I have/had all three. Soundwise the repos sound most impressive imo.
Diva is the most flexible.
Repo 5 has a sound, where I have to do nothing. It sounds so good even without any fx. Even if the nks mappings are generally a bit tedious due to much menu hopping, I can perfectly work with the repos, cause some filter and envelope adjustments and maybe changing waveforms is all I need to get great sounds all the time.
After playing with it I should not switch on my analog four, cause the base sound feels a bit like a let down in comparison.
There are many great analog emulations out now, the TAL stuff is very nice, I tried synapse obsession last week which sounds great, but to me repo 5 impresses the most.
A fair bit. I’m comfortable getting where I want to go I’m not one to do the "one key press generates an entire evolving soundscape” kind of person either. I’m a sucker for plucks and warm lush pads. Pads I can’t do in hardware without dropping a considerable amount of money.
Then you might like it. I think Dune3 / Spire have too much overlap compared to Hive. Do a demo and see if you like it. Diva is good but hard on the cpu.
Just gonna throw out my love for Repro. It’s amazing sounding. Wish my cpu could handle it better, but my computers are all 3-5 years old. But yeah, don’t sleep on this one if you have the extra money.
I’ve got both installer files on my computer so am uploading to WeTransfer now, I’ll send you the link via PM (and anyone else who wants it - just PM me, not sure if you are supposed to share WeTransfer links generally)
Edit: my impression - I’ve had Diva for a year or so, not really used it, it sounds really nice but I guess maybe doesn’t blow me away (but I can imagine how it would have done when it came out, I think others have caught up), but Repro really sounds lush and ballsy and… “analog” for want of a better word, from my first impression. So I guess depends if you are after flexibility, or raw sound.
Repro seems like one of those synths that is all sweet spot!
Thanks for the heads up. Bought shaperbox during black Friday, really like it. But what you’re describing here sounds like the stuff ik multimedia does that makes my blood boil.
'Nauts thoughts on Diva v Repro? I know it’s a bit apples and oranges. I have gone the experimental/harsh/nasty synth route in the past but am moving more towards the smooth buttery pad /chords on electric piano side of life, lol.
Really digging the sound of both in demos. Any thoughts on UI/ usability of either?
Maybe Repro-5 will be what you are after. Some of the presets sound soooo smooth. The filters are gorgeous, some of the presets (“Bellina” and “Classic Strings” are the ones that sold it to me) kind of fizz and sparkle as you open the filter…
I’m currently testing out both, like you, looking for a poly to stand in contrast to my nasty DPO.
Repro is currently winning me over in that regard. Diva is clearly more flexible and sounds really, really good…but Repro sounds incredible, lots of presence. And while less to do in terms of UI compared to Diva, it’s very immediate.
The thing I like about Diva is combining different sections of classic synth emulations. Throw an MS-20 filter on a Juno, etc. But Repro sounds incredible. Tough choice. I will eventually own both. I have Diva right now and play around with the Repro demo sometimes. When I upgrade from my 2011 iMac I’ll pick up Repro. If you have an older computer be prepared to freeze tracks, with either. I’ll add that these 2 synths have killed $$$$ hardware poly lust for a lot of people.
it just did for me. i was eyeing the rev2 for a “someday, maybe” purchase. picked up the TAL jupiter and juno, and now the Repro, and i’m set for awhile. my wallet and family thank you all.
To answer your question, NKS is actually great, as I own komplete kontrol 61 and Maschine mk3, but Native Instruments need to make a controller with more than just 8 encoders, as all of their products have. If they would release a midi controller box of at least 24 quality feeling encoders with display screen rows for parameters, NKS would be way more useful for making plugins feel like hardware. As it stands, scrolling through multiple pages of parameters across only 8 plasticky encoders doesnt do much to feel like hardware, and is fine for tweaking parameters on the fly for automation, but not for deeper programming of plugins.
Same deal with Push really… Elektron hardware and Hydrasynth have this kind of interface but have been designed with the limitations in mind so work better. I would love a larger control surface which integrated seamlessly with plugins!
I’m not one to do the "one key press generates an entire evolving soundscape” kind of person either. I’m a sucker for plucks and warm lush pads. Pads I can’t do in hardware without dropping a considerable amount of money.