Serum 2

[zerocrossing]

I'm waiting for Serum 3

I hope our nursing homes have high speed internet so we can download it.

[machinesworking]

Why would you bother?

Most people who have been at it a while end up accumulating lots of plugins. Just glancing at my VST3 folder, I have around 200 plugins on my laptop and my VST3 folder is barely under 6.5GB. 200 sounds like a lot, but there are lots of plugins that come as multiple files. Some UAD 'plugins' are 4 versions of one compressor or 3 versions of an EQ. God help anyone with lots of Acustica products.

Imagine you use only one format and every vendor by default copied a VST2 x86, VST2 x64, VST3, AAX, and AU version onto your hard drive. Dozens of GB wasted space if you don't delete the stuff that's not being used.

Just to clarify, I'm not on a Mac. So AU being a wrapper doesn't affect me and is not my gripe with Serum 2, but I can absolutely understand why someone would clean up the various plugin formats and stick to just one.

Personally I don't get it at all. I keep all formats but AAX, since I don't own Pro Tools. My main two DAWs Live and Digital Performer can host all three current formats VST2, VST3 and AU. What this does is allow me to switch to a different format if there's an issue with one. 90% of the time if a plugin has issues in a DAW it's due to the GUI code, the part that isn't that interchangeable between the three formats. So having access to all three formats is useful to me. Then there's things like Komplete Kontrol using VST3 while any time I might need to use Logic it's AU.

SSDs are cheap these days, I have 85GB in my Plugins folder, not even 1/10nth of a terabyte for 647 AU's, 399 VST2, and 520 VST3's Why on earth would I compromise my ability to use my plugins by deleting a format?

I get it if you're on Logic or Bitwig, but beyond that on Mac anyway most DAWs are bilingual, at least Reaper, DP, Live, Studio One, Reason, FL etc. etc. are.

[_leras]

Why would you bother?

Most people who have been at it a while end up accumulating lots of plugins. Just glancing at my VST3 folder, I have around 200 plugins on my laptop and my VST3 folder is barely under 6.5GB.

That's kinda the point 6.5Gb is hardly anything. And these days people are mostly on SSD or Nvme, and plenty of space free on a system drive.

If people don't have enough space the should get a second drive, pretty cheap these days.

[Kenaiinaugust]

My bassist is dealing with the same thing on his sup'd up PC. I have no issues with CPU strain on my mac studio. Smooth as butter.

[HHUKRadio]

Do any of you know if there's a way of locking the main volume control on Serum 2?

Every time I switch through to try another preset it resets the main volume and is WAY too loud on most presets and it peaks well into the red. I always have a limiter on the track to stop it destroying my speakers but it's frustrating and distracting having to change the main volume every time I switch to another Serum preset. This happens on both the factory and third party sounds.

Other than that it's an excellent piece of kit and was a free upgrade from the original Serum. What's not to like (apart from the neighbours complaining about the noise each time I switch presets!).

[OscSync]

...

[Ah_Dziz]

I don't have any actual performance issues (crackling etc). It does use a pretty drastic amount of CPU for what it does. To the point where I don't use it unless I particularly need something it does that other synths don't. That means I'm pretty much only using the spectral sampler. Otherwise I stick with serum 1 and other synths.

[Ah_Dziz]

Do any of you know if there's a way of locking the main volume control on Serum 2?

Every time I switch through to try another preset it resets the main volume and is WAY too loud on most presets and it peaks well into the red. I always have a limiter on the track to stop it destroying my speakers but it's frustrating and distracting having to change the main volume every time I switch to another Serum preset. This happens on both the factory and third party sounds.

Other than that it's an excellent piece of kit and was a free upgrade from the original Serum. What's not to like (apart from the neighbours complaining about the noise each time I switch presets!).

You could just turn down the channel volume or insert a gain plugin right after serum. It sounds like most patches are too loud so why would you turn it down over and over when you could cut 12 decibels and then turn up the volume whenever a sound is very quiet.

[swilow11]

Do any of you know if there's a way of locking the main volume control on Serum 2?

Every time I switch through to try another preset it resets the main volume and is WAY too loud on most presets and it peaks well into the red. I always have a limiter on the track to stop it destroying my speakers but it's frustrating and distracting having to change the main volume every time I switch to another Serum preset. This happens on both the factory and third party sounds.

Other than that it's an excellent piece of kit and was a free upgrade from the original Serum. What's not to like (apart from the neighbours complaining about the noise each time I switch presets!).

Right click and lock?

[sempondr]

My bassist is dealing with the same thing on his sup'd up PC.

Is he on AMD or Intel?
I'm trying to figure out which brand Serum 2 likes more.

[Igro]

I don't have any actual performance issues (crackling etc). It does use a pretty drastic amount of CPU for what it does. To the point where I don't use it unless I particularly need something it does that other synths don't. That means I'm pretty much only using the spectral sampler. Otherwise I stick with serum 1 and other synths.

What CPU load you will get by creating a classic mono two oscillators SAW+ Square bass (without unison)? I have 2-3% on my AMD Rayzen 5700U (Laptop).

[HHUKRadio]

Right click and lock?

You Sir are a very kind person (and obviously read the manual more thoroughly than I did!)

Thank you.

[Ah_Dziz]

I don't have any actual performance issues (crackling etc). It does use a pretty drastic amount of CPU for what it does. To the point where I don't use it unless I particularly need something it does that other synths don't. That means I'm pretty much only using the spectral sampler. Otherwise I stick with serum 1 and other synths.

What CPU load you will get by creating a classic mono two oscillators SAW+ Square bass (without unison)? I have 2-3% on my AMD Rayzen 5700U (Laptop).

I'm just going by various host performance meters. It's more than 3 percent of my crappy laptop to just insert serum 2.

[Igro]

I don't have any actual performance issues (crackling etc). It does use a pretty drastic amount of CPU for what it does. To the point where I don't use it unless I particularly need something it does that other synths don't. That means I'm pretty much only using the spectral sampler. Otherwise I stick with serum 1 and other synths.

What CPU load you will get by creating a classic mono two oscillators SAW+ Square bass (without unison)? I have 2-3% on my AMD Rayzen 5700U (Laptop).

I'm just going by various host performance meters. It's more than 3 percent of my crappy laptop to just insert serum 2.

What CPU do you have? Also, have you activated the High Performance mode?
Serum 2 Init preset takes 1-2% (Quality set to High). No more that that. Very efficient. I mean, Newfangled Delay Recirculate on Init takes 17%. Unfiltered Audio Battalion 7-13%.

[Ah_Dziz]

It's a 5-6 year old i5. Battalion takes about the same CPU in that system. It's not a big deal. Just relatively heavy CPU consumption. Still useful when it's useful. Plenty of options the rest of the time.