Can anything compete with DIVA or Repro in 2020?!

[HTT]

Like my old Dad used to say, "you can't compete with the elite unless you stand on your own two feet."

what about pirate kings?

[GRUMP]

Two Cents: there are many VSTs out there that are much more flexible and versatile. Diva and Repro replicate Vintage Gear from the stone age of EM. How else should it be?

But after deeper testing of Repros Filters (against all Dune3 filter types) I finally have to admit that Repros filters play in an other league.

It's maybe mostly irrelevant for many/most sounds - but especially when resonance and hard filtering play an important role (I tried percussive sounds) Repro hits one sweet spot after the other and generates sounds that others like Dune simply miss. Dune can't make them, while Repro seems quiet authentic and extremely present.

VA and its Sounds are simply boring to me - but these qualties might be interesting at some point. Still thinking...but thumbs up!

[Spring Goose]

For Repro this is surely more true. Repro-5 and Repro-1 are excellent. Arturia is actually the only competitor. Arturia has more functions, but Repro sounds better... maybe some prefer Arturia.

There's Wave Alchemy Pro 2 kontakt instrument. I got this and it sounds fantastic and later i thought "i have got to get me some Repro, which will be better than this".

[starflakeprj]

Of course, I own them both, but almost never use them...for some reason. So based on the subject, yes, many of my plugins can.

[e-crooner]

Two Cents: there are many VSTs out there that are much more flexible and versatile. Diva and Repro replicate Vintage Gear from the stone age of EM. How else should it be?

But after deeper testing of Repros Filters (against all Dune3 filter types) I finally have to admit that Repros filters play in an other league.

It's maybe mostly irrelevant for many/most sounds - but especially when resonance and hard filtering play an important role (I tried percussive sounds) Repro hits one sweet spot after the other and generates sounds that others like Dune simply miss. Dune can't make them, while Repro seems quiet authentic and extremely present.

VA and its Sounds are simply boring to me - but these qualties might be interesting at some point. Still thinking...but thumbs up!

Audio evidence, please

[BONES]

But after deeper testing of Repros Filters (against all Dune3 filter types) I finally have to admit that Repros filters play in an other league. It's maybe mostly irrelevant for many/most sounds - but especially when resonance and hard filtering play an important role (I tried percussive sounds) Repro hits one sweet spot after the other and generates sounds that others like Dune simply miss.

Really? I think RePros filter is terrible, almost worse than Minimoog. Strangely, though, I don't find it as limiting in RePro as it is in MM, RePro is still capable of some amazing things. If it's good for percussive stuff, are you sure it's not in the envelopes?

[GRUMP]

But after deeper testing of Repros Filters (against all Dune3 filter types) I finally have to admit that Repros filters play in an other league. It's maybe mostly irrelevant for many/most sounds - but especially when resonance and hard filtering play an important role (I tried percussive sounds) Repro hits one sweet spot after the other and generates sounds that others like Dune simply miss.

Really? I think RePros filter is terrible, almost worse than Minimoog. Strangely, though, I don't find it as limiting in RePro as it is in MM, RePro is still capable of some amazing things. If it's good for percussive stuff, are you sure it's not in the envelopes?

That proves my thesis that people always have different opinions. I like.

Its horribly limited - but that would not be the probleml here. And its for sure also the envelopes but I have experienced the filters themselves as crucial difference. There was "grip" and presence.

Did you already check turning OSC volume down and resonance up?

I would have guessed you'd like it btw - it can be so raw

[perpetual3]

I love Repro envelopes.

[BONES]

That proves my thesis that people always have different opinions. I like.

You can say that but I can show you, technically, why it's not very good. It's a bit strange, though, because sometimes the filter seems to behave as you'd expect and then, at other times, the way increasing resonance attenuates the bottom end is even worse than with a Moog filter. It seems, however, to be dependent on the cutoff setting, rather than how much envelope modulation you apply, so it can still be good for squelchy basses. It takes a while to get used to its quirkiness. The envelopes, though, are almost magical sometimes. They seem to give the sound real clout.

Did you already check turning OSC volume down and resonance up?

Yeah, I usually run the oscillators flat-out to give it a grungier tone. It doesn't have much effect on the filter, though.

I would have guessed you'd like it btw - it can be so raw

If you asked me, I'd definitely say that yes, I do like them but the reality is I have never used either in a song. My bandmate put RePro 5 into a couple of tracks on our most recent album but neither synth has found its way into anything I've worked up from scratch. I definitely prefer RePro 1 to RePro 5, though, for reasons I couldn't put my finger on.

[GRUMP]

That proves my thesis that people always have different opinions. I like.

You can say that but I can show you, technically, why it's not very good. It's a bit strange, though, because sometimes the filter seems to behave as you'd expect and then, at other times, the way increasing resonance attenuates the bottom end is even worse than with a Moog filter. It seems, however, to be dependent on the cutoff setting, rather than how much envelope modulation you apply, so it can still be good for squelchy basses. It takes a while to get used to its quirkiness. The envelopes, though, are almost magical sometimes. They seem to give the sound real clout.

Did you already check turning OSC volume down and resonance up?

Yeah, I usually run the oscillators flat-out to give it a grungier tone. It doesn't have much effect on the filter, though.

I would have guessed you'd like it btw - it can be so raw

If you asked me, I'd definitely say that yes, I do like them but the reality is I have never used either in a song. My bandmate put RePro 5 into a couple of tracks on our most recent album but neither synth has found its way into anything I've worked up from scratch. I definitely prefer RePro 1 to RePro 5, though, for reasons I couldn't put my finger on.

How to say? Maybe "He´s good at work, but I don´t like his character and can´t stand his behaviour"? It´s the same with people. Frequently. I can understand your reservations very well.

If "Quality" had only one Dimension we´d all end up buying the same stuff. I really hope that that will never be.

Concerning the filters: I like them somehow . And the "dusty" and "old" sound character you can produce. They have bite and really do something imho. But I´ll better go on collecting impressions, they have often proved as treacherous already.

I have just lately remarked again how unique Loom2 sounds. It´s a horrible tool if you want to go straight forward, but it was unfair to leave it untouched for more than a year now. Everything can be useful sometimes - even if it is just twice a decade ...

[GRUMP]

delete

[sleepcircle]

i can't say if they're any good or not, because i am ultimately just an amateur, but i generally use one or the other of the repros in any song i make

[BONES]

I care as proud owner of SEM I yet to hear proper emulation of VCO and VCF. The one in Diva is close but gain is different.

This doesn't make sense to me. If you have a SEM, why would you need an emulation of a SEM?

... Oh, of course - the emulations are all so much better than the thing itself. I should have realised.

But after deeper testing of Repros Filters (against all Dune3 filter types) I finally have to admit that Repros filters play in an other league.

Really? I was amazed at how average they were when I first dug into the RePros. I was expecting something a bit special but they are quite generic to my ears. Those two synths to me are a perfect example of the whole being so much more than the sum of its parts. None of the individual components seem to stand out yet the overall sound is great.

[zerocrossing]

There are synths that blow away DIVA if you expand your limited definition of synthesis beyond a Saw, Square, or Sine wave.

Dune 3's VA sounds so good to me it allowed me to trade my DIVA license for a Zebra 2 license.

But if you're that much in love with DIVA and Repro 5 then buy them and enjoy them. Just don't close your mind to all the possibilities that synthesis offers.

I think it’s safe to say that what the OP (now banned) was asking was “can anything compete with Diva and Repro in 2020 in the vintage analog synth emulation category.” No one sits around and talks about them as if they’re the be-all-end-all in synthesis options. I have all the synths he mentioned, though I no longer own Sylenth1. They’re great and do some really amazing things, but sometimes I just want a simple fat sounding analog bass, and there is something to just having a simple set of controls and a great tone.

My answer to the OP is, there are better synths out there than Diva and RePro for a great analog synth sound. They’re analog synths. There are quite a few out there now at pretty affordable prices. I definitely recommend one. Don’t get me wrong, I keep RePro and Diva around. They both sound great and do some fun stuff that most hardware doesn’t do, but if you compare RePro to a Prophet 6, you’ll find it lacks a high pass filter (super useful) and it just lacks a bit of something. If you like that kind of sound, I’d suggest going for it.

[jamcat]

how much are uhe paying you?

Shhhhh… we don’t talk about KVR’s dirty little secret.