Diva Alternatives

[martiu]

just get Pigments and be done with it, it can do everything and it is easy to work with, it is a fat pig but whatever

cpu usage has left the chat with pigments

Diva may also cpu leave

[Big Mouth Strikes Again]

What are you looking for, accurate emulations of shitty old synths or something that's capable of producing the kinds of sounds we associate with those instruments? If it's the former, Diva is a good choice, in that it will give you a wide range of options to sound like various different shitty old synths.

If you want something that sounds amazing and is really easy to use, try the Oberheim SEM emulation from GForce Software which is also on sale at the moment for a stupidly low price. It is monophonic, though.

LOL. You rag on Diva for being an accurate emulation of "shitty old synths." And then you recommend a monophonic plugin that is the very definition of an accurate emulation of a shitty old plugin. Way to go genius.

[Cyoon]

Divas sound is very rich, not sure but if you look into similar analog style synths, then also consider Repro. The sound is exceptional in both imo, if you want more sound design options like modular control, there is Zebra Legacy or Bazille also.

[Daru925]

Lots of synths can be demoed too, don't pass on that.
Sometimes for 2 synths sounding equally "good"; their workflow/visual/handling could make a world of difference for you.

[BONES]

Yeah. In fact, I'd suggest that there are so many great sounding synths around these days that those other considerations are almost more important in making choices.

LOL. You rag on Diva for being an accurate emulation of "shitty old synths." And then you recommend a monophonic plugin that is the very definition of an accurate emulation of a shitty old plugin. Way to go genius.

Really? I was unaware that SEM had three oscillators, an ARP, on-board effects and patch memory. Because what makes most of those old synths shitty is the lack of those sorts of modern conveniences. I'd have thought that was perfectly obvious from the context, the OP was asking about Diva after all, but clearly I need to remember how utterly brainless the audience around here can be.

[twal]

Yeah. In fact, I'd suggest that there are so many great sounding synths around these days that those other considerations are almost more important in making choices.

LOL. You rag on Diva for being an accurate emulation of "shitty old synths." And then you recommend a monophonic plugin that is the very definition of an accurate emulation of a shitty old plugin. Way to go genius.

Really? I was unaware that SEM had three oscillators, an ARP, on-board effects and patch memory. Because what makes most of those old synths shitty is the lack of those sorts of modern conveniences. I'd have thought that was perfectly obvious from the context, the OP was asking about Diva after all, but clearly I need to remember how utterly brainless the audience around here can be.

Always entertaining for the last 20 years.

How does the Arturia Sem stack up against GForce's?

[vitocorleone123]

Imo, there isn't a VST that sounds as analog and warm as Diva. If that's what you're after, then get Diva. If you want more sound design options, then there are better VSTs out there as others have mentioned in this thread.

You’re right - there’s software synths that sound MORE “analog” than Diva, not “as analog”. Diva is not the best emulation of analog synths anymore. It was. Others caught up and surpassed it. But the others don’t do what Diva can the way Diva does it. So it comes to priorities.

In a busy mix of synths, it’s probably a wash. Playing solo, or as a featured sound, it can make a difference.

[twal]

Imo, there isn't a VST that sounds as analog and warm as Diva. If that's what you're after, then get Diva. If you want more sound design options, then there are better VSTs out there as others have mentioned in this thread.

You’re right - there’s software synths that sound MORE “analog” than Diva, not “as analog”. Diva is not the best emulation of analog synths anymore. It was. Others caught up and surpassed it. But the others don’t do what Diva can the way Diva does it. So it comes to priorities.

In a busy mix of synths, it’s probably a wash. Playing solo, or as a featured sound, it can make a difference.

Correct me if I'm wrong, so what you are saying is that Diva was once the best emulation of analog synths even though it was never trying to emulate a specific one? So are there others that are more analog that don't emulate a specific hardware synth? What I am saying is that I classify Saurus in the same category as Diva, and you are saying that something is more analog than Diva in this instance? Or am I just completely off my rocker trying to understand something which you are not eluding to at all? HAH

EDIT: or are you saying that Diva was the best emulation before others actually emulated correctly.

[BONES]

How does the Arturia Sem stack up against GForce's?

I've not tried them side-by-side but when I tried the Arturia one, I wasn't that impressed. OTOH, SEM is one of those instruments I want to use whenever and wherever I can. Like bx_oberhausen, it definitely has that magical "something" that made the original SEM so special, which I didn't really hear in Arturia's take on it. One thing for sure, SEM uses way less CPU.

[Super Piano Hater 64]

Correct me if I'm wrong, so what you are saying is that Diva was once the best emulation of analog synths even though it was never trying to emulate a specific one? So are there others that are more analog that don't emulate a specific hardware synth? What I am saying is that I classify Saurus in the same category as Diva, and you are saying that something is more analog than Diva in this instance? Or am I just completely off my rocker trying to understand something which you are not eluding to at all? HAH

EDIT: or are you saying that Diva was the best emulation before others actually emulated correctly.

Diva was bleeding edge tech in 2009 2012. It performed analog circuit emulation in real time, with as much accuracy as the CPUs of the day could handle. The underlying principles had not been used in a softsynth before. After Diva came out, those techniques proliferated, and a number of other synths appeared that were specifically designed to emulate famous pieces of gear, including u-he's own Repro. In some cases, these later emulations have used refinements of the original techniques Diva was built on; CPUs have also gotten faster. Thus, modern softsynths can get away with higher accuracy than what Diva was originally designed for.

The catch is, using these techniques involves a lot of up-front work. Diva emulates a bunch of different hardware. If your goal is to recreate it, you have to go find all that retro gear and repeat an intensive analysis process for each piece of hardware. Obviously it's easier (ie. less expensive) to just work with one thing at a time. So, on the one hand, there are now many plugins that recreate specific synths with accuracy beyond what Diva achieved. On the other hand, even with modern techniques, there's no other Diva-like synth that allows you to mix and match parts from half a dozen famous vintage synths without sacrificing their analog character.

[rod_zero]

Saurus needs a better GUI for sure, the sound is almost as good as Diva and for the price can't beat it.

[rod_zero]

Correct me if I'm wrong, so what you are saying is that Diva was once the best emulation of analog synths even though it was never trying to emulate a specific one? So are there others that are more analog that don't emulate a specific hardware synth? What I am saying is that I classify Saurus in the same category as Diva, and you are saying that something is more analog than Diva in this instance? Or am I just completely off my rocker trying to understand something which you are not eluding to at all? HAH

EDIT: or are you saying that Diva was the best emulation before others actually emulated correctly.

Diva was bleeding edge tech in 2009. It performed analog circuit emulation in real time, with as much accuracy as the CPUs of the day could handle. The underlying principles had not been used in a softsynth before. After Diva came out, those techniques proliferated, and a number of other synths appeared that were specifically designed to emulate famous pieces of gear, including u-he's own Repro. In some cases, these later emulations have used refinements of the original techniques Diva was built on; CPUs have also gotten faster. Thus, modern softsynths can get away with higher accuracy than what Diva was originally designed for.

The catch is, using these techniques involves a lot of up-front work. Diva emulates a bunch of different hardware. If your goal is to recreate it, you have to go find all that retro gear and repeat an intensive analysis process for each piece of hardware. Obviously it's easier (ie. less expensive) to just work with one thing at a time. So, on the one hand, there are now many plugins that recreate specific synths with accuracy beyond what Diva achieved. On the other hand, even with modern techniques, there's no other Diva-like synth that allows you to mix and match parts from half a dozen famous vintage synths without sacrificing their analog character.

Diva went into public beta in December of 2011

[Super Piano Hater 64]

Diva went into public beta in December of 2011

Whoops. Thanks. Guess my memory's a little off. I first used it in 2021 (after knowing about it that entire time) so I wasn't exactly an early adopter.

[zerocrossing]

I do not know why but I feel like Diva 2 will be announced soon

If it’s on anything similar to Zebra’s timetable, we should be getting a public beta in a quick decade from now.

[Uncle E]

You’re right - there’s software synths that sound MORE “analog” than Diva, not “as analog”. Diva is not the best emulation of analog synths anymore. It was. Others caught up and surpassed it.

Monark vs. Diva: Monark is indisputably the more accurate Minimoog emulation but it has a hard, almost brash sound that my old Minimoog didn't have. Diva has the rich, smooth sound characteristic of Minimoog's and other great analogs and I usually prefer it over Monark despite it not being a 1:1 emulation.