Too much "special sauce" synths

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I know that at least one KVRer really dislikes Rapid because the high boost is on by default. What other synths are trying to have a signature sound, but end up causing you ear fatigue?

I'm not really asking about synths that depend on reverb or other effects to sound good. I'm talking about stuff like hidden filters, saturation or even just louder output volume that tricks you into thinking they sound better at first, but which are actually tiresome in the long term.

Also, not trying to trash Rapid. I just remember its treble boost being discussed.

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All you're going to do is start a huge argument. It's pointless unless your intention is to start a huge argument.
None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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There are quite a lot of synths which have some sound enhancements activated by default. Spire, Diversion, or Tone2's sytnsh come to mind. You can always switch them off though, so, i wouldn't know why it's worth complaining about it. TBH, i never switch off the warm algorithm and amplitude boost on Spire though, especially the warm algorithm adds a lot to the pleasant sound. On Diversion, i usually switched from "bright" to neutral though, because it could be a bit ear piecing. And, on Tone2 Electra2, i also often left on the psycho acoustic sound enhancements, at least in a mode which doesn't exaggerate it. It surely depends what is done to the sound, and if it adds to the character. I remember Rapid sounded pretty good by default. Haven't dived deep enough into it to know whether that was due to the high boost or not.

By the way... don't think that there wouldn't be "special sauce" even if it isn't paricularly pointed out. Many synths use some internal stuff, EQ'ing, bass boost, saturation, whatever. So, there is always some special sauce, i guess. Even if it's not written on the box.
Last edited by chk071 on Sun Aug 18, 2019 1:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Teksonik wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 1:09 pm All you're going to do is start a huge argument. It's pointless unless your intention is to start a huge argument.
True. :hihi:

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If I can rephrase my question without editing:

What psychoacoustic effects are you aware of in various synths, how good/effective do they sound in your opinion, and how easy is it to turn them off?

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Corona, DUNE, Serum, Harmor. All hyped in some way. You don't expect us to know what's actually going on and name it with technical terms, do you? OK, let me ask you: what psychoacoustic effects are you aware of, in theory?

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biscuitdough wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 1:14 pm If I can rephrase my question without editing:

What psychoacoustic effects are you aware of in various synths, how good/effective do they sound in your opinion, and how easy is it to turn them off?
Lemme quote my own post above:
By the way... don't think that there wouldn't be "special sauce" even if it isn't paricularly pointed out. Many synths use some internal stuff, EQ'ing, bass boost, saturation, whatever. So, there is always some special sauce, i guess. Even if it's not written on the box.
I wouldn't worry about it. There's always pychoacoustic effects.

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biscuitdough wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 1:14 pm If I can rephrase my question without editing:

What psychoacoustic effects are you aware of in various synths, how good/effective do they sound in your opinion, and how easy is it to turn them off?
I am truly wondering why you want to know? A: Do you care about others opinions because you want to shop for another synth? B: you want to start a discussion? C: you want to make a synth and need input about other synths and their "engines"?

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Zebra is one of my favorite synths because it isn't a special sauce synth.

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exmatproton wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 1:39 pm
biscuitdough wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 1:14 pm If I can rephrase my question without editing:

What psychoacoustic effects are you aware of in various synths, how good/effective do they sound in your opinion, and how easy is it to turn them off?
I am truly wondering why you want to know? A: Do you care about others opinions because you want to shop for another synth? B: you want to start a discussion? C: you want to make a synth and need input about other synths and their "engines"?
A and B. I don't want to "collect" too much (blasphemy, I know).

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Go for what sounds good to you.

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special sauce: a synth you load up try a few presets then promptly uninstall and forget. i don't think stuff like dune2 or zebra have special sauce, they are really good tools. if you use a synth often enough then it stands to reason it will start to become more familiar to your ear. reaktor is a good example of this. Rounds, some of their synths like photone or akkord, they have a very recognizable sound, but then it's all about how it sits in a mix. on it's own ears can get fatigued quite quickly. Harmor is a good example of this. it just seems to sound good when it's in amongst other sounds... imho...

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chk071 wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 2:35 pm Go for what sounds good to you.
Of course! I wouldn't buy anything without trying the basic/demo version or at least watching many tutorials and reading the manual. What I'm trying to avoid is stuff that is going to end up being limited by its own signature sound.

Therefore, it would be good to know where psychoacoustics can be adjusted (like Rapid's percentage for the treble boost or the Tone2 settings for warm, bright, etc). Also good to know if the synth can still sound good when you turn all the sauce off.

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biscuitdough wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 3:27 pm
chk071 wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 2:35 pm Go for what sounds good to you.
Of course! I wouldn't buy anything without trying the basic/demo version or at least watching many tutorials and reading the manual. What I'm trying to avoid is stuff that is going to end up being limited by its own signature sound.

Therefore, it would be good to know where psychoacoustics can be adjusted (like Rapid's percentage for the treble boost or the Tone2 settings for warm, bright, etc). Also good to know if the synth can still sound good when you turn all the sauce off.
In the case of Spire which i make the most use of: Yep. It also sounds good without the "sauce" on. :) The warm settings gives a special edge though, it adds a bit of bass (not too much), and also adds a tiny bit of saturation, i think. Not sure, as it isn't written anywhere. On Tone2 Electra2, the different modes are describe here, on page 47/48: https://www.tone2.com/handbook/Tone2_Electra2.pdf For Diversion, it's explained here, on page 15, what the Treble boost does: https://dmitrysches.com/files/download/ ... Manual.pdf

But, again, things like these are more or less present in any synth (as far as i know), and most won't even let you activate or deactivate these things. Just because a synth sounds "dry", and there are no options for sound enhancements, it doesn't mean that they're not there.

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Pigments and Thorn are two that come to mind.

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