i do like both but if i had to choose i would pick Zenology because it has more useful sounds for me even tho it is way more cpu demanding than Analog lab

:now lets put in them votes and lets see who comes out on top here:

 

i feel like both are definitely nice, however i find alot of third party presets made for analog lab sounding really really nice, with a modern relevance to them, and not a bunch of sylenth1-y 2005 sounds, zenology has nice sounds too, but with some third party banks (look on sister site) analog lab sound more modern/relevant to my electronic/hip hop stuff and i find more use for it in productions

 

i dont think they are comparable out of one's own personal taste and needs

2 different tools that can complete an arsenal of synth sounds together

 

I feel that Zenology came roughly 10 years later than it should to be a hit. I was excited when first Roland Cloud plugins showed up as they had cleanest filter sweeps possible and that was really impressing, but Zenology nah... it's kind of like a second tail for a dog, it's bulky and completely unnecessary. And the sonic possibilities are so limited that I honestly can't see how anyone can compare it to Analog Lab, it can be compared to a single Arturia synth like Jun or Jup but to Analog Lab?? AL is just such a powerful monster with a sampler, piano, FM, modular, granular and analog synths that Zenology in comparison is like a one trick crippled pony that should have been retired by now. Zenology stands no chance not only to Arturia but to any modern power house plugin. What it could be compared it is to Korg as they both try to breath a new life to outdated products.

 

I'd pick Zenology. It's quite a robust collection with lots of variation, but it's the Roland sound that particularly interests me. I grew up using a lot of Roland hardware and still do, so I'm very familiar with the way things sound and work. It's very easy to get the sound I'm aiming for and equally easy getting it to sit in a mix without much fuss.

With the exception of their DX7 and Pigments synths, I've never gelled with the Arturia sound. Something about it just feels off to me. It's not bad, just different.

 

Thats exactly why i use Zenology and Korg stuff instead of Arturia, because Lab V needs much more CPU. I often read Roland Stuff is bad coded, but works like a charm here instead of Lab V.

 

Last edited: Apr 14, 2023

i think thats where im at with this ....... Zenology is most likely with me because i grew up on them sounds and already know exactly what sounds to use from it and know where they at and how to use them and when to use them ...as for Analog lab i spend more time trying to find what sound i want and a lot of them sounds from Analog lab is not useful for me at all but some of them i run across sound pretty good

Also Arturia DX7 i wanted to like it but i don't i do not like the way that thing sounds im like you on this something is off and i can't really put my finger on it... I personally like the Plogue Chipsynth OPS7 which is a emulation of the DX7 and it sounds way better than the Arturia DX7

 

Last edited: Apr 13, 2023

yeah i tried it with the 3rd parties presets before it was a better experience so you are right on that but it still just takes me too long to find the sound i want and i got to go through so many sounds before i even see one i like lol it reminds me of how omnisphere is at times sometimes it takes you wayyy to long to find a sound you need

 

Same. I liked their DX7 emu, lots of interesting presets and they took it further into creative territory than most developers, but you hit it right on the head. It's just something about the sound that doesn't feel right. I'm still using my Motif ES Rack with PLG DX expansion board for fm sounds, its literally a dx7 in rack format, and everything that comes out of it sounds exactly as it should. It just has the weight and the presence that I'm used to.

I will say this though, another one to look at is Halion's FM Lab which is pretty spot on. You'd be harnessed to tell the difference.

 

I prefer Zenology only because I tend to use PCM based digital synths more than analogue emulations. Plogue has the most accurate DX7, but both Roland & Plogue have absolutely terrible GUI user interfaces. To be fair, most digital & FM synths always had disgusting convoluted user interfaces the more complex they got.