bitflipper



The demo sounds great - just like every other "Classic VA" synth out there. $99 is a decent price, though.

That's the introductory price. Full price is $200. Does it really have something that sets it apart from the not insignificant competition?

Glyn Barnes

bitflipper



The demo sounds great - just like every other "Classic VA" synth out there. $99 is a decent price, though.

That's the introductory price. Full price is $200. Does it really have something that sets it apart from the not insignificant competition?

What?  You mean like the all-enticing Omnisphere for $479 :):):)  


@Bapu: 'Glad you got Waves-Everything up and running OK!  That's probably my dream ... in due time ... since Waves is portable.  I wonder if installing Waves, EWQL samples, and other samplers ... ALL on a dedicated USB drive might facilitate work-flow operations and repairs for us travelers.

Glyn Barnes


That's the introductory price. Full price is $200. Does it really have something that sets it apart from the not insignificant competition?

Its waves.   However, "it looks like a cross between Z3ta and Superwaver p8."

Philip


What?  You mean like the all-enticing Omnisphere for $479 :):):)  


.

I was thinking more along the lines of UHE's Diva ($179) in particular, and Zebra ($199), D16 Lush 101 ($163), ASS Tasman ($199), Synthmaster 2.5 (from $99), several virtual analogue synths from GForce and Arturia and Cakewalks Z3ta, Rapture and Pentagon. There is also also NI Reaktor ($399, but I have it as part of Komplete 8) 
 
It looks like a reasonably standard 2 VCO analogue emulation. There seems to be a lot of competition at or below its price point, I'm just wondering if anything sets it apart?

Glyn Barnes


There seems to be a lot of competition at or below its price point, I'm just wondering if anything sets it apart? 

Well, "you have to remove reaktor from the equation."  Then you have a step sequencer on this waves synth, that looks very reminiscent of early 2000s korg hardware...   Which, "unless diva has its new arp, and the arp is killer," does make this waves synth unique to the others you mentioned.
Also..  Rapture does not have, "voltage controlled oscillators, and neither do a lot of the synths you mentioned."  However, some of the synths you mentioned do.

Glyn Barnes

I'm just wondering if anything sets it apart? 

Hmmm... Probably nothing really. I mean, if you are already a loyal Waves customer, and you are in the market for another VA soft synth, then it's probably a "no brainer." It certainly doesn't disappoint in the sound department, just listening to the demo, and is pretty much what I expect.

And you cannot blame Waves for getting in on the soft synth act. It appears to me that some of us suffer from serious GAS and buy stuff we don't really need. Or is it just me?


I must admit that I like the full and open interface. A|A|S Virtual Analog is similar, although I'd say that the Element interface is easier to handle because it looks larger. In fact, thinking about it, I would probably base my desire to get this synth solely on its interface, rather than the sound. It is pretty much a given now that all of the soft synths mentioned in this topic alone all produce quality sound, and what sets them apart for me is ease of use. In my opinion, of course :-)

Linear Phase

 Then you have a step sequencer on this waves synth, that looks very reminiscent of early 2000s korg hardware...   .

Yep, that was one thing I probably overlooked as I don't tend to use arps and step sequencers much. The demos are all feature the sequencer very heavily, I was listening and concentring on the sounds.
 
Its probably horses for courses, if I do get another synth, it will probably be Diva as it fits my type of requirements.
 
 

I generally overlook step sequencers too, because I prefer to do all that kind of stuff in Sonar anyway. So I wouldn't have put that down on my list of what sets a soft synth apart from its competitors.

The thing to remember with the $200 retail price is that Waves will probably sell very few at that price, and my guess is that they've priced it that high to increase its perceived value.  They've been running bi-monthly sales consistently for the last few years and I'm betting that they will run Elements on sale pretty frequently, especially considering that the cost:benefit ratio of Element doesn't seem to be on par with soft synths that are permanently in the $150+ range (e.g., U-he synths, Sylenth1).  They've done the same thing with many of their newer plugins (e.g., Kramer Tape, NLS).  Not to mention that you can always buy it cheaper at places like Waves Universe (they currently have it for $81, btw) or other authorized Waves resellers.

synkrotron


I generally overlook step sequencers too, because I prefer to do all that kind of stuff in Sonar anyway. So I wouldn't have put that down on my list of what sets a soft synth apart from its competitors.

I'm just the opposite - I love having a good on-board arp, although I'm not so keen on step sequencers for sequencing notes/riffs, but I do like them as a source for modulating other parameters.  A good arp allows me to work arpeggiated parts out in real-time while I figuring out chord progressions or voicings, alter the arp pattern, velocities, range, gate/length, gaps, ties, etc.  I guess I see them as a handy tool for not only sound design, but also for composition and performance.  Omnisphere's arp is great for this, and Element's arp looks like it could be a winner, too.