Is it just me or Serum/Vital sounds without life?

[Propellerhands]

Personally it was the main reason I fell in love with Serum, because it is versatile, clean and can be applied to anything and made into anything. Digital is quite broad term, it implies Serum is cold sounding, which is not the case. I would put Largo onto that category. Serum is futuristic in my opinion.

[T-CM11]

...sound lifeless...
...deeper sound...

Really? They sound green and wrinkly to me.

[jamcat]

If they’re not modeling asymmetrical VCA ramp-up and voltage fluctuations or harmonic distortion from transformer headroom saturation, then I’d say that’s what you’re hearing, or more precisely, what you’re not hearing.

It’s those little bits of instability that gives analogue (and analogue modeled) its “life.”

When it’s not there, you miss it, even if you don’t notice it when it is there.

[isuckatproducing]

Hi,

I know you can do good stuff with these synths especially when it's mixed well, but I have tried both and they sound lifeless to me.
For example Spire has much deeper sound.

Or is it just me?

It's me too. In fact, that is why I decided to purchase Sylenth1 (apart from the fact that I do not make any future genres)

Sylenth and Zebra sounded better to me from what I remember.

[jamcat]

Serum is futuristic in my opinion.

I’m not really familiar with the sound of this VSTi, but if it’s not doing any analogue modeling, then it’s actually more akin to VST instruments from 15 or 20 years ago, making it quite literally the opposite of “futuristic.”

[isuckatproducing]

Serum is futuristic in my opinion.

I’m not really familiar with the sound of this VSTi, but if it’s not doing any analogue modeling, then it’s actually more akin to VST instruments from 15 or 20 years ago, making it quite literally the opposite of “futuristic.”

This is how it sounds to me, very digital and reminds of old synths. Lacks warmth for me.

[Propellerhands]

Serum is futuristic in my opinion.

I’m not really familiar with the sound of this VSTi, but if it’s not doing any analogue modeling, then it’s actually more akin to VST instruments from 15 or 20 years ago, making it quite literally the opposite of “futuristic.”

Disagree, analog is by definition not futuristic. Only true digital synths can achieve this. Serum has certain features that create this analog feel and randomness/crazyiness, but it was never the focus of Serum, as far as I understood Steve Duda's explanations. It is his vision of how the synth should look and sound and I am fully on boat with that attitude. That to me is futuristic. Nobody done it before and every other developer seem to look how to cash in of people's irrational need for an analog VST.

[cryophonik]

Hi,

I know you can do good stuff with these synths especially when it's mixed well, but I have tried both and they sound lifeless to me.
For example Spire has much deeper sound.

Or is it just me?

Nope, it’s not just you. I have a lot of respect for Mr. Duda, but I’ve never heard anything from Serum that has interested me enough to buy it. I paid a few bucks for Vital during some sale early on without really trying it, then found that it’s really not for me. Not that I think either of them are bad, just not my style.

[tony10000]

The secret to bringing Serum to life is to use wavetables, effects, and a lot of modulation. You can get some amazing sounds.

[ramseysounds]

It’s you

Doesn’t seem like it.

No; it really is. If you are making these 2 wonderful synths sound lifeless, it really is you. Your name is a giveaway tbh.

[isuckatproducing]

It’s you

Doesn’t seem like it.

No; it really is. If you are making these 2 wonderful synths sound lifeless, it really is you. Your name is a giveaway tbh.

Some people just agreed with me, learn to read mate.
And then get a proper synth like Spire.

[Aiynzahev]

It’s you

Doesn’t seem like it.

No; it really is. If you are making these 2 wonderful synths sound lifeless, it really is you. Your name is a giveaway tbh.

Some people just agreed with me, learn to read mate.
And then get a proper synth like Spire.

"proper synth" ? It's all subject to what you need out of a synth. Serum is hugely popular among producers for good reason. Spire is not objectively better just because it has more inherent "character" or certain sonic qualities. I'd argue Serum for example is exceptional for clean, clear sound.

The answer to your question is yes, you are hearing a certain something in Spire that Serum and Vital don't really have going on. Even if that weren't the case, that's the vibe you're getting from comparing them, so if you prefer Spire, that's fine and it's useful to find out why. It doesn't make sense to argue one is better than the other in a general sense though. Like there's no logic to that within he context of subjective hearing and the huge variance in genres and production styles out there.

[Aiynzahev]

If they’re not modeling asymmetrical VCA ramp-up and voltage fluctuations or harmonic distortion from transformer headroom saturation, then I’d say that’s what you’re hearing, or more precisely, what you’re not hearing.

It’s those little bits of instability that gives analogue (and analogue modeled) its “life.”

When it’s not there, you miss it, even if you don’t notice it when it is there.

This is not about Spire, or Serum etc, but I just wanted to +1 this, there's a lot of character in deeply modeled synths that doesn't simply come down to adding some LFO to create some pitch drift.

To be clear maybe that's all one person needs to do to add some "analog life" to a patch, and that's fine, but there's other things that separate modeled synths from more straight forward digital synths with some analog modeled filters. And even then modeled filters vary in degree of modeling too of what they replicate from the analog domain and what they don't.

[isuckatproducing]

It’s you

Doesn’t seem like it.

No; it really is. If you are making these 2 wonderful synths sound lifeless, it really is you. Your name is a giveaway tbh.

Some people just agreed with me, learn to read mate.
And then get a proper synth like Spire.

"proper synth" ? It's all subject to what you need out of a synth. Serum is hugely popular among producers for good reason. Spire is not objectively better just because it has more inherent "character" or certain sonic qualities. I'd argue Serum for example is exceptional for clean, clear sound.

The answer to your question is yes, you are hearing a certain something in Spire that Serum and Vital don't really have going on. Even if that weren't the case, that's the vibe you're getting from comparing them, so if you prefer Spire, that's fine and it's useful to find out why. It doesn't make sense to argue one is better than the other in a general sense though. Like there's no logic to that within he context of subjective hearing and the huge variance in genres and production styles out there.

I agree but some people won't understand we can like different stuff and a synth will sound good for one person and bad for other.
Btw. I remember Spire has this compressor "knob" that if you turn it by 1% even it's giving a lot of life to the patch, any idea what magic it does?

Haven't used it for years though.

[Aiynzahev]

It’s you

Doesn’t seem like it.

No; it really is. If you are making these 2 wonderful synths sound lifeless, it really is you. Your name is a giveaway tbh.

Some people just agreed with me, learn to read mate.
And then get a proper synth like Spire.

"proper synth" ? It's all subject to what you need out of a synth. Serum is hugely popular among producers for good reason. Spire is not objectively better just because it has more inherent "character" or certain sonic qualities. I'd argue Serum for example is exceptional for clean, clear sound.

The answer to your question is yes, you are hearing a certain something in Spire that Serum and Vital don't really have going on. Even if that weren't the case, that's the vibe you're getting from comparing them, so if you prefer Spire, that's fine and it's useful to find out why. It doesn't make sense to argue one is better than the other in a general sense though. Like there's no logic to that within he context of subjective hearing and the huge variance in genres and production styles out there.

I agree but some people won't understand we can like different stuff and a synth will sound good for one person and bad for other.
Btw. I remember Spire has this compressor "knob" that if you turn it by 1% even it's giving a lot of life to the patch, any idea what magic it does?

Haven't used it for years though.

That't the X-Comp – multiband upward/downward compressor.