Hive: how versatile is this synth?

[GrandVelocity]

Hi guys,

I am a fan of u-he's synth as I find them to be all full of character, which I love.

I have used Zebra a bit, but tbh the semi-modular workflow is not for me. It's awesome how versatile and powerful it is, but I prefer something more intuitive.

I have tried Diva and it sounds amazing, the presets alone are so awesome, but I feel that is best for a very particular sound (analog emulation).

I am considering picking up Hive however. I really like the mindset behind it (one page layout for fast workflow) but I was wondering just how versatile this synth can be. I am interested in a very intuitive synth which can still do deep things (which I think Hive is) but I am trying to focus on making cinematic/cyberpunk/ambient style of music (think Deus Ex Human Revolution/Deus Ex Mankind Divided music from Michael McCann and co. - check out the track "Task Force 29" for example).

I know Zebra is great for this, but once again I don't prefer its layout and workflow and I want something lighter on the CPU and more versatile than Diva.

One of my fav synths (because of its intuitivness) is Serum, though I'm not trying to turn this into a "Serum vs Hive" thread.

So for people who have this synth and use it heavily and have maybe attempted or write this style of music that I want to do or just really know their way around this synth, do you think it could be a good fit for me?

I am thinking stuff like pads, plucks, arps that dont sound too "digital" or too "harsh" all the time. For reference, do check out the track I mentioned above or the soundtracks to those games.

Cheers.

[chk071]

Quite versatile, i would say. Don't get fooled by the simple layout, there's really a lot you can do with it, especially with the additions that came with version 1.2, and which will come in version 2.

I must admit that i never quite liked the sound. It's a bit harsh, metallic, and also sounds a bit thin to me. But, that's just my opinion, others will disagree. See for yourself.

[GrandVelocity]

Quite versatile, i would say. Don't get fooled by the simple layout, there's really a lot you can do with it, especially with the additions that came with version 1.2, and which will come in version 2.

I must admit that i never quite liked the sound. It's a bit harsh, metallic, and also sounds a bit thin to me. But, that's just my opinion, others will disagree. See for yourself.

Would you say it's kind of harsh like Serum is known for, with its sound? Or a bit less?

[chk071]

By all means, judge for yourself. I can only describe how it sounds to me. I'm not exactly a fan of Serum either. If i learned something here, then it's how different tastes are.

I really like the Deus Ex soundtracks as well, by the way. Especially the one from Mankind Divided (which i like a bit better than the Human Revolution one).

[GrandVelocity]

By all means, judge for yourself. I can only describe how it sounds to me. I'm not exactly a fan of Serum either. If i learned something here, then it's how different tastes are.

I really like the Deus Ex soundtracks as well, by the way. Especially the one from Mankind Divided (which i like a bit better than the Human Revolution one).

They are great yeah, those soundtracks, have been revisiting them, especially the one from Mankind Divided. And stuff like Ghost in the Shell movie soundtrack, etc. I think Hive will also do well to give those sounds, it is a synth after all, its more up to the user heh.

[pdxindy]

I am considering picking up Hive however. I really like the mindset behind it (one page layout for fast workflow) but I was wondering just how versatile this synth can be. I am interested in a very intuitive synth which can still do deep things (which I think Hive is) but I am trying to focus on making cinematic/cyberpunk/ambient style of music (think Deus Ex Human Revolution/Deus Ex Mankind Divided music from Michael McCann and co. - check out the track "Task Force 29" for example).

I am just listening to Task Force 29. Hive would work great for these type of sounds. As of Hive 1.2 and the ability to import wavetables, it is very versatile. I use Icarus (which has really good resynthesis) to create wavetables from audio samples and then export them to Hive (you can use Serum too). For example, vocal samples, percussion, etc.

With Hive 2 (currently in internal beta) there are some additional modulators which can function as LFO's, MSEG's. So there is now (as soon as v2 is publicly available) plenty of powerful modulation to go along with the new wavetable capabilities.

In addition to regular wavetables Hive also has the Uhm scripts. Even if one does not want to create scripts, there are a bunch included with Hive which cover some FM stuff, plucked sounds (Karplus-Strong) etc. The wavetable interpolation is especially good (Serum has no interpolation at all). There is a unique character to Uhm compared to wavetable synths in general. The Uhm scripts have a lovely clean, clear sound.

Even with the new modulators in Hive 2, it is still primarily a one window GUI. All modulators are visible at once. That is now 12 of them! There are the tabs for the Hexagon... FX, Arp/Seq, the 2 Wavetable pages... and there are 2 tabs below for the Mod Matrix.

There are also the Matrix modifiers... which let you shape the modulation in useful ways. Quite powerful and yet easy to use and unobtrusive if not needed. One Mod Matrix slot can modulate the depth of another slot. So there is a whole lot of power there while still being easy to use.

[pdxindy]

Quite versatile, i would say. Don't get fooled by the simple layout, there's really a lot you can do with it, especially with the additions that came with version 1.2, and which will come in version 2.

I must admit that i never quite liked the sound. It's a bit harsh, metallic, and also sounds a bit thin to me. But, that's just my opinion, others will disagree. See for yourself.

Would you say it's kind of harsh like Serum is known for, with its sound? Or a bit less?

No, Hive does not have that hard, harsh character of Serum. It is smoother.

[GrandVelocity]

I am considering picking up Hive however. I really like the mindset behind it (one page layout for fast workflow) but I was wondering just how versatile this synth can be. I am interested in a very intuitive synth which can still do deep things (which I think Hive is) but I am trying to focus on making cinematic/cyberpunk/ambient style of music (think Deus Ex Human Revolution/Deus Ex Mankind Divided music from Michael McCann and co. - check out the track "Task Force 29" for example).

I am just listening to Task Force 29. Hive would work great for these type of sounds. As of Hive 1.2 and the ability to import wavetables, it is very versatile. I use Icarus (which has really good resynthesis) to create wavetables from audio samples and then export them to Hive (you can use Serum too). For example, vocal samples, percussion, etc.

With Hive 2 (currently in internal beta) there are some additional modulators which can function as LFO's, MSEG's. So there is now (as soon as v2 is publicly available) plenty of powerful modulation to go along with the new wavetable capabilities.

In addition to regular wavetables Hive also has the Uhm scripts. Even if one does not want to create scripts, there are a bunch included with Hive which cover some FM stuff, plucked sounds (Karplus-Strong) etc. The wavetable interpolation is especially good (Serum has no interpolation at all). There is a unique character to Uhm compared to wavetable synths in general. The Uhm scripts have a lovely clean, clear sound.

Even with the new modulators in Hive 2, it is still primarily a one window GUI. All modulators are visible at once. That is now 12 of them! There are the tabs for the Hexagon... FX, Arp/Seq, the 2 Wavetable pages... and there are 2 tabs below for the Mod Matrix.

There are also the Matrix modifiers... which let you shape the modulation in useful ways. Quite powerful and yet easy to use and unobtrusive if not needed. One Mod Matrix slot can modulate the depth of another slot. So there is a whole lot of power there while still being easy to use.

Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation! Good to know that Hive can excel at making these sounds. I will probably be picking it up real soon then And also nice to see that the sound isnt as harsh as Serum as I personally am not a fan of that sound (but still love Serum for its intuitivness)

[GrandVelocity]

Quite versatile, i would say. Don't get fooled by the simple layout, there's really a lot you can do with it, especially with the additions that came with version 1.2, and which will come in version 2.

I must admit that i never quite liked the sound. It's a bit harsh, metallic, and also sounds a bit thin to me. But, that's just my opinion, others will disagree. See for yourself.

Would you say it's kind of harsh like Serum is known for, with its sound? Or a bit less?

No, Hive does not have that hard, harsh character of Serum. It is smoother.

Though smoother, would you still say it has character? Because there are certain synths which I find to be very smooth, even too smooth in a way, and they just sound super dull to me -> example: VPS Avenger. Very powerful workhorse synth but has the most uninspiring sound I heard from a synth

[mevla]

I'd say also check out some of the demo sound sets created for Hive. Like Sound Divine "Overflow", Sonic Underworld "Aeon", Bryan Lake "Night Lights", and the one made by Hollo (just to name those for diversity). These will give you an overview of what the synth can do, how flexible it can be.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Hive sounds excellent, has its own character, but I don't find it overbearing or harsh. I only got it after 1.2 was released, and use it regularly now. Demo it yourself. It's terrific. Great advice above about checking demo soundsets too.

[pdxindy]

Quite versatile, i would say. Don't get fooled by the simple layout, there's really a lot you can do with it, especially with the additions that came with version 1.2, and which will come in version 2.

I must admit that i never quite liked the sound. It's a bit harsh, metallic, and also sounds a bit thin to me. But, that's just my opinion, others will disagree. See for yourself.

Would you say it's kind of harsh like Serum is known for, with its sound? Or a bit less?

No, Hive does not have that hard, harsh character of Serum. It is smoother.

Though smoother, would you still say it has character? Because there are certain synths which I find to be very smooth, even too smooth in a way, and they just sound super dull to me -> example: VPS Avenger. Very powerful workhorse synth but has the most uninspiring sound I heard from a synth

Listen to the Hive audio demos and download the Hive demo and decide. Only you can know what you like.

I don't find Hive bland or dull... it has a clean, strong sound but to my use of the terms, I don't consider it a character synth in the way RePro is. When Hive first came out, I felt like the sonic character was a little narrow. Now with the wavetables, Hive can be made to sound in a wider variety of ways and is out of that box. I think past impressions are not so applicable anymore.

Like I said, you have to decide what works for you. Some of the Uhm scripts sound so sweet and lovely and it is a joy to use. It can sound full of feeling. It has become an indispensable synth for me.

[Russell Grand]

Quite versatile, i would say. Don't get fooled by the simple layout, there's really a lot you can do with it, especially with the additions that came with version 1.2, and which will come in version 2.

I must admit that i never quite liked the sound. It's a bit harsh, metallic, and also sounds a bit thin to me. But, that's just my opinion, others will disagree. See for yourself.

Would you say it's kind of harsh like Serum is known for, with its sound? Or a bit less?

No, Hive does not have that hard, harsh character of Serum. It is smoother.

Agreed, smoother and Hive warmer to my ears.

[Russell Grand]

[delete]

[Russell Grand]

Quite versatile, i would say. Don't get fooled by the simple layout, there's really a lot you can do with it, especially with the additions that came with version 1.2, and which will come in version 2.

I must admit that i never quite liked the sound. It's a bit harsh, metallic, and also sounds a bit thin to me. But, that's just my opinion, others will disagree. See for yourself.

Would you say it's kind of harsh like Serum is known for, with its sound? Or a bit less?

No, Hive does not have that hard, harsh character of Serum. It is smoother.

Though smoother, would you still say it has character? Because there are certain synths which I find to be very smooth, even too smooth in a way, and they just sound super dull to me -> example: VPS Avenger. Very powerful workhorse synth but has the most uninspiring sound I heard from a synth

I think Hive has (its own) character, yes.