Official Serum 2 thread!

[buffalo roam]

I'm just waking up to the realization that Serum 2 includes a separate Serum 2 FX plugin that can be used for my other synths and samplers. But as far as I can tell the "clip" and arpeggiator are not functional in this separate FX plugin. Maybe XferRecords could add these two features in the future? It would be really, really nice to be able to use for my other plugins what seem to me the most advanced polyphonic sequencer ("clip") and arpeggiator combo I've ever encountered!

[tumface]

The clip and arp sections work fine for me in Serum 2 FX.

[buffalo roam]

The clip and arp sections work fine for me in Serum 2 FX.

Glad to hear it! That's encouraging. Maybe there's something I'm not getting yet about using them. I'll play with them some more....

[buffalo roam]

Well, I've tried all kinds of things and I find the clip and arp sections work fine when using Serum 2 as the instrument, but I hear nothing from the clip and arp sections when I use some other synth as an instrument and load up the separate Serum 2 FX plugin in the audio fx slot in my daw. Visually it looks like they're working, but they're not affecting the sound.

[tumface]

What are the MIDI notes in Serum 2 FX set to control?

[buffalo roam]

What are the MIDI notes in Serum 2 FX set to control?

I usually use a long note at C3. The daw is Logic. I find the clip and arpeggiator work fine with that in Serum 2 as the instrument, and I set up my own patterns in the clip and/or arpeggiator.

[tumface]

What are the MIDI notes in Serum 2 FX set to control?

I usually use a long note at C3. The daw is Logic. I find the clip and arpeggiator work fine with that in Serum 2 as the instrument, and I set up my own patterns in the clip and/or arpeggiator.

I meant, what is are the notes coming out of the clip or arp supposed to do inside of Serum 2 FX? You're using the clip and/or arpeggiator functions in Serum 2 FX, but what does your Serum 2 FX patch do with the generated notes?

[buffalo roam]

What are the MIDI notes in Serum 2 FX set to control?

I usually use a long note at C3. The daw is Logic. I find the clip and arpeggiator work fine with that in Serum 2 as the instrument, and I set up my own patterns in the clip and/or arpeggiator.

I meant, what is are the notes coming out of the clip or arp supposed to do inside of Serum 2 FX? You're using the clip and/or arpeggiator functions in Serum 2 FX, but what does your Serum 2 FX patch do with the generated notes?

Thanks for trying to help. I do appreciate it. When I load up a synth, say Alchemy, as the instrument, with a long steady C3 note in the piano roll in Logic, I want Serum 2 FX in the audio fx slot to play melodies and chords in the clip, and add rhythmic extras with the arpeggiator. The idea is to use the clip as a piano roll and to use the arpeggiator to add more rhythmic interest. But I hear none of this in the sound that comes out. The other effects, like the delay, convolution reverb, etc., work just fine. I guess I'm wondering if we're talking about the same thing.

Are you using the FX within Serum 2 as the instrument? Or are you using some other synth as the instrument and then using Serum 2 FX as a separate audio effect plugin? The latter scenario is what I'm trying to do.

[tumface]

I don't know what you mean by "rhythmic extras." Do you mean you want Serum 2 FX's oscillators to be added to the incoming signal, or that you want Serum 2 FX's FX to modify the incoming signal while being controlled by the arpeggiator?

[babaji]

Serum 2 AT SOME SETTINGS can be more CPU heavy than other synths (when you use Serum 2 as a typical subtractive synth, you won't notice the CPU load). It depends on which module is used. But I noticed, that those modules audio quality is very high. I can't even complain about it. And I usually do.
I guess Steve wanted to make something future-proof. Even Serum 2 sampler is higher quality than the Bitwig Sampler. The granular engine module audio quality is way better than in Pigment 6.

Yes, sound quality is objectively the best. Audio rate modulation is top class, hardware like.

[buffalo roam]

I don't know what you mean by "rhythmic extras." Do you mean you want Serum 2 FX's oscillators to be added to the incoming signal, or that you want Serum 2 FX's FX to modify the incoming signal while being controlled by the arpeggiator?

The oscillators do nothing when using Serum 2 FX in the audio FX slot in my daw.

The Serum 2 FX arpeggiator has a "pattern" option, with which I can set up syncopated rhythms in the piano roll the pattern option offers. So if I set up, say, a sample of a long organ sound as the instrument in the instrument slot of my daw, have my daw piano roll play C3 for four bars as a loop, then set up a melody line and chords in the clip component of Serum 2 FX in the audio effects slot in my daw, and then go to the pattern option of the arpeggiator in Serum 2 FX and set up a syncopated rhythm, then I expect to hear the melody and chords from the clip run through the arpeggiator rhythm I've set up. But I find that this just doesn't work. I don't hear the melody and chords, nor do I hear the rhythm--just the organ's long C3 note.

[tumface]

The oscillators do nothing when using Serum 2 FX in the audio FX slot in my daw.

The Serum 2 FX arpeggiator has a "pattern" option, with which I can set up syncopated rhythms in the piano roll the pattern option offers. So if I set up, say, a sample of a long organ sound as the instrument in the instrument slot of my daw, have my daw piano roll play C3 for four bars as a loop, then set up a melody line and chords in the clip component of Serum 2 FX in the audio effects slot in my daw, and then go to the pattern option of the arpeggiator in Serum 2 FX and set up a syncopated rhythm, then I expect to hear the melody and chords from the clip run through the arpeggiator rhythm I've set up. But I find that this just doesn't work. I don't hear the melody and chords, nor do I hear the rhythm--just the organ's long C3 note.

Hmm. I'm not sure why it's not working for you. I guess there are multiple things that could be going wrong.

I made a preset which I know for sure works. You can try using this preset to troubleshoot what might be wrong with your setup. The preset will play an arpeggiated Maj7 chord using a MIDI note you send it, treating the note you send it as the root of the chord. And, it will add its synthesizer audio on top of the input audio it receives. So, you need to make sure to send it both audio and a MIDI note, otherwise you will only hear the input audio. I made sure this preset uses both the clip and arp feature at the same time.

FL64_mTDHHEqBVt.png

Preset file within a zip file:

Serum 2 FX - Add Maj7 synth arp to input audio.SerumPreset.zip

[buffalo roam]

The oscillators do nothing when using Serum 2 FX in the audio FX slot in my daw.

The Serum 2 FX arpeggiator has a "pattern" option, with which I can set up syncopated rhythms in the piano roll the pattern option offers. So if I set up, say, a sample of a long organ sound as the instrument in the instrument slot of my daw, have my daw piano roll play C3 for four bars as a loop, then set up a melody line and chords in the clip component of Serum 2 FX in the audio effects slot in my daw, and then go to the pattern option of the arpeggiator in Serum 2 FX and set up a syncopated rhythm, then I expect to hear the melody and chords from the clip run through the arpeggiator rhythm I've set up. But I find that this just doesn't work. I don't hear the melody and chords, nor do I hear the rhythm--just the organ's long C3 note.

Hmm. I'm not sure why it's not working for you. I guess there are multiple things that could be going wrong.

I made a preset which I know for sure works. You can try using this preset to troubleshoot what might be wrong with your setup. The preset will play an arpeggiated Maj7 chord using a MIDI note you send it, treating the note you send it as the root of the chord. And, it will add its synthesizer audio on top of the input audio it receives. So, you need to make sure to send it both audio and a MIDI note, otherwise you will only hear the input audio. I made sure this preset uses both the clip and arp feature at the same time.


FL64_mTDHHEqBVt.png


Preset file within a zip file:

Serum 2 FX - Add Maj7 synth arp to input audio.SerumPreset.zip

Thanks for all the effort you put into this. Again, I appreciate it. I tried duplicating your preset without success. Maybe it's as simple as the fact that I'm still experimenting with a demo version rather than the paid-for one. Don't know. Or maybe it's Logic Pro, or some quirk in my MacBook. But I think I'll stop here and maybe approach Xferrecords directly. All the best!

[buffalo roam]

The oscillators do nothing when using Serum 2 FX in the audio FX slot in my daw.

The Serum 2 FX arpeggiator has a "pattern" option, with which I can set up syncopated rhythms in the piano roll the pattern option offers. So if I set up, say, a sample of a long organ sound as the instrument in the instrument slot of my daw, have my daw piano roll play C3 for four bars as a loop, then set up a melody line and chords in the clip component of Serum 2 FX in the audio effects slot in my daw, and then go to the pattern option of the arpeggiator in Serum 2 FX and set up a syncopated rhythm, then I expect to hear the melody and chords from the clip run through the arpeggiator rhythm I've set up. But I find that this just doesn't work. I don't hear the melody and chords, nor do I hear the rhythm--just the organ's long C3 note.

Hmm. I'm not sure why it's not working for you. I guess there are multiple things that could be going wrong.

I made a preset which I know for sure works. You can try using this preset to troubleshoot what might be wrong with your setup. The preset will play an arpeggiated Maj7 chord using a MIDI note you send it, treating the note you send it as the root of the chord. And, it will add its synthesizer audio on top of the input audio it receives. So, you need to make sure to send it both audio and a MIDI note, otherwise you will only hear the input audio. I made sure this preset uses both the clip and arp feature at the same time.


FL64_mTDHHEqBVt.png


Preset file within a zip file:

Serum 2 FX - Add Maj7 synth arp to input audio.SerumPreset.zip

Update. I think I just figured out what's going on here. I had to update my copy of Serum 2, and then Serum 2 FX could accept the preset you posted--and it worked! But it worked only by using a Serum 2 oscillator rather than accepting an outside plugin's instrument. In other words, Serum 2 FX, loaded up in the audio fx slot in the daw, works the same as Serum 2 in the instrument slot. I find this very strange, but at least an answer to the dilemma.

It would be great if Serum FX could use another plugin's sounds to run through its clip and arp, but it looks like this isn't yet possible, as far as I can see.

[psy dive]

What you are saying does not make sense. Midi clips and arps are no audio processors, hence running sound "trough" them is pointless.

Is maybe what you're trying to achieve using serum as a midi device that feeds midi notes into your other synth?