U-HE DIVA DEMO - The Most Analog Software Synth? 

Diva is one of the best VSTs, another reason I love it is because there are tons of sound design tutorials for it that I can apply to my analog gear because it translates quite well to hardware. One interesting fact, Ben Bohmer uses it live in his sets. You will see him always with a Minilouge XD, but he is actually only using it as a midi controller for Diva because he likes the layout and controls of the XD but prefers the sound of Diva. So he uses a $700 analog synth only to control a $150 digital VST. I found that funny.

Diva is such high quality. I have used it so much in my music

I luuuuuv Diva. I use it everywhere in my tracks. Might sound scandalous but after Diva came out my Moog Subphatty is hardly used for basses 😢

This DIVA will stay forever young 😉

Diva, my hands down favorite soft synth. I downloaded the demo and after I finished collecting the pieces of my jaw that had fallen on the floor I immediately paid to get rid of the static lol! I then bought a LinnStrument to play it with (I'm a keyboard/fretboard guy) and within minutes I was in heaven. Spent the next month creating a piece using the Diva for all the sounds except drums, which I suppose if I had been creative enough I could have done with the Diva also. All parts played on the LinnStrument, an incredible piece of hardware. Did I say I love this synth? U-he is undoubtedly at least one of the best if not THE best soft synth creators on the planet. Have since added Hive, Repro and Zebra Legacy, all from U-he, to my collection. I found them via Tyrell and Zebralette, both free from U-he and awesome in their own right. Any one who is not familiar with this company, just go and download Tyrell and Zebralette and check them out. They are free. One warning, it might get expensive from there lol! Oh, and very easy to assign parameters to a Midi controller.

Thanks! Hated most of those tunes when they came out, but good to see someone enjoyed them. I liked the way you kept things evolving by moving some wheels and knobs. Very well done.

I agree that Diva is the best analog emulation. But even then there are still things it struggles at that analogs can do flawlessly. Audio rate modulation and filter overdrive are the main two imo.

Ah, opening with one of my favorite songs. Well done!

I love this synth. There was so much free stuff to explore for so long I never considered paying for one, but I tried this one. I bought it!

It still sounds really good! Most analog? I think U-he himself got even better with Repro-1 (not 5 so much,not my favorite). Then there are the Roland emulations. Also some other great Moog, SH-101 etc emulations. The thing is, virtual analog softsynts these days are so d-mn good that there are only minute differences, if any, to the real thing. H-ck even Steinbergs own (included in Cubase) Retrologue 2 sounds really great for some sounds! We are spoilt of choices to the point that it really doesn't matter that much anymore what you choose (as long as the arrangement, melody, choice of sounds etc is there). It has never been better!

Synapse Audio DUNE 3 is my secret weapon for analog style sounds.

Having played many software synths apps via VST on an M1 Macbook, via iOS apps on iPad, and lately also on an MPC, I have to chime in to say that the Moog apps on iOS deserve serious consideration for top-tier analog tones. If you love the MiniMoog, I encourage you to check out the Model D on your iPhone or iPad. (The Model 15 and the Animoog are also killer on iOS.) No, iOS doesn't compare directly with a lot of VSTs for sound quality. But the Moog apps do.

Great synth, Repro 1 & 5 also worth a look too, and anything by Softube (Model 72, 82, 84). Heavyweights of analog emulation.

Diva is a great one. I use it all the time and I have some of the actual polys from the day.

Wow this sounds incredible and definitely going to get this!

The beginning sounds like forever young

This reminds my of AlphaVille - Forever Young. Fantastic!!!!!

Nice intro.4ever young broooo

Great sound quality. Got to try to pick this up on sale sometime.

Magical playing

10 years on, and Diva still sounds good. You mention the CPU usage - well, OK, but today's CPU's are much less bothered than their 10 year old cousins. On the downside, Diva can sound a little sterile without some work - A little sound design and it can shine, though the effects models could use an update today as the state-of-the-art there has improved a lot.

The Most Analog Software Synth? ...for sure !!!!

the most hilarious thing is that the ad before the video was for Unison Midi Chord Pack, Unison Midi Chord Pack, Unison, Unison, Unison Midi Chord Pack C'mon Woody, share the secret, were using it for this video?

Great video! Thank you :)

Gforce OB-E / SEM , Sonic Projects OPX Pro II ,Synapse Audio’s Obsession and Legend are all in the same league IMHO

I love everything u-he did including the Repro series but God if their plugins aren't CPU hungry...

Diva is so good. Love it and my OP-X Pro II by SonicProjects. My 2 fav analog VST's. 👍

Kinda bassed on a Minimoog with the layout of those knobs in the grey.

Great stuff man 😃😃😃

I've recently decided to buy a couple synthetic as I'm into making music, and this looks amazing!! I want to make music kinda like Ben Böhmer and I see he uses this

Thanks!!!

pretty sick VST man

A fantastic softsynth.

warm! mclovin it thanks

Hi Woody! I've been a fan of your channel for a while but I don't think I've commented on any of your videos before. I just got Diva and I love the fat and warm sounds that are coming out of it. I am struggling with mapping the controls to my komplete kontrol s88 mk2 though. I was wondering if you'd mind either making a tutorial video on that or perhaps share your config some how? Anyways, I hope you're enjoying life here down south of Sweden, and maybe I'll run in to you on one of my roadtrips in Skåne 😁 Have a good one and keep up the good work!

I knew most of the songs, except the Captain Sensible one. I don't think I've ever heard it before. And I only knew which song it was because... you can read your notepad. lol

Diva is great! I own it, but don't use it as often as I should. It is very CPU intensive.

great stuff as usual. ....can you look at Ample sound Slide lap steel/ not many reviewers . . . . .VERY interesting instrument!

Sounds great. Just watched a comparison of the Prophet 10 and OB-X8. And I simply can't justify for any reason why you would throw 5 grand at those things with all the great softsynths that is available today. Ok if you absolutely want a real analog synth the new Prophets sounds very nice and yes they do sound better than emulations and may be both easier to get by and cheaper than an old refurbished model, but imagine how much you can get for the same amount in software.

Sounds great! Btw, have you tried the Roland Cloud? Amazing going through the classics, also Arturia V9 specifically CS80

It would seem that we have arrived .....an Indistinguishably Analog sounding Soft Synth ...! A Victory for the DAW ....It would at first seem that the Computer is more of a better option for Music Creation in the Settings of strict Economy ....than Investing in Expensive Space taking Hardware ...only to move on to the next piece of Gear ....over time ....and progress ....

I wish you'd put links in for the products and timestamps 😕 Other than that, great job 👍

All the sounds from Diva have been easy to replicate in Reason for Me for Me even the old version 4 could do most of these sounds.

Great video as always, Woody! What do you use for the notes/chord display?

U said that it's the "best of Diva" soundset/presetbank. Are those factory presets, and if not, where can I get them? Just wondering, since im getting Diva today, and im finding some sweet preset banks all over the place. Might in vest in one of them too. ;)

Great demo and sounds! Is "Best Of Diva" a commercially available bank? Any link?

Is it an app that shows notes and chords in realtime in the lower left corner? If so where can I get it?

Soft tubes Model 72 is worth a try also.

was more inmpressed with your keyboard playing than anything else, most things sound great when you play that well

And that was in great quality, divine takes it to the next level. My old i7 3.4 GHz imac could only handle a couple of instances in top quality but the new M1 imac doesn't sweat with over a dozen instances! By far my favourite plug-in analog synth, seems to have a lot more depth and weight than Aturia's V collection.

Love the review as always 😀 Not Diva user but considering;) How about rather excellent SynthMaster plugins review/demo?

still the best...

Big mistake Woody: TURN ON MULTICORE!!!!! You're using it on single core mode not good enough

What is the softwer are you using to show the chords?

What Software is that please- that shows the chords & Key notation?

i have arturia's v collection anyone think this is still worth it?

try changing the quality to "divine"

I need to buy a new computer for using Diva! It`s very much CPU demanding!

Woody, did you try The Legend from Synapse Audio? An 8 voice polyphonic Minimoog clone that simply sounds awesome.

Hey Woody, have you ever looked into the Arturia V collection? I’m considering getting that.

BS Deep Space Diva preset alone has SOLD a lot of copies of Diva.

What controller board is that?

Sometimes I try and make a track without it, but I realise that I'm just being foolish

Sounds good and a little more analog than most other softsynths to me BUT still miles from the real thing. Sorry. Don't get me wrong, I like trying to be analog synths for the way they sound but, they just sound like digital synths to me. I use them right along side hardware analogs.

Alphaville! :)

Why do plugins fail where Vcv rack excels?

What's the song at 4:53?

You need to try OB-E by GForce

104

DIVA even better than real hardward analog synth.

First

My virus B from 1999 sounds better, and can sound more analog.

It’s not even U-He’s most analog sounding synth.