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

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Most overrated FX:
Waves SSL bundle

Most underrated FX:
Voxengo Tubeamp

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I guess everyone has a different definition of "overrated". In general terms "overrated" means something getting more praise than it deserves. That's exactly what I think of when i see that word and by that definition Serum, Diva, etc. aren't overrated, they get the praise for a reason. Hive is definitely underrated.

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Spencer Maddox wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 8:48 am
Diva emulates very accurately 5 famous synths that cost thousands and thousands each alone to purchase outright. It honestly is BETTER then true analog synths as far as value is concerned.
Unless knobs matter that much. And even then just buy a midi controller I’d think.

Also about telling it in the mix. I’ve honestly rarely ever been able to identify anolgoue in a complex mix. Heck, deadmau5 made some sounds I coulda swore were with an analogue synth and it wasn’t. Wasn’t even a diva or Repro, was literally just Serum and good sound design.

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Take some of the right Plugins on a Track even ES1 sounds "analog" (wtf???).

If you take a closer Look and Time for Comparisons you will discover that"analog" is mainly certain Characteristics, as Well as Hardware Sound - and maybe also that costful exact Emulations are not really what you need.

Even DX7 could sound quiet analog in the right Hands.

Convolution is Progress btw.

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Thesys is underrated...
Contemporary Color and Karacter too, best saturator and best distortion ez

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rezoneight wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 1:29 am 98% of Waves stuff is not overrated. Give me a break. Waves plugins are the workhorses of the recording industry at this point.
Popular doesn't equal "best", let alone "not overrated".
Waves are effective tools. The company has been around a long time. They get the job done.

Voxengo was another company making underrated products along with others I listed.
Acon Digital, too.

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vitocorleone123 wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 7:36 pm
rezoneight wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 1:29 am 98% of Waves stuff is not overrated. Give me a break. Waves plugins are the workhorses of the recording industry at this point.
Popular doesn't equal "best", let alone "not overrated".
Waves are effective tools. The company has been around a long time. They get the job done.

Voxengo was another company making underrated products along with others I listed.
Acon Digital, too.
Never said that popular is best (nor did I say that what Waves is producing is best in any given category). On the other hand popular also doesn't equate to "overrated" as so many here seem to keep implying. Serum overrated? Nonsense. Is it the best in every category? No. Doesn't mean it's overrated.

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That depends on your needs. I demoed Serum and found no compelling reason to spend money on it so to me it definitely seems over-rated. It seems to be popular for a particular style of music, so if that's not your style you are likely to be disappointed. That's just the way things go.
NOVAkILL : Legion GO, AMD Z1x, 16GB RAM, Win11 | Audient EVO 8 | Lumi Keys | Studio Pro 8
Korg Odyssey, bx-oberhausen, Proxima, PolyMax, GR8, JP6K, Union, Atomika,
Invader 2, Flow Motion, Olga, TRK 01, Thorn, Spire, VG Iron

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"What's your favorite", "What's your least favorite", "What's underrated,overrated,popular,unpopular" ?

I know we're all bored by the lock down but at what point do we stop giving a sh*t about what other people think ?

The only opinion that should matter to you is your own..... :shrug:

Maybe I'm just suffering from Corona Psychosis....the walls are starting to close in..... :wheee:
None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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Teksonik wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 10:03 pm
I know we're all bored by the lock down but at what point do we stop giving a sh*t about what other people think ?
KVR has been a Debate Factory Long before Corona :hihi:

I would agree because your right. really, we shouldn't care. Just make music and enjoy what we do.

But then I'd be a hypocrite because for some reason I care enough to defend serum at least :ud:
Same phycology probably behind DAW Wars :hihi:
The post above this is likely bait, viewer discretion is advised.

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If anything, we need an Antiserum these days :hihi:

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Teksonik wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 10:03 pm "What's your favorite", "What's your least favorite", "What's underrated,overrated,popular,unpopular" ?

I know we're all bored by the lock down but at what point do we stop giving a sh*t about what other people think ?

The only opinion that should matter to you is your own..... :shrug:

Maybe I'm just suffering from Corona Psychosis....the walls are starting to close in..... :wheee:
I agree but I think one would have needed to start giving a shit to stop giving a shit ;) I'm always interested to hear what other people think of something but ultimately wouldn't pay money for anything based on anything someone said. I leave that up to my own ears.

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Most overrated: All of KVR's sacred cows.
We need herd immunity, not herd mentality.

Most underrated: Expressive E Arché Collection & parallax-audio Virtual Sound Stage 2.
Especially when you use them together.

Now I have revealed all of my secrets.
THIS MUSIC HAS BEEN MIXED TO BE PLAYED LOUD SO TURN IT UP

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rezoneight wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 11:09 pm
Teksonik wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 10:03 pm "What's your favorite", "What's your least favorite", "What's underrated,overrated,popular,unpopular" ?

I know we're all bored by the lock down but at what point do we stop giving a sh*t about what other people think ?

The only opinion that should matter to you is your own..... :shrug:

Maybe I'm just suffering from Corona Psychosis....the walls are starting to close in..... :wheee:
I agree but I think one would have needed to start giving a shit to stop giving a shit ;) I'm always interested to hear what other people think of something but ultimately wouldn't pay money for anything based on anything someone said. I leave that up to my own ears.
What other people say definitely points me at things to try for myself. I don’t always hear what they do (or vice versa). But it’s interesting.

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FapFilter wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 9:34 amThe fact that software is often times way more affordable (among dozens of other advantages) doesn't change the fact, that digital hasn't been able yet to to perfectly catch everything in the same “pleasant“ way analog can achieve seemingly effortlessly when pushed into extreme settings.
I can honestly say I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. I have analogue hardware, digital hardware and a box overflowing with VSTi and there simply isn't any magic sauce that makes one innately better than the others. The overlap between their abilities is far greater than the differences. People just latch on to the tiniest differences to justify their obsession. But it's not real or, if it is, it is of no consequence. e.g. What difference does it make if I have to turn a VSTi's low end EQ up to +4dB to get the same rumbling bottom end some old classic synth manages with no EQ? And, to be clear the actual differences are way more subtle than that.
There's also cheap analog hardware that surpasses the digital stuff i tried in these regards.
No there isn't, it's all in your head. i.e. It's a matter of personal preference, in much the same way as different guitarists prefer different amp/cabinet set-ups, even when they are playing the same style of music and looking for a similar sound. It's only the know-nothing rank amateurs who think they have to have the same set-up as their favourite artist if they want to make the same kind of music.

You say it's in the distortion but which distortion? There are hundreds, probably thousands of analogue distortion units you can choose from and different ones will work better in different situations. It's the same with VST distortion - I've probably got more than 20 different saturation/distortion/amp-sim/overdrive/fuzz/whatever plugins and most of them are perfect for one situation or another but none of them are very good at everything. And it's exactly the same in the hardware world. So while your favourite distortion might be some old hardware box, it's just as likely someone else's favourite is a VST. Does that mean they don't know any better because they haven't heard your distortion box in action or does it mean that you are wrong because you haven't heard their favourite VST distortion?
NOVAkILL : Legion GO, AMD Z1x, 16GB RAM, Win11 | Audient EVO 8 | Lumi Keys | Studio Pro 8
Korg Odyssey, bx-oberhausen, Proxima, PolyMax, GR8, JP6K, Union, Atomika,
Invader 2, Flow Motion, Olga, TRK 01, Thorn, Spire, VG Iron

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I am very noob to all this. But here is what I think:
Some HW synths sound amazing right away when you touch them! But some might need more knowledge of to tweak them to get good sounds. And the same goes with SW Synths. Some of them have amazing factory sounds and some you need to tweak a lot (or even add extra effects to reach same results).

Since I’m noob to all this, I think it’s very important to see what different people think is “good” synth. This way I have found synths I didn’t even know existed and googled some demo sounds and some of them just sounds amazing! But if someone says on forums “this synth is best” doesn’t make me to buy the synth. But I might google it and maybe even try the demo if it seems to fit for me.

Let’s be honest: there are HUGE amount of VST synths. Some free synths are amazing, some expensive synths are not and vice versa. So reading other people’s experiences is a good way to maybe find totally new gems. Not just one hyped synth Serum :D

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