Diva Alternatives

[martiu]

Remember when all those famous producers got caught using cracked versions of Sylenth1? If only for that reason, I would actually believe that it or Massive are probably the most widely used synths ever used.

that clown was one of them, Razor removed him from the partnership after that

[Sawtooth Fairy]

Why? We are not comparing a car with a plane. We are comparing two cars. They are in the same category and adhere to the same physics etc. Neither has "a sound", which is why you can make a song using both and nobody can tell which sounds came from which synth.
I bet a good sound designer can recreate the patches of one on the other and match them very well (except those that use FM of course).

If someone wants a 1955 Ford Thunderbird, they’re not going to be happy with a Tesla, and vice-versa.

Look, I get what you’re trying to do but it’s unrealistic. OP wants something Diva-ish and Sylenth1 isn’t that.

If I already had Sylenth1 or Hive, I would certainly not pay for another subtractive synth, unless I was lazy and didn't want to invest time and effort in making it sounds like whatever people pretend they hear in Diva. I am not saying it will sound 100% the same, but 95%, which should be enough.

[SamDi]

My money is on Serum for the most successful synth ever.

I bet on Serum too! Just look at the sheer amount of tutorials on YT, compared to other synths.

[El°HYM]

The funny part is that most of those 'famous' producers also used a cracked version of FL Studio in their Vids.

[Uncle E]

If I already had Sylenth1 or Hive, I would certainly not pay for another subtractive synth, unless I was lazy and didn't want to invest time and effort in making it sounds like whatever people pretend they hear in Diva. I am not saying it will sound 100% the same, but 95%, which should be enough.

If I proposed DIVA to you as an alternative to Sylenth1, would you be happy with that suggestion? I suspect you would not because they are fundamentally different instruments.

Besides, what's the point of pushing Sylenth1 so hard in the first place? It's not cheaper, it's not better, and it lacks fundamental features that make DIVA what it is. Something like Saurus is a better fit for this discussion, IMO.

[rod_zero]

Massive, Sylenth and Serum are the most popular synths ever, hard to take a winner.

[martiu]

Native Instruments Form much better than Deva and Syslend1

[ReiKru]

Native Instruments Form much better than Deva and Syslend1

I think synthedit makes it better

[Sawtooth Fairy]

If I already had Sylenth1 or Hive, I would certainly not pay for another subtractive synth, unless I was lazy and didn't want to invest time and effort in making it sounds like whatever people pretend they hear in Diva. I am not saying it will sound 100% the same, but 95%, which should be enough.

If I proposed DIVA to you as an alternative to Sylenth1, would you be happy with that suggestion? I suspect you would not because they are fundamentally different instruments.

Besides, what's the point of pushing Sylenth1 so hard in the first place? It's not cheaper, it's not better, and it lacks fundamental features that make DIVA what it is. Something like Saurus is a better fit for this discussion, IMO.

Well, if money didn't matter, why not. But to most people it does.

I think what we think we hear is mostly the result of online hype, marketing bla bla, the genres it is typically used and 3rd-party sound designers make sound sets for, the look of the user interface, etc.

[cryophonik]

Personally, I don't see Diva and Sylenth as direct competitors, more like complementary to each other. Sylenth gets a lot of hate for its simplicity and for lacking some features, but I think that's more of a feature than a limitation. I was very much a hesitant convert/latecomer to the Sylenth fanboy club, but I eventually realized that it does what it does very well and that it's best to just accept it for that. There's a little-known company called Moog that makes some pretty simple synths and, although they're sorta newcomers to the synth market, I have a good feeling that they may stick around for a bit. Depth/complexity certainly has its place in the synth market, but simplicity and a good sound will always be desirable for many people.

Massive, Sylenth and Serum are the most popular synths ever, hard to take a winner.

Seems like a reasonable guess. I would think that Zebra would be up there as well, at least in terms of licenses sold. It's been around a long time.

[Synthman2000]

I mentioned Sylenth1 as it is one of the most consistently good sounding synths I have used for ages (and still is as good as anything that exists) which is backed up by a lot of people who understand sound, who have good taste.

Massive X might be a bit closer to Diva's analogue virtues and general sound, a little duller a bit warmer I guess.. but where should you look before buying Diva.. Sylenth1 just because it is ace in every regard. Punchy, cuts through, solid, good fx low cpu. It might not have a million features but it has what it needs where it counts... good sound that works for many genres.

I knew he must have had good ears, not just a coder...seems he was involved in car acoustics at some point.

viewtopic.php?t=180091

[zzz00m]

Repro the bestest!!!

[rod_zero]

Sylenth was very popular in the trance, psytrance and prog psy scenes, massive was also popular there but also in hip hop and later on Dubstep. Serum came around when Dubstep was still popular but got huge in the EDM scene.

Diva got popular more in the techno/house side, where previously arturia emulations were popular, and those scenes are smaller than EDM.

[BONES]

If I already had Sylenth1 or Hive, I would certainly not pay for another subtractive synth

Really? I'd be looking for something that's actually decent so I could throw those things out. Hive is OK, there's just some little thing about it that puts me off, but I can't work out what it is. But with Sylenth 1, I know exactly what it is. I'd take Invader 2 over either, for subtractive duties at least, and it's pay what you want.

I bet on Serum too! Just look at the sheer amount of tutorials on YT, compared to other synths.

Don't you think that makes it the go-to synth for clueless idiots? That's certainly how I see it.

Massive, Sylenth and Serum are the most popular synths ever, hard to take a winner.

It's important to remember that the most popular things are almost never the best things, so you can choose to be a sheep or you can invest a bit of time in finding the best thing for yourself.

I was very much a hesitant convert/latecomer to the Sylenth fanboy club, but I eventually realized that it does what it does very well and that it's best to just accept it for that.

The problem is that what it does isn't worth what they're asking for it. I might pay $50 for it, in a pinch, but for $139 I can think of many much better synths, like Saurus or DS Thorn.

There's a little-known company called Moog that makes some pretty simple synths

Even their simplest synths allow cross-modulation, Sylenth 1 doesn't.

but where should you look before buying Diva.. Sylenth1 just because it is ace in every regard.

If that was true, sure, but it's any thing but the case.

It might not have a million features but it has what it needs where it counts...

Except it doesn't. Cross-mod is such a basic requirement of any multi-osc synth that it's unforgiveable to leave it out of a synth you're asking $140 for.

[CrystalWizard]

Don't know about alternatives but as most vsti have a demo period i would recommend demoing in detail. Repro?

seriously not Sylenth.

BONES:

It's important to remember that the most popular things are almost never the best things, so you can choose to be a sheep or you can invest a bit of time in finding the best thing for yourself.

That's some solid advice.