Now Hive is here, is it RIP Sylenth?

[EnGee]

Well, people have always used multiple synths. Limiting yourself to one synth can be a great thing, it can be a deciding point for a composition. But then you can limit yourself to another synth for another project.

Very good point

Back to installing Hive demo again (damn it! If I only bought it at first with the intro/discount price! I always do that! I let these gems slip away, then I begin to hunt them later )

[Urs]

we think Hive's focus needs to change.

In what direction?

In "more than a dance music synth"

[EnGee]

we think Hive's focus needs to change.

In what direction?

In "more than a dance music synth"

This is what you are brilliant at! So, keep it this way (the Zebra and Diva way) IMO of course

[recursive one]

we think Hive's focus needs to change.

In what direction?

In "more than a dance music synth"

It is already more than a dance music synth (there is no such thing as a "dance music synth" imo, maybe except for Nexus but it is not a synth)

If you don't mind me asking, do you mean new fetaures or just new way of marketing it?

[EnGee]

Bought it!

Please Urs don't go home before transferring the license for me!

[Urs]

If you don't mind me asking, do you mean new fetaures or just new way of marketing it?

Marketing and - as discussed a lot before - visual design. We're going to make it look more pleasing and less flashy/intimidating.

[Urs]

Bought it!

Please Urs don't go home before transferring the license for me!

Hahaha, one of the guys will sort you out. I do coding and KVR, others do license transfers and emails.

I live in the wonderful world where I do not need to answer emails anymore. It became too much at one point, I couldn't keep up. So I abandoned email for most of my life. The guys in the office are way more responsive than I could ever be.

[EnGee]

Bought it!

Please Urs don't go home before transferring the license for me!

Hahaha, one of the guys will sort you out. I do coding and KVR, others do license transfers and emails.

I live in the wonderful world where I do not need to answer emails anymore. It became too much at one point, I couldn't keep up. So I abandoned email for most of my life. The guys in the office are way more responsive than I could ever be.

Ok great then Yes, I know you have top notch employees. Ok, then, keep chatting here, while I go to make some music (I hope)

[recursive one]

If you don't mind me asking, do you mean new fetaures or just new way of marketing it?

Marketing and - as discussed a lot before - visual design. We're going to make it look more pleasing and less flashy/intimidating.

I see, thanks.

I'd be happy to see Hive eventually expanding its fetaure set, maybe taking Virus C as a prototype. Oscillator morfing, additional waveforms, cross-oscillator FM (nobody has done this properly in software, afaik, only Discovery comes somewhat close to what I'm after but still not close enough), wovel filter (i'm sucker for vowel filters). I think I could pay 250-300 dollars for such a synth if everything is done right. Hive's sound has grown on me but I think it is too limited in terms of the sounds it can make, even despite some users posting excellent and very unusually sounding stuff coming from it.

[fluffy_little_something]

I don't know if it's the synth, the programming or the production, but I don't like the way that instrumental track sounds. There is something bombastic to it, while it lacks the punch, definition and compactness of good music of the past in my view. It is too wide for my taste, lost in space somehow. Like most bombastic stuff, it seems impressive at first, but wears off fast and what remains is a void despite the bombastic sound.

Just saying, I know this is very subjective and depends on what kind of music one likes and is used to

The pseudo-sax sound is pretty good, though

[EnGee]

I don't know if it's the synth, the programming or the production, but I don't like the way that instrumental track sounds. There is something bombastic to it, while it lacks the punch, definition and compactness of good music of the past in my view. It is too wide for my taste, lost in space somehow. Like most bombastic stuff, it seems impressive at first, but wears off fast and what remains is a void despite the bombastic sound.

Just saying, I know this is very subjective and depends on what kind of music one likes and is used to

The pseudo-sax sound is pretty good, though

Well, playing with the demo (still waiting!). I can say it has something that attracts me in the sound. Some presets are wonderful especially for some Industrial kind of music (Depeche Mode yes!).

The programming is very nice. I like it much more than Dune 2 and even clearer than Predator. You can see most of everything in one screen. The drag and drop idea is also make it easier to concentrate and to plan in your mind.

There is a 'dirtiness' in the sound/character. It can be very useful of course. I'm already thinking of some usage for it.

Not sure, it will be my only synth, but mostly will be my second one (besides another synth). I hope some additional skins comes, and of course I hope the idea for Hive 2 will be exist in the future

[bftucker]

Congratulations! Another fantastic software synthesizer wins the prestigious

FLS GOLD SEAL of Disapproval.

You know it must be good!

[fluffy_little_something]

Congratulations! Another fantastic software synthesizer wins the prestigious

FLS GOLD SEAL of Disapproval.

You know it must be good!

Silly boy still stalking me
I'm not disapproving of anything just because I'm not yelling super, great, awesome... Guess what, the giant zone between the extremes is where life happens...

[wagtunes]

@bftucker and FLS

I don't have a horse in this race because the only reason I buy synths anymore is if they're popular and sell well so I can make sound libraries and sell them. Yeah, pretty mercenary, but that's the reality of my life now. I have more synths than I could ever personally use and really don't need anything else.

So, having said that, looking at the HIve architecture and comparing it to other U-he synths, it isn't nearly as flexible as Zebra 2, Diva or Bazille. Structure wise, it's really a pretty basic synth. In fact, structure wise, there are a ton of synths that are just as complex or more so. In other words, it's a pretty limited synth as far as what it can do.

Does it sound good? Totally subjective question but yeah, to my ears it sounds good. Does it sound as good as Sylenth1? Again, to my ears, yeah, maybe better. Will I get it? Sure, now that Urs has released sales data making Hive their 3rd best selling synth. That translates into dollars for me if I make a decent sound library.

But as FLS said, a synth doesn't have to be the holly grail or a piece of crap. It can actually be somewhere in the middle.

Hive, IMO, is a solid synth that isn't anything amazingly special, which is why It's the only U-he synth that I don't own. There was nothing about it, looking at what I already own, that made me go "I gotta get this synth so I can do XYZ better than with other synths." It just isn't anything amazingly special. Zebra 2. That's a special synth. It's definitely in my top 5.

But the thing is, and this is what so many people miss, a synth doesn't have to be amazingly special to be useful. Hive sounds great. It can probably be used for a number of genres. And it's comparably priced to other synths that are similar in structure.

I don't know what more anybody can ask for. If I didn't already own synths that could make the kind of sounds Hive makes, I would have probably bought it for personal reasons. But because it does sell well, I will be buying it for business reasons.

And I think as far as Urs is concerned, a sale is a sale. Doesn't matter what the reasons are.

Hive's a good synth.

There are lots of good synths.

[mcnoone]

Something as simple as weather or not a user plays the synth with fingers on keys, or inputs midi notes into a piano roll can make a big difference on how some synths are perceived as well.
Some daw jockeys simply input notes at 128 velocity, and wonder why there isn't something more within a sound, when said sound was designed around velocity variations.
I believe Hive is more capable than any other synth I've used in regards to creating velocity sensitive attacks that can alter the sounds to extremes. It is settings with various envelopes to velocity settings in the modulation matrix that can create this. Yet Hive can make a pad from soft playing to a pluck pad when playing with more force.
Not only for attacks but decay and release as well.
Someone just places notes at some set velocity without variation, will never see that side of the synth, or see its best qualities.