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
Hive 2 is a u-he subtractive/wavetable software synthesizer with two stereo oscillator pairs, dual multimode filters, and onboard effects.
Rob Papen Quad-2 is a phase-distortion and waveshaping synthesizer with 36 filter types, additive and spectral waveforms, a deep modulation matrix and over 1000 presets.
Technical matrix
| Signal | u-he Hive 2 | Rob Papen Quad-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €149 | €49 / $49 |
| Dubspot Score | 8.7 | — |
| Formats | CLAP, VST3, AUv2 (macOS), AAX (64-bit) | VST, VST3, AU, RTAS, AAX |
| Oscillators | 2 pairs of stereo oscillators, 9 waveforms each, plus wavetable option (140 wavetables included), up to 16x unison per oscillator, tunable sub-oscillators | 2, plus a sub-oscillator with spread; additive and spectral waves |
| Filters | 2 multimode filters (lowpass, highpass, bandpass, bandreject, peaking, comb, reverb, dissonant, sideband) | 36 types, 6 dB to 36 dB slopes (LP, HP, BP, notch, comb, vocal, formant, ring) |
| Polyphony | Up to 16 voices; mono, legato and duophonic modes | 16 voices, 8 play modes including unison 2, 3, 4, 6 |
| Modulation | 2 LFOs, 2 pairs of ADSR envelopes, 12x2 modulation matrix slots with modifiers, shape sequencer, function generators | 16 sources, 165 destinations, 16-slot matrix; 2 LFOs; 2 envelopes |
| Effects | 7 onboard effects (distortion, chorus, delay, phaser, EQ, reverb, compressor) | FX-1 (chorus, ensemble, flanger, phaser, widener); FX-2 (reverb, delay) |
| Presets | 2400+ NKS-ready factory presets | Over 1000 |
| Type | — | Phase-distortion and waveshaping synthesizer |
| Sound shaping | — | Phase distortion and waveshaper per oscillator |
| Oscillator modulation | — | Ring modulation, phase modulation, multiple FM routings |
| Arpeggiator | — | 16 steps, 11 modes, per-step octave, swing and velocity |
| Formats | — | VST, VST3, AU, RTAS, AAX (macOS and Windows) |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.