Tau Pro/Electron vs Moog Modular V and Vaz Modular

[Improv]

Looking for some feedback. Are there any Tau Pro/Electron users who also own Moog Modular V?

Are there any standard Moog sounds that would be a reason to get MM V when I own Tau Pro and Electron? I've been looking at getting MM V for a while now, but since I got Tau Pro and Electron, there doesn't seem that much difference for those fat analog Moog sounds. Same goes for Vaz Modular: nice fat analog sounds if you don't have Tau Pro/Electron.

Dave, your 64 bit sounds on these vsti's not only go head to head with MM V and VAZ Mod, but your price has them beat by a country kilometre!

Any feedback people? Thanks.

[kevvvvv]

I would never have thought of comparing Tau Pro/Electron with Moog Modular or Vaz modular

Tau Pro has a very edgey sound with lots of bass, lots of personality, and 2xs oversampling quality, which traces back to the TB-303 ... used for 16th or 8th note sequencer patterns mostly.

While Vaz 2010 (haven't played Vaz Modular) has very Arp-like roots (I used to own one), and does a whole lot more 'cos it's got 10 times the amount of knobs.

I'd hardly compare Electron with MM either.

I was playing Electron the other day, and have worked with it on and off for a while. It doesn't sound like MM at all ... more Roland Juno, especially how it squelches.

The only thing I notice that they all have in common is that most synths have some sort of moog repertoire.

On the one occasion I played Arturia's MM I thought it was nice It had a silky edge to it that was quite attractive.

Not enough to buy it as I'm not a VA collector, but still very nice. And Bob Moog does endorse it fairly widely. So get MM if you want Moog.

Maybe this is a good cue for Dave to tell us how his latest polysynth developments are coming on? Or if he's moving away from that already crowded field and developing something else?

[Kriminal]

Ive tried them all.

Vaz is strange, it doesnt sound like anything else, that is to say, you can always teel a Vaz in the mix. Its got a great analogue sound, very deep and thick. One of the best VA sounds ive heard.

MMV....no time for that, waaaaaaaay to big for the screen. Sounds ok, but not impressive. If you like daft wires and fiddling, its for you. If you prefer to write songs, prob not for you.

The Electron...a while since i tried it, so no comments.

Tau Pro: Excellent, but can be very harsh (which i like) If you can be arsed to tweak, it can produce some very good pad and lead sounds, as well as superb basses. One of my favs.

None of them are crap, they all have good sounds, but like Kevvv, i dunno if i'd group them together for comparison.

Personally, if like me you have the Tau Pro (and you have the Electron) i wouldnt bother.

Scot is a good bet for this thread, he is involved with all these babies, he can prob throw some brighter light on the subject.

[Improv]

I would never have thought of comparing Tau Pro/Electron with Moog Modular or Vaz modular

I should have been clearer. I meant in terms of thick, chunky analog sounds. More in terms of role and function than cloning the sound.

Tau Pro has a very edgey sound with lots of bass, lots of personality, and 2xs oversampling quality, which traces back to the TB-303 ... used for 16th or 8th note sequencer patterns mostly.

Edgy? Well maybe to you. I associate edgy with Arp Odesseys etc. Full and punchy is how I would partially
describe the cliche that we think of when we say the Moog sound. Kinda like a .46 low E string on a guitar compared to a .10 high E string. IOW, it has gonads!

While Vaz 2010 (haven't played Vaz Modular) has very Arp-like roots (I used to own one), and does a whole lot more 'cos it's got 10 times the amount of knobs.

I'd agree, the 2010 is a bit different to the Modular.
Wouldn't necessarily agree that just because it has 10x the knobs that it does more. It may have the potential to do more, in the right hands.

I'd hardly compare Electron with MM either.

To each his own. Again in terms of role and function in music.

I was playing Electron the other day, and have worked with it on and off for a while. It doesn't sound like MM at all ... more Roland Juno, especially how it squelches.

Squelches aren't all it does though. Think thick, rich, chunky riffs. When I say it sounds like MM V, I don't mean totally. Juno? A little bit, like 10%!

The only thing I notice that they all have in common is that most synths have some sort of moog repertoire.

Which was central to my point: Electron/Tau Pro have enough of the common Moog sounds plus the rich thickness which others lack. Unless you're a Moog fanatic, I'm wondering if it's worth spending nearly 4x as much for the MM V? Generally speaking, of course.

On the one occasion I played Arturia's MM I thought it was nice It had a silky edge to it that was quite attractive.

Silky? Not to me, silky is like a big smooth string section, IMHO. This is the problem with trying to describe sounds with words to people you've never met and can't see!

Maybe this is a good cue for Dave to tell us how his latest polysynth developments are coming on? Or if he's moving away from that already crowded field and developing something else?

What you said!
Say, Dave, what ARE you planning for the near future?
If it's anything like Tau Pro and Electron, it should be mo' better!

[Improv]

Vaz is strange, it doesnt sound like anything else, that is to say, you can always teel a Vaz in the mix. Its got a great analogue sound, very deep and thick. One of the best VA sounds ive heard.

VAZ Modular does have character, right down to it's black/orange/blue skin. I like the sounds, but find the modules a bit crowded on screen at 1280 x 1024. And this is on 2 x 19" monitors! Vaz 2010 seems to have better visibility, at least for me.

MMV....no time for that, waaaaaaaay to big for the screen. Sounds ok, but not impressive. If you like daft wires and fiddling, its for you. If you prefer to write songs, prob not for you.

It is rather big. When you say not impressive, do you mean in terms of a real Moog Modular? Of course MM V doesn't cost $25,000 or whatever they go for now.

I too thought that the wiring was a bit over the top. I know they were trying to be authentic, but hello! This is a software synth, not hardware and the gui should reflect that and not just mimic the original hardware.

Tau Pro: Excellent, but can be very harsh (which i like) If you can be arsed to tweak, it can produce some very good pad and lead sounds, as well as superb basses. One of my favs.

Harsh with a bite is one of my fav. flavours!
No need to sell the pads/leads/basses, they speak for themselves!

None of them are crap, they all have good sounds, but like Kevvv, i dunno if i'd group them together for comparison.

I know that, I've heard them all. Sound quality is not at question. It's more that I was wondering if it was worth buying a Mercedes for the radio, ya know? MM V is 4x as much (approx.) as Electron, but is it worth it if you have the two synths from Muon?

Personally, if like me you have the Tau Pro (and you have the Electron) i wouldnt bother.

Which is the answer that I was leaning towards, thus this thread.

Scot is a good bet for this thread, he is involved with all these babies, he can prob throw some brighter light on the subject.

Mr. Presets! As usual, Scot's opinion is welcome. However, he has more pressing concerns then my little thread right now, as we know.

[Kriminal]

Vaz is strange, it doesnt sound like anything else, that is to say, you can always teel a Vaz in the mix. Its got a great analogue sound, very deep and thick. One of the best VA sounds ive heard.

VAZ Modular does have character, right down to it's black/orange/blue skin. I like the sounds, but find the modules a bit crowded on screen at 1280 x 1024. And this is on 2 x 19" monitors! Vaz 2010 seems to have better visibility, at least for me.

Thats the prob i have too. I know you can buy the VST version, but if it came just as the engine, without all the peripherals, i'd prob buy it, just for the sound.

And i totally agree bout the MMV, software should not have to be sooo faithfull it spoils the enjoyment. What next, a VSTi that constantly goes out of tune?

[Improv]

(Vaz Modular...)

Thats the prob i have too. I know you can buy the VST version, but if it came just as the engine, without all the peripherals, i'd prob buy it, just for the sound.

And i totally agree bout the MMV, software should not have to be sooo faithfull it spoils the enjoyment. What next, a VSTi that constantly goes out of tune?

Have you looked at the latest VAZ Plus? Far less clutter and a more concise layout.

As for MM V, what were they thinking!!!
I'd probably end up using the abreviated 'performance view most of the time.

As for going out of tune, I recently read that one of the retro-soft synths DID do that. The tuning drifts in and out. That's a bit too authentic for me!

[Muon Software Ltd]

MM V is 4x as much (approx.) as Electron, but is it worth it if you have the two synths from Muon?

To offer my 2 cents - probably. Electron and Tau Pro are a lot of fun, but there are whole species of sounds you can only really breed on a modular. If you are into breeding mad sounds, modular is the way to go and the more flexible the better. Rather than Tassman, VAZ or MM I'd go for Reaktor myself, but then again I'm a synth nerd and it doesn't scare me at all

Cheers
Dave

[geoslake]

Dave, your 64 bit sounds on these vsti's not only go head to head with MM V and VAZ Mod, but your price has them beat by a country kilometre!

What is also great with Muon, is that their plugs are "clean" (regarding registry-and copy protection).
Electron sounds very special to my ears. You can get great pads out of it, but filters are..specials.

Vaz modular is great, and works flawlessly.
Reaktor is great, but i dont like the way it works, i would be affraid my presets/ensembles wouldnt be remembered (and it seems to happens often, see FLstudio board). Also, copy protection is borring.
I wouldnt go Arturia's moog. It sounds ok, and gui is great, but its not that great.
Imho VAZ mod is the best, but it lacks good (and more) patches.

[Improv]

MM V is 4x as much (approx.) as Electron, but is it worth it if you have the two synths from Muon?

To offer my 2 cents - probably. Electron and Tau Pro are a lot of fun, but there are whole species of sounds you can only really breed on a modular. If you are into breeding mad sounds, modular is the way to go and the more flexible the better. Rather than Tassman, VAZ or MM I'd go for Reaktor myself, but then again I'm a synth nerd and it doesn't scare me at all

Interesting, thanks for being honest and not just giving a marketing speak:" Buy Muon, it's all you ever need!" Some people would, ya know?

I'm sure there are different sounds on the MMV, I was talking in generalities as to the function and overall sound. I think we'd all agree that Tau Pro, Electron, Vaz, and MM V have 'fat/thick/analog/heavy/' type sounds.

I agree about modulars. I have Tassman 3 and looked at the Reaktor 4 demo. Technically it's brilliant, but the sounds left me cold. Also looked at Infinity, VAZ Modular and MM V. I'm more of an occassional sound mangler and can't quite justify the price of VAZ Modular. Plus the interface is crowded. What caught my attention about VAZ synths was their thick unique sound. Many of those sounds are available in the cheaper VAZ Plus model.

As much as I love building synths in Tassman, I'd rather be playing music!

[Improv]

What is also great with Muon, is that their plugs are "clean" (regarding registry-and copy protection).
Electron sounds very special to my ears. You can get great pads out of it, but filters are..specials.

And the controls are very positive: when you turn a knob, something actually happens!

Reaktor is great, but i dont like the way it works, i would be afraid my presets/ensembles wouldnt be remembered (and it seems to happens often, see FLstudio board).

I use Cubase SX and Chainer, so that would not be a problem here. But I do see your point.

Also, copy protection is borring.

Some companies will never learn. They develop more and more elaborate and cumbersome copy protection; meanwhile the pirates develop more and more sophisticated cracking techniques. It only inconveniences honest users.

[Alex@PA]

Its got a great analogue sound, very deep and thick. One of the best VA sounds ive heard.

I'd agree with you on this one about Vaz 2010/Plus2

The only other VSTi that I would say this a bout is the V-Station....njow that is phat.

[LBN]

Some companies will never learn. They develop more and more elaborate and cumbersome copy protection; meanwhile the pirates develop more and more sophisticated cracking techniques. It only inconveniences honest users.

Not to mention that it also potentially limits the life of the product. Let's face it, some of these software developers may not be around in a few years (nature of the business). What do you do when there is no longer a website at which to active your VSTi and you want to move it to a new computer? I know I'm still using software that is 5+ years old.

Hardware keys are a little more functional (install on any machine and just plug your key in) but again they can be limited by technology upgrades. Who knows how long USB may be around? We're already seeing "legacy-free" motherboards that make parallel port dongles obsolete.

Where does the madness end?

[pough]

Where does the madness end?

You're from Texas. It'll end up in a shootout. The guy upstairs with the whores will die first, falling through the rickety bannister. That's my prediction.

[valley]

You'd think people'd have learnt that bannisters, whores and shootouts are an unhealthy combination.