Hive 2 vs Synthmaster One

[twal]

I always find it hard to understand such "sounds terrible" statements. There's so much subjectivity and usually also hyperbole included in that. Personally, I found the default presets of Vital really lacking and disorganized. But what sound you get out of it mostly depends on the skill of sound design and musicality of the person who use it.

Have a look at for some (imho impressive) examples of Vital preset design..

What I do worry about is that Vital is created by a single person, who also doesn't seem to respond in forum or support calls for some time now. Such single-person efforts always carry a risk that that single person will move on. Not sure if that will happen with Vital, but to me that looks not unrealistic right now.

Great resource, here is this guy creating Wurlitzer & Fender Rhodes presets. Can Hive 2 and/or Synthmaster One create such presets this fantastic? Thread is a little nuts, but seems informative enough for now.

[syntonica]

So, what y'all are saying is that if SM1 got these here "MSEG"s, it would be the best synth ever?

Worst versus thread evar! Would not read again!

[Big Mouth Strikes Again]

Have a look at for some (imho impressive) examples of Vital preset design.

I checked out the following video:



Good lord, that's an insane amount of futzing around you have to do in Vital just to create a simple "Synthwave" bass.

I can create a better bass sound on my Waldorf Pulse 2 in far less time. I could even use my Nord Lead 2 and create a punchier, more dynamic bass.

[imrae]

Great resource, here is this guy creating Wurlitzer & Fender Rhodes presets. Can Hive 2 and/or Synthmaster One create such presets this fantastic?

There are some great Hive2 electric piano patches by Plugmon in this pack: https://plugmon.jp/product/hive2-materi ... item_ag1=3

[twal]

Great resource, here is this guy creating Wurlitzer & Fender Rhodes presets. Can Hive 2 and/or Synthmaster One create such presets this fantastic?

There are some great Hive2 electric piano patches by Plugmon in this pack: https://plugmon.jp/product/hive2-materi ... item_ag1=3

Excellent. Fantastic.

[Korg Supporter]

Great resource, here is this guy creating Wurlitzer & Fender Rhodes presets. Can Hive 2 and/or Synthmaster One create such presets this fantastic?

There are some great Hive2 electric piano patches by Plugmon in this pack: https://plugmon.jp/product/hive2-materi ... item_ag1=3

Plugmon is excellent! I haven't bought their Uhm wavetables yet, but they all sound impressive from the demo videos so far.

[SamDi]

Have a look at for some (imho impressive) examples of Vital preset design.

I checked out the following video:



Good lord, that's an insane amount of futzing around you have to do in Vital just to create a simple "Synthwave" bass.

I can create a better bass sound on my Waldorf Pulse 2 in far less time. I could even use my Nord Lead 2 and create a punchier, more dynamic bass.

What would need to be proven...

[Fannon]

Have a look at for some (imho impressive) examples of Vital preset design.

I checked out the following video:



Good lord, that's an insane amount of futzing around you have to do in Vital just to create a simple "Synthwave" bass.

I can create a better bass sound on my Waldorf Pulse 2 in far less time. I could even use my Nord Lead 2 and create a punchier, more dynamic bass.

What would need to be proven...

Would be interesting how this is easier with those synths. But I can see that this isn't the easiest thing to do with Vital, because it's a very digital synth to begin with. If you want it to sound analog and imperfect, you have to program this into the patch. With some synths, you get that sound to begin with. And here I do commends Hive 2's idea of having the synth engine mode switch.

[Big Mouth Strikes Again]

Have a look at for some (imho impressive) examples of Vital preset design.

I checked out the following video:



Good lord, that's an insane amount of futzing around you have to do in Vital just to create a simple "Synthwave" bass.

I can create a better bass sound on my Waldorf Pulse 2 in far less time. I could even use my Nord Lead 2 and create a punchier, more dynamic bass.

What would need to be proven...

I can create a better sounding bass in less time on EVERY synth that I own:

Access Virus TI2 keyboard
Clavia Nord Rack 2
Clavia Nord Rack 3
Dave Smith Mono Evolver Keyboard
Dave Smith Tetra
Korg EX-8000
Moog Minitaur
Mutable Instruments Shruthi
Oberheim Matrix-1000
Roland Juno 60
Roland MKS-7
Roland MKS-20
Roland MKS-30
Roland MKS-50
Roland MKS-70
Roland MKS-80 Rev 4
Roland MKS-80 Rev 5
Sequential Prophet REV2 module
Waldorf Micro Q
Waldorf MicroWave I
Waldorf MicroWave II XT
Waldorf Pulse 1
Waldorf Pulse 2

FYI, I have hardware programmers for all the synths that don't feature knobby interfaces.

[SamDi]

Have a look at for some (imho impressive) examples of Vital preset design.

I checked out the following video:



Good lord, that's an insane amount of futzing around you have to do in Vital just to create a simple "Synthwave" bass.

I can create a better bass sound on my Waldorf Pulse 2 in far less time. I could even use my Nord Lead 2 and create a punchier, more dynamic bass.

What would need to be proven...

I can create a better sounding bass in less time on EVERY synth that I own:

Access Virus TI2 keyboard
Clavia Nord Rack 2
Clavia Nord Rack 3
Dave Smith Mono Evolver Keyboard
Dave Smith Tetra
Korg EX-8000
Moog Minitaur
Mutable Instruments Shruthi
Oberheim Matrix-1000
Roland Juno 60
Roland MKS-7
Roland MKS-20
Roland MKS-30
Roland MKS-50
Roland MKS-70
Roland MKS-80 Rev 4
Roland MKS-80 Rev 5
Sequential Prophet REV2 module
Waldorf Micro Q
Waldorf MicroWave I
Waldorf MicroWave II XT
Waldorf Pulse 1
Waldorf Pulse 2

FYI, I have hardware programmers for all the synths that don't feature knobby interfaces.

Bass is a huge (almost scientific) topic. What was shown in the Vital tutorial is in general a good idea, namely to take out the fundamental from the filter (and Fx) path, because filters always introduce issues with phase shift and thus smearing the sound. With today's opportunities like MSEGs, multiband-compression/expansion, (multiband-distortion) you are able to reach sounds (and punch), which are not possible with the synths in your list.

Of course this is not so relevant for classical sounds or genres. But as soon as you consider modern genres (bass music, neurofunk, psytrance, dubstep, complextro, etc. etc.) Vital (or Serum or Pigments or Phase Plant or...) do shine very bright.

[Big Mouth Strikes Again]

Bass is a huge (almost scientific) topic. What was shown in the Vital tutorial is in general a good idea, namely to take out the fundamental from the filter (and Fx) path, because filters always introduce issues with phase shift and thus smearing the sound. With today's opportunities like MSEGs, multiband-compression/expansion, (multiband-distortion) you are able to reach sounds (and punch), which are not possible with the synths in your list.

Of course this is not so relevant for classical sounds or genres. But as soon as you consider modern genres (bass music, neurofunk, psytrance, dubstep, complextro, etc. etc.) Vital (or Serum or Pigments or Phase Plant or...) do shine very bright.

Yes, you are absolutely correct. My bass sounds mimic those of 80s artists such as Depeche Mode, New Order, Human League, Pet Shop Boys, et al. I find modern "EDM" basses to be weak and grating. You can say that I'm an old man shouting at people to get off my lawn. But from a songwriting and production perspective, I do think 80s Synth Pop bands are a cut above contemporary EDM artists.

[twal]

People like wavetables now, they didn't back then (obviously).

[El°HYM]

Me wont argue for a synth here; yet Vital indeed is not a very good sounding synth overall.

Since the thread got ranted out a bit. My point wasnt that Vital is the most terrible sounding VSTi but surely also not the very best. Still pretty good though when used at higher SR or with high OS. There is something going on in the higher registers that some might find unpleasant and needs to be taken care of in the mix, without a doubt.

[Samiver]

If the Op can afford both I would suggest that (especially if sm1 is still on offer at £19).

As someone who owns both I would go for Hive2 as I prefer it's base sound and filters etc. I would way up if you intend to use presets or sound design yourself and factor in the style you like to make as then you can find preset vids on you tube (if sound design both have the flexibility you would expect of synths).

I do find uhe synths are a bit more complex as someone self taught in sound design and if anyone has a link to a good Hive2 tutorial vid I would appreciate it (I have seen the uhe ones). I found it interesting someone said Diva was simple as it can be but I realised a lot more from it after watching the produkt records vids and understanding the modifiers etc. Uhe synths sound fantastic to me but they also contain a lot of depth that takes a bit of understanding and I am not there yet with Hive2 (or dune3 from synapse).

[SamDi]

Bass is a huge (almost scientific) topic. What was shown in the Vital tutorial is in general a good idea, namely to take out the fundamental from the filter (and Fx) path, because filters always introduce issues with phase shift and thus smearing the sound. With today's opportunities like MSEGs, multiband-compression/expansion, (multiband-distortion) you are able to reach sounds (and punch), which are not possible with the synths in your list.

Of course this is not so relevant for classical sounds or genres. But as soon as you consider modern genres (bass music, neurofunk, psytrance, dubstep, complextro, etc. etc.) Vital (or Serum or Pigments or Phase Plant or...) do shine very bright.

Yes, you are absolutely correct. My bass sounds mimic those of 80s artists such as Depeche Mode, New Order, Human League, Pet Shop Boys, et al. I find modern "EDM" basses to be weak and grating. You can say that I'm an old man shouting at people to get off my lawn. But from a songwriting and production perspective, I do think 80s Synth Pop bands are a cut above contemporary EDM artists.

Ha ha, you remember the guys, saying that this plastic music is no real music in opposite to good hand-played rock, whose parents told them, that this distorted noise and screaming is flat in opposite to .... you recognize the pattern?

"EDM" is an umbrella term, describing all and nothing. The fronts do not run through old and new, but through creative music with passion and commercial mainstream, squeezing out each trend. There does much amazing new stuff arise these days with all these amazing tools from young people having opportunities for an amount of money (or even free), we couldn't dream of, when we were in their age.