AZS Diva Digital Vol.2 is a 200-preset bank for u-he Diva built around the trance sounds of 1995 to 2005, and it's a solid buy at $29.95 if you're already deep in that sound. We were building a melodic trance arrangement and needed a saw lead that sat somewhere between a late-90s Tiësto radio edit and something that wouldn't embarrass itself next to modern production. We loaded Vol.2, typed "lead" into the tag filter, and had three candidates in under two minutes. One had just the right amount of digital gloss. That was the moment we understood what this pack is actually selling: time.
This isn't a pack for everyone. If you don't own Diva, close the tab. If you hate the 95-2005 trance aesthetic, same answer. But if you're chasing that specific era and want a wider creative net than Vol.1 offered, Vol.2 earns its $29.95.
First Impressions: Installing the Pack
Drop the presets into your Diva user library, restart the plugin, and they appear. No authorisation steps. No download manager drama. That part is satisfying.
Browsing the 200 presets blind the first time is a mixed experience. The tagging is there, and it works. But there's no documented category breakdown to orient you before you start, unlike AZS Transitions Vol. 2 for Diva, which ships with clearer folder structure. You'll spend the first session exploring without a map. That's fine if you have time. Annoying if you're on a deadline.
The sounds load fast. Diva's CPU hit is on you, not the presets. First impression overall: clean delivery, slightly unclear filing system.
Getting It Into a Real Workflow
We ran three different sessions with Vol.2 over two weeks. In the first, we were building a retro trance track from scratch. In the second, we were adding elements to a modern progressive arrangement. In the third, we just browsed to stress-test the tagging.
The mod-wheel assignments are where the pack earns real workflow points. Trance automation, specifically filter sweeps and cutoff rides, is built directly into the presets. Load a pad, push the mod-wheel, and the filter opens exactly the way you'd expect. We didn't have to reassign a single macro across the session. That's a genuinely clever design decision.
The 20 MIDI files are a bonus we didn't expect to lean on, but we did. We dragged one into the session, swapped the default sound for a Vol.2 lead, and the basic melodic idea was there in under five minutes. They're short, loopable, and genre-appropriate. Not everyone will use them. We're glad they're included.
The friction point: because Vol.2 is "less restricted to exact emulation" than Vol.1, some presets sit in a fuzzy middle ground. You get sounds that could work in multiple genres, which is fine creatively. But it also means you occasionally browse through three pads looking for the one that feels definitively trance rather than just adjacent to it. For producers who want period accuracy above all else, that ambiguity will frustrate. For producers who want flexible raw material, it's a feature. Know which one you are before you buy.
Check out our review of AZS Collider EDM for Spire if you're also working in broader EDM territory and want a different synth option.
What It's Genuinely Good At
The leads are the best thing in the pack. Full stop.
We layered a Vol.2 supersaw variant under a modern synth sound and the vintage digital character cut through in exactly the right register. The harmonic content felt deliberately placed: bright without being harsh, with a slight midrange presence that helped it sit in a dense mix without needing much EQ surgery.
The pads hold up well. We ran one through a send with a long reverb tail and it didn't collapse into mud the way cheaper preset pads often do. The low-mid information stayed controlled enough that we could keep it wide without it fighting the kick.
Diva itself is doing much of the heavy lifting here, which is honest design. AZS chose a synth that emulates the actual oscillator and filter topologies from the hardware used in 90s trance production. So the "vintage" quality in these presets isn't a stylistic veneer. It's baked into the engine.
200 presets is a reasonable number. Not overwhelming. Not thin. The tagging means you can narrow to a specific type and have a manageable list in seconds. Compare that to browsing a generic preset bank without tagging and the workflow difference is clear.
The Rough Edges
The dependency on Diva 1.4.5 or later is a hard gate. There's no workaround. No lite version. If you're on an older install, update or walk away.
We wish there was a category breakdown document in the download. Vol.1 reportedly ships with presets across nine or more named categories. Vol.2's categorisation is undocumented, which means you're relying entirely on the tag search. That's workable, but a one-page PDF would remove all friction here. It's a small miss.
Community validation is thin. One verified five-star user review exists across the main retailers. That's not nothing, but it's not enough to calibrate against. We can tell you what we heard. We can't tell you what a community of active users collectively worked out about this bank over time, because that data doesn't exist yet.
The CPU load question is a Diva question, not a Vol.2 question. But worth flagging: Diva is a demanding synth. If your machine is already under pressure with your current session, adding multiple Diva instances using these presets will push it further. That's the cost of authentic emulation. Plan your routing around it.
Who This Is Really For
- ✅ Buy if you already own u-he Diva 1.4.5 or later and want a ready-to-go 95-2005 trance palette without spending weeks building patches.
- ✅ Buy if you want trance presets that sit on the line between vintage and modern and can lean either direction depending on your post-processing choices.
- ✅ Buy if you want mod-wheel assignments baked in and a set of MIDI files to shortcut the arrangement stage.
- ❌ Skip if you don't own u-he Diva. This is a Diva-exclusive pack. Nothing here is transferable to another synth.
- ❌ Skip if you want a strictly period-accurate emulation library. Vol.2's broader exploration makes it less precise than some alternatives.
- ❌ Skip if you work primarily in genres outside trance and progressive. The sounds can flex, but they were built for a specific lane.
Specs & Technical Details
| Developer | Resonance Sound |
| Price | $29.95 |
| Plugin Format | Preset bank for u-he Diva (VST3 / AU / AAX via host synth) |
| OS Support | Mac / Windows (via u-he Diva) |
| Activation | None (file-based preset install) |
| CPU Usage | Dependent on u-he Diva (medium to heavy) |
| Trial Available | No |
| Version Reviewed | Vol.2 (requires Diva 1.4.5 or later) |
| Total Files | 220 (200 presets + 20 MIDI files, 12.3 MB) |
Score Breakdown
| Category | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sound Quality | 4.0/5 | Leads and pads are strong; some presets sit in an ambiguous middle ground |
| Value for Money | 4.0/5 | 200 presets plus MIDI files at $29.95 is fair for Diva users |
| Ease of Use | 3.5/5 | Tagging works well; lack of documented category structure adds early friction |
| Features | 3.5/5 | Mod-wheel assignments are clever; no dedicated browser or category PDF |
| CPU Efficiency | 3.5/5 | Diva's engine is the cost here, not the presets themselves |
| Overall | 3.8/5 | A solid, honest pack for trance producers who live in u-he Diva |
Alternatives to Consider
If you want more Diva content from the same developer, AZS Transitions Vol. 2 for Diva is worth comparing directly. It covers different territory within trance but shares the same quality standard.
If you're open to a different synth, AZS Collider EDM for Spire covers adjacent EDM ground using Spire, which is lighter on CPU than Diva. Worth it if your machine is already working hard.
For a different approach to analog-style synthesis presets with a strong genre focus, AZS Visions DSI Pro-2 is where we'd look if you want something that skews more toward hardware character than digital trance aesthetics.
AZS Diva Digital Vol.2 is a focused, well-built preset bank for a specific type of producer. At $29.95, the risk is low. But if you're not already in Diva, it's the wrong starting point. If you are, and 1995-2005 trance is part of your palette, load it up. The leads alone will earn their keep inside the first session.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to own u-he Diva to use AZS Diva Digital Vol.2?
Yes. These are native Diva presets and will only load inside u-he Diva version 1.4.5 or later. There's no standalone version and no compatibility with other synths. If you don't own Diva, this pack won't open.
How does Vol.2 differ from AZS Diva Digital Vol.1?
Vol.1 is tighter in its period emulation, staying close to the exact sounds of the 95-2005 era. Vol.2 opens that up: the presets are designed to sit on the line between vintage and modern, making them more flexible for producers who want the era's character without strict historical accuracy. Vol.1 has 300 presets across nine or more documented categories; Vol.2 ships 200 presets with less documented structure.
What are the MIDI files for and how useful are they?
The 20 MIDI files are short melodic and rhythmic ideas built to complement the preset sounds. They're useful as arrangement starting points: drag one into your DAW, assign a Vol.2 preset, and you've got a basic idea to work from. They won't replace your compositional process, but they reduce the blank-page problem when you're stuck.
Can these presets work outside trance music?
Some of them can. The marketing positions Vol.2 as more broadly applicable than Vol.1, and that's true to a degree. Certain pads and leads will work in progressive house or cinematic contexts. But the pack was built for trance, and that DNA shows throughout. If trance isn't a significant part of your output, you'll get limited return on the full 200 presets.
