There are so many 2-3 osc subtractive analog VSTi's out there (must be easy, right?... just kidding), I wonder why no one has coded up a VST version of the beloved Oberheim Matrix-6/1000 (yes, to some of us they are beloved) that can import the billions of sysex patches out there for those synths. Yeah, it's possible to recreate most of those patches in other VSTi's, but it would be way nicer to load up all those patches we've been collecting over the years in one quick sysex dump. If it can be done for the DX7, why not the Matrix-6?

Sorry, more thinking out loud.

How about instead of another virtual analog copy of old hardware, let's see a whole new kind of synth that takes advantage of the power of digital CPUs?

That depends. It'd have to sound very very close to the original to make me want one seeing as how you can pick up either for around $2-300.

If NI made it, it'd probably cost around that. I dunno. Personally I'd like to see some more exotic synths modeled. The Yamaha CS-80 would be amazing. To get a real one and maintain it is prohibitively expensive as it is.

How about a some old digital monsters like the con brio or fairlight. ohhh yeah.... I can here the VIGER Star Trek the Motion Picture sounds eminating from my studio as I type....

Yeah, I don't think I would want to fork over $300 to NI for a
M-1000 copy. But it couldn't be too hard for them to tweak one of the subtractive Reaktor synths and sell it as a separate package for $100. There are lots of great analog models (Electron, JXSynth, etc) that go for less.

eti - I don't think I made my point very well. I figure, as long as people are churning out subtractive synths, why not check the venerable Matrix-1000 off the list so I (we) can put the old hardware away for good. Completely selfish of me, of course.

In a perfect world, it would be nice to have a VST clone of every synth ever made so we can ditch all the hardware and have it all in the computer (ok, my perfect world).

You are absolutely right, though - the analog clones are getting tired. I just love those Matrix-6 sounds so much...

Something that has Virus like sound possibilities would be great. I imagine that getting the basic architecture together is one step and setting the parameter values that make it a really expressive instrument is another. It seems that achieving a really "meaty" electro-snappy sounding raw analog waveform (a plain saw for example) makes most of the difference in the overall tone because everything is built off of that. Bad digital saws, in some cases sound less tight or well defined and sort of buzzy when compared to an old Moog. Also, with the virus, much of the character may depend on the internal Fx. There's a Quadrasid-eque oscillator in some of the lead patches that most other synths don't seem to have, etc.