synths i already own but as an additiional synth with it's own sound and character.


Ingo

With serum has someone finally managed to program a wavetable synth that can do what I've always wanted.
Codex sounds exactly digital like serum. Do not forget. There are only zeros and one.
Sound quality demands performance.
Codex has too little tone shaping for me.
But that is all a matter of taste.

[Spitfire31]

Codex sounds exactly digital like serum. Do not forget. There are only zeros and one.

This is a most amazingly stupid and ignorant remark.

So, since a CD is "only zeros and one [sic!]", it follows that all CD albums sound exactly the same?

Just as all didgital compressors and exciters and EQ:s sound exactly the same?

Zeros and ones are just carriers of arbitrary information and models.

Sheesh.

/Joachim

[PietW.]

Codex and serum will always sound digital. This is in the nature of things.

[Ingonator]

As mentioned in the other threda i purchased Codex. Opposing to Serum i liked it from the first minute on.
Importing custom wavetables also seems to be quite simple if you export them with Audio term in the requeired WAV format.

IMO Codex could sound a lot "warmer" and pleasing while it could still sound digital. Anyway doing more "analog like" sounds seem to be more simple (or just better sounding) with Codex than with Serum.

It is also cool that in Codex you could use the step sequencer for modulation.
The Low end is already quite good by default while the built-in EQ could boost this quite nicely (like it was possible with Element too). That EQ seems to be quite simple but it seems to work nicely.

Codex seems to be a quite versatile synth that could do more than just the typical wavetable stuff and that with a quite simple interface.

For certain wavetable related tasks/sounds that could not be done with Codex (or at least sounding different) i also got a few additional wavetable synths.

[4damind]

They sounding both close (with the same wavetable used). IMO the envelopes of Serum are quicker and with Codex it sounds a bit like a small "gliding" at the start of the attack.

2 Bars Codex - 2 Bars Serum

[MorpherX]

As mentioned in the other threda i purchased Codex. Opposing to Serum i liked it from the first minute on.
Importing custom wavetables also seems to be quite simple if you export them with Audio term in the requeired WAV format.

IMO Codex could sound a lot "warmer" and pleasing while it could still sound digital. Anyway doing more "analog like" sounds seem to be more simple (or just better sounding) with Codex than with Serum.

It is also cool that in Codex you could use the step sequencer for modulation.
The Low end is already quite good by default while the built-in EQ could boost this quite nicely (like it was possible with Element too). That EQ seems to be quite simple but it seems to work nicely.

Codex seems to be a quite versatile synth that could do more than just the typical wavetable stuff and that with a quite simple interface.

For certain wavetable related tasks/sounds that could not be done with Codex (or at least sounding different) i also got a few additional wavetable synths.

Hi Mr. Ingonator,

sorry but what you are writting here is wrong regarding the abillities of creating warm sounds with Serum.
I have bought Serum and created also some very analog-styled sounds with warmness which at least sounds as what I have heard from this Codex.

This might be your very very pesonal impression and statement.

If you have not bought Serum you can not go into the dept because after 20 minutes Serum stops and you have to reload it.
So you can't discuss here with people who have bought and using it, on the same level.
In this regard you are noobie and your comment is unprofessional !

[TonyVegas]

Yeah, you're unprofessional!

Anyway, they both suck. Wave tables are for losers. There, I said it. Next.

[SWAN808]

they are clearly quite different...

I agree with what most have said in Codex being warmer and analogue sounding. Its actually quite a suprise for me...its a fun and good sounding synth - nice simple interface...strong sound and decent simple functions...

Serum is another thing - much more slick and deep synth...its natural sound is smoother and 'tighter'...(envelopes are tight)...It can sound a bit edgy with edgy tables, and its certainly a little smoother and clinical on basic analogue style sounds as opposed to being 'raw' and warm sounding...you just get a feeling of quality with it. The way the Unison is handled is fantastic. Codex is almost a preset synth in comparison.

Both are nice and would be worthy...