Is Serum worth cashing out for, when you get Vital for free?

[Biome_Digital]

Yes I have short Env for a snappy bass pluck sound.

So I tested a littly again and Vital is not so bad as it was in my mind, still the filters are not so good, but I can work with. Additionally I installed Arturias Pigments and here are the filters excellent, same fast results as with serum.

Yes pigments is great. I've done 100's of presets for Arturia. Pigments is getting better all the time as well.

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

Vital has mod matrix limitations and i don't find it very intuitive plus missing some functionalities

Try to spend some time with the MOD REMAP in Vital.

You'll discover some unexpected "less limitations" first encountered by most Vital superficial explorers.
One single LFO or ENV can behave in a different way in each Mod Slot for example.
Serum don't have such a tool.

But Serum can modulate each LFO envelope's Point allowing you to change the behavior of the LFO on the fly via Macro or with other modulators.
Vital don't have such a tool.

I use both according to my needs and I feel they are like and extension of the other.

Vast territory for sound design.

After studying The Unfinished "Serum Alpha" sound set, I decided to use Zebra-HZ instead of Diva. With these 3 synth (and BWS + Repro to taste) I'm quite covered actually and made my production life quite simple (with complex synths )

Nonlinear dynamics i develop is far from mod matrix superficial,spend last three years experimenting and researching on this area exactly,how to do real time reshaping with modulations.
If compare synthmaster one and vital mod matrix you gonna see what is really 'intuitive' - literary everything is in front of you,letting your fantasy to experiment.
Different architecture and taste i guess
Cheers

[Biscotto]

Vital has mod matrix limitations and i don't find it very intuitive plus missing some functionalities

Try to spend some time with the MOD REMAP in Vital.

You'll discover some unexpected "less limitations" first encountered by most Vital superficial explorers.
One single LFO or ENV can behave in a different way in each Mod Slot for example.
Serum don't have such a tool.

But Serum can modulate each LFO envelope's Point allowing you to change the behavior of the LFO on the fly via Macro or with other modulators.
Vital don't have such a tool.

I use both according to my needs and I feel they are like and extension of the other.

Vast territory for sound design.

After studying The Unfinished "Serum Alpha" sound set, I decided to use Zebra-HZ instead of Diva. With these 3 synth (and BWS + Repro to taste) I'm quite covered actually and made my production life quite simple (with complex synths )

Nonlinear dynamics i develop is far from mod matrix superficial,spend last three years experimenting and researching on this area exactly,how to do real time reshaping with modulations.
If compare synthmaster one and vital mod matrix you gonna see what is really 'intuitive' - literary everything is in front of you,letting your fantasy to experiment.
Different architecture and taste i guess
Cheers

We are both happy explorers then

[SocialMediaUser01]

I would consider getting Pigments !!

[ckoe]

My personal tests with Serum, Vital and also Pigments are finished now. Technical you can adjust synth parameters near 1:1 to the synths and recreate patches. But, I never reached the sound of Serum. They sounds similar, but never the same. Always there is something missing, call it mojo or whatever you want. In all cases Serum nails exactly what I expected. It is hart to explain, but Serums has it owns sound that can't be copied one be one on Vital or Pigments. So I must continue my rent-to-own on Splice, and can't switch to Vital or Pigments, cause then I missed the unique Serum Sound. The only way to get this sound is buying Serum. But I will keep Vital on my SSD, maybe I found something Vital is special for. Also I will buy Pigments for 69$ Dollar next month, cause if you have on Arturia Plugin there is an offer to get Pigments for that price. On Pigments I like the granular and the harmonics part, but that's another topic.

Sorry, but in my opinion Vital is no Serum killer or replacement, cause the base sound is different, maybe of the filters, maybe the reason is the internal sound creation which let Serum sound more "alive", "warm" call it whatever you want.

If you want Serum sound you must buy it. If you like Vital sound then you are fine and save money. This is my conclusion, and this is only my personal taste.

[YnJ]

Vital can do stuff the other two can't as well. As for comparisons, I did my own a while back, playing different wavetables in the three synths without any effects and filters, and in my opinion Pigments had the richest sound, Serum was close, not much difference, you could hear the difference though, and Pigments has some amazing filters and effects as well. Vital had a noticably thinner sound than both. Sometimes you want the colder more digital sound Vital produces though, and it's a really fun synth to work with, I find myself going to either Pigments or Vital, while Serum somehow get lost between them, except for wavetable editing which it does better than Vital

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

The discussion start to seems like 'Bees vanishing' - 'Do we really need them'?
It's all about taste and use,so the price may be ok for one,for other is higher :):)
If Steve Duda send me free license will spend more time with it
Cheers

[Biscotto]

^^^ “Taste and Use” I couldn’t agree more.

I tested Pigment since v3 so many times, and if Arturia would send me a free license,
I… wouldn’t use it.

Serum was blessed, well spent money.
Vital, I’m supporting the developer and also an inspiring synth (love the ReMap and the stereo option in the modulation dials menu).

Pigment still in Demo mode and even with the great crossgrade offer I can’t pull the trigger.

[j[b++]]

Serum implements dynamic (alternate) microtuning support (Oddsound MTS-ESP) which allows you to dynamically retune serum even for already pressed/held notes.

Might be relevant if you are into this sort of thing.

I found alternate tuning systems to add greatly to (my) music.

[chk071]

Sorry, but in my opinion Vital is no Serum killer or replacement, cause the base sound is different

I never got those X vs. Y killer comparisons. As you say, every synth has its own character (or lack thereof), so, you simply can't replace this with that.

[kobal]

Sorry, but in my opinion Vital is no Serum killer or replacement, cause the base sound is different, maybe of the filters, maybe the reason is the internal sound creation which let Serum sound more "alive", "warm" call it whatever you want.

If you want Serum sound you must buy it. If you like Vital sound then you are fine and save money. This is my conclusion, and this is only my personal taste.

i think if i wanted to replace serum it would be with rapid , not totally the same sound but it may have that thing you arer missing with vital and pigment sound caractere and it offer some intresting things but no wavetable editor.

[kobal]

Serum implements dynamic (alternate) microtuning support (Oddsound MTS-ESP) which allows you to dynamically retune serum even for already pressed/held notes.

Might be relevant if you are into this sort of thing.

I found alternate tuning systems to add greatly to (my) music.

intresting can you give me a example of use? just i can t think of how it could be useful to me but i should try, might be usefull for ambient stuff and pads ahtmos ect but not really into that

[j[b++]]

intresting can you give me a example of use? just i can t think of how it could be useful to me but i should try, might be usefull for ambient stuff and pads ahtmos ect but not really into that

For example using an arabic scale for a song part could add tension in my point of view.
Or different detuning between different instrument to create atmosphere.
I am still starting to get into that stuff.

[k2006]

Found this test on YouTube

[ckoe]

You are right, it is all a matter of taste and for my taste serum is the price worth. Synth features are nothing worth if the synth sound does not work for you.