Serum 2 is in the works, DMG Audio is also involved!

[jules99]

Back to Serum being a so-called game changer. Although I have way more virtual synths than I could ever need (most, but not all, of the mainstream ones), I don't have Serum and know very little about it. So (and this is a genuine question, not snark) what, if anything, does Serum bring to the table that other synths do not?

When Serum came out in 2014, eight years ago, it surpassed Massive which had been THE software synthesizer of all of Dubstep and many other EDM subgenres. It did everything better than Massive did: better sounding Wavetables, more Wavtetable editing possibilities, more modulation possibilities, and a much more visual workflow that was unheard of at the time.

Besides its GUI and its features, Duda's update policy has been exemplary. The last update of Serum is a couple of days old. There are not that many software instruments of this age still maintained with new features and bug fixes. And yes, besides Omnisphere, no other software synthesizer comes close in terms of third-party sounds.

To get back to your question, what Serum offers, and what others don`t: the wavetable editor still offers options that even Vital does not. Also, Serum offers close to 90 different filter types, from what I counted that's more than Omnisphere and Pigments combined.

You can "hybridize" a preset, and mash it up with a selection of other presets. While some of these features might be in other VTSi of today, none have combined them as elegantally.

[dmbaer]

So, as I understand it, Serum started the wavetable oscillator craze (wavetable modern meaning, not original one) that caused many other synth makers to add similar capabilities to their offerings. I recall noticing maybe seven years ago that wavetable synthesis had become the absolute latest craze. Others had been doing similar things for some time (Zebra with, as I recall, 16 wave slots, Predator 2 with eight slots, and Massive with however many were sitting there under the covers). But Serum was the first that went bigtime with the number of available slots in the wavetable. Have I got that right?

I'm curious about one thing: I thought I read (no doubt in a thread here) that Serum didn't have an inter-waveform morph capability. You got 256 slots for waves, so there was plenty of opportunity for smooth transitions between different waveforms, but as you transit the wavetable, the transitions were simple step changes. Again, correct or not?

[gentleclockdivider]

So, as I understand it, Serum started the wavetable oscillator craze (wavetable modern meaning, not original one) that caused many other synth makers to add similar capabilities to their offerings.

Nahh , massive really started the craze , and afaik conctrete fx (now coding under the rob papen banner ) kubik was the first modern wavetable vst released in 2004 , it also has an editor , that was 10 years before serum .
Serum added a wavetable editor and some nifty phase distortion fx for the osc's , you tube and endorsments from a dead rodent did the rest .

[scott_free]

The variety of phase distortions and the unique filters added interesting colors to the palette of possible sounds, IME

[SeeingInMidi]

Dont forget about the built-in OTT compressor. Very distinct sound thats "abused" everywhere. Even though it's based on the OTT preset in Ableton, it seems like Serum has popularized this sound too.

[tony10000]

In fact he was involved in the development of the UI I think? TAL contributed with some of the effects and filters are some older Cytomic design, I ting

deadmau5 was involved in the design of UIs of LFO Tool and Cthulhu. Steve Duda and Lance Thackeray did the UI for Serum.

[tony10000]

So, as I understand it, Serum started the wavetable oscillator craze (wavetable modern meaning, not original one) that caused many other synth makers to add similar capabilities to their offerings. I recall noticing maybe seven years ago that wavetable synthesis had become the absolute latest craze. Others had been doing similar things for some time (Zebra with, as I recall, 16 wave slots, Predator 2 with eight slots, and Massive with however many were sitting there under the covers). But Serum was the first that went bigtime with the number of available slots in the wavetable. Have I got that right?

I believe it was NI Massive that started the post PPG waveform craze. And some of the concepts in Massive were adopted by Serum.

[_leras]

Back to Serum being a so-called game changer. Although I have way more virtual synths than I could ever need (most, but not all, of the mainstream ones), I don't have Serum and know very little about it. So (and this is a genuine question, not snark) what, if anything, does Serum bring to the table that other synths do not?

Now: a lot of high-quality 3rd party presets and endless youtube tutorials/tips and tricks

At launch: I think it's the first wavetable synth that has a lot of visualized elements like you can literally see how the wavetable morph, and how the LFO and Envelope move.
Very high-quality sound and effects at that time, if you want really clean and crisp sound.

Razor had this in 2011.

My take is that it's just a solid synth with good workflow and had wavetable features that took it beyond Massive.

No doubt the deadmau5 effect, a bit bewildering in the uk, helped. But I think the synth itself has a good sound quality and nice interface.

I never bought it, felt I had what I needed, but I'm not trying to create next level dubstep growls ..

[4damind]

I don't know if I really need Serum 2. But maybe an additional VA engine would be interesting? Dave would certainly be a good partner to do something in VA or circuit modeling.
Serum has certainly found its place with many producers. Not only David Guetta swears by Serum.... Whether Serum has changed the music industry.... well, I don't think so

[_leras]

[
Nahh , massive really started the craze ,

Serum added a wavetable editor and some nifty phase distortion fx for the osc's , you tube and endorsments from a dead rodent did the rest .

Massive had the easy LFO wobble, and a very distinct vocal/throat wavetable that made growls and got so completely rinsed that you could say dubstep died...

NI missed the chance to update massive and make more types of growl.

Serum happily stepped in and filled that void. Razor had started in this direction, but as a non standalone synth didn't capture so many minds.

To me the more successful synths the better. I've not needed serum, but clearly it's a great synth.

[Trancit]

For me Serum was the first synth that brought this massive synthesis/modulation power other had partly already before into a modern useable GUI...
That this type of UI has become established I think is out of the question...and I think that was what made all these modulation options accessable for many producers...
The "before Serum" area was basically just hearable but not really visible which seem not to have triggered many peoples brains...including mine...
Yes, we are still talking about sound but these types of visualization are often the key for understanding, learning and improving...
On top of that... it´s simply more fun ...

I think this is what made most of the magic of Serum...

[dune_rave]

Albino started the "wavetable craze".
IiRC It had two waveforms in its osc and the user coukd morph between them.

[gentleclockdivider]

Albino started the "wavetable craze".
IiRC It had two waveforms in its osc and the user coukd morph between them.

Don’t know if you’re joking or not , but amplitude crossfading two waveforms is not exactly wavetable scanning

[dune_rave]

Albino started the "wavetable craze".
IiRC It had two waveforms in its osc and the user coukd morph between them.

Don’t know if you’re joking or not , but amplitude crossfading two waveforms is not exactly wavetable scanning

No, it was not amplitude crossfade.
Albino3 Osc interpolated between the two waveforms.
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/54228 ... ml?page=17

[briefcasemanx]

Amazing. When I read that Steve had been working on Serum 2 for a long time, I thought "how would you make that sort of concept much better?

This is how, it seems. Can't wait.