Hardware instrument appreciation thread

[nuffink]

Sigh...I shouldn't get involved...

but what about all the people who insist that hardware mixers/effects are better than software? We can disagree, but is it really that much more controversial than anything we've heard before? I was under the impression that hardware synths offer better-sounding filters than most software ones (or at least without stealing 80% of your CPU), for instance...

You're talking about "most" and "without stealing 80% of your CPU". Our little cadet dev allows for no such caveats, he's an absolutist.
And even if you were one of the truly ignorant who believe that a broken Stylophone sounds better than the accumulated efforts of every software dev on the planet, that wouldn't matter (except that you'd get laughed at) unless you were attempting to punt out your own software.

[bduffy]

So really it's the fact that the statement is dogmatic, coupled with the irony that he's a software vendor (which does seem like possibly not the best move!), that really rumples your feathers?

Funny, I bought his EQ because I thought it sounded quite good; I'm not sure if it matters much to me if he thinks a Virus will always sound better than his EQ...maybe I'm missing something...

[vurt]

Funny, I bought his EQ because I thought it sounded quite good; I'm not sure if it matters much to me if he thinks a Virus will always sound better than his EQ...maybe I'm missing something...

software is shit, here buy my software.
that makes sense?

[bduffy]

Yeah, but he didn't say software is shit, did he? Just that hardware is better.

[Liquidclear]

Well, my software is so cutting edge I don't even need hardware to run it....but I do anyway for that 'old skool' sound and vibe. Kinda like running your Strat (tm) VSTi through a tube amp to warm it up...

[duncanparsons]

I had a JenSx2000. The SX1000 is an italian attempt to rip of a minimoog. It has it's own sound, it was nice and did OK. But, I didn't have that one. The nice folk at Jen decided to try to use the same circuitry, but take away all the knobs and make a synth that was preset based.

It was foul. It had an octave switch, so that it could have a range of 5 octaves. All well and good, but for some reason they elected to also have an octave scaler, so that you could bring the top and bottom closer together like really good piano tuners do. However, those really good piano tuners do that over an 8+ octave keyboard; the sx2000 had a 3 octave keyboard. I could never get the damn thing in tune, the presets were awful, and it never did sound anything like the sounds I'd been able to get out of an SX1000.

Yes hardware can be good, but it can also suck.

But sucking isn't always bad.. A mate had a Poly6. Worked great, until one of the oscillators went awry. It then took on this incredible edgy sound, some of the organ sounds he set up were fantastic, as were the portamentoed leads. Sadly the oscillator finally died, and being an electrical engineer, he took the thing apart and replaced the component. It sounded boring and normal again. He never manged to get anything like the sounds he had been getting again.

Software can be terribly boring and predictable. Now if mkdr can write something that can go wrong in a good way, then he may have a potential customer or two... gauntlet thrown down..

DSP

[james0tucson]

The Steinway C across the street in Holsclaw Hall (hardware instrument) sounds far better than any software piano I've ever heard.

[vurt]

The Steinway C across the street in Holsclaw Hall (hardware instrument) sounds far better than any software piano I've ever heard.

try playing it in your living room

[bduffy]

Software can be terribly boring and predictable. Now if mkdr can write something that can go wrong in a good way, then he may have a potential customer or two... gauntlet thrown down..

He does offer distortion on all EQ bands...

[james0tucson]

The Steinway C across the street in Holsclaw Hall (hardware instrument) sounds far better than any software piano I've ever heard.

try playing it in your living room

Fair enough. I haven't heard a software piano that I like better than the Sohmer 5'9" in my living room, or for that matter, an organ vst that is the equal of the Hammond M-100 there

Now if you'd said "load it in your Volvo and setup for a gig at No Anchovies an hour from now" you'd have a point. OTOH, for that gig I'd take my XP-80, amp rack, mike bag, x- and mic- stands, and one of my wedges. Definitely no computer. Rationale would not be based on what "sounds better" but pure practical considerations of what's simpler to setup and what's less likely to embarrass me as my intoxication level progresses.

[musikmachine]

The Steinway C across the street in Holsclaw Hall (hardware instrument) sounds far better than any software piano I've ever heard.

try playing it in your living room

Yeah, like we all have a spare crane lying around

[justin3am]

all generalizations are better than personal preferance

[Uncle E]

I was under the impression that hardware synths offer better-sounding filters than most software ones (or at least without stealing 80% of your CPU), for instance...

I've been using the Waldorf AFB16 lately and it's amazing how much better the PPG sounds through its analog filters than it does with the native digital filters. OTOH, we've done side-by-side comparisons of the Frantic Filter software against the analog MoogerFooger filter and, on listening alone, they seem to sound identical when run clean. I guess my answer to the poll would thus be "it depends", although I'll submit that the Frantic Filter and Sonalksis are the only two native filters I rate.

[hoffy]

I'd say the FabFilter filters are good, and the bomb factory clone sounds pretty close to my real moogerfooger... There's another filter by a company w/ a stupid name, MYMMN or some shit, and that was really nice too.

Anyway. I think hardware does sound better- If you compare the best hardware to the best software- but there's other reasons why hardware is better too. It looks sexy for starters.

[Chuck E. Jesus]

who would win in a fight between the nerds on Analogue Heaven and the dorks on KVR?


just show a Star Wars marathon and everyone will mellow the f**k out...