The Most Overrated and Underrated VST/AU (Effects And Instruments)

[perpetual3]

Re: The Most Overrated and Underrated VST/AU (Effects And Instruments)

Plugins that focus on a visual approach to mixing audio with your eyes. (Pro Q3)

Plugins that focus on an aural approach to mixing audio with your ears. (SSL Emus)

The problem is sub optimal monitoring, which is a real practical challenge for many people. I resisted using visual aids for a long time. Finally I caved and my mixes translated much better. I can’t agree that plugins like Pro-Q are overrated. And without optimal monitoring it’s challenging to maximize the potential of SSL emus.

[pushy]

Re: The Most Overrated and Underrated VST/AU (Effects And Instruments)

Plugins that focus on a visual approach to mixing audio with your eyes. (Pro Q3)

Plugins that focus on an aural approach to mixing audio with your ears. (SSL Emus)

The problem is sub optimal monitoring, which is a real practical challenge for many people. I resisted using visual aids for a long time. Finally I caved and my mixes translated much better. I can’t agree that plugins like Pro-Q are overrated. And without optimal monitoring it’s challenging to maximize the potential of SSL emus.

An audio engineer will gain more about how things truly sound and feel by training and using their ears properly. There are no replacements or substitutes for experience by developing your aural sensory perception, trust me.

The most important devices you own in music/audio/sound are your ears, use them.

[FapFilter]

my take on this

overrated stuff: basically anything with an iconic image that many people believe you have to use in order to sound great / professional. Stuff often times seems to get stardom, because some famous artists made some great songs with it. But imo, if they didn't have exactly the setup they used on their masterpieces, they'd most likely have come to equally great songs with other equipment
Maybe different sounding with some other focus, but probably not inferior. I'm positive that some of the artists of some of the artists of some best synth based songs of the 80's would gladly have chosen some of the current greats of ITB plugins over their Prophets/DX7s/TR-808s/Fairlights/Junos, etc. if they had access to such technology. And i don't mean just because of an affordable price and convenience.

underrated stuff: everything that's regarded as „toys“ that „true pros wouldn't use“ (ie: „pffff.... Cockos plugins! you have to use some Waves or UAD stuff if you want make serious stuff! - all he pros use them! And while we're at it: don't use FL Studio, only Logic and Pro Tools and maybe Cubase are dope, despite the latter one also being available on... gasp.... PC, and not just on Macs that only the pros use!)“

[gentleclockdivider]

Sylenth1 is a anomaly. I personally still use it a lot and enjoy it. But I genuinely could not tell you why it’s so popular to this day when compared to the field.

Sylenth1 may not be anything special these days, but it was exceptional back in the year it was released, which is 2006. For next 10 years at least it was everyone's goal to match or outperform Sylenth's sound.

Uh no , not really , and certainly not lonely at the top fort the next 10 years .
Sylenth sounds ok with little cpu footprint , t

[Spencer Maddox]

Sylenth1 is a anomaly. I personally still use it a lot and enjoy it. But I genuinely could not tell you why it’s so popular to this day when compared to the field.

Sylenth1 may not be anything special these days, but it was exceptional back in the year it was released, which is 2006. For next 10 years at least it was everyone's goal to match or outperform Sylenth's sound.

I agree. It's beyond me though why Lennard never had plans for a Sylenth2 (or did he?).

I would absolutely love a Sylenth2.
I would envision it being a VA/Hybrid.
Something like Synthmaster One or Hive.

underrated stuff: everything that's regarded as „toys“ that „true pros wouldn't use“

“GRRR KIDDOS, FL STUDIO BAD, LOGIC TRUE DAW, FL FAKE DAW”

There is no official committee or consortium for testing and rating VST instruments and effects. Thus there is no such thing like underrated or overrated plugin. You will never know how many people are using X or Y.

I’m confused by what you mean by this? KVR, Gearslutz, Equiptboard, even just the ratings and rankings on websites like Plugin Boutique or watching production live streams can tell you what’s a popular plugin or not.

Also using how many commercial 3rd party banks their are available, regardless of your opinion on presets because the more popular a plugin is the More of a market there is to circle in on Preset libraries.
The 5 I feel are the most popular instruments using that logic is The Original Massive, Sylenth1, Spire, Serum, And NI Kontakt.

Now of course that’s a flawed system for what’s relevenat right now: Massive for example has been depreciated and now replaced. But the point for using it as a gauge of how popular and widespread a plugin is, remains in my eyes.

[chk071]

Sylenth1 is a anomaly. I personally still use it a lot and enjoy it. But I genuinely could not tell you why it’s so popular to this day when compared to the field.

Sylenth1 may not be anything special these days, but it was exceptional back in the year it was released, which is 2006. For next 10 years at least it was everyone's goal to match or outperform Sylenth's sound.

I agree. It's beyond me though why Lennard never had plans for a Sylenth2 (or did he?).

I would absolutely love a Sylenth2.
I would envision it being a VA/Hybrid.
Something like Synthmaster One or Hive.

Yeah, I would imagine that it would be a bit like Hive, more features, probably wavetable playback, improved sound, and maybe a one page setup. At least that's how I'd do it.

[e-crooner]

As for over-rated, Sylenth 1 is my immediate thought. I just don't get it. It sounds no better (or worse) than dozens of other synths that are only half the price. Even when it came out I didn't think it had much to recommend it over Superwave P8, which was a free synth made in SynthEdit (that I also thought was over-rated). I don't even like using Sylenth 1 because it hasn't been well designed. e.g. If I add envelope modulation to filter cutoff in the mod matrix, turning it up to full doesn't completely open the filter, as you should expect. I just don't like that synth at all.

I used to use a Superwave synth years ago, it didn't sound as good as Sylenth1. On very low and high notes there were artifacts and on very low notes the pitch would oddly increase again the lower the note I played. I remember contacting the developer and he said there was nothing he could do, it was a bug in the standard modules he used (the same ones as in the P8).

When you leave the global filter cutoff knob at 12 o'clock and the global resonance knob at zero (as recommended, that's why they are set like that in the init patch as well), the individual filters work just fine when modulating them. Nobody else seems to have a problem with that.
The only thing I am not happy about is Sylenth1's reverb.
Other than that...
There are good reasons why a lot of people still use it, despite all the competition.
Maybe it is just not weird enough for your weird music

[e-crooner]

Yeah, I would imagine that it would be a bit like Hive, more features, probably wavetable playback, improved sound, and maybe a one page setup. At least that's how I'd do it.

What's wrong with the sound?

Please, not another wavetable-analog hybrid

[vurt]

Yeah, I would imagine that it would be a bit like Hive, more features, probably wavetable playback, improved sound, and maybe a one page setup. At least that's how I'd do it.

What's wrong with the sound?

ever seen jaws?
the bit where the captain hushes rhe room with the nails on a chalkboard?

[hivkorn]

fx : audio damage vapor
synth : Stillwell Olga

[rezoneight]

Re: The Most Overrated and Underrated VST/AU (Effects And Instruments)

Plugins that focus on a visual approach to mixing audio with your eyes. (Pro Q3)

Plugins that focus on an aural approach to mixing audio with your ears. (SSL Emus)

The problem is sub optimal monitoring, which is a real practical challenge for many people. I resisted using visual aids for a long time. Finally I caved and my mixes translated much better. I can’t agree that plugins like Pro-Q are overrated. And without optimal monitoring it’s challenging to maximize the potential of SSL emus.

An audio engineer will gain more about how things truly sound and feel by training and using their ears properly. There are no replacements or substitutes for experience by developing your aural sensory perception, trust me.

The most important devices you own in music/audio/sound are your ears, use them.

I don't think that perpetual3 would argue with you here but their point of sub-optimal monitoring is important. Not everyone has great studio monitors so the visual aid is helpful.

[chk071]

Yeah, I would imagine that it would be a bit like Hive, more features, probably wavetable playback, improved sound, and maybe a one page setup. At least that's how I'd do it.

What's wrong with the sound?

The filters definitely could sound more contemporary. There's been a lot of development in that area since Sylenth1 was released. Not that the filters are bad, it's just that some "VA flagship" synths have more accurately modelled filters now.

Otherwise, you can always ask what was wrong. If we take Dune as a example, there's always been significant changes/improvements with every version. Difficult topic though, I must admit. I'm also not convinced that quality of sound can always be determined by technical progress. The element of character is much too important for that. I'll just say that, as good as Sylenth1 sounds, there's always room for improvement. IMO, filters could be improved, it could have more bottom end, and, the fx definitely could be improved as well.

[e-crooner]

The filters definitely could sound more contemporary. There's been a lot of development in that area since Sylenth1 was released. Not that the filters are bad, it's just that some "VA flagship" synths have more accurately modelled filters now.

Otherwise, you can always ask what was wrong. If we take Dune as a example, there's always been significant changes/improvements with every version. Difficult topic though, I must admit. I'm also not convinced that quality of sound can always be determined by technical progress. The element of character is much too important for that. I'll just say that, as good as Sylenth1 sounds, there's always room for improvement. IMO, filters could be improved, it could have more bottom end, and, the fx definitely could be improved as well.

Well, I am not into that whole analog!!!!!!!!!! mania. All that matters to me is that a synth sounds pleasant and allows me to make all the sounds I need and want to create. I don't do crazy modulations.

I used to have the Diva (one of those flagships, I suppose) demo for a long time and did a lot of comparisons, and while it sounds different of course, it has various deficits and limitations that make me prefer Sylenth1.

[chk071]

Fair enough.

I don't see Sylenth2 surfacing anywhere soon anyway (if ever...).

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