Plugin comparison
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which synth to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
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Contenders
Buzz Zone is Toybox's two-engine wavetable and sample synth. Version 3 adds six piano-roll sequencers, the Utility Strip, new modulation, Snapshots and tuning systems.
Hive 2 is a u-he subtractive/wavetable software synthesizer with two stereo oscillator pairs, dual multimode filters, and onboard effects.
Technical matrix
| Signal | Buzz Zone | u-he Hive 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $48 (Version 3 a free update) | €149 |
| Dubspot Score | — | 8.7 |
| Formats | Standalone, VST3, AU, AUv3 | CLAP, VST3, AUv2 (macOS), AAX (64-bit) |
| Developer | Toybox | — |
| Type | Two-engine synthesizer (wavetable Synth engine plus Sample engine) | — |
| Oscillators | Wavetable main and harmony oscillators with unison; sample-based Sample engine | 2 pairs of stereo oscillators, 9 waveforms each, plus wavetable option (140 wavetables included), up to 16x unison per oscillator, tunable sub-oscillators |
| Modulation | 16 oscillator modulation types (FM, AM, hard sync, 8 phase-distortion modes and more) | 2 LFOs, 2 pairs of ADSR envelopes, 12x2 modulation matrix slots with modifiers, shape sequencer, function generators |
| Envelopes | Two banks (A and B) with crossfade; Smart, Lines and Steps, Draw and Record editing | — |
| Sequencers | 6, each with a piano-roll MIDI editor and per-note expression | — |
| Utility Strip | Modular MIDI workspace: arps, note repeaters, chord tools, LFOs, CC mappers and more | — |
| Snapshots | Store and morph complete sound variations, up to 64 slots per preset | — |
| Tuning | Global Tuning library: historical temperaments, just intonation, world tunings | — |
| Effects | 25 reverbs and effects | 7 onboard effects (distortion, chorus, delay, phaser, EQ, reverb, compressor) |
| Formats | VST3, AU, standalone (macOS and Windows); AUv3 on iPad | — |
| Price | $48 desktop; Version 3 a free update for existing owners | — |
| Filters | — | 2 multimode filters (lowpass, highpass, bandpass, bandreject, peaking, comb, reverb, dissonant, sideband) |
| Polyphony | — | Up to 16 voices; mono, legato and duophonic modes |
| Presets | — | 2400+ NKS-ready factory presets |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.