UAD PolyMAX - This thing is Sick

[Modular Manfred]

They don't want to talk about the synth

Well, I'd LOVE to talk about this synth but unfortunately, I'm not willing to buy a UAD Apollo dongle (or whatever hardware) or go the sub route.

If they ever change their policy I'd most certainly buy it as I like the demos.

You know you are technically making yourself look childish by still calling it a dongle?

I'm distraught that I look childish - Zero fuxx given!

And you can suck my Apollo!

Could it be that the grape is sour because it’s just not affordable for you? Which is ok. If you are in music production professionally the cost of a freakin UAD Apollo is nothing. Like literally nadda. If you just do it us a hobby that’s absolutely fine but stay quiet if you don’t know what you are talking about. You even admitted that you like the sound of PolyMax but don’t want the interface. Cause it’s expensive I imagine? So you are just angry and call it a dongle.

By the way what is fuxx? Is it like a new currency again?

Anyway I’ll just let people form their own opinion. I trust most now what UAD is. I’ll stay on topic and only comment on PolyMax. And I know I know. Zero £fuxx given

[Modular Manfred]

UAD audio interfaces and converters are dongles. You win.

"waaah... I'm taking my ball and going home!"

How deliciously ironic. That's very childish indeed. You utter putz...

You really didn’t get this response, did you?

[Uncle E]

Does the PolyMAX run on the DSP's? If it does not, such as I believe is the case with the Minimoog, then the hardware device is in this regard behaving as a dongle, despite its many other capabilities. I am a long time Apollo user, don't attack me.

[EvilDragon]

You really don't want to say it sounds good, do you?

I never said it doesn't sound good! But when everything is factored in (don't wanna enter subscription, and I'm perfectly happy with my RME UFX+), it's not worth it to me. I have equally good/great sounding stuff already.

[vurt]

They don't want to talk about the synth

Well, I'd LOVE to talk about this synth but unfortunately, I'm not willing to buy a UAD Apollo dongle (or whatever hardware) or go the sub route.

If they ever change their policy I'd most certainly buy it as I like the demos.

You know you are technically making yourself look childish by still calling it a dongle?

I'm distraught that I look childish - Zero fuxx given!

And you can suck my Apollo!

Could it be that the grape is sour because it’s just not affordable for you? Which is ok. If you are in music production professionally the cost of a freakin UAD Apollo is nothing. Like literally nadda. If you just do it us a hobby that’s absolutely fine but stay quiet if you don’t know what you are talking about. You even admitted that you like the sound of PolyMax but don’t want the interface. Cause it’s expensive I imagine? So you are just angry and call it a dongle.

By the way what is fuxx? Is it like a new currency again?

Anyway I’ll just let people form their own opinion. I trust most now what UAD is. I’ll stay on topic and only comment on PolyMax. And I know I know. Zero £fuxx given

but there are other pro level interfaces
if one has already one of the others, even if in production terms it is cheap, it's a superfluous purchase, which even if the cash isn't an issue, waste is.

if it can be used without the interface, as with subscription, it does seem a little dongleesque, if not actually an actual literal dongle.
i think this is what rubs people the wrong way. if like uncle e says, it needs all the extra dsp, that would be different, but the native version is available too.

[zvenx]

Does the PolyMAX run on the DSP's? If it does not, such as I believe is the case with the Minimoog, then the hardware device is in this regard behaving as a dongle, despite its many other capabilities. I am a long time Apollo user, don't attack me.

As far as I know it runs native. But the hardware dsp doesnt even have to be attached to the computer.
It just needs to be in your account tp buy it outright.

It does though require either an ilok dongle or I think it also supports software or cloud ilok.

rsp

[Robmobius]

You really didn’t get this response, did you?

By response, you mean your attempt at 'damage control' because it made you look like a hypocritical cretin.

But do carry on dear.

[Sinisterbr]

Frankly, one could make a list of synths at least as good as Polymax, and WAY cheaper.

Btw, XILS PolyKB III costs 60$ right now. Absolutely amazing deal.

Did you do A/B tests between PolyMAX and your 'list of synths' before coming to this conclusion and posting it here? No, of course you didn't. Have you even heard PolyMax outside online demo clips or a YT video? Probably not, I'm guessing. But all the same, you're 'sure' they sound 'at least just as good' anyway, because this is the internet / KVR, where people just conclude & assert anything, anytime, because it's what they decided to believe, actual experience be damned

Please, so I can understand your criticism towards me and your confidence about this synth: YOU did buy Polymax and made some A/B tests, right?

[Sinisterbr]

You really don't want to say it sounds good, do you?

I never said it doesn't sound good! But when everything is factored in (don't wanna enter subscription, and I'm perfectly happy with my RME UFX+), it's not worth it to me. I have equally good/great sounding stuff already.

Exactly.

[dubguy99]

Wouldn't be an UAD thread without people arguing about dongles

Like yeah, at this point the DSP is basically a dongle. A lot of people don't like the sub model. Whatever. At this point it's clear what UAD is, fair enough if you're not on board with their business model but no need to come into these threads and shit things up for people that would like to talk about the plugin.

Anyways, this sounds f**king incredible, just like Opal. No doubt there's a good sounding analog-synths out there but these just sound effortlessly analog on every setting in a way that others don't, at least for me.

[bmanic]

This synth sounds incredible!!

I'm always interested in trying to understand what people hear as "good" vs "bad". What do you find in that sound demo to sound incredible?

To my ears it is exceptionally bog standard and rather boring sounds and the overall sound is very static (it's very dynamically reigned in and controlled, the exact opposite to a characterful analogue synthesizer in my experience).

Granted, one just has to try this to really see how it truly feels under the fingers but at least that demo was one of the most underwhelming things I've heard in a long time.

Please convince me otherwise! I want to learn what others hear.

[mholloway]

Please convince me otherwise! I want to learn what others hear.

No one can convince you that a demo you already don't like is worth liking. Your reaction is all that counts, no? But a synth should be judged by playing it, as you yourself pointed out. So play it, and judge for yourself, or skip it.... but there's no point anybody trying to 'convince you otherwise' about a video that didn't click with you.

[mholloway]

Frankly, one could make a list of synths at least as good as Polymax, and WAY cheaper.

Btw, XILS PolyKB III costs 60$ right now. Absolutely amazing deal.

Did you do A/B tests between PolyMAX and your 'list of synths' before coming to this conclusion and posting it here? No, of course you didn't. Have you even heard PolyMax outside online demo clips or a YT video? Probably not, I'm guessing. But all the same, you're 'sure' they sound 'at least just as good' anyway, because this is the internet / KVR, where people just conclude & assert anything, anytime, because it's what they decided to believe, actual experience be damned

Please, so I can understand your criticism towards me and your confidence about this synth: YOU did buy Polymax and made some A/B tests, right?

You asserted that an arbitrary 'list of synths' sound just as good as it. I pointed out your assertion was based in....well, nothing at all. That's it. What I have or haven't asserted (which, since you asked: I have a Spark subscription, I've been using it, and I said I like it better than Super-8, and think it sounds great. That's it...) is irrelevant. My point was why enter a public forum and tell everyone this new synth doesn't sound as good as "unnamed, x number of synths" when you haven't even bothered to try it out.

[Modular Manfred]

This synth sounds incredible!!

I'm always interested in trying to understand what people hear as "good" vs "bad". What do you find in that sound demo to sound incredible?

To my ears it is exceptionally bog standard and rather boring sounds and the overall sound is very static (it's very dynamically reigned in and controlled, the exact opposite to a characterful analogue synthesizer in my experience).

Granted, one just has to try this to really see how it truly feels under the fingers but at least that demo was one of the most underwhelming things I've heard in a long time.

Please convince me otherwise! I want to learn what others hear.

Horses for courses but:
- They properly modelled the VCA. The only other vstis that got this right are NI Blocks, Massive X, VCV Rack - from the ones I’ve tried. And it’s so important. Almost all the developers ignore this when component modelling and they usually put the most focus onto the oscillators, filters and envelopes
- The filter resonance is ace, nothing I’ve heard of before in software, I dare to say it’s better than NI.
- The overall character is alive, maintains low end (just like an analogue poly), and the highs sound creamy. There is this sheen to it which is not harsh, but pleasant, just as expected from a decent analogue
- The effects are from UAD Space Echo so there is that

I would ignore the demo. Try it yourself. I mean how many shite demos there are of real Prophets and Jupiters and Moogs that sound nothing special, but in the right hands..

[bmanic]

Please convince me otherwise! I want to learn what others hear.

No one can convince you that a demo you already don't like is worth liking. Your reaction is all that counts, no? But a synth should be judged by playing it, as you yourself pointed out. So play it, and judge for yourself, or skip it.... but there's no point anybody trying to 'convince you otherwise' about a video that didn't click with you.

No I mean, try to describe the sound. What are you hearing that is good? What I described is how I hear it.

Is it smooth? Fat? Organic? Moving? I'm really trying to learn here because there seems to be a real quest for some simple sounds that don't do "much". So this makes me think I'm probably missing some subtleties and nuances in the sounds that I just haven't thought about before.

For instance, when it comes to guitar tones I am extremely picky and know exactly why one basic clean tone is better than another, even to a degree where most people would think it's the exact same audio recording! So perhaps there is something similar to this that I'm not hearing here or missing? I may be listening too much to the actual sound programming and not "the sound".

Anyhow, the question was 100% genuine.