What hardware synthesizer's have been cloned to near 100%

[crimsontider]

I realize that many find this topic nauseating, but I thought I would ask anyway . What hardware synths or Drum Machines have been emulated with replication surpassing 95%?. In my opinion only digital hardware synths are possible and most often a license is needed for things such as PCM data.

I can only identify three.

1. Korg's Wavestation
2. Korg M1
3. V-Station from Novastation.

I have compared the above to their Hardware counterpart and found them indistinguishable.

Other that are close but no cigar

Waldorf PPG Wave - Sounds weak
FM8/FM7 - Operator generator chip issues, no license?

All responses appreciated, even flames

[nuffink]

I realize that many find this topic nauseating, but I thought I would ask anyway . What hardware synths or Drum Machines have been emulated with replication surpassing 95%?. In my opinion only digital hardware synths are possible and most often a license is needed for things such as PCM data.

I can only identify three.

1. Korg's Wavestation
2. Korg M1
3. V-Station from Novastation.

I have compared the above to their Hardware counterpart and found them indistinguishable.

Other that are close but no cigar

Waldorf PPG Wave - Sounds weak
FM8/FM7 - Operator generator chip issues, no license?

All responses appreciated, even flames

Surpassing 95% eh? I suppose that counts out Pro-53 which has been tested by MIRA to have an accuracy of 92.34%.

So close. Just another few percents and it could have led to so much more convincing electronic noises in all those f**king awesome tracne choons. I was just saying to a mate the other day, while stroking his beard at the local disco-teque, "Gervaise" I said, "Gervaise. If only that softsynth were slightly more authentic I'd be stroking your beard on the dance floor".

Happy days indeed.

[Ingonator]

I realize that many find this topic nauseating, but I thought I would ask anyway . What hardware synths or Drum Machines have been emulated with replication surpassing 95%?. In my opinion only digital hardware synths are possible and most often a license is needed for things such as PCM data.

I can only identify three.

1. Korg's Wavestation
2. Korg M1
3. V-Station from Novastation.

I have compared the above to their Hardware counterpart and found them indistinguishable.

Other that are close but no cigar

Waldorf PPG Wave - Sounds weak
FM8/FM7 - Operator generator chip issues, no license?

All responses appreciated, even flames

Hello,

i have a Korg Wavestation EX keyboard and the software. If you speak about pure digital sounding patches both are identical. Analog style patches are MUCH better on the real Wavestation, they can sound really fat. The sound of the software is thin in this type of sounds.
Good example : Synth Brass sounds can sound almost analog at the real one but thin with the software. To say it in numbers : Analog style patches have only 50 % with the software but around 95 % with the real one.

From the M1 i only have the software so i can not compare it.

[Compyfox]

I realize that many find this topic nauseating, but I thought I would ask anyway . What hardware synths or Drum Machines have been emulated with replication surpassing 95%?. In my opinion only digital hardware synths are possible and most often a license is needed for things such as PCM data.

There can't be 100% acourate "emulation" in Bits and Bytes, unless the software is the exact same as the hardware. Like Waldorf Attack (which was first before the hardware came out) or Novation Key Station (which the V-Station is the exact software form of it).

Since this topic pops up over and over, I only point towards my signature.

[DevonB]

i have a Korg Wavestation EX keyboard and the software. If you speak about pure digital sounding patches both are identical. Analog style patches are MUCH better on the real Wavestation, they can sound really fat. The sound of the software is thin in this type of sounds. Good example : Synth Brass sounds can sound almost analog at the real one but thin with the software.

Can you post audio examples? I think the analog emulations on both sound like ass. I used to own a Wavestation WS for years. Really glad I sold it when I did.

Devon

[crimsontider]

Analog style patches are MUCH better on the real Wavestation, they can sound really fat. The sound of the software is thin in this type of sounds. Good example : Synth Brass sounds can sound almost analog at the real one but thin with the software.

I never noticed that, but I believe you. Korg used the original samples, wave sequences and presets.

[nuffink]

Hardware heads I feel your pain. For instance 1":10' into their seminal "The Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)" there's a kind of WHeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssss noise which could only have come from a genuine 100% original analog synth of some kind. You can tell it's original and not a rebuild because you can't get the proper tantalum capacitors now and new models sound more like WHeeeheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssss.

As for an emulation, that'd ruin the song completely.

[crimsontider]

Since this topic pops up over and over, I only point towards my signature.

I actually checked your site out yesterday from another thread. I am familiar with all the software emulations that you have listed, some are close, others are not. How did you discriminate?

[nuffink]

Since this topic pops up over and over, I only point towards my signature.

I actually checked your site out yesterday from another thread. I am familiar with all the software emulations that you have listed, some are close, others are not. How did you discriminate?

Heh! you could do us all a favour. Since you're familiar with all the software emulations, how about you give us a list of how authentic they are?

C'mon! It's brilliant!

Moog Modular - Arturia Moog Modular V (Rating 82.29% authentic)

Compyfox you could update your site with this authenticity rating and when the topic comes up again we'd have an authoritative answer.

[Ingonator]

i have a Korg Wavestation EX keyboard and the software. If you speak about pure digital sounding patches both are identical. Analog style patches are MUCH better on the real Wavestation, they can sound really fat. The sound of the software is thin in this type of sounds. Good example : Synth Brass sounds can sound almost analog at the real one but thin with the software.

Can you post audio examples? I think the analog emulations on both sound like ass. I used to own a Wavestation WS for years. Really glad I sold it when I did.

Devon

The sound of the Wavestation depends very much on which patches you use. I have many many soundbanks (free and commercial) for it and there are many nice analog style patches, especially synth brass or synth strings. The Wavestation EX has a patch called "ProphetHorn" in the factory bank (Nr. 35). One of the best synth horns i've heard so far. Or do you know the lead sound from Genesis' "Living Forever" ?. That's the WS factory patch "Mini Lead".

Anyway i mostly use the Wavestation for what it is made for : evolving pads which use vector synthesis or wavesequencing. It's nearly impossible to compare this synth to any other one. For analog sounds i mostly use a Virus TI or softsynths.

[nuffink]

The sound of the Wavestation depends very much on which patches you use.

Who'd have thought it?

[Compyfox]

Well... I do not discriminate, I simply asked the developers or knew which were licensed products. As you can see, it's not only for "acourate" emulations, it's also listing alternatives.

If you understood the system of my page, the top section of the block are your best "go-to's", while the middle section is hardware based (not counting the Creamware Hardware Standalone products here) and the third sections are your best go-to alternatives.

I got a lot of critism regarding my choices, but you simply can't list anything. And a 08/15 SynthEdit emulation is not necessarily the "best" emulation that's out there, even if some people claim it is.

You have to find a middleway. Like I said... nothing can be ported to 100%, not even 95%, I'd say for analog hardware it's 80% at most, since you don't have the slight nouances of faulty hardware, or "warming circuity" in these plguins, which change the sound the longer the device is running.

This list is not intended as the "ultimate holy grail", it's just a quick guideline for those who ask themselves "can I get a VSTi of my old hardware"? Haven't updated this list since early 2007 anyway.

Compyfox you could update your site with this authenticity rating and when the topic comes up again we'd have an authoritative answer.

I guess I feel the sarcasm floating around in here. But sorry, won't do that. Since this "authenticity rating" is based upon personal opinion. Which was also the reason I was critisized, since some people insisted on that I set my own rules and I declared what's an emulation and what not.

But you can't do it right for anybody - I'm happy with what this list is. It's just a tiny bit outdated.

[Lotuzia]

none

[crimsontider]

The sound of the Wavestation depends very much on which patches you use.

Who'd have thought it?

Hope that you are amusing yourself. You seem to think that I am asking and being overly judgmental about Analog emulations, I'm not. I was inquiring about exact digital emulations, similar to the Korg Wavestation. So the only one insulting is you.

[crimsontider]

Well... I do not discriminate, I simply asked the developers or knew which were licensed products.

Great site by the way. I surfed around for nearly half an hour.