Cool! My first thought with this was "Oh nice! A reason to pick up the next version of V-Collection", quickly followed by "Hang on a sec, don't Cherry Audio have a version that's much cheaper?" I've got a few Cherry Audio products (mostly use the Mercury 4 & 6), and they sound awesome. Definitely up there with TAL in terms of my preferred vintage synth emulation developers.
@@AlexReidStudios Yeah it seems like a similar thing to their DX7, I still use Dexed for when I'm after a DX7 because Arturia have added so much to their version that it's easy for it to sound completely different! Both approaches have their benefits of course, but I'd always go towards the more faithful recreations.
@@Nicolasin-yn9mu True, though to be honest I still use TAL's Juno & Jupiter (and Diva which is a sort of frankensynth of Junos/Jupiter-8/MS-20 & Minimoog) emulations over Arturia's, I prefer Dexed to DX7 V. Has saved me from buying U-He's Prophet emulations at least. There's obviously a lot of great stuff in the V-Collection, and it's great to have more companies in this space (from a consumer point of view at least), but they're definitely not top of the pile when it comes to the quality of all their emulations IMO. I think I started on 7, picked up 9 on sale (the SQ-80, as well as updated CS-80 & Prophets was worth the upgrade), 10 didn't have anything of interest for me. Maybe if they make a decent JX-8P emulation V-11 will be more tempting!
Thank you for this precious and exhaustive review Alex. I really appreciate the comparison with the Cherry Audio version that I already purchased some time ago. Being Italian I am very attached to the Elka brand and its historic synthesizers. My first keyboard (Synth Orchestra) was an Elka Rhapsody (used at the time by J.M. Jarre) and the Synthex was always an unattainable dream because it was rare and expensive at the time. Your review clears up any doubts about which emulation to choose. Personally I prefer the Cherry Audio as it is more faithful to the original, but as I already have Arturia's X Collection, I am also considering purchasing its version as it is discounted compared to the full price. Congratulations for the review which, as I have already written, is really useful and complete.
@@robertovenezia2792 First of all thank you so much. Secondly I agree, the Elka is a great choice if you want an emulation closer to the original. Still the Synthx V sounds great and the arpeggiator is a great feature
@@AlexReidStudios Thanks to your review I am downloading the demo version of Arturia (Synthx V), and after trying it I will easily purchase it because I am so fond of Synthex. As you rightly write, they are two emulations that compensate each other, and having both does not mean having a duplicate.
Thanks for a great review. I think both sound very good. For me personally, I have a slight preference for the Cherry Audio sound and the Arturia Modulation Options. I'd be happy to have both, if I didn't already have other synths that can emulate this sound.
Not the money nor the room for the original. Got the Arturia V collection and i got so many synths to play with, i almost skipped. But the "loyal customer price" of 69 bucks and a momentary lapse of reason i bought it anyway. And i must say i love it. Going through the presets i quickly found a lot presets i really like. But can't say i play. I am not a musician, i am just learning the very basics.
Elka-X like all other Cherry's synths, sounds plastic and so clean (digital), while the Arturia's emulation sound warm and powerful in the fundamental freqs. Thats is.
Xils Lab has had an emulation of the Synthex in its lineup for a very long time. It preceded Cherry Audio's emulation. Xils has several excellent emulations in its lineup. I always thought their own subtractive synth called "Oxium" is quite good, too.
I’m loving the arpegiators on Arthuria but the sequencer on the cherry audio also sounds nice hmm which one to go for I can get a discount with arturia
As a owner off both Cherry Audio sound much better and no I'm not bias I own Arturias X collection its just facts. And dude Elka-X allows for two layers to!
Cherry Audio's Elka-X sounds incredible, and indeed the sequencer for some presets makes it very special. so the CA 'version', is one of my favorate 'emulations'. but the MPE implementation, it seems a new approach...., they change it constantly, i hope at some point every soft synth of Arturia, will get it like this.... i repeat! the MPE implementation! full! Slide to all, even Release Velocity.... buying it only for the MPE implementation (and MTS-ESP by the way).... i think.... but do i really need it next to the Elka-X?
Arturia Synthx is really close to the original Synthex. I owned myself a Synthex in the late 80s. Especially the osc, dco, mod the cross mod ,ring and pwm , is very near to the real thing .
Arturia's is good for sound designers that dont use Bitwig. As a Bitwig user , I'm fine with Cherry's since we have so many modulation options. I'd only buy Arturia's to make a preset pack.
@@freshkidblaze With the Note FX layer you can create a very similar arp in Bitwig. I love using bitwig but I also like having all things inside a synth
I know, I can seem crazy. But I am a Synthex addicted (I played a real one many years ago, and I still remember...). I already own Cherry Audio version, but I will buy this one too...
@@AlexReidStudios I am Italian. Also here it's very difficult. There is a museum in the region where Elka was. Many videos on TH-cam. There you can find a Synthex in perfect conditions
I've been pondering adding the Elka-X, but ended up getting a bunch of other synths that make it kind of redundant. Guess I'll have access to presets to the Arturia version via Analog Lab, though.
I think that comparing 2 similar gear is essential to have a better perspective of each other, like for that. I like Cherry Audio Elka a lot, I want to try this now.
Arturia sounds real analog.. cherry audio more digital... i was amazed by the gforce plugins for sounding so close to analog.. arturia gives me the same vibe. Cherry audio has some cool plugins that i own but never use. My money is on arturia when it hits the sale👌
Gforce's Mini sounds most unlike my Behringer D compared to other emulations i've tried: Arturia and Synapse. The sound is all over the place, for a lack of better explanation.
But Synthex sawtooth is made counter circuit what counts 4bit values and what is converted to audio... i dont still say which i prefer not yet found demo for Arturia. and even i dont own real one i cannot comment.
I love Arturia emulations *because* they add all those extra goodies, the FX and the modulators. But mostly because, unlike the CA plugins, I don't have to zoom and scroll horizontally to use Arturia's plugins :-) I understand wanting to give an experience "like" the old analogue gear. But it was clear to software developers back in late 1990s that transposing real-life hardware interfaces 1:1 to a computer screen is a really bad idea. Because in real life you have two hands and the controls are fairly big and tactile, and spaced apart enough to accommodate your hands, and after a while you can reach for them and operate them without looking, just like when you're driving a car. On the computer screen none of that applies. I wish there was someone on the Cherry Audio tean who could tell them this bitter truth :-) With the exception of Harmonia, which is brilliant and compact enough to not require zooming and scrolling, I can't use their plugins and have stopped buying them. Btw, it's actually Softube who have had a brilliant idea for the gargantuan CS-80: they only put one layer on screen at a time and you have to switch layers. That may be a bit of a drag, but what you get in return is a clean, usable, almost sparse UI, not crowded with dozens and dozens of identical-looking faders. That's progress to me :-)
The Softube CS-80 sounds really good, too. Like good enough to make me really want it even though I already have Arturia’s and Cherry’s lol. Plus you get the CS-80 modules for Modular… I just wish they would update the Modular GUI because for me it’s either microscopic or readable but blurry on my 4k screen.
I get you, the UIs in CA are too big sometimes. But I still enjoy them. For me Arturia and Cherry Audio are very different, even complementary. Now 100% agree that the Model 77 design was genius
I think the arp features just sold me on adding it. I have an older collectipn without the new acid, but this actually seems like a nice addiction... or addition... whatever i forget the spelling.
@@AlexReidStudios I checked my offers and for $169 I updated to the Collection X and got Synth for "free" along with a few preset libraries so all good for me.
I love your videos but maybe start without any FX so we can hear the 'real' sound'. Everything is delayed quite a lot imho, which immediately becomes the focus. I prefer the Chorus III on the Arturia but the Elka-X has a nice 'bite' to it. I prefer the sequencer as it's more authentic, but (in reality) I rarely use it and would probably use an multi-arp more. Pros and Cons for both! Let's have a Chroma Polaris, Synergy or a decent PPG 2.2!
as I already did not buy the minibrute I will skip and wait for a new V collection to add them normally I always bought the new ones even tho I have v collection 9+10 but seen that they add them anyway into the package, I can be patient
@@AlexReidStudios I made that mistake once, buying releases after having bought v collection and then realising that on new version they been added....so this time I'll just wait...and play elkaX
"Hey, different strokes for different folks, right? The rabbit mask is all about keeping things fun and unpredictable. He is just embracing his inner quirkiness! 🐰✨ Who knows, maybe one day you'll try it and see things through his floppy ears!", I love his content cause I use bitwig and was planning to buy synthx v. I wanted to comment that Synthx v sounds better but now I’m replaying to you.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 90 | คู่เอก "ก้องไกล vs แอนตาร์"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VugIvOstzRI/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks, Alex! Great intro into the Synthx V! I already bought it, but have been too busy with work to experiment with it - hopefully soon!
Thank you for watching and enjoy!!
Cool!
My first thought with this was "Oh nice! A reason to pick up the next version of V-Collection", quickly followed by "Hang on a sec, don't Cherry Audio have a version that's much cheaper?"
I've got a few Cherry Audio products (mostly use the Mercury 4 & 6), and they sound awesome. Definitely up there with TAL in terms of my preferred vintage synth emulation developers.
@@_mickmccarthy Cherry Audio is dope! I think Arturia wanted to make something different and because of that they opted for a four layer arp
@@AlexReidStudios Yeah it seems like a similar thing to their DX7, I still use Dexed for when I'm after a DX7 because Arturia have added so much to their version that it's easy for it to sound completely different!
Both approaches have their benefits of course, but I'd always go towards the more faithful recreations.
If you pick up Arturia collection on sale you get 33 synths for peanuts really......total no brainer...
@@Nicolasin-yn9mu True, though to be honest I still use TAL's Juno & Jupiter (and Diva which is a sort of frankensynth of Junos/Jupiter-8/MS-20 & Minimoog) emulations over Arturia's, I prefer Dexed to DX7 V. Has saved me from buying U-He's Prophet emulations at least.
There's obviously a lot of great stuff in the V-Collection, and it's great to have more companies in this space (from a consumer point of view at least), but they're definitely not top of the pile when it comes to the quality of all their emulations IMO.
I think I started on 7, picked up 9 on sale (the SQ-80, as well as updated CS-80 & Prophets was worth the upgrade), 10 didn't have anything of interest for me. Maybe if they make a decent JX-8P emulation V-11 will be more tempting!
It's a nice free synth! Love to play with it...
It's not free... but it's fun
@@AlexReidStudios If you look arround it is.... 🙂
Playing around with Elka now, I like the Sequences more than the arp of SynthX V
Thank you for this precious and exhaustive review Alex. I really appreciate the comparison with the Cherry Audio version that I already purchased some time ago. Being Italian I am very attached to the Elka brand and its historic synthesizers. My first keyboard (Synth Orchestra) was an Elka Rhapsody (used at the time by J.M. Jarre) and the Synthex was always an unattainable dream because it was rare and expensive at the time. Your review clears up any doubts about which emulation to choose. Personally I prefer the Cherry Audio as it is more faithful to the original, but as I already have Arturia's X Collection, I am also considering purchasing its version as it is discounted compared to the full price. Congratulations for the review which, as I have already written, is really useful and complete.
@@robertovenezia2792 First of all thank you so much. Secondly I agree, the Elka is a great choice if you want an emulation closer to the original. Still the Synthx V sounds great and the arpeggiator is a great feature
@@AlexReidStudios Thanks to your review I am downloading the demo version of Arturia (Synthx V), and after trying it I will easily purchase it because I am so fond of Synthex. As you rightly write, they are two emulations that compensate each other, and having both does not mean having a duplicate.
Thanks for a great review.
I think both sound very good.
For me personally, I have a slight preference for the Cherry Audio sound and the Arturia Modulation Options.
I'd be happy to have both, if I didn't already have other synths that can emulate this sound.
They both have their own strenghts :). Thank you for watching
@@David3Wise Wait... are you THE David Wise? Man your Donkey Kong soundtracks are pieces of art!!
@@AlexReidStudios Thank you Alex - too kind. Anyway - I'm enjoying and appreciating your videos.
@@David3Wise So glad to read this :)
Great stuff as always...thanks. Would love to see Arturia package the multi-arp as a standalone midi too.
@@toddwmac Thank you! Depending on your DAW you can map midi from one track to another. I know in Bitwig its easy
Not the money nor the room for the original. Got the Arturia V collection and i got so many synths to play with, i almost skipped.
But the "loyal customer price" of 69 bucks and a momentary lapse of reason i bought it anyway.
And i must say i love it. Going through the presets i quickly found a lot presets i really like.
But can't say i play. I am not a musician, i am just learning the very basics.
Hey I'd say you play, and you're learning which is great.
Elka-X like all other Cherry's synths, sounds plastic and so clean (digital), while the Arturia's emulation sound warm and powerful in the fundamental freqs. Thats is.
@@Janomix I like Cherry Audio, I think it depends on each case. For instance the GX-80 sounds way better than the CS-80 V
you are absolutely wrong.
Not a chance i actually own both and Cherry Audio just sounds so much fatter...
Xils Lab has had an emulation of the Synthex in its lineup for a very long time. It preceded Cherry Audio's emulation. Xils has several excellent emulations in its lineup. I always thought their own subtractive synth called "Oxium" is quite good, too.
I gotta give Xils Lab a try, they have plenty of nice emulations
I’m loving the arpegiators on Arthuria but the sequencer on the cherry audio also sounds nice hmm which one to go for I can get a discount with arturia
@@RealityShiftUK Good thing both have demos. They are very different and both cna give you unique sequences
I like the sound of the Elka-X, but the filters of the Arturia are much better.
They feel a bit sharper. I do enjoy the PWM oscillator more in the Elka
As a owner off both Cherry Audio sound much better and no I'm not bias I own Arturias X collection its just facts. And dude Elka-X allows for two layers to!
Great video
@@joannamblount Thank you!
Cherry Audio's Elka-X sounds incredible, and indeed the sequencer for some presets makes it very special. so the CA 'version', is one of my favorate 'emulations'.
but the MPE implementation, it seems a new approach...., they change it constantly, i hope at some point every soft synth of Arturia, will get it like this....
i repeat! the MPE implementation! full! Slide to all, even Release Velocity....
buying it only for the MPE implementation (and MTS-ESP by the way).... i think.... but do i really need it next to the Elka-X?
but in a way it has a sequencer? works the same as the Elka-X.... demo! yes i will demo!
@@exposada The arpeggiator instead of a sequencer makes a huge difference imo, and it's fun to use
interesting take on it. not sure which i would go for if i was in the market for one
Arturia Synthx is really close to the original Synthex.
I owned myself a Synthex in the late 80s. Especially the osc, dco, mod the cross mod ,ring and pwm , is very near to the real thing .
It's always good to have the insight of people who actually used the original, thanks!
@@AlexReidStudios yes it.
Arturia's is good for sound designers that dont use Bitwig. As a Bitwig user , I'm fine with Cherry's since we have so many modulation options. I'd only buy Arturia's to make a preset pack.
@@freshkidblaze With the Note FX layer you can create a very similar arp in Bitwig. I love using bitwig but I also like having all things inside a synth
I know, I can seem crazy. But I am a Synthex addicted (I played a real one many years ago, and I still remember...). I already own Cherry Audio version, but I will buy this one too...
It's a great synth, I'd love to play with a real one
@@AlexReidStudios I am Italian. Also here it's very difficult. There is a museum in the region where Elka was. Many videos on TH-cam. There you can find a Synthex in perfect conditions
I just reached out to Arturia when they planning to integrate SynthX presets into Analog Lab. Hopefully soon so I can try it out
I thought they were already there. Check for updates :)
@@AlexReidStudios I did, wasn't there and I reached out to them about it. Hopefully soon tho
No i asked them and like Pigments its sold on its own and will not be included in X...
I've been pondering adding the Elka-X, but ended up getting a bunch of other synths that make it kind of redundant. Guess I'll have access to presets to the Arturia version via Analog Lab, though.
That's right, still is fun to use the arpeggiators
I think that comparing 2 similar gear is essential to have a better perspective of each other, like for that. I like Cherry Audio Elka a lot, I want to try this now.
@@ohernik That's right! I considered that important when I started planning the video
Arturia sounds real analog.. cherry audio more digital... i was amazed by the gforce plugins for sounding so close to analog.. arturia gives me the same vibe. Cherry audio has some cool plugins that i own but never use. My money is on arturia when it hits the sale👌
Gforce is a great developer too!
Gforce's Mini sounds most unlike my Behringer D compared to other emulations i've tried: Arturia and Synapse. The sound is all over the place, for a lack of better explanation.
@@maykit ob ez and axxes are amazing from Gforce
for sure not! You are absolutely wrong.
But Synthex sawtooth is made counter circuit what counts 4bit values and what is converted to audio... i dont still say which i prefer not yet found demo for Arturia. and even i dont own real one i cannot comment.
Is this gonna be on the V collection?
@@Nutmusic Most probably, for V Collection 11
Yes the V Collection is available now @AlexReidStudios
@@cardpuller17 but not the Synthx V
This comparison is missing the original software emulation of the Elka Synthx by xils-lab (miniSyn’X [used by Jarre], or the much expanded Syn’X).
@@lovesandservesjesuschrist6752 Yeah, to be honest I forgot it existed
I love Arturia emulations *because* they add all those extra goodies, the FX and the modulators. But mostly because, unlike the CA plugins, I don't have to zoom and scroll horizontally to use Arturia's plugins :-)
I understand wanting to give an experience "like" the old analogue gear. But it was clear to software developers back in late 1990s that transposing real-life hardware interfaces 1:1 to a computer screen is a really bad idea. Because in real life you have two hands and the controls are fairly big and tactile, and spaced apart enough to accommodate your hands, and after a while you can reach for them and operate them without looking, just like when you're driving a car. On the computer screen none of that applies. I wish there was someone on the Cherry Audio tean who could tell them this bitter truth :-) With the exception of Harmonia, which is brilliant and compact enough to not require zooming and scrolling, I can't use their plugins and have stopped buying them.
Btw, it's actually Softube who have had a brilliant idea for the gargantuan CS-80: they only put one layer on screen at a time and you have to switch layers. That may be a bit of a drag, but what you get in return is a clean, usable, almost sparse UI, not crowded with dozens and dozens of identical-looking faders. That's progress to me :-)
The Softube CS-80 sounds really good, too. Like good enough to make me really want it even though I already have Arturia’s and Cherry’s lol. Plus you get the CS-80 modules for Modular… I just wish they would update the Modular GUI because for me it’s either microscopic or readable but blurry on my 4k screen.
I get you, the UIs in CA are too big sometimes. But I still enjoy them. For me Arturia and Cherry Audio are very different, even complementary.
Now 100% agree that the Model 77 design was genius
I think the arp features just sold me on adding it. I have an older collectipn without the new acid, but this actually seems like a nice addiction... or addition... whatever i forget the spelling.
@@CoopMusic247 Lol good one. The Acid is pretty good too
@@AlexReidStudios I checked my offers and for $169 I updated to the Collection X and got Synth for "free" along with a few preset libraries so all good for me.
I hope they offer it at an introductory price. Pretty steep price compared to Cherry 🍒
@@GrootsieTheDog Arturia makes discounts for customers that own oyher of their software. Besides they make half price sales often
I love your videos but maybe start without any FX so we can hear the 'real' sound'. Everything is delayed quite a lot imho, which immediately becomes the focus. I prefer the Chorus III on the Arturia but the Elka-X has a nice 'bite' to it. I prefer the sequencer as it's more authentic, but (in reality) I rarely use it and would probably use an multi-arp more. Pros and Cons for both! Let's have a Chroma Polaris, Synergy or a decent PPG 2.2!
@@MPHORROCKS Thabks for the advice :) That's the same I think, both have their own strenghts
as I already did not buy the minibrute I will skip and wait for a new V collection to add them
normally I always bought the new ones even tho I have v collection 9+10 but seen that they add them anyway into the package, I can be patient
@@daviHuggMonster Agree, patience leads to a better deal :)
@@AlexReidStudios I made that mistake once, buying releases after having bought v collection and then realising that on new version they been added....so this time I'll just wait...and play elkaX
@@daviHuggMonster Would be nice if its added during the black friday deal next month
@@daviHuggMonsterit sure does make the V collection upgrade a lot more exciting when you wait. That’s my plan as well.
Yo! Mr Rabbit! 😃
I’m both a long-time Arturia user and a more recent Cherry Audio user. So I’m for both 😁
@@DerekPower It's great to have options
Is this an arpegiator review?
Why do you wear a rabbit mask??
@@pokemonjr13 why not?
I want to see him eating lettuce 🥬
weird kink but ok
Sorry cant take a grown man in a rabbit mask seriously. Ditch the gimmicks man
@@grapefruitsimmons You can watch other videos
"Hey, different strokes for different folks, right? The rabbit mask is all about keeping things fun and unpredictable. He is just embracing his inner quirkiness! 🐰✨ Who knows, maybe one day you'll try it and see things through his floppy ears!", I love his content cause I use bitwig and was planning to buy synthx v. I wanted to comment that Synthx v sounds better but now I’m replaying to you.
Why do you wear that goofy ass helmet?
@@slashtheslaya5886 I'm goofy
The last man that asked Darth Vader that same question, got thrown down the ventilation shaft. Careful my friend. Careful! 🦊
Arturia sounds weak and any of their soft-synths is just another GUI only (no character at all). Totally overpriced!
I dunno, I like the sound of many of their synths, but some do sound weak
@@AlexReidStudios you mean the sound of their reverberated synths, don't you? 😘