Serum synth update announced – what to expect
Xfer Records have just announced a massive Serum synth update to their incredibly popular VST plugin, with new filters and more!
MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) has been somewhat of a buzzword in the industry lately, with various manufacturers coming up with interesting and expressive new MIDI controllers that take advantage of the new polyphonic protocol. Gear like the Roli Seaboard, Haken Continuum and LinnStrument relied on specific software and plugins to get full functionality. Xfer have taken a bold step and introduced MPE support into Serum, this is huge news for any owners of the abovementioned controllers.
The latest update also introduces some new filters to Serum’s arsenal, the new bundle of “Scream” filters is akin to something like a comb filter and distortion smashed together. The results are wild and unpredictable, a nice addition to the filter section which needed a slight revamp.
The new Serum synth update also introduces an incredibly nifty feature called “Preset Hybridize” which allows you to randomly combine elements from several presets into a totally unique new sound, you also have the ability to prioritize one of the selected presets, the result will be close to the prioritized sound with a new take on modulation and envelopes.
Any improvements under the hood?
The new Serum synth update also ships with a new factory skin, made by the original designer of Serum’s default skin. There are also various performance improvements and bug-fixes under the hood, from reduced CPU while cycling through wavetables to better preset library handling.
The new Serum update is available to anyone who currently owns Serum, however, keep in mind it is still in beta, so there may still be changes and it may not be the most stable version at the moment.
Here’s a video walking through some of the new features and capabilities in the new Serum synth update:
For more information check out the Xfer forums.
