Have you sold your Hardware synths and regretted it

[zerocrossing]

The only synths I've kept are two rack-mount units that cannot (yet) be found in a quality vst: Roland JV-2080...

You're kidding right?

In some way I can see his point, plugins don't do the bread and butter rompler thing all that well and certainly if you're trying to replace a specific rompler with a software version of it such that it is compatible with all the sounds.

But this:

Yamaha TX-802 FM synth

What? What does it do that FM8 doesn't do? Be specific because I have one and I want to compare them side by side. I would say that the TX-802 is a synth that I regret NOT selling when it still had some value.

Exactly right on the JV.

The TX-802 has dynamic balls that FM8 does not have. It also can do an awesome high-frequency transient that FM8 cannot. The Jazz Guitar patch (one of Jan Hammer's staples) cannot be done well in any current vst.

Ok, thanks for the response. The high frequency transient I can potentially see, but I'm trying to understand what would hamper the dynamics of software, per se. But, I'll put them side by side. I really like FM synths, but, I've never really used them for more classic sounds, other than to noodle about.

If you can think of any other bog standard patches that really highlight the difference that would be great. I'll side by side, at least, the TX802, the SY77, FM8, and the Nord G1. BTW: If you don't know, the G1 and G2 both have a six voice sine wave oscillator bank specifically built for doing FM sounds. I believe that internally they had written a patch converter but I'm not sure that they ever released it.

Several have been written by others, including this one:

https://github.com/msg/g2ools

There are quite a few discussions about this, not everyone agrees that you can't replace a DX with either FM8 or the Nord G1, but, then again, there's often a lot of misinformation in these threads, both at the other site and here. A gem in this thread is that both the M12 and P5 have CEM chips but they don't sound the same, indeed! Don't get me wrong, the antecedent is true, but it's a bit like saying both corvettes and chevettes have chevy engines, but they don't drive the same. At any rate, on to the links:

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/electron ... -fm-2.html

I wish that the TX802 vs FM8 audio comparisons were still up, people were surprised that they thought that the hardware sounded better but it turned out to be the software.

Some more discussions, zerocrossing is all over these

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/electron ... tions.html

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/electron ... dware.html

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/electron ... ality.html

I'm not sure whether I regret not selling the SY77. I picked it up super cheap so that I could use micro tuning to pretend to be Richard D. James, but I haven't been able to cure some sticky keyboard issues and so it's been in the closet forever. I even purchased a new display for it. I guess it's coming out of the closet today, heh!

I'm not sure what my stance on those threads was. I do know that I've been proven wrong before but my current take is that my DX200 seems to have a bit more... "body" than FM8, but I don't think FM8 is the best sounding plug-in FM synth either. I'd put Octopus and Toxic Biohazard over it in a heartbeat. FM8... like most NI products tends to sound a bit... perfect and plasticy? Even Massive, when it's set up to be as gnarly as hell, seems to have this quality. I'm not saying NI stuff is bad, it just has that... NI sound. Yamaha hardware seems to have a more imperfect and interesting character to me. Could totally be my imagination though. I do remember Livingsounds (I think) posted some a/b where the difference was pretty obvious. One thing that's great about FM8 is it's interface. If you could use it to directly program a DX... that would be awesome.

Of course, I got the DX200 mostly because it had knobs, which we all know are FUN.

[kelldammit]

Regret's a strong word.
Sometimes, I do miss the sound and the keybed of my old k2000s (strangely, i'd sold it not long after this thread was originally born, after keeping it around for 8 years or so).
I do not miss dealing with outboard stuff in general.
For as much as i loved it, and despite the sentimental value, I'm not sure i'd buy another. At this point, it's pretty old hardware, and it's pretty likely that not long after i got it, i'd have to start getting stuff repaired. :/

What is funny is how when i had it (pre-vsti days for a while, and even after vsti's came along), it was the "portable" way to work on music away from home, or in bed or whatnot. The old desktop and 21" trini weren't so easy to move around, and laptops were way underpowered and overpriced at the time It was just amazing that i could sequence pretty much anywhere. For quite some time after I had a daw, i didn't use it for sequencing anyway, so it was a pretty ideal situation.

These days, the thought of lugging a 61 keyboard around isn't exactly the height of portability. The laptop and babyface move around a bit more easily, and i have a much wider palette to draw from with vsti's...as well as the ability to do audio edits, or anything else project-wide, not just midi sequencing.
Times sure have changed.

[cryophonik]

I almost did something regrettable this week, but managed to resist my impulse. A few weeks ago, I decided that I wanted to replace my Virus TI2 keyboard with a controller and a Virus Snow, since I really don't need as much processing power as the TI2, and because I've been finding it a bit un-ergonomic to work with (difficult to see the labels for the knobs/switches from my sitting position). So, I bought myself a Novation SL MkII 61. Then, while I was looking for a good deal on a Snow, I found a no-brainer deal on a TI1 desktop that's in perfect condition and was about the same price as the cheapest Snows I was finding, so I snatched it up in a heartbeat. I packed up the TI2 and was ready to post it on eBay, but then thought better of it. I decided to just sit it aside for a week while I used the Novation/TI1 desktop setup, but I just can't get used to it. The Novation's keys (Fatar) are pretty nice, but they're not the same quality as the Fatar keybed in my TI2. Also, it's no more ergonomic than my TI2. So, I'm glad that I didn't act too impulsively. Now, I've just got to convince myself (and my wife) that I don't need to keep both Viruses.

[kmonkey]

I totally regret selling my Roland D550 and Yamaha RS7000. Been lurking for some mint ones currently..

I kinda miss Roland jv1080 as well..

[ghettosynth]

I totally regret selling my Roland D550 and Yamaha RS7000. Been lurking for some mint ones currently..

I kinda miss Roland jv1080 as well..

See, I've been regretting not selling my RS7000s for that long stretch where they were fetching about $600. Now they seem to fetch about $300 give or take, oh well.

They are nice for just "pasting" together bits to jam with. I really wish Yamaha had put a bit more effort into the non-drum sounds though.

[Lotuzia]

My Cs-70M.

Sold it for a erf ..... DIGITAL SYNTH :tripleshame:

[fragmentated]

I almost did something regrettable this week, but managed to resist my impulse. A few weeks ago, I decided that I wanted to replace my Virus TI2 keyboard with a controller and a Virus Snow, since I really don't need as much processing power as the TI2, and because I've been finding it a bit un-ergonomic to work with (difficult to see the labels for the knobs/switches from my sitting position). So, I bought myself a Novation SL MkII 61. Then, while I was looking for a good deal on a Snow, I found a no-brainer deal on a TI1 desktop that's in perfect condition and was about the same price as the cheapest Snows I was finding, so I snatched it up in a heartbeat. I packed up the TI2 and was ready to post it on eBay, but then thought better of it. I decided to just sit it aside for a week while I used the Novation/TI1 desktop setup, but I just can't get used to it. The Novation's keys (Fatar) are pretty nice, but they're not the same quality as the Fatar keybed in my TI2. Also, it's no more ergonomic than my TI2. So, I'm glad that I didn't act too impulsively. Now, I've just got to convince myself (and my wife) that I don't need to keep both Viruses.

The Virus has one of the best feeling key beds I've played (for the 61 key versions - Polar has a different bed). I remember before I bought my Virus Ti KB I was using a Novation SL61. I thought the key bed on it was fantastic until I bought my Ti. I've thought about selling several times and am glad it never worked out. Every time I turn it on it brings a smile to my face and it also makes an incredible controller/master KB.

[kmonkey]

I totally regret selling my Roland D550 and Yamaha RS7000. Been lurking for some mint ones currently..

I kinda miss Roland jv1080 as well..

See, I've been regretting not selling my RS7000s for that long stretch where they were fetching about $600. Now they seem to fetch about $300 give or take, oh well.

They are nice for just "pasting" together bits to jam with. I really wish Yamaha had put a bit more effort into the non-drum sounds though.

Seriously i've created parts in it as complex and as simple as in any other software sequencer. RS7000 is very similar to Ableton clip in that regard. With the looped clips with different timing it does the same thing for me. Pattern chain, song mode, everything is there. I miss on hand experience and drums are nice. But the main thing is sequencer - for me..


PMing you..

[jacqueslacouth]

gone

[cryophonik]

Haven't seen an FS1R on Ebay in a long time…pure FM heaven.

...with a UI from hell.

[Shy]

My Cs-70M.

Sold it for a erf ..... DIGITAL SYNTH :tripleshame:

Holy shit...

[5Lives]

Agree on the Virus having a great keybed. I too was thinking of selling my TI 2 Polar for a Snow and just using a Novation SL MK2, but I don't think I'm going to do it. Even if I don't use the knobs much, just having them there at my fingertips is an amazing thing with the Polar. Plus, it is nice and compact, makes for a great MIDI controller, and looks really nice I had a TI2 Desktop before, but the workflow with it was never as great as the Polar (though with enough desk space you wouldn't have this problem).

[pser]

I haven't sold anything yet, but I do regret buying the Yamaha A3000 back in 97, it was expensive and I haven't been using it since eh 97... It cost me $2500 which I regret a lot since I could have bought other equipment which I would have been using