Serum

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The forum for petitions, theoretical discussion, gripes, or other matters outside deemed outside the scope of helping users make optimal use of MOTU hardware and software. Posts in other forums may be moved here at the moderators discretion. No politics or religion!!
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Babz
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Serum

Post by Babz »

It takes a lot to get me to sit up and take notice these days in the world of synths, but ...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TYhnSuuVqBE
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MIDI Life Crisis
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Re: Serum

Post by MIDI Life Crisis »

Interesting, thanks. At $190 it's not too steep and some really cool ways to playback waveforms, but for my taste all the "wavetable synths" tend to sound very harsh & techno and not as varied as some "standard" synths. It's more like MX-4 (may it R.I.P. in it's 32-bit graveyard).

Another option with less of a bite on your wallet would be the Juno 106 (?) for Kontakt play YouKnow6, for about $27 USD. Doesn't load waveforms, but it will get you some interesting and infinitely variable sounds.
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Shooshie
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Re: Serum

Post by Shooshie »

It looks awfully powerful and flexible. Considering that we're hearing only the sounds that interest the guy who made the video, it's very likely that the bulk of that iceberg hasn't revealed itself yet. I'm guessing it can do analog and everything else. I'm not going to get it simply because I don't want to learn another synth. I've got synths laying around here that I have barely even played with yet.

The last two synths that I learned in any depth were Tassman4 and Ultra Analog. I decided that I could live out my days with just those two synths. I was able to get everything I wanted from them. But then, I'm the one who actually LIKES the synths bundled in DP. It's easy to get very creative with those, especially in combinations with each other and with Tassman4 and Ultra Analog.

I like imagining a sound, then in my mind breaking it into its component parts and trying to construct it with whatever synth I'm using at the moment. The more complicated the synth, the harder it is for me to do that, at least until I learn its parameters. I know the MOTU synths and can get unexpectedly good sounds out of them, but the above-mentioned two from AAS are just superb.

Serum looks fun, but I just don't want to learn another one right now. I'll bet a lot of people here DO want to learn it, though, and would be richly rewarded for doing so.

Shooshie
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Babz
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Re: Serum

Post by Babz »

The video is long, and a lot of the less "harsh" or techno sounds don't come till later. But yes, extreme morphing does appear to be its forte.

Also in terms if learning curve, that's part of the main appeal, really accessible GUI. When you compare this to something like Massive, Reaktor, or even Ominisphere, it's like, move over fellers, there's a new kid on the block.

Babz
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Babz
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Re: Serum

Post by Babz »

Thanks for the link, MLC. I used to own a Juno 106, and it would be nice to have access to those sounds again. However, that is more if a nostalgia sound, and Serum is like extremely au courant.

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MIDI Life Crisis
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Re: Serum

Post by MIDI Life Crisis »

True. I'm old school. :)
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BKK-OZ
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Re: Serum

Post by BKK-OZ »

I dunno, I am a sucker for VIs (and delay plugs too, another story) but in my quick scan of reviews, 'CPU hog' came up repeatedly. Whenever I feel the need for wavetable synthesis, I find that CronX4 (CRX4) from Linplug meets my modest needs.
Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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Babz
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Re: Serum

Post by Babz »

I didn't find references to CPU hog, but it wouldn't surprise me if it were. The main thing I found in the reviews that I quickly scanned were references to its easy user interface, such is this from askaudiomag:

"What Xfer’s Serum manages to do is help you achieve effortlessly complex and intricate sound design with a level of fluidity we’ve not previously experienced. This is an incredibly powerful synthesizer which provides an ultra clean and unique sound with a complex yet simple to use modulation system. Accessibility through such a simplistic interface has been achieved with absolute grace."

I see it as basically a competitor for Massive, which is basically THE synth that rules the EDM world, but one whose user interface has always seemed a bit overly arcane for me. Like most things NI. I also think its sound, insofar as I can tell from these demos, has a slightly more advanced and sophisticated edge to it over Massive. I see it is sort of a next-generation Massive

Babz
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