Diva User Guide

USER GUIDE
VERSION 1.4.6
8. September 2023
U-HE - HECKMANN AUDIO GMBH - BERLIN

Table of Contents
Introduction 5
The Spirit of Analogue.........................................6
Control Bar ..........................................................7
Editing .................................................................8
Programming 101 ...............................................9
Preset Browser 10
Overview ...........................................................10
Default preset ......................................................10
Directory Panel ..................................................11
The ‘Local’ folder .................................................11
The ‘User’ folder ..................................................12
Smart Folders ......................................................12
Directory context menu .......................................13
Presets Panel....................................................14
Drag & Drop ......................................................16
Preset Info.........................................................17
Installing Soundsets ..........................................17
Preset Tagging ..................................................18
Search by Tags .................................................19
Search by Text ..................................................21
Upper Panels 23
Oscillators .........................................................23
TRIPLE VCO .......................................................23
DUAL VCO ..........................................................25
DCO ....................................................................27
DUAL VCO ECO .................................................28
DIGITAL...............................................................29
High-pass Filters / Feedback ............................31
NO HPF (just feedback) ......................................31
HPF | POST ........................................................31
HPF | PRE ...........................................................31
HPF | BITE ..........................................................31
Main Filters .......................................................32
VCF | LADDER....................................................32
VCF | CASCADE .................................................33
VCF | MULTIMODE .............................................34
VCF | BITE ..........................................................35
VCF | UHBIE .......................................................36
Envelopes .........................................................37
ADS .....................................................................37
ANALOGUE ........................................................37
DIGITAL...............................................................38
Lower Panels 39
LFOs .................................................................39
Effects ...............................................................40
Chorus .................................................................40
Phaser .................................................................40
Plate (reverb) ......................................................41
Delay ...................................................................41
Rotary ..................................................................42
MAIN: Tuning ....................................................43
MAIN: Amplifier & Pan ......................................44
MAIN: Voice ......................................................44
MAIN: Clock & Arpeggiator ...............................45
MODIFICATIONS ..............................................46
VCO ....................................................................46
FILTER ................................................................46
FEEDBACK .........................................................46
Modulation Processors ........................................47
TRIMMERS .......................................................47
SCOPE .............................................................48
Configuration 49
MIDI Control ......................................................49
Preferences.......................................................52
MIDI Specialities 55
Multichannel MIDI ...............................................55
CLAP ...................................................................55
MTS-ESP ............................................................55
Polyphonic Aftertouch .........................................55
Tips and Tricks 56
So bite me! ..........................................................56
Bass boost ..........................................................56
Twin effects .........................................................56
Stereo without effects ..........................................57
LFO as ramp generator .......................................57
Voice map tricks ..................................................57
Modulation processor tricks ................................58
NKS 59
Troubleshooting 60
Modulation Sources 61
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
To get the most out of Diva you will need a modern computer
Diva is rather demanding in divine mode, but that’s the price we pay to hear her wonderful voice in
top form! If your computer stutters while trying out presets, switch the accuracy mode to great, fast
or even draft. You will soon learn which one your system can handle. Mono (single voice) presets
without voice stacking should be no problem, even on older computers. If your computer is fairly
new, try the multicore option which distributes voices between CPU cores. You should generally
render tracks to audio in the highest possible quality, which means setting OfflineAcc to best.
Install / uninstall
Go to the Diva page at www.u-he.com, download the installer for your system and unzip the com-
pressed file. Open the “Diva” folder and start the installer application. The only demo restriction is a
mild crackling sound at irregular intervals after about two minutes of use, which will disappear after
you have entered a serial number. By default, recent versions of Diva use the following directories:
Win presets (local) C:\Users\*YOU*\Documents\u-he\Diva.data\Presets\Diva\
presets (user) C:\Users\*YOU*\Documents\u-he\Diva.data\UserPresets\Diva\
preferences C:\Users\*YOU*\Documents\u-he\Diva.data\Support\ (*.txt files)
alternative skins C:\Users\*YOU*\Documents\u-he\Diva.data\Support\Themes\
Mac presets (local) Macintosh HD/Library/Audio/Presets/u-he/Diva/
presets (user) Macintosh HD/Users/*YOU*/Library/Audio/Presets/u-he/Diva/
preferences Macintosh HD/Users/*YOU*/Library/AppSupport/u-he/com.u-he.Diva...
alternative skins Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/u-he/Themes/
other resources Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/u-he/Diva/
For more information, including our terms of use, please refer to the text files that came with the
installer (click on the u-he badge and select Docs Folder).
Online resources
For downloads, news articles and support, go to the u-he website
For lively discussions about u-he products, go to the u-he forum at KVR
For friendship and informal news updates, go to the u-he facebook page
For video tutorials and more, go to our u-he youtube channel
For details of the Bitwig/u-he CLAP plug-in format, go to cleveraudio
For lots of inspiring new sounds, go to the Diva soundsets page
For 3rd party presets, go to Patchlib
Team 2023 (Q3)

Urs Heckmann (concepts, code); Jayney Klimek (accounting, procuration); Howard Scarr (sound
design, user guides, grump); Sebastian Greger (UI design, 3D graphics); Jan Storm (framework,
hardware code); Oddvar Manlig (business development); Viktor Weimer (customer support, sound
design); Thomas Binek (QA, betas, customer support); Henna Gramentz (office coordination,
customer support); Frank Hoffmann (framework, browser); Alf Klimek (studio, voiceovers);
Sebastian Hübert (media creation); David Schornsheim (framework, CLAP); Kay Knofe (hardware
development); Tim Fröhlich (more code); Sadjad Siddiq (DSP code); Petros Karagkounidis
(backend development, IT admin).
Special thanks to: Vadim Zavalishin and Andy Simper for sharing their insight into ZDF methods.
Alexander Hacke and Hans Zimmer for lending us some special analogue synths. Everyone who
contributed presets! Brian Rzycki for maintaining the original Patchlib.
Hardware analysis and Diva code by Clemens Heppner and Urs Heckmann.
TOC PRE OSC HPF VCF ENV LFO EFX MODF TRIM ARP CONF TIPS NKS 5
INTRODUCTION
The Spirit of Analogue

Diva captures the spirit of various analogue synthesizers by letting the user select from a variety of
alternative modules. The oscillators, filters and envelopes closely model components found in
some of the greatest monophonic and polyphonic synthesizers of yesteryear.
But what sets DIVA apart from other emulations is the sheer authenticity of her analogue sound.
This comes at the cost of a relatively high CPU-hit, but we think it was worth it: Diva is the first
native software synth to apply methods from industrial circuit simulators (e.g. PSpice) in realtime.
The behaviour of our zero-delay-feedback filters when pushed to the limit clearly demonstrates the
advantages of this groundbreaking approach.
Zero Delay Feedback Filters (ZDF)

Most filters in old analogue synths have one or more feedback paths. The input signal passes
through a series of controlled resistors and condensers, and the output is fed back into the input
(or to another point within the signal path). The classic Moog™ ladder filter has four lowpass filter
stages and a resonance control that determines how much of the signal is fed back into the input.
This feedback loop doesn’t introduce any delay, so feedback is practically instantaneous.
Digital models attempt to reproduce this behaviour by calculating the result of applying four simple
lowpass filters to an input sample. Feedback means repeating the current calculation using the
results of the previous one.
While real circuitry can process a signal within a few nanoseconds, digital models calculate per
sample, adding about a million times as much latency to each iteration. The cumulative effect of
feedback latency in digital emulations is very noticeable. Oversampling and higher sample rates
help reduce the latency, but conventional digital filters always “smear” at high resonance levels.
Methods of addressing the latency have been available for many years, but the implementations
either 1) don’t model the complex distortion inherent in real circuitry, or 2) aren’t suitable for
realtime processing. Common to all methods is that they predict output values and use that
prediction in the current calculation.
Of course we can’t see into the future, but our routines are fast enough to deliver at least a few
voices in realtime. We calculate the filter with a few test samples and look at the deviation between
the prediction and the result, then we use that deviation to calculate a better prediction. The goal,
of course, is to close the gap as quickly as possible!
Diva applies a classic trial-and-error principle but includes a rather intelligent way (or so we like to
think) of learning from mistakes. As a rule of thumb, Diva’s filters only need to be calculated once
or twice in succession. However, it can take up to 15 cycles if the resonance is very high and/or the
input is very complex, for instance noise.
Accuracy
Click on the MAIN button at the bottom of the window. In the panel immediately above the MAIN
button are two selectors called Accuracy and OfflineAcc. These are global parameters: they
remain fixed across all presets per loaded instance:
draft ..........CPU-friendly, but FM will sound rough and resonance is primitive (not ‘zero delay’)
fast ............Fine for older computers and/or when you need more polyphony in acceptable quality
great ........The best compromise between quality and polyphony on high-power computers
divine.......Top-quality zero delay feedback filters - seldom necessary, but available if required!
OfflineAcc selects the resolution at which Diva instances are rendered to audio (offline). The two
options are same (i.e. the same as the Accuracy setting) and best. Some hosts have trouble
rendering at the selected accuracy, while the more advanced ones offer an “inform plug-ins of
offline rendering status” or similarly named option.
INTRODUCTION
Control Bar
Save
First, right-click on the [save] button to check or change the format you will be using. Standard
is .h2p, which has the great advantage of being cross-platform compatible. The .h2p extended
format is the same but also allows per-line comments.
Important: If you have set the Save Presets To preference from the default user folder to the other
option, selected folder, make sure that the folder in which you want to store your preset is already
selected – if not, click on it first.
Click on the [Save] button, give your preset a suitable name and enter any other details. Preset
description, playing tips etc. – anything you would like to appear in the PRESET INFO panel of the
browser. Finally, confirm by clicking on the [apply] button. If you have loaded Diva as VST2, you
will also see the option .nksf. See the NKS chapter.
MIDI activity
A small indicator which flashes whenever MIDI data is being received.
Data Display
Apart from showing the preset name, the central text display has several other duties:
Loading presets: Click on the arrows either side of the display to step through presets, or in the
middle to select a preset from the current directory. While a parameter is being adjusted you will
see its value. If you drop a preset from elsewhere (e.g. the desktop) onto the data display, it will be
loaded but not saved.
Initialize preset: Whenever you want to program a new sound from scratch, right-click on the data
display and select init.
Undo/Redo
The curved arrows to the right of the data display can be used to fix recent mistakes. Although the
number of undo steps is limited to 30, you can even undo a change of preset – so switching
presets before saving doesn’t mean losing your work!
Multicore
Distributes voices between all available CPU cores so you can play more notes without ‘smoking’
your CPU. This works well on popular processors such as Intel i5 or i7, but please note that
activating the Multicore option can even reduce performance if your CPU is either older or much
newer e.g. Apple Silicon (M1, M2...). We haven't found a one-size-fits-all solution yet.
Note: Some hosts already offer multicore support, and having both active at the same time might
lead to poorer performance for Diva. In such cases, try switching one of them off.
Output
The final volume control for the preset. As this control doesn’t affect the tone at all, to balance the
levels between presets use Output in preference to amp Volume.
Badge
Click on the u-he badge for direct access to our website, to this user guide and
other Diva documents, to our support forum at KVR or to our social network
sites. At the bottom of the menu you will also see Install Soundset… Unless you
are running Linux you won’t need this. See Installing Soundsets.
INTRODUCTION
Editing
GUI size
To adjust the size of Diva’s user interface temporarily, right-click in the background and select an
option from the menu. The size is given in percentages and pixels (width times height).
For example, here are the available GUI size options on my 13” Macbook. Those that are larger
than the computer screen can handle will appear disabled:
70% - 840 x 469

80% - 960 x 536
90% - 1080 x 603
100% - 1200 x 670
110% - 1320 x 737
120% - 1440 x 804
130% - 1560 x 870
140% - 1680 x 938
150% - 1800 x 1005
160% - 1920 x 1072
170% - 2040 x 1139
180% - 2160 x 1206
190% - 2280 x 1273
130% - 2400 x 1340
To change the GUI size more permanently, or even set sizes that are larger than the screen, go to
the Preferences and change the Default UI Size.
Knobs
Values are adjusted via the usual click-and-drag, often allowing finer resolution via the SHIFT key
on your computer. Knobs can be reset to their default values via double-click, and remote-
controlled / automated via MIDI CC.
Tip for wheel-mouse users: ‘mouseover’ and roll the wheel to edit values or scroll through a list
(use SHIFT for fine tuning).
Parameter locking
Clicking with the righthand mouse button on any knob or switch opens a context menu in
which you can select ‘Lock’. A locked parameter can still be adjusted, but the value
doesn’t change when you switch presets. To unlock again, right-click and untick
‘Locked’.
Modification indicator
This symbol appears next to a control if it is being modulated in the Modifications panel.
INTRODUCTION
Programming 101
Although Diva ships with a whole bunch of presets, she is meant to be tweaked – that’s why the
interface is festooned with all those controls. Here’s a quick and easy tutorial to get you started:
1. Click on the PRESETS button at the bottom of the window, select the Local / 8 TEMPLATES
folder and load the preset called INIT June-60.
2. Click on the SCOPE button (to the left of PRESETS), which gives you access to Diva’s
oscilloscope as well as all module panels.
3. Play a fairly low note (you do have a MIDI keyboard attached, right?). The shape you can see
in Diva’s oscilloscope is moving in time with the tone of what you are hearing.
4. Find the TRANSPOSE knob in the lefthand DCO panel, and change it from 8’ to 16’ (the
easiest way is to roll your mouse wheel). The oscillator now an octave lower.
5. To the left of the TRANSPOSE knob are two faders. Double-click on the one labelled LFO2.
The value of that fader (which controls pulse width modulation depth) is reset to the centre
and the sound becomes static. Move the PW fader up and down while playing a low note.
Watch how the shape changes, then leave it at minimum.
6. What you have now is a 50-50 mixture of 50% PULSE (i.e. a square) and SAWTOOTH. Click
on the uppermost SAWTOOTH option (silence) to isolate the pulse wave. Try the various HPF
values, then leave it at 0.
7. Double-click on the PW fader (resets to 25% pulse) and drag the other fader (pulse width
modulation depth from LFO2) up to maximum. Go to the LFO2 panel (bottom left), change
LFO2 Waveform to saw up and Sync to 1/4. The result is a slow pulsing sound.
8. Go to the VCF panel and play with the CUTOFF and RESONANCE faders. Then double-click
on both to reset them. Still in the filter panel, take the second cutoff modulation knob (currently
labelled LFO 2) down to about -30.00. You now have a rhythmic sound that will cycle through
the notes in a chord if you play them at different times.
9. Activate the two effects (Chorus and Delay) at the bottom right of the window by clicking on
the small round buttons (they will light up). If you like, experiment with the effects parameters
for a while, especially the Delay controls. Add a bit of NOISE from the DCO panel!
10. In the LFO 2 panel, click on the lower righthand button and select ModWheel (or default). Turn
Depth Mod up to maximum. The depth of all LFO 2 modulation is now 100% controlled by the
mod wheel. Then turn Depth Mod down to minimum so that the wheel has no effect again.
11. Swap the oscillator type: Click on the DCO label and select DUAL VCO instead. Click both
Sawtooth icons to switch them off, and activate both pulse waves instead. Turn MIX to the
centre. Click on the NO MOD label and select LFO 2 instead. Change the value of that knob
to -20. Similarly, replace the VCF CASCADE with BITE by clicking on its label. Experiment
with the filter controls until you get a nicely grungy, resonant pulsating sound (note that REV 2
sounds fuller).
12. Start again from step 1, but take more liberties this time. Experiment!
PRESETS
Preset Browser
Overview
To open Diva’s browser, click on the PRESETS button at the bottom of window:
Folders appear on the left, presets in the centre and information about the currently active preset
on the right. If you can’t see any presets at all, click on Local. If you don’t see a PRESET INFO
panel, click on the [≣] button in the top right and tick Show Preset Info.
The Local root contains a representative selection of presets copied from the subfolders. Note that
a left-pointing triangle next to a folder name means that the folder is currently in its collapsed state.
If you can’t see the category folders (BASS, LEAD etc.), expand Local by clicking on that triangle.
After loading a preset (click on its name) you can step through all the others using your computer’s
cursor keys, which makes it easy to audition them sequentially
The folders numbered 1 to 7 contain the main factory presets. 8 TEMPLATES contains some basic
presets for whenever you want to start designing your own sounds from scratch. THIRD PARTY
contains presets kindly submitted by various sound designers, plus a subfolder called TREASURE
TROVE! containing hundreds more sounds.
Default preset
Whenever Diva is started it checks whether the ‘Local’ root contains a preset called default. If this
file exists, it is loaded instead of the demo sound. Note: default will not appear in the browser.
If you want Diva to start with a simple template every time instead of the default preset, do this:
Right-click on the data display, select init (initialize) and make any minor adjustments you like.
Make sure that the preference Save Presets To is set to selected folder and that the ‘Local’ root
directory is currently open. Finally, [Save] your preset under the name default.
Extra sounds
The Diva soundsets we distribute ourselves will appear in the .uhe-soundset format (see Installing
Soundsets below). More 3rd party sounds are available in Patchlib.
PRESETS
Directory Panel
If you don’t see this panel on the left of Diva’s Presets browser, click on DIRECTORY.
The ‘Local’ folder

Diva’s factory presets are sorted into folders 1 to 8. We recommend that you do not add or remove
any Local presets, but save all your creations and third party soundsets in ‘User’ (see below).
MIDI Programs
‘Local’ also contains a special folder called ‘MIDI Programs’ which is normally empty. When the first
instance of Diva starts, up to 128 presets from that folder are loaded into memory, to be selected
via MIDI Program Change messages. As they are accessed in alphabetical order it makes sense
to prefix each name with an index: ‘000 rest-of-name’ to ‘127 rest-of-name’.
But that’s not all: the ‘MIDI Programs’ folder can contain up to 127 sub-folders, switched via MIDI
Bank Select messages (CC#0). Send Bank Select first, then Program Change. ‘MIDI Programs’ is
bank 0, sub-folders are addressed in alphabetical order starting with bank 1.
IMPORTANT: Changes to the MIDI Programs folder are only updated after the host application is
restarted: files cannot be added, removed or renamed on the fly!
When Diva receives a program change, it will display the bank and program numbers to the left of
the preset name e.g. “0:0” for the first preset in the first bank. In certain hosts e.g. Ableton Live,
however, the first bank / preset is designated “1” instead of the correct “0”.
To avoid another possible source of confusion, make sure that there are no junked presets in the
MIDI Programs folder. All files there are indexed, whether they are visible or not.
PRESETS
The ‘User’ folder

The best address for your own creations as well as soundsets from other sources. You can either
select User immediately before saving the preset, or set a global preference which ensures that it
will always be saved to this folder – see the preference Save Presets To.
Tip: It’s worth finding out where the User folder actually resides on your computer. Simply right-
click on‘User’ and select Open in Finder (Mac) or Open in Explorer (Win).
Smart Folders
The other folders do not contain files, but display the results of querying a database of all presets.
The content is therefore dynamic i.e. it will change whenever the underlying data changes.
You can drag & drop any smart folder content (even ‘Junk’) onto e.g. ‘User’ or the desktop
(see External Drag & Drop) to create folders containing real copies of those presets
Search History
Click on this folder to display the results of past searches (maximum 10). Whenever you need to
make the results of a search more permanent, right-click and select Save Search… The entry will
be moved to the ‘Saved Searches’ folder – see below. To remove all searches from the list, right-
click on the ‘Search History’ folder and select Clear.
Saved Searches
This folder contains searches that have been saved via right click from ‘Search History’. To remove
individual saved searches, right-click on the search and select Delete.
Bank
Smart folders referencing metadata about preset origin – the version of the factory library or the
name of the soundset. See ‘Preset Info’ a few pages down. Banks are (or will be) predefined for
factory presets as well as u-he soundsets.
Of course you can create your own Banks: Drag & drop one or more presets onto the main ‘Bank’
folder then enter a suitable name into the dialogue box.
To remove Bank attributes from selected presets, either drag & drop them onto the ‘no Bank’ folder
(at the bottom of the Bank list) or right-click on the Bank and select Remove Presets from Bank.
Empty Banks will simply disappear.
Favourites
8 colour-coded smart folders (see Presets context menu). Presets dropped onto a ‘Favourite’ folder
will be marked as such. Only one Favourite colour/number can be set per preset. Favourites can
be imported / exported - see External Drag & Drop a few pages down.
You can clear the Favourite status from all presets of one particular colour / index at once by right-
clicking on the ‘Favourite’ folder and selecting Remove All Favourite (n) Marks.
Junk
A smart folder pointing to all junked presets. See Presets context menu. Files dropped onto this
folder will normally disappear from the browser, but you can select Show Junk in the presets
context menu. Like Favourites, Junk can even be exported/imported (as Junk.uhe-fav).
Junk marks can be removed globally by right-clicking on the ‘Junk’ folder and selecting Remove All
Junk Marks. If hidden, all junked presets will reappear in the browser.
Tags
Smart folders for each Category/Subcategory, Features and Character tag. Presets dropped onto
these folders will adopt the corresponding tag. Presets dropped onto the ‘Untagged’ folder will
have all Category/Subcategory, Features and Character tags removed.
PRESETS
Author
Smart folders for each Author i.e. the contents of the ‘author name’ field as defined while a preset
is being saved. Tip: Instead of signing each of your creations individually when you save them, you
could sign the first one only to create your Author folder, then drag & drop any others onto that
same folder. As the process cannot be undone, please use it with caution!
Directory context menu

Right-clicking on any folder within Local or User will open this menu:
Refresh
Create New…
Rename…
Open in Finder
Move to Trash
On Open Expand to
Hidden Folders
Show Folder Icons
Save Search *
Refresh
Update the contents of the browser. For Windows users this will be necessary after you have
moved, added, removed or renamed folders or presets using Explorer.
Create New…
Insert an empty subdirectory.
Rename…
Edit the folder name.
Open in Finder / Explorer

Open a system window for the selected folder. Hold down ctrl (Windows) or option (Mac) to switch
this to Show in Finder / Explorer, which highlights the folder instead of opening it.
Move to Trash / Recycle Bin

Moves the selected folder to the system trash. If you right click on the ‘Junk’ folder, this entry will
be replaced by Remove All Junk Marks. If you right click on a ‘Bank’ smart folder, it will be replaced
by Remove Presets from Bank (see Smart Folders above).
On Open Expand to
These options determine how deeply the browser will open subdirectories whenever the GUI is
opened again or the refresh function is called. The first option (none) collapses all folders, while
the final option (all levels) reveals all nested folders.
Hidden Folders
Select the smart folders you don't want to see.
Show Folder Icons

Deselect this option if you find the folder icons distracting. The Junk icon is not affected.
Save Search
This function only appears when you right-click on an entry in the Search History smart folder.
Saves the clicked search to the Saved Searches smart folder. Right-click there to delete again.
PRESETS
Presets Panel
The central area of the browser displays all presets in the current folder. Left-click to select.
Presets context menu

Right-click to open a menu containing functions that can be applied to individual presets.
Mark as Favourite 1
Mark as Favourite 2
Mark as Favourite 3
Mark as Favourite 4
Mark as Favourite 5
Mark as Favourite 6
Mark as Favourite 7
Mark as Favourite 8
Mark as Junk
Show Junk
Select All
Deselect
Rename…
Copy to User Folder *
Show in Finder
Convert to h2p
Copy
Paste
Move to Trash *
PRESETS
Mark as Favourite
Tick one of 8 ‘favourites’. The selected entry will be replaced with Unmark as Favourite.
Mark as junk / Show Junk

Instead of deleting unloved presets, mark them as ‘junk’ so that they disappear from the browser.
Activate Show Junk to display junked files and mark them with a STOP symbol.
Select All, Deselect

See ‘Multiple Selection’ on the next page.
Rename…
You can change the names of presets using this function. Note that only the most recently selected
preset can be renamed i.e. you can’t rename multiple files at once.
Copy to User Folder / Duplicate

The entry here depends on the status of the preference Save Presets To as well as on whether the
source presets are in the ‘Local’ or ‘User’ folder. Selected presets are copied with a number
appended to the name, which increments (like ‘Auto Versioning’) so that presets cannot be
overwritten by mistake.
Show in Finder / Explorer

Opens a system window for the right-clicked file. In smart folders only, holding down an option key
(Mac) or ctrl key (Windows) replaces this entry with Show in Browser, which shows the currently
selected file in its original location within Diva’s browser.
Convert to native / h2p / h2p extended / nksf

Converts the selected preset(s) into the format previously selected via right-click on the [Save]
button. For that final option, see the NKS chapter.
Copy / Paste
Clipboard functions. Individual or multiple presets can be copied / pasted, even between Diva's
browser and system windows (Finder, Explorer).
Move to Trash / Recycle Bin

Moves selected presets to the system trash.
Restore
At the top left of the PRESETS panel is a button labelled [RESTORE]. This lets you audition
presets to your heart’s content without losing track of the one that was loaded before you opened
the browser. Clicking on [RESTORE] navigates to that preset and reloads it.
Scan / Ready
In the top right of the presets panel is a dark rectangle normally labelled ‘ready’. Whenever you
use the Refresh function (see Directory context menu on the previous page), this turns into a
progress indicator as the preset database is being refreshed. The process should only take a few
seconds, even for a very large library.
Multiple Selection
A block of adjacent presets can be selected via shift+click, and individual presets can be added to
the selection via cmd+click (Mac) / alt+click (Windows). Presets can be moved to a different folder
via drag & drop (see below). To deselect, either click on any unselected preset or choose Deselect
from the context menu.
PRESETS
Drag & Drop

Internal
You can drag and drop single or multiple files from the preset panel onto any folders in the
directory panel. Files dragged onto regular folders will be moved unless you hold an option (Mac)
or ctrl (Windows) key, in which case they will be copied instead.
Files dropped onto smart folders will adopt the attribute of that folder: For instance, you can set the
Author for several presets at once.
External
To manage your preset library more comfortably you can drag presets and folders between Diva’s
browser and your desktop or any system window.
On the Mac, most Finder operations will automatically update the browser. Updating might not be
immediate when using multiple formats or multiple host applications, but all it usually takes is a
click on the GUI or in the directory tree (sets focus to the clicked instance of Diva).
On Windows, a manual Refresh (see Directory context menu) will be required before changes to
the contents of the browser appear.
Exporting smart folders

Drag any smart folder onto the desktop to create a new folder containing those presets. Drag an
entry from your Search History, or the Category ‘Duo’, the Favourites or one of the Authors.
Export favourite / junk status

You can export Favourite status, all at once or individually: Shift+click and drag the ‘Favourites’
folder onto the desktop to create a file called Favourites.uhe-fav. Similar for sub-folders: If you
shift+click and drag e.g. ‘Favourites 5’, this will create a file called Favourite 5.uhe-fav. The same
method works for Junk status, creating a file called Junk.uhe-fav. Such files can be imported into
Diva’s browser on a different computer (for instance), via drag & drop onto or anywhere within the
Favourites folder, or to the Junk folder.
Note: Importing .uhe-fav files from another computer will only work 100% correctly if all preset
names and locations are identical on both computers!
Note for Windows users

According to Microsoft, drag & drop will only work between applications with the same
rights (i.e. both admin or both normal) for security reasons. If the host was started using
the “run as admin” option, drag & drop functionality will be limited…
You can drag objects between plug-ins, or from the plugin into a system window or your
desktop, but attempts to drag & drop anything into the plugin from outside the host will fail.
This applies to presets, folders, favourites, .uhe-soundset files or indeed anything that can
be dropped onto the plug-in GUI.
PRESETS
Preset Info
The panel to the right displays information about the selected preset. If you can’t see this panel,
click on the "triple bar" [≡] button in the top right corner and tick Show Preset Info:
Show Preset Info

Show Tags in Preset Info
Below the preset name you should see its path (from /Local or /User), the Bank and the Author
(which also appear as smart folders).
DESCRIPTION and USAGE text is entered immediately before saving a preset.
CATEGORIES / FEATURES / CHARACTER are are the tags (see Preset Tagging) that have been
set for the current preset. You can remove or add tags here (see Tagging via PRESET INFO).
If you prefer to see less preset information, hide the tags or the entire PRESET INFO panel.
Installing Soundsets
All soundsets we distribute ourselves will (eventually) be available in .uhe-soundset format. Third
parties are also encouraged to use this package format for their own commercial soundsets (for
details please contact our support team).
Standard Method
To install, drag & drop the .uhe-soundset file into Diva – anywhere will work. The soundset should
appear in the ‘User’ folder. If a soundset with the same name already exists in that location, any
modified files will be backed up and the location of the backup file will be displayed.
Alternative Method
Soundsets in .uhe-soundset format can also be installed by clicking on the u-he badge, selecting
Install Soundset… from the menu and navigating to the .uhe-soundset file. This option is especially
useful for Linux, as the browser version for that platform does not support drag & drop.
Regular Folders
Folders containing Diva presets can be manually copied or moved into the ‘User’ folder. You might
have to refresh the browser (see Directory context menu) before they appear there. A refresh is
generally necessary in Windows but not in macOS.
Note: As .uhe-soundset files are basically ZIP-compressed folders, you can rename them i.e.
replace the file extension with ’zip’, then extract the presets and accompanying documentation.
PRESETS
Preset Tagging
Tags are elements of metadata, information added to presets so you can find them more easily.
IMPORTANT
Tags are updated automatically – clicking on the [Save] button isn’t required! The main
advantage is that presets don’t have to be saved every time you edit a tag. The main
caveat is that you should only edit tags after saving your preset.
For instance, if you decide to edit tags while creating a 2nd version of an existing preset,
please remember that you are actually changing the tags in the original preset!
The Tagging Window

Right-click on the [Save] button and select Tag this Patch:
Category Features Character

Bass Airy Mono Dry Bright Dark
Pads Analogue Poly Modulated Constant Moving
Leads Brass Duo Percussive Clean Dirty
Keys Digital Chord Soft Attack Soft Aggressive
FX Dist+LoFi BPM Slow Release Phat Thin
Drums Drones OscSync Glide Natural Synthetic
Seq+Arp Evolving RingMod Modern Vintage
Other Organs CrossMod
Rhythmic
Soundscape
Strings
Synth
Vocal
Winds
Categories describe a preset by analogy to instrument types or classic synth genres. Each one
has its own set of subcategories. Features are technical classifications, and Character tags are
pairs of opposites from which you can choose only one.
Tagging via PRESET INFO

In the PRESET INFO panel, right-click on CATEGORIES, FEATURES or CHARACTER and select
or unselect tags from the menu. Note: this method only works for individual presets. If you right-
click on an existing tag, the first option in the menu becomes remove tag.
The function Create Search from Tags finds all presets with exactly the same set of Category,
Features and Character tags.
Tagging via smart folder

You can tag presets by dropping (“drag & drop”) any number of presets onto one of the Tags smart
folders. To remove all tags, drag them onto the Tags/Untagged smart folder.
Auto Tag Features

In the Preferences is a setting that can make adding Features tags more comfortable – see there.
PRESETS
Search by Tags
Click on the TAGS tab to open this view. The buttons here let you set up search criteria according
to tags with just a few mouse clicks:
There are four sets of buttons. The first three correspond to the tags in the tagging window (see
the previous page), and the bottom row lets you find presets tagged as ‘Favourites’. Clicking on the
[^] icon to the right will hide the options for that type of tag.
Categories and Subcategories

Here are just a few bullet points to get you started. Especially for Category tags, following a step-
by-step tutorial is much easier than studying a full technical description. Try these:
Each of the Categories has its own set of subcategories. Not selecting any subcategory here
means “show me presets tagged with any subcategory”. Click on [Leads]…
You can select multiple categories without specifying any subcategory if you hold cmd (Mac) or alt
(Windows) while clicking on the category. Try that with the [Keys] button.
Selecting the subcategory with the same name as the category means “show me presets tagged
without a subcategory”. You should not find any of these in the factory presets!
Complete category+subcategory tags appear below the subcategories, with [X] buttons to remove
them again. You can add to that search list by selecting more categories and or subcategories.
PRESETS
Here’s a practical tutorial
• Click on the DIRECTORY tab, right-click on the Search History smart folder and select clear.
Double-click on Local/2 LEAD to restrict the scope of the search to that particular folder. The
selected path /Local/2 LEAD appears below the Search field instead of preset folders.
• Click on the TAGS tab. In the Categories, select [Bass]. Subcategory buttons appear and the
preset window is updated to list all presets in 2 LEAD that are tagged as [Bass].
• Now click on [Pads]. The [Bass] category is switched off, and the preset window is updated to
list all presets in 2 LEAD that are tagged as [Pads] – there are 8 of these. Note that you still
haven’t specified a subcategory yet…
• Hold cmd (Mac) or alt (Windows) and select the [Bass] category again. Although no longer
outlined, the previously selected [Pads] remains highlighted and the list shows all 12 presets in
the 2 LEAD folder that have either of those tags (disregarding any subcategories).
• Click on the DIRECTORY tab again: The text #Bass:* #Pads:* appears in the editable field as
well as in the Search History smart folder, which also shows the number of found presets. The
colon separates the category from the subcategory, and the star (*) means “any subcategory,
even none”.
• Click on the TAGS tab again. Select the [Leads] category without pressing cmd/alt this time…
the [Bass] and the [Pads] tags are removed from the search. Select [Chords] as subcategory.
The result is a list of all 10 presets in the 2 LEAD folder that have the Leads:Sync tag. Below
the subcategory options you will see the complete tag in the form [Category:Subcategory|X].
• Let’s get more hits by including another subcategory: Click on the [Distorted] subcategory.
[Sync] remains selected, and the list of hits is updated to include presets which have either of
those tags i.e. 45 in total. Click on [Chords] again and the tag search will find only 36 presets –
all those that are tagged as [Leads:Distorted].
• Click the [Bass] category. Below the subcategories, the [Leads:Distorted|X] switch remains in
place because that tag is complete (category plus subcategory). Check out the category tags in
PRESET INFO by clicking on several presets in turn: Each one will have either a
Leads:Distorted tag or a Bass tag (disregarding subcategory), or both.
• Click on the DIRECTORY tab. The text #Bass:* #Leads:Distorted appears in the search field
as well as the Search History smart folder. If you are feeling adventurous, you can edit this and
the results will be updated accordingly.
• To the left of the grey search path is an ‘up’ [^] symbol. Click on this to exit the current folder i.e.
change the search path from /Local/2 LEAD to the /Local root. The list of hits is immediately
updated to lots of presets because the search now includes all of /Local.
• Another click on [^] exits to the whole preset library i.e. /Local and /User. Clicking on the [X]
symbol to the right of the search path will exit immediately. Try that.
• Repeat the above a few times if necessary – you’ll soon get the hang of it.
PRESETS
Features, Character
These tag types are simpler. For example, let’s find all thin sounding presets with a slow release:
• Click on the TAGS tab. If any Categories are still highlighted, click them to disable.
• Select Features = [Slow Release] and Character = [Thin]. That’s it.
Summary
In the DIRECTORY panel, specify a search path via double-click. In the TAGS panel, select
category tags. Add others if required to extend the search, but remember to hold down the cmd
(Mac) or alt (Windows) key if you want to retain category tags that don’t specify a subcategory.
Select Features, Character and/or Favourites tags to refine the search. Exit any search path by
clicking on the [X] to the right.
Search by Text
The editable field immediately below the DIRECTORY and TAGS tabs lets you search for presets
according to a string of characters i.e. text. The search normally looks into the preset name, the
author, the DESCRIPTION and USAGE (see the PRESET INFO panel). It is not case-sensitive,
and quotes are not required unless you need to include spaces in the text.
If you want to restrict the search to a particular path e.g. Local/4 DREAM SYNTH, double click the
05 Pads & Strings folder. This path will appear immediately below the Search field instead of the
preset folders, and you will only see folders within the specified path (if any exist) plus the usual
bunch of smart folders:
The Search Path (below the Search Field): The [^] button to the left moves the search path up one
level, in this case up to /Local. Alternatively, you can navigate directly to any higher level by right-
clicking on the path. The [X] button to the right expands the path to include all Diva presets in
’Local’ and ‘User’, and all the regular preset folders will reappear.
Try a text search: Enter three or four letters then hit Return. For instance, star will find all files
containing the text string star (e.g. mustard or starters). Entering "star wars" (with the quotes)
would find e.g. Battlestar Warship, if such a string existed in the presets.
PRESETS
Syntax
Scope
You can limit the scope of the search to just the preset name or specific parts of PRESET INFO by
using name (preset name), author, desc (description) or use (usage) followed by a colon. For
instance, author:the finds all presets by sound designers whose author names contain ‘the’.
Similarly, desc:space will find all presets with the word space in the description.
Logical Operators
Important: The following logical operators can only be used between text elements.
AND requires that presets contain both words. It can be written explicitly if you prefer, but is not
necessary. For example, star AND wars (or simply star wars) will find presets that contain both star
and wars.
OR means that presets can contain just one of the words or both. For example, star OR wars will
find presets that contain star as well as presets that contain wars.
NOT excludes presets containing the word. To find all presets that contain star but don’t contain
wars, enter star NOT wars.
Including Tags
Tags must appear after any text items.
Regular tags can also be entered into the search field if preceded with a ‘#’. For example,
name:"hs " #bass:* will find all presets with "hs " in the name that are tagged as Bass with any or
no subcategory. The colon separates category and subcategory, and the star (*) means “any
subcategory, even none”. Between multiple tags of the same type is an implicit OR, while between
different types is an implicit AND.
Note: In the current version of the browser, tags must appear after any text items!
Example searches
You could copy/paste these into Diva's search field and see what they find. Note that tags are
automatically removed from the search field and appear as active tag buttons instead.
desc:classic = presets with the word “classic” in the description
author:ark = presets by Arksun
use:"at =" author:how = aftertouch-controlled presets by howard
tuc OR tas #pads:strings = strings by either The Unshushable Coktor or Tasmodia
tuc OR NOT tas #pads:strings = strings by The Unshushable Coktor or anyone except Tasmodia
UPPER PANELS
Upper Panels
While checking out the presets you must have noticed that the main modules can be swapped out.
Simply click on the label at the bottom of each module, then select from the list. You don’t have to
click on the grey triangle – anywhere on the label will do.
Some smaller labels within each panel also have grey triangles. Click on these labels to replace
default modulation sources. Selected sources other than the default appear as Dymo™ tape – call
us crazy, but we rather like the retro-look of sticky labels on custom-modified hardware!
Oscillators
Diva offers five different oscillator types: Triple VCO (morphing oscillators with FM, sync and filter
feedback), Dual VCO (multi-wave oscillators with sync, PWM and cross mod), DCO (single two-
wave oscillator with PWM and flexible sub-osc), Dual VCO Eco (CPU-friendly, pulse width, ring
modulation) and the newer Digital (‘megasaw’ and much more). All models include a noise source.
Some parameters, although practically the same, have different names in different models.
Note: The output levels of oscillators can have a significant effect on the tonal quality of the filters.
TRIPLE VCO
The most CPU-hungry oscillator model, Triple VCO stretches across two panels:
The upper switches on the left activate pitch (tune) modulation for each oscillator. To specify a
modulation source other than the ENV2, click on that label and select from the drop-down list.
In this example, modulation wheel is controlling oscillator 2 pitch only, as
only the middle switch is active (indicated by the white dot).
TUNE MOD specifies the amount of pitch modulation. It is bipolar i.e. the
amount of modulation can be either negative or positive.
UPPER PANELS
Similarly, the lower switches activate waveform (shape) modulation – see WAVEFORM below. To
specify a modulation source other than LFO2, click on the label and select from the list.
In this example, envelope 2 is modulating the waveform of oscillator 1
and oscillator 2, but not that of oscillator 3.
SHAPE MOD specifies the amount of waveform modulation. This knob
is also bipolar i.e. the amount of modulation can be negative.
FM 1->2/3 sets the amount that oscillator 1 frequency-modulates oscillator 2 and

oscillator 3 (both equally). Frequency modulation is useful for complex, dissonant
or even bell-like sounds.
Note: FM 1->2/3 can be modulated from within the Modifications panel.
The octave switches (32’ to 2’) and DETUNE (oscillators 2 and 3

only) determine the oscillators’ pitches. These controls are self-
explanatory except for one special feature: The DETUNE knob acts
like a 5-turn potentiometer that can also flip the octave over – try
turning it beyond 5 or -5 and see for yourself!
The SYNC switches enable hard-sync for oscillators 2 and 3 (they both synchronize to
oscillator 1). The pitch of a synchronized oscillator should normally be higher than
oscillator 1, or at least modulated upwards via TUNE MOD.
Tip: For the maximum range of sync sounds, set osc 1 to 32’ and Transpose to 24.
Unlike in e.g. a Minimoog™, the WAVEFORM controls are not rotary switches.
They are continuously variable – from ramp through triangle and sawtooth to
square, followed by narrower pulse waves. For maximum PWM (pulse width
modulation), set the waveform to 8.00 (25% pulse), switch on shape modulation
(see above) for the oscillator and set the SHAPE MOD level to 10.00.
The MIXER panel contains volume controls for each oscillator as well
as for the NOISE generator. Below the NOISE volume knob is a tone
switch: PINK noise contains mostly low frequencies, while WHITE
noise is full-range.
The FEEDBACK knob controls the amount of signal taken from
behind the filter and fed back into the mixer – like the age-old trick of
connecting the extra output on the Minimoog™ back into its audio
input. Relatively low feedback values cause a subtle bass boost,
higher values can create subharmonics or even wild howling noises. A
natural side-effect of higher feedback is lower resonance, so you
might have to compensate for that.
Although the mixer panel is an integral part of the Triple oscillator
module, Feedback is also available for all the other oscillator types, as
an alternative to high pass filtering.
The Noise level as well as the Feedback amount can be modulated –
see the Modifications panel.
UPPER PANELS
DUAL VCO
A slightly simpler model than Triple VCO, but with the advantage of independent (split) pitch control
as well as multiple waveforms within each oscillator...
The two faders to the left both affect the width of pulse waves. PW sets the nominal width from
very narrow through 50% to 100% (silence). The other fader adjusts the depth of pulse width
modulation from the selected source (LFO2 by default), with zero in the centre. The switch below
applies these settings to either VCO1 only or to both oscillators at the same time.
The octave switches (32’ to 2’) and DETUNE knob (oscillators 2 only) determine the oscillator
pitches. Again, DETUNE acts like a 5-turn potentiometer which can also affect the octave range.
The central SYNC button synchronizes VCO2 to VCO1. When switched on, the pitch of VCO2
should be set higher than VCO1 (or at least modulated upwards). Tip: For the maximum ‘sync
sweep’ range, set VCO1 to 32’ and Transpose to 24.
The 4-way switch (1 / BOTH / 2 / SPLIT) specifies pitch modulation targets for a pair of sources
(ENV2 and LFO2 by default). To modulate VCO1 and VCO2 independently, select SPLIT here.
The two vertical rows of buttons select waveforms: Triangle, Saw, Pulse/PWM, Noise (VCO1) and
Sine (VCO 2). Note that selecting multiple waveforms retains the overall volume.
CROSS MOD (cross modulation) is similar to FM 1->2/3 in

the Triple VCO module (see the previous pages). The main
difference here is that the cross-modulation amount can be
modulated directly from within the oscillator panel. In this
example, the amount of cross modulation is being (positively)
controlled from the modulation wheel.
UPPER PANELS
MIX balances the volumes of VCO1 and VCO2. Note: As VCO1 includes a noise generator, it
made sense to allow MIX to be modulated in the Modifications panel (via Noise & Dual VCO Mix).
This means you can use e.g. an envelope or LFO to crossfade between the two VCOs.
SHAPE gives you a choice of three Dual VCO ‘hardware revisions’. Although this switch affects the
sound of all waveforms, it is most noticeable with triangles:
ideal (the sweetest triangle)
analog1 (looks like a sine, sounds more like a triangle)
analog2 (brighter – like ‘ideal’ but with a ‘tooth’)
Note: These are the shapes you get when playing the note C2. Like real analogue oscillators,
however, the waveforms in Diva are not 100% the same at all pitches!
UPPER PANELS
DCO
A single oscillator model (with sub-oscillator and noise), DCO delivers a more complex, brighter
sound than the other analogue types...
The left half of this panel is the same as the Dual VCO but without the switches for VCO2. Cross-
modulation is not possible without that second oscillator, but this lack is tempered by the DCO’s
ability to add perfectly synchronized waveforms together.
The output is the sum of four sources: PULSE, SAWTOOTH, SUBOSCILLATOR (each offering a
choice of different shapes) plus NOISE. Even without noise, the result can be quite complex:
+ + =
In the PULSE and SAWTOOTH selectors, the straight line means silence/off, and the 4th option
from the top (in each case) is the one that reacts to pulse width settings:
⬅︎ these two are the only waveforms that react to pulse width settings
Similarly, the SUB-OSCILLATOR offers six different waveforms, all based on pulse waves. The top
four are all one octave below the main oscillator, the others are both two octaves down.
At the top right of the DCO panel are two faders that control sub-oscillator and noise levels.
UPPER PANELS
DUAL VCO ECO

This one is fairly primitive because it emulates primitive hardware. There is no PWM or FM in the
DUAL VCO ECO model, but as the name suggests it has the lowest CPU-hit.
When switched to RING, the regular VCO2 output is replaced by ring modulation between the
selected VCO1 wave and the VCO2 square wave.
Although the two oscillators can be tuned independently, both TUNE MOD sources (ENV2 and
LFO2 by default) are applied to the overall pitch.
As VCO1 includes noise, its volume can be modulated via Noise & Dual VCO Mix (Modifications
panel / VCO section).
One more thing: the basic shape of the triangle wave is rather interesting...
DUAL VCO ECO triangle wave as seen in Diva’s oscilloscope
UPPER PANELS
DIGITAL
This model emulates a well-loved but unashamedly digital-sounding oscillator (including all the dirt
and aliasing of the original) – plus a few extras:
Multisaw mode is 7 stacked sawtooth waves. DETUNE adjusts tuning spread,

MULTI is the balance between the original wave and the detuned waves.
Multisaw is great for fuzzy dance music sounds or for exceedingly rich pads.
TriWrap is a wrapped triangle wave – positive peaks appear at the bottom of
the wave and negative peaks appear at the top. WRAP adjusts the threshold for
the wrap function, BEND adjusts the horizontal symmetry.
Noise is ‘digital’ white noise with a resonant lowpass filter. TUNE adjusts cutoff,
Q adds resonance (with significant loss of low frequencies).
Feedback is a saw sent through a short delay with feedback, creating tones
similar to an electric guitar. TUNE (the lower one in OSC2!) adjusts the length of
the delay, while FEEDBACK sets the strength of the comb effect (also adding
lots of digital distortion at higher values).
Pulse is a square + pulse mixture. PW adjusts the pulse width while SPIKE UP
first turns the wave into a saw (at 3.00 already), then multiplies the saw for a
complex 'pseudo-sync' effect. SPIKE UP can create some serious aliasing.
Sawtooth is a sawtooth wave plus synchronized sine. HARMONICS adjusts the
level and polarity of the sine wave (set 50.00 for a ‘pure’ sawtooth with no sine
component), BEND continuously shifts the sine up an octave.
Triangle is a triangle plus synchronized sine an octave higher. HARMONICS
adjusts the level of the sine, while BEND adjusts horizontal symmetry. You might
like to watch what happens to the waveform in the ‘scope.
UPPER PANELS
The OCTAVE rotary switch adjusts the pitch of oscillator 1 in octave steps. The TUNE parameter in
oscillator 2 lets you adjust its pitch precisely within a range of +/- 30 semitones (for very fine tuning,
hold down a SHIFT key on your computer keyboard).
The SYNC switch at the bottom of oscillator 2 activates hard-sync (oscillator
2 is synchronized to oscillator 1). To hear the effect, turn up both MIX and
TUNE. Note: In Multisaw mode, sync is only applied to the ‘original’ wave,
and has no effect at all in Noise mode.
The central panel specifies the modulation sources and

amounts for each oscillator. Both oscillators share
common modulation sources (so you can’t modulate the
two pitches independently, for instance).
Example: In this image, the pitch of oscillator 2 is being
negatively modulated by pressure, the second parameter
in oscillator 1 is being positively modulated by KeyFollow,
and the third parameter in oscillator 2 is being positively
modulated by LFO2.
Along the bottom are five more controls:
TUNE MOD lets you modulate the pitch of both oscillators at the same time.
CROSS (cross modulation) adjusts the amount that oscillator 1 frequency-modulates oscillator 2.
RING replaces oscillator 2 output with the result of ring modulation between the two oscillators (like
in the DUAL VCO ECO oscillator model).
MIX adjusts the relative levels of the two oscillators.
HIGH QUALITY reduces aliasing artefacts at the cost of (usually) a bit more CPU…
While we’re on the subject of CPU usage: Please note that automating the Digital oscillator’s
WAVE switches (see previous page) can cause massive spikes and is therefore best avoided.
UPPER PANELS
High-pass Filters / Feedback

While the Triple VCO oscillator includes a mixer, all other oscillator models allow the central panel
to be swapped out. There is a choice of filter feedback or one of three high-pass filter models...
all four feedback / HPF panel options
NO HPF (just feedback)

The same FEEDBACK circuit as the one in the TRIPLE VCO oscillator model. The single knob
controls the amount of signal taken post-filter and fed back into the mixer. Effects range from mild
bass boost to subharmonics / low-frequency howling. To modulate the Feedback level, click on the
MODIFICATIONS tab and look for the FEEDBACK sub-panel.
HPF | POST
Although located to the left of the main filter, this model actually comes after the main filter in the
signal path. It doesn’t affect the tone of the main filter by changing its input levels, but either boosts
the bass (BOOST setting) or removes low frequencies from the already filtered signal.
HPF | PRE
A high-pass filter before the main filter, with continuous frequency control. HPF | PRE can affect
the tone of the main filter by sending it fewer low-frequencies to work with. Use this model e.g. to
tame the output of the DCO oscillator, or to thin out a noise source etc..
HPF | BITE
A complete high pass filter before the main filter, with cutoff modulation and resonance control.
Unlike the similar-looking ECO oscillator, this is actually the most CPU-hungry option – so you can
expect some powerful tonal shaping. Note: The resonance control is called PEAK here.
There are two REV (revision) models, either of which can BITE…
UPPER PANELS
Main Filters
This is where a lot of Diva’s magic happens. The current version offers five main filter models,
each based on a classic hardware filter (or two): Ladder, Cascade, Multimode, Bite and Uhbie...
VCF | LADDER
Classic 24dB per octave ladder filter based on the behaviour of a specific piece of monophonic
hardware (the word on the street is that each unit that left the factory sounded at least slightly
different – the one we borrowed is certainly special).
Either side of the Cutoff and Emphasis (resonance) knobs are three cutoff modulation sources
with bipolar controls: Two user-definable (ENV 2 and LFO 2 by default) plus key-follow (KYBD).
In addition to the original specifications, VCF | LADDER offers bipolar filter-FM from oscillator 1
and a 12dB per octave (2-pole) option.
Note: Emphasis (resonance) and FM amount can be modulated from the Modifications panel.
UPPER PANELS
VCF | CASCADE
A cleaner sounding filter than Ladder, CASCADE offers a very similar set of controls...
Purely in terms of available features, the only difference between Ladder and Cascade is the
Rough/Clean switch. Apart from altering the overall tonal character, it has a noticeable effect on
the amount of resonance at the top end of its range.
Cascade is an all-rounder, and is particularly good for big smooth pads without generating too
much grunge when input signal levels are high.
The 12dB per octave switch (click on the button) removes two of the four poles, resulting in a
brighter sound while still retaining the overall character.
UPPER PANELS
VCF | MULTIMODE
Featuring extra high-pass and band-pass options, the multimode model is based on the filter in yet
another classic polyphonic synthesizer or two...
All controls except the switch in the middle should already be familiar (assuming you have been
reading about the other filter models above).
LP4 is a 4-pole low pass model, LP2 is a brighter 2-pole alternative.
HP is a high-pass (removes low frequencies) and BP a band-pass (removes both high AND low
frequencies i.e. allows only a band of frequencies around the cutoff point to pass through).
UPPER PANELS
VCF | BITE
Although VCF | BITE appears to have no distinguishing features compared to the other models, it
actually sounds very different...
The tone is highly dependent on input signal levels, the selected revision (REV) and the value of
PEAK i.e. resonance. Like the corresponding high-pass module, the lowpass BITE filter is a real
character, able to deliver anything from solid 2-pole to screaming mayhem.
Tip: If you want to hear a lot of resonance (“Peak”), try low oscillator volumes! Even as little as 10%
can be just right.
UPPER PANELS
VCF | UHBIE
Another classic, but a latecomer to Diva: Uhbie, a silky smooth 2-pole state variable filter with
crossfade between three different types (low-pass through notch or bandpass, to high-pass):
Again, most of the controls should already be familiar (they are the same as in other models): We
have Cutoff with two modulation sources/knobs on the left, resonance and key-follow in the middle,
and the amount of FM from oscillator 1 at the bottom right.
The switch and pair of controls at the top right are what make Uhbie special:
BR / BP switches the central position of MIX to either bandreject (notch) or bandpass...
MIX crossfades from lowpass through bandreject / bandpass to highpass. The source selector and
amount knob are used for modulating the mixture, as indicated by the arrow.
UPPER PANELS
Envelopes
The righthand panel comprises two envelopes one above the other, each with its own model
selector. Note that the curves of envelopes within the same hardware synth (i.e. those used for
amplifiers vs those used for filters etc.) often differ. This important but often overlooked detail has
also been carefully modelled in Diva.
ADS
Simplified ADSR with shared decay and release times. The Release stage can be switched off so
that even a long decay will stop as soon as the note is released.
This envelope was modelled on that same “specific piece of monophonic hardware” mentioned
above, but adapted for polyphonic use.
Tip: Before switching RELEASE on in envelope 1, make sure that DECAY is set to a value that is
also a suitable release time.
VEL (velocity) determines how much the envelope level is modulated (scaled) by MIDI velocity.
KYBD (keyboard follow) scales the attack, decay and release times according to the MIDI note
number. This makes the envelope of high notes shorter and low notes longer.
ANALOGUE
ADSR type modelled on the envelope of another famous but unnamed analogue synthesizer...
UPPER PANELS
DIGITAL
Digital ADSR type modelled on a later (and significantly cheaper) successor to the above. The
DIGITAL envelope contains two extra buttons labeled Q and C:
Q (quantize) gives you a slightly steppy sound (think e.g. Alpha Juno, Matrix 1000 envelopes).
C (curve) affects the overall curvature, giving the envelope more of an ‘S’ form…
DIGITAL envelope without C (curve) activated
DIGITAL envelope with C (curve) activated
LOWER PANELS
Lower Panels
LFOs
At the bottom left of all windows except Presets, you will see a pair of low frequency oscillators:
LFO 1 is also used as the direct source of vibrato, and LFO 2 is connected by default to several
parameters in Diva’s other modules (hence the labels in brackets).
The Waveform selector opens a list of all available LFO shapes:
sine ....................typical sine wave
triangle .............typical triangle wave
saw up ..............rising sawtooth
saw down ........falling sawtooth
sqr hi-lo ............square wave that starts positive / high when Phase is at minimum
sqr lo-hi ............square wave that starts negative / low when Phase is at minimum
rand hold..........steppy random wave
rand glide.........smooth random wave
The Restart selector has four options specifying when the LFOs will be restarted:
sync ...................never restarts. LFOs for all notes are in phase unless modulated apart
gate ...................restarts per note at the specified Phase (see below)
single ................similar to sync, but restarts at the next note after all notes are released
random .............restarts at a random phase per note
Phase adjusts where (within its cycle) the LFO waveform will be restarted whenever a note is
played. Ignored when Restart is set to random.
Delay fades the LFO in, with a range from ‘immediate’ to about 20 seconds.
Rate knob offsets LFO speed (negatively or positively) from the Sync value.
Rate Mod controls the amount of rate modulation from a source specified in the neighbouring
selector (none in the above image – try e.g. ModWheel or KeyFollow here).
Polarity: Diva’s LFOs are normally bipolar, but when this switch is enabled, they become unipolar
– the entire waveform is shifted upwards so that only positive values are possible.
Sync is the rate / synchronization mode: 3 absolute times, plus 24 synchronized to song tempo.
Depth Mod controls the amount of LFO level modulation from a source specified in the neigh-
bouring selector (set to ModWheel in the above image). Tip: If the depth modulation source is set
to none, you can use the knob to reduce the overall LFO level.
LOWER PANELS
Effects
At the bottom right of all windows except Presets you will see a pair of stereo effects. The upper
selector specifies the kind of effect, and the square button at the top left is an on/off switch. The
two effects are arranged in series.
Chorus
Type Classic, Dramatic, Ensemble are based on real hardware effects. Ensemble is especially rich
– it can turn a raw VCO into a classic ‘string machine’ sound.
Rate is the modulation speed. Use low values for slow stereo effects.
Depth is the modulation amount. Set to zero (with Classic or Dramatic) for static colouration.
Wet is dry/wet mix. Subtle Chorus can add stereo width without making the sound too “washy”.
Phaser
Type Stoned or Flanged – also based on real hardware effects!

Rate / Beats controls modulation speed. If Sync (synchronize the Phaser’s own LFO to song
tempo) is activated, the value is measured in beats (quarter notes) and the rate becomes slower
as you turn iit up. Example: For one cycle every 3 bars in 4/4 time, set this to 12.00 (3 times 4).
Depth adjusts the modulation amount of the internal LFO. Set very low for subtle coloration.
Center offsets all delay times. Try setting zero Depth and high Feedback, then adjust Centre.
LFO Phase adjusts phase offset, from 0° to 360°.
Feedback effectively controls the amount of resonance.
Wet is the balance between dry and processed signal.
Stereo is a bipolar stereo width control. Note that with the Stoned type, maximum stereo width is
at +/- 25.00 (this is especially obvious if you turn Feedback way up).
LOWER PANELS
Plate (reverb)
PreDelay is a simple delay before the reverb starts. This is especially useful for retaining the
‘closeness’ of the original signal.
Diffusion adds a subtle chaos to the reverb, thus reducing metallic resonances.
Damp causes higher frequencies to fade more quickly than low frequencies. Damping emulates
the ‘warming’ effect of carpets, curtains, wood etc. in a room.
Decay controls the time it takes for the reverb to fade out
Size ranges from tiny bathroom to huge cathedral. Tip: It is well worth experimenting with all
combinations of Decay and Size!
Dry / Wet are separate level controls for the untreated and reverberation signals.
Delay
Left / Center / Right delay times across the stereo field, always relative to host tempo (BPM).
Integer values are exact semiquavers (quarter-beats), and Center defines the Feedback time. This
configuration is unusual – it lets you set a repeat rate without hearing that particular “tap” (simply
turn down Center Vol to zero).
Dry adjusts the level of the unprocessed signal.
Center Vol / Side Vol are separate level controls for the center tap and stereo (L/R) taps.
Wow emulates slow tape wobble, ranging from subtle/spacey to ‘almost seasick’!
Feedback is the regeneration amount. 100.00 will give you an infinite loop if HP is set to minimum
and LP to maximum.
HP / LP are cutoff controls for highpass and lowpass filters within the feedback path. Turn LP down
for typical damping, turn HP up to reduce the bass and mid frequencies.
LOWER PANELS
Rotary
A realistic rotary cabinet i.e. Leslie™ emulation, with tube-like distortion.
Mix is a dry/wet balance control

Out attenuates or boosts the output level (whatever the Mix value)
Stereo controls stereo width (you could call this “microphone separation”)
Balance controls the relative volumes of the horn and bass speakers
Mode (unlabeled) selects Normal, SyncBass or NoBass. In Normal mode, the horn and bass
speakers rotate independently, in SyncBass mode they are phase-locked. NoBass mode switches
the bass speaker off – you might have to reduce Mix a little to bring back the bass
Controller determines which of the available modulation sources (mod wheel, control A, Control B
or Pressure) will be used to modulate the speed
RiseTime adds a variable lag to the selected controller
Slow sets the Slow speed, with a range from about 10 seconds to 0.2 seconds
Fast sets the Fast speed, also with a range from about 10 seconds to 0.2 seconds
Drive is the amount of distortion. Note that distortion is also highly dependent upon the input level
– if there is still too much distortion in the signal when Drive is set to minimum, turn down Volume
in the Amplifier & Pan section, then turn up Out (see above)
LOWER PANELS
The following panels are switched via the ‘radio’ buttons at the bottom of Diva’s window...
MAIN: Tuning
This panel is only visible if either Main or Presets is selected:
Vibrato controls the amount that oscillators are pitch-modulated from LFO1 (remember that LFO
levels also depend on the value of Depth Mod).
Glide sets the basic portamento rate.
Glide2 is a bipolar offset applied to VCO2 (Dual VCOs and Triple VCO) and VCO3 (Triple VCO).
Range is the portamento “strength”, a u-he speciality. Lower values shift the beginning of the slur
closer to the target note, which is great for sloppy intonation effects! GlideMode has two options:
time ........the glide time is constant, however wide the interval between successive notes is
rate .........the glide rate is constant, so wider intervals result in longer glide times
Fine (fine tune) shifts the pitch over a range of +/- 1 semitone
Transpose shifts the pitch in semitone steps over a range of +/- 24 semitones.
Up and Down set the pitch bend ranges independently, from 0 to 24, 36 or 48 semitones.
Microtuning: Diva supports the .tun microtuning format. Hundreds of tables are available online,
most of them free. You should put all your .tun files into the following folder:
Win C:\Users\*YOU*\Documents\u-he\Diva.data\Tunefiles\
Mac Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/u-he/Tunefiles/
After loading a microtuning file, switch it on by clicking the button.
Note: Diva now supports Oddsound MTS-ESP, a system for microtuning multiple plug-ins within a
DAW environment. The freeware ‘Mini’ version is all you need to get started. MTS-ESP can be
overridden by activating Diva’s own microtuning, for instance with the .tun file Default Scale.
LOWER PANELS
MAIN: Amplifier & Pan

This panel is visible when either Main or Presets is selected
VCA selection: either envelope 1 or a simple gate (thus freeing up Env1 for other purposes!)
Volume is a gain control. Positive values can subtly overdrive the amplifier. Vol Mod is for volume
modulation via the selected source ('none' in this image). However, the parameter being modulated
here is actually the output of the filter, so this can affect Feedback. Pan shifts the voice(s) towards
the left/right. Pan Mod modulates stereo position: To pan stacked voices apart, use StackIndex.
MAIN: Voice
This (unlabeled) panel is visible while the Main or Presets tabs are selected:
Mode has five options:

Poly..............normal polyphonic
Mono ...........monophonic, each new note triggers the envelopes
Legato .........monophonic, doesn’t retrigger until a space is left between consecutive notes
Duo ..............duophonic i.e. split voices. Osc 2 follows the highest note, Note Priority is ignored
Poly2 ...........a variant of Poly in which voices in their release stages are stolen before new ones
Note Priority only applies to Mono and Legato modes. The options are:
last ...............plays the most recent note (digitally controlled synthesizers)
lowest ..........plays the lowest note (most classic USA mono-synths)
highest ........plays the highest note (EMS as well as most Japanese mono-synths)
Accuracy is a very important global parameter, as it determines CPU-hit vs realtime audio quality
(especially resonance). See page 6 for details.
Offline Acc determines the accuracy for offline audio rendering, and is also a global parameter.
Voices sets the maximum number (2-16) of voices before note-stealing occurs. Mostly used to
guard against audio glitches while running CPU-intensive presets.
Stack sets the number of unison voices. Use Stack Tuning and/or the StackIndex modulation
source to offset voices against each other. Note that stacking will eat up CPU!
LOWER PANELS
MAIN: Clock & Arpeggiator

This (unlabeled) panel is visible whenever the MAIN or Presets tabs are selected:
Clock
Clock selects a clock interval for the arpeggiator (and perhaps future additional features). Note
that Diva’s clock is always synchronized to host tempo, there are no absolute times.
Multiply scales the clock interval from 0.50 (half as long) to 2.00 (twice as long).
Swing factor, 50% = 2:1 (triplet time), 100% = 3:1 (dotted note / strongest shuffle).
Arpeggiator
Arp switches the arpeggiator on/off.
Sync (Short for ‘Strict Host Sync’) ensures that the arpeggio always aligns with beats while your
sequencer is running, even if you play notes out of time. Disable if you want the arpeggiation to
restart immediately i.e. as soon as you play a single new note.
Mode
played .........in the order the notes were originally played
up .................from lowest to highest
down ............from highest to lowest
up+dn 1 ......normal up & down
up+dn 2 ......up & down, repeating the top and bottom notes
random .......chaotic order
Progression determines when the arpeggio will proceed to the next octave:
serial ............plays all notes, then jumps octaves up (set Octaves to 2 or more)
round ...........same as serial, but also jumps octaves down again (set Octaves to 3 or 4)
leap ..............plays a note, jumps octave up for next note etc. (set Octaves to 2 or more)
repeat ..........like leap, but repeats the same note for all octaves before playing the next one
Octaves (1 to 4) transposes the arpeggio according to the Progression setting (see above). The
current octave is indicated by the vertical row of LEDs.
Restart (none, 4 – 10, 12, 14, 16, 24, 32): This sets the number of notes the arpeggiator will play
before it starts from the beginning again, as indicated by the bottom LED in the row. The idea is to
help keep arpeggios musically ‘in meter’ e.g. 4/4 time. Experiment with Restart = ‘8’ first. Note that
low Restart values can cause the arpeggio to restart before all notes have been played.
Tip: Check the selected Voice Mode, which can make quite a difference to the results. You can get
multiple overlapping releases (poly), single overlapping release (poly2), single retriggering of the
same voice (mono) or a single trigger i.e. no retrigger (legato or duo).
LOWER PANELS
MODIFICATIONS
Many synth enthusiasts like experimenting for hours on end with the more esoteric features of their
chosen instruments. Diva doesn’t disappoint – click on MODIFICATIONS to open this panel:
The upper half includes options that aren’t available in the module panels (for instance resonance
modulation), plus a few that are only available in certain modules. The lower half contains a bunch
of simple modulation processors with input selectors – see below for details.
VCO
FM & Cross Mod Depth lets you modulate the FM amount in the TRIPLE VCO (and perhaps
future oscillator models) from the selected modulation source. Note that this feature mirrors the
extra Cross Mod parameters in the DUAL OSC model.
Noise & Dual VCO Mix lets you modulate the level of Noise (or the oscillator also responsible for
noise) in all oscillator models, from the selected modulation source. For the Triple VCO and DCO
models, this is easy because the noise generator is a separate audio source in both cases. In Dual
VCO and Eco models, however, it modulates VCO1 level because noise is an integral part of
VCO1. In the Dual VCO (not ECO) model, it does this by modulating Mix – great for cross-fading
between the two oscillators. For the sake of consistency, Mix is also modulated in the DIGITAL
model – although both oscillators are capable of generating noise.
FILTER
Resonance Mod lets you modulate Resonance / Emphasis / Peak from the selected modulation
source. There is no equivalent within the main oscillator panels.
Filter FM Mod lets you modulate the amount of filter FM (OSC1) from the selected mod source.
FEEDBACK
Feedback Mod lets you modulate the amount of Feedback from the selected source. This only
applies if the oscillator model is Triple VCO, or Feedback is selected as the central module.
This isn’t a button or knob, but simply a reminder that wherever the (M) symbol appears in
the main panels, the neighbouring parameter is being modulated from within this panel.
LOWER PANELS
Modulation Processors
RECTIFY converts all negative values in a modulation source to positive values
INVERT turns a modulation source upside-down – negative becomes positive, and vice versa
QUANTIZE creates discrete steps – the value is a division factor: the lowest value 2.00 means two
steps if the input is unipolar (e.g. envelope), and four steps if it is bipolar (e.g. LFO)
LAG slows down abrupt changes in the source e.g. makes square waves more rounded
MULTIPLY outputs the product of two modulation sources
ADD outputs the sum of two modulation sources
TRIMMERS
The TRIMMERS panels let you detune voices, add a variable degree of ‘slop’ to cutoff frequencies,
envelope times, pulse width and glide times… and more.
OSCILLATOR VOICE DETUNE lets you detune voices (per oscillator!). Double-click to reset.
LEDs indicate which voices are currently being played. They are arranged in pairs (01/09, 02/10,
03/11, 04/12 etc.)
Voice Map Modulator specifies values for the modulation source VoiceMap. Use VoiceMap for
any offsets you like, e.g. panning, cutoff, resonance.
Note: The Oscillator Voice Detune and the Voice Map Modulator have 8 knobs (per row) for all 16
available voices. Presets with more voices than 8 ‘reuse’ those values.
Detune Amt (amount) is a scaling factor for all the OSCILLATOR VOICE DETUNE knobs. Keep
this low for “good tuning”!
Voice Drift is a slow wavering of the overall pitch. Again, keep values low for “good tuning”
Voices and Stack are the same as those in the Main / Voice panel. They are mainly included here
so you don’t have to switch panels while adjusting STACK TUNE.
VARIANCE applies random offsets (‘slop’) to cutoff, envelope times, pulse widths and glide times.
Similar to OSCILLATOR VOICE DETUNE (see above), but instead of having individual knobs per
voice, each parameter has an associated button which randomizes the 8 values.
LOWER PANELS
LED Colour determines the colour of all indicator lights in Diva. An automatable parameter!
RESET PHASE only works if Transient Mode (see below) is set to osc reset. The 3 knobs set the
phases at which the 3 oscillators will be reset every time a note is played. This feature is
particularly useful for sounds in which the attacks need to be very consistent. Tip: the most
percussive setting is seldom zero – you will need to experiment!
Transient Mode options affect how the first few milliseconds of new voices are handled in all voice
modes except Legato. The effect is seldom obvious, but when attack times are set to minimum, the
choice of transient mode can make all the difference between punchy and clicky.
The analog option means that nothing is reset (like in old analogue synths) – oscillators retain any
direct current (DC) component. With the dc reset option, DC offset is removed. The vcf reset option
also causes the filter to reset, ensuring that previously played notes have no effect on the current
voice. The osc reset option also resets the oscillator phases to the RESET PHASE values.
Bipolar Noise is best left switched on. Included for reasons of compatibility with early presets.
STACK TUNE sets the pitch of each stacked voice within a range of +/- 2 octaves. Set Stack (see
above) to a number other than 1, and use these knobs to create ‘megasaws’ (set all values very
close to 0.00), one-finger chords etc..
SCOPE
Every synth needs an oscilloscope...
Frequency controls horizontal resolution while Scale controls vertical resolution. Note that Diva’s
oscilloscope shows the output signal before any effects.
Scope Context Menu

Right-clicking anywhere within the oscilloscope window lets you switch the drawing style. The
options glow, fire and wind add different fade-out effects at the cost of extra CPU. These modes
are also a bit more sluggish than the CPU-cheaper eco (economy) or fast. If you need to keep
CPU usage down to an absolute minimum, select the eco option.
CONFIGURATION
Configuration
Clicking on the cogwheel icon opens the global configuration pages where you can adjust the
window size and brightness and connect Diva parameters to MIDI continuous controllers.
The 4 buttons are Close [X], MIDI Learn [L], MIDI Table [≣] and Preferences [tools].Tip: Right-click
within the button area to set the currently selected page as default (Set as Default)
MIDI Control
MIDI Learn
The MIDI Learn page is where you can connect MIDI CC to Diva parameters. The CC data can be
generated by knobs or sliders on your hardware controller, or by a track in your host sequencer
etc.. Click on the configuration button and select the ‘L’ MIDI icon:
CONFIGURATION
The MIDI Learn window is a translucent overlay, with MIDI-learnable elements shown as selectable
outlines. Controls that are already connected appear filled (like 3 sliders and a knob in the image).
The outline of the currently active control is highlighted (like the oscillator ‘MIX’ knob in the image).
You can still select MAIN, MODIFICATIONS etc. here, but not the module panels. As ‘Digital‘ has a
very different parameter set than ‘Triple VCO’ (as an extreme example), to MIDI learn everything in
Diva you will need to exit configuration mode and swap the modules out.
Try this: Click on the CUTOFF knob/slider and send Diva some MIDI CC data (move a knob or
slider on your hardware MIDI controller). Then switch to the MIDI Table and check the list…
MIDI Table
Click on the configuration button and select the lower MIDI icon button to open an editable list of all
current MIDI CC assignments.
Parameter
The first field displays/selects one of Diva’s many parameters, which are sorted into sub-menus
according to module. Click on the ‘Add’ button at the bottom left and experiment with this field, then
delete the assignment again by clicking on the [X] to the right of the line you just created.
Here’s an experimental feature… At the very bottom of the Parameter menu are two extra options.
Select Last Clicked Control, enter a Controller number and exit the configuration pages. The most
recently clicked knob or switch will now respond to that CC! The Fine option is similar, but with a
significantly reduced range.
Channel / Controller
The next two fields are for MIDI channel and CC number. Diva is channel-sensitive, you can map
up to 16 channels of controller assignments.
Mode
Specifies the range and/or resolution of values.
normal ....................full range, continuous
integer ....................full range, whole numbers only
fine ..........................0.01 steps between the two integers closest to the current value
The next two options are only useful for adjusting oscillator pitch via a pair of controls:
octaves ..................5 discrete values
semitone ................+/- 6 semitones
See the quick tutorial on the next page…
CONFIGURATION
Mode tutorial: Using two CC for oscillator pitch control
• Load ‘INIT Jupe-6’ from ‘8 TEMPLATES‘ and turn oscillator MIX up to maximum (VCO2 only).
• Click on the configuration button and open the MIDI Learn page. Click on VCO2 octave rotary
switch (note that the DETUNE knob will also be highlighted). Move an unused knob/slider on
your controller hardware, preferably one that that has another unused control next to it (you will
be assigning that one manually).
• Exit the Configuration pages and test the setup so far. The learned control (CC) will sweep both
rotary knobs smoothly through the entire range. Many users will prefer this behaviour.
• Click on the cogwheel and open the MIDI Table. The OSC:Tune2 assignment will appear there.
Set its Mode to octaves instead of normal. The learned control will now only switch the octave.
• Use the [Add] button to create a new assignment. Set Parameter to OSC / Tune2 i.e. the same
as the control that was just learned. Set Controller to the CC sent by that second control, and
the Mode to semitone. Move the newly assigned control to its central position.
• Exit the configuration pages. The first control (CC #03 here) will only affect the octave rotary
switch, while the second control (CC #04 here) smoothly adjusts the semitone offset. Bazinga!
Type
Specifies the type of hardware. By far the most common is Continuous 7-bit.
Encoder 127..................‘relative mode’ endless rotary controls that repeatedly send the CC value
1 when turned in the positive direction, or 127 (interpreted as -1) when
turned in the negative direction
Encoder 64 ....................‘relative mode’ endless rotary controls that repeatedly send the CC value
65 when turned in the positive direction, or 63 when turned in the
negative direction
Continuous 7-bit...........7-bit MIDI CC (standard resolution, most common)
Continuous 14-bit ........14-bit MIDI CC (high resolution, quite rare)
Remove
To remove individual assignments, click on the small [x] to the right of the line. To remove all
assignments, use the Delete All button at the bottom.
Per Instance Control

To the right of the MIDI Table is a small panel containing local (current instance
only) versions of the Control A Default and Control B Default preferences.
Please note that these assignments are saved per instance with the project in
your DAW, not with each preset.
Unlike the equivalent options in the Preferences panel, these fields act just like
rotary controls: To set a different CC either drag up and down or hover over the
field and roll your mouse wheel.
The Set as Default button copies these Control A and Control B settings to the
global Preferences...
CONFIGURATION
Preferences
To open the Preferences window, click on the ‘tools’ icon:
CONFIGURATION
CONTROLS
Mouse Wheel Raster
If the wheel on your mouse is rastered (you can feel notches as you roll), activate this. Each notch
should then increment any parameter in Diva by a ‘sensible’ step.
Scroll Horizontal
Preset folders that contain more files than can be displayed in the window (e.g. ‘2 LEAD’) can be
scrolled pagewise via mousewheel etc.. Opinions differ as to which wheel direction should move to
the bottom of the list, so we made this optional!
APPEARANCE
Default Size
The GUI size for each new instance of Diva. Note that you can temporarily change the GUI size
without entering the Preferences page – right-click in the background.
Default Skin
This option will only appear if Diva finds at least one alternative skin when it loads. Change this to
set the global default.
Gamma
The overall brightness of the Diva GUI (brighter, bright, neutral, dark or darker).
Oscilloscope
This setting (eco, fast, glow, fire or wind) affects the appearance of waves in the oscilloscope. Eco
is the most CPU-friendly, wind the most CPU-intensive.
Text Antialiasing
Normally on. In rare cases, switching this off will improve readability.
Side Panels
The button at the bottom right changes the appearance of the side panels. You can set
one of six different designs separately (!) for each panel (LEFT and RIGHT).
PRESETS
Auto Versioning
If switched on, an index is appended to the preset name and automatically incremented each time
you save it. For instance, saving ‘Space’ three times in a row would give you three files: ‘Space’,
‘Space 2’ and ‘Space 3’.
Save Presets To
Choosing the user folder option causes all saved presets to land in the User folder instead of the
currently selected one.
Scan On Startup
Whether the preset library should be scanned and the database recreated when the first instance
of Diva is started, e.g. when you reopen a project.
CONFIGURATION
OTHERS
Auto-Tag Features
Setting this preference to an option other than never can make tagging presets less of a chore.
The on load option causes Diva to generate appropriate ‘Features’ tags whenever a preset is
loaded, hiding any existing tags. The if empty option is similar but doesn’t hide existing tags. See
the NKS chapter a few pages down.
Note that auto-tagging is temporary. To make the automatically generated ‘Features’ permanent,
you can (mis)use the convert to h2p function in the presets context menu. Exporting to a different
format also writes any generated Features tags into the preset data.
Base Latency
If you are certain that your audio system – hardware as well as software – uses buffers that are a
multiple of 16 samples in size (please refer to the respective documentation), you can safely
disable Diva’s base latency here. Otherwise leave it set to ‘16 samples’ to prevent crackles. Note
that a new Base Latency setting will only take effect when the host allows e.g. on playback or after
switching the sample rate. Reloading Diva will always work.
More about the buffers…

Diva processes audio in chunks of n x 16 samples. This so-called ‘block processing’
method significantly reduces the CPU load and memory usage of all our plug-ins.
If the number of samples to be processed is e.g. 41, Diva processes the first 32 and keeps
the remaining 9 in a small buffer (16 samples is large enough). Those 9 samples are then
processed at the start of the next call… and so on.
The extra buffer is only necessary if either the host or audio driver processes ‘unusual’
buffer sizes. In the many host applications that process buffers of e.g. 64, 128, 256 or 512
samples (multiples of 16), try switching it off so that Diva can process latency-free.
Control A/B Default

The list of modulation sources in previous Diva versions included the fixed MIDI controls Breath
(CC#02) and Xpress (CC#11). While retaining backwards compatibility, we replaced them both with
the user-definable Control A and Control B sources.
MIDI Control Slew

Sets the strength of parameter smoothing for all performance controls – pitch bend, modulation
wheel, Control A/B and Pressure. The default setting is ‘fast’.
MIDI
MIDI Specialities
Multichannel MIDI
This feature supports a growing class of expressive ‘performance’ instruments (e.g. Haken
Continuum, Eigenharp, Roli controllers, Linnstrument) that can send each note on a separate MIDI
channel. For Diva to respond correctly, your host application must be able to route multiple MIDI
channels to a single instance of a plug-in. Each voice/note will then react individually to the
following performance controls:
Pitch bend
Pressure (aftertouch)
Modulation (MIDI CC #01)
Control A (user-definable MIDI CC)
Control B (user-definable MIDI CC)
If multichannel MIDI is received, the voice modes Poly, Mono and Legato are practically identical.
In each case Diva behaves like several (up to 16) mono synths set to the same preset. The Voices
setting still applies, as voices can be ‘stolen’ across multiple channels. Note: The Duo voice mode
is not ‘channel aware’ i.e. all MIDI channels are merged.
CLAP
If you are running Diva in a host that supports CLAP we recommend that you use that format in
preference to VSTi or AUi. The CLAP format includes many advanced features not available in the
older formats, including time stamped parameter changes, Note Expressions, and Parameter
Modulation. Please note that Timbre Expression is permanently mapped to Control A in Diva!
More information is available at the following websites:
https://u-he.com/community/clap/
https://cleveraudio.org
MTS-ESP
Diva supports Oddsound MTS-ESP, a system for microtuning multiple plug-ins within a DAW
environment. The free ‘Mini’ version is all you need to get started. MTS-ESP can be overridden by
activating Diva’s own microtuning, for instance with the .tun file Default Scale.
Polyphonic Aftertouch
As well as the much more common Channel Aftertouch, Diva recognizes and reacts appropriately
to Polyphonic Aftertouch. Both types are combined in Diva’s ‘Pressure’ modulation source.
Unlike channel aftertouch, polyhonic aftertouch acts on notes individually so you can articulate
each note within a chord differently.
Caution: Polyphonic aftertouch can cause very dense MIDI data streams, often dense enough to
choke older computer systems.
TIPS & TRICKS
Tips and Tricks

So bite me!
The BITE models are based on relatively cheap but (as I only recently started to realize) extremely
characterful Japanese hardware – perhaps BITE stands for “Big In The East”?
Let’s take a look at a preset that uses the BITE highpass: Load POLY SYNTH / HS Ecobite Clav
and play that sound for a while. Use your pitchbender.
One thing you might have noticed is that the HPF cutoff has glide while the oscillator pitch doesn’t.
This is because HPF cutoff is modulated by KYBD2 (keyboard follow 2) with Glide2 set to 32.
Go to the Main page and change the HPF to e.g. POST. The sound has lost all its bite (the main
ladder filter has little to do with the character of this preset). Change the HPF back to BITE.
You can make this sound ‘honk’ a bit more by switching the VCF to 12dB mode. Try that...
Still not gritty enough? Select Rotary in Effect 1 and switch it on. Turn Drive up to maximum and
Balance down to minimum.
Bass boost
The BITE highpass can also be used to boost bass frequencies – see 1 BASS / HS Model K12.
Note that much of the actual ‘bite’ in that preset comes from the lowpass ladder filter.
Twin effects
Diva’s two effects are arranged in series, and they offer the same options... which means you can
even use the same type of effect in both slots:
Twin reverb
Load PERCUSSIVE / MK FX Zapper (if it works with sharp percussion, it works with anything!)
Turn Effect 2 Wet up to 50 and Decay to minimum. Compare by switching Effect 2 off and on. Try
adjusting the Size parameter slightly, but leave it somewhere between 15 and 35.
Select Plate in Effect 1 and switch it on. Take Effect 1 Wet to about 15.
Note that the first effect in the signal chain is responsible for the tail and the second is for the early
reflections – a richer sound than the more obvious “early reflections first”, as long as the tail’s
PreDelay is very fast.
Twin rotary
Load TEMPLATES / INIT Alpha
Take envelope 1 Sustain to zero and adjust the
decay until you get your preferred organ-type click
(even 0 works). Turn Sustain back up to 50 and
Release to zero.
Set up the effects to look just like this image.
Rotary1 is responsible for removing some high
frequencies (via Balance) as well as for the
strong distortion (via Drive). Effect 2 is a typical
stereo Rotary – push your modulation wheel up
while performing.
This preset can be improved by adding vibrato, by
using different waves, adding SUB etc..
TIPS & TRICKS
Stereo without effects

Diva’s signal is basically mono (with pan) until processed by the
effects. However, stacked voices can be panned apart – try this:
•Load TEMPLATES / INIT Alpha. Go to the TRIMMERS panel and set
Stack to 2. Turn the second (2) Stack Tune knob up to 4.00 – a major
third interval. Play your keyboard and watch the voice activity LEDs
light up in pairs. Note that you can only play 3-note chords before
voice-stealing occurs. If your system can handle it, set Voices to 16 for
8-note polyphony.
•In the MAIN panel, click on the selector next to Pan Mod and select
StackIndex as source instead of LFO2. Slowly turn the knob to
maximum and hear how this pans the two notes apart.
StackIndex doesn’t have to be used in such a static manner. It could be
multiplied with an LFO: Open the MODIFICATIONS page. In
MULTIPLY select LFO2 and StackIndex. Open the MAIN panel and
replace the Pan Mod source (currently LFO2) with Multiply.
Also try modulating cutoff with Multiply. After a few minor adjustments
your filter and amp panels could look something like the image here…
LFO as ramp generator

If you don’t need both LFOs for cyclic modulation, you can use one of them as a ramp generator
(a simple envelope). It’s all about the LFO’s Delay parameter:
• Load TEMPLATES / INIT Jupe-6 and turn the oscillator MIX up to 50.
• Turn VCO2 pitch modulation (the knob below VCO1 octave range, labelled LFO2) up to exactly
1.00. The pitch of VCO2 now wanders in a drunken stupor around a central pitch. Change the
LFO2 Waveform to sqr hi-lo. VCO2 now jumps a semitone above and below.
• Turn LFO2 Rate down to minimum and set VCO2 detune to exactly -1.00. Everything is now
back in tune. Finally, turn LFO2 Delay to about 20 – yes, it’s all about the Delay parameter!
Of course it would have been easier to use envelope 2, but it’s good to have that envelope free for
cutoff duties. On the other hand, we could have used LFO2 for cutoff and envelope 2 for VCO2
pitch instead. Hmm... that would have been easier (envelopes are unipolar), and perhaps more
interesting (full-spec ADSR instead of ramp)…
Voice map tricks

Looking through the presets in Diva, the Voice Map Modulator isn’t used very often. Perhaps all the
other ‘slop’ parameters are enough to get by, but to surgically ‘detune’ any modulation target you
like over a wide range, you do need those knobs...
Chord inversions
• Load TEMPLATES / INIT Jupe-8 and go to the Trimmers page
• Set the Voice Map Modulator values to -100, 0, 100, 0, -100, 0, 100, 0
• Use VoiceMap to modulate oscillator pitch, amount = 12.00 (or 7.00 if you like Jazz)
• Switch the Effects on, adjust filter settings to taste etc. and play simple triads
Cutoff offset
• Load TEMPLATES / INIT Minipoly, then and change the Voices parameter to 4. Double-click on
Cutoff and turn EMPHASIS up to about 80.
• Replace the second cutoff modulator (currently LFO2) with VoiceMap and turn it up to about 30.
• Adjust the first four Voice Map Modulator knobs to taste while repeatedly playing the same note.
TIPS & TRICKS
Dual oscillator crossfade

Two of the oscillator models in Diva have a balance (MIX) control instead of individual oscillator
levels – DUAL VCO and DIGITAL. In the Modifications page, modulate Noise & Dual VCO Mix to
crossfade between the two oscillators.
Modulation processor tricks

Mastery of the modulation processors in the Modifications page is the key to making seemingly
impossible sounds in Diva, and a fantastic playground for experimentation. A few examples:
Quantize
• Load TEMPLATES / INIT Mongrel-2, turn envelope 1 Sustain up to maximum.
• In the oscillator, turn the lower of the two TUNE MOD knobs up to maximum. You should hear a
cheap “alarm siren” sound caused by LFO2.
• Open the Modifications page and specify LFO2 as input for the QUANTIZE processor. In the
oscillator panel, replace that LFO2 modulation with Quantize. Change the LFO2 Sync to 1/2.
• Specify Quantize as input for the LAG processor, go to the oscillator and replace Quantize with
Lag. Turn the Lag time up to about 22.
• Experiment with different LFO2 waveforms, Sync and Quantize values.
Rectify
Here are a few examples of what you can do with the rectifier – try them out!
• Double the speed of a triangle or sine LFO
• Change a saw LFO into a triangle
• Change a square LFO into a constant (DC)
• Make your pitchbender unipolar
All processors
Load HS All Processors from the Local folder, and open the Modifications page. This preset uses
all of the modulation processors, but it’s still fairly easy follow:
• LFO1 > Lag > feedback modulation
• LFO1 > Lag > Add with Inverted Mod Wheel > cutoff modulation
• LFO2 > Quantize > shape modulation of VCO1, cutoff modulation
• LFO2 > Quantize > Rectify > pitch modulation of VCO1
• LFO2 > Quantize > Multiply with LFO1 > resonance, filter FM
NKS
NKS
Diva supports the Native Instruments NKS extensions format so that it can be integrated into their
software and hardware environments (e.g. Komplete Kontrol, Maschine). For this purpose, Diva’s
factory presets can be optionally installed as tagged .nksf files.
Saving in NKS format (VST2 or VST3 only)

First, right-click the [Save] button and set the target format to nksf. While native, h2p and h2p
extended files are saved in the currently selected preset directory, nksf files are sent to the preset
location used by Komplete Kontrol or Maschine, and do not appear in Diva’s browser. To make
nksf presets visible in Komplete Kontrol, open its preferences and rescan the preset locations.
Batch conversion is also possible: With the target format set to nksf, cmd+click (Mac) or alt+click
(Windows), select all presets you wish to convert. Right-click anywhere within those presets and
select convert to nksf. Note that the original .h2p files will not be affected.
What to do if Diva doesn't show up in Komplete Kontrol / Maschine.

First of all, make sure you have the latest NKS software: That would be Komplete Kontrol V2.8.1 or
Maschine V2.16.1 at the time of writing. These are the minimum requirements for Diva in VST3
format on Apple Silicon (M1/M2).
In Windows, Komplete Kontrol must know the location of the Vstplugins folder containing Diva:
Open Komplete Kontrol preferences, go to Locations, add your Vstplugins directory if necessary,
hit Rescan and check whether Diva appears.
If the NKS preset folder is still empty, please reinstall Diva with the correct VST path and the NKS-
option checked. Here are the preset folder locations:
Mac: Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/u-he/Diva/NKS/Diva/
Win: C:\Users\*YOU*\Documents\u-he\Diva.data\NKS\Diva\
Perhaps the XML-File is missing from this location:
Mac: Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/Native Instruments/Service Center/u-he-Diva.xml
Win: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Native Instruments\Service Center\u-he-Diva.xml
Re-installing with the NKS-option checked should also remedy this issue.
What to do if Komplete Kontrol / Maschine is unable to load Diva

Either Diva wasn't installed as VST2 / VST3, or it wasn’t installed with the correct path. The default
VST path is fixed in MacOSX, but can be set during installation in Windows. It might be best to run
the installer again making sure that you set the correct path and activate both VST options.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Troubleshooting
Intermittent crackling sound?
That’s Diva’s only demo restriction. To purchase a license, go to the Diva webpage, click on the
Add To Cart button next to the price. If you already own a license, click on Diva’s data display and
select “enter serial number”.
File permission problems?

Windows 10 doesn’t like files and folders being moved around after Diva has been installed, so
please specify suitable paths during installation. If you try to set a “Data directory" path in one of
the Program Files areas, please do not ignore the warning!
Our plug-ins can reside anywhere, but the Data directory must have unrestricted read/write access
(for instance, C:\Users\*YOU*\Documents\u-he\ should be fine). The cure for most file permission
problems is to completely uninstall Diva, then follow the above advice while reinstalling.
CPU overload?
Diva is very demanding, especially in ‘divine’ mode. You will need quite a powerful computer. Even
if your system only delivers one or two voices before the CPU starts complaining, there are still a
few things you can do before thinking about upgrading your hardware:
• Lower the Accuracy setting – it really doesn’t have to be ‘divine’ all the time!
• Lower the polyphony and/or switch the Mode (Main panel) to Poly2, then resave the preset.
• Try activating multicore. This is not an adequate replacement for freezing tracks etc., its main
purpose is to let users play one instance of Diva with as many voices as possible. If a project
includes many instances of Diva, please check that as few as possible have multicore enabled.
In certain combinations of hosts, drivers etc., multicore can even cause drop outs and stalls.
• Use Diva purely as a monophonic synth, e.g. by locking the ‘legato’ voice mode. Remember that
many highly treasured classic synths are “only” monophonic!
• Avoid automating the ‘Digital’ oscillator’s WAVE switches, which can cause serious CPU spikes.
Out of tune?
First of all, you have good ears! Diva emulates classic analogue hardware, and many of the
presets (including some of the template files) have been programmed to sound very similar to
wobbly old synthesizers. Some people actually like that...
However, the amount of slop is optional: Go to the Trimmers page and turn down Detune Amt as
well as Voice Drift before saving a sound. Then read all about the Trimmers.
Missing switch automation?

Host automation of several ‘switch’ type parameters in the middle of a track would almost inevitably
cause CPU spikes, crashes, loud noise bursts and other erratic behaviour. So we decided not to
expose these parameters to host automation. Note that you can still MidiLearn the switches.
Other problems?
If you are truly stuck, you can contact us via our support page. You could also help us improve
Diva by sending us a log file: To set this up, create a new text file and name it Diva.log (not
Diva.txt). Once the problem occurs, quit your host application and send a copy of Diva.log to
support@u-he.com together with a short explanation of the problem. Please also state your
operating system and host application. Thanks in advance!
MODULATION SOURCES
Modulation Sources
These are divided into two alphabetically sorted lists. The upper half is for regular MIDI data,
envelopes and LFOs, while the lower half is reserved for the more esoteric stuff…
default A modulation source chosen to suit each target... but often “none”.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Control A User-definable MIDI CC, default is 02 (breath control)
Control B User-definable MIDI CC, default is 11 (expression pedal)
Env1 Envelope 1 (amp envelope)
Env2 Envelope 2 (modulation envelope)
Gate MIDI gate i.e. whenever a note is being played
KeyFollow MIDI note pivoting around E2, including any Glide
KeyFollow2 Ditto, but includes Glide2 offset
LFO1 The vibrato LFO
LFO2 General purpose ‘Mod’ LFO
ModWheel Modulation wheel, MIDI CC #01
PitchWheel MIDI pitch controller (wheel, stick, ribbon... depending on the hardware)
Pressure Channel pressure (mono aftertouch) or key pressure (poly aftertouch)
Velocity MIDI note velocity
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Add Adds two modulation sources together
Alternate Flip-flop between two extreme values per voice.
Invert Inverts the modulation source – negative to positive and vice versa
Lag Slows down all changes in the mod source, e.g. makes square waves round
Multiply Multiplies two mod sources together e.g. LFO2 x modulation wheel
Quantise Creates discrete steps – the value is a division factor (try 2.00, 4.00, 8.00...)
Random A random value per played MIDI note
Rectify Converts any negative values within a modulation source to positive values
StackIndex Voice number (use for e.g. Pan). For detuning, use the Stack Tuning knobs
instead. StackIndex values are evenly spread between +1 and -1
VoiceMap Voice Map Modulator (general-purpose voice offsets – see Trimmers panel)
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
none nothing at all!

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USER GUIDE

U-HE - HECKMANN AUDIO GMBH - BERLIN

Team 2023 (Q3)

The Spirit of Analogue

Zero Delay Feedback Filters (ZDF)

70% - 840 x 469

The ‘Local’ folder

The ‘User’ folder

Directory context menu

Open in Finder / Explorer

Move to Trash / Recycle Bin

Show Folder Icons

Presets context menu

Mark as junk / Show Junk

Select All, Deselect

Copy to User Folder / Duplicate

Show in Finder / Explorer

Convert to native / h2p / h2p extended / nksf

Move to Trash / Recycle Bin

Drag & Drop

Exporting smart folders

Export favourite / junk status

Note for Windows users

Show Preset Info

The Tagging Window

Category Features Character

Tagging via PRESET INFO

Tagging via smart folder

Auto Tag Features

Categories and Subcategories

Here’s a practical tutorial

FM 1->2/3 sets the amount that oscillator 1 frequency-modulates oscillator 2 and

The octave switches (32’ to 2’) and DETUNE (oscillators 2 and 3

CROSS MOD (cross modulation) is similar to FM 1->2/3 in

ideal (the sweetest triangle)

analog1 (looks like a sine, sounds more like a triangle)

analog2 (brighter – like ‘ideal’ but with a ‘tooth’)

DUAL VCO ECO

DUAL VCO ECO triangle wave as seen in Diva’s oscilloscope

Multisaw mode is 7 stacked sawtooth waves. DETUNE adjusts tuning spread,

The central panel specifies the modulation sources and

Along the bottom are five more controls:

High-pass Filters / Feedback

all four feedback / HPF panel options

NO HPF (just feedback)

DIGITAL envelope without C (curve) activated

DIGITAL envelope with C (curve) activated

Type Stoned or Flanged – also based on real hardware effects!

Mix is a dry/wet balance control

MAIN: Amplifier & Pan

Mode has five options:

MAIN: Clock & Arpeggiator

Scope Context Menu

Mode tutorial: Using two CC for oscillator pitch control

Per Instance Control

More about the buffers…

Control A/B Default

MIDI Control Slew

Tips and Tricks