indistinguishable from hardware ??

[Ingonator]

i want my tracks to sound analog,fat and warm and not digital cold,lifeless...

Your best bet is an analog synth ... if that's not an option check out Poly-Ana and impOSCAR. Also, Bazille by uhe sounds great, and is free while still in beta.

I agree with those. Besides that you could check Xils Lab Synthix, WayOutWare TimewARP 2600, Sonigen Modular or Sonicprojects OP-X Pro II. I also like the filters in Synthmaster 2.5, especially with the filter drive. Of all those Synthix seems to sound most analog to me.

Anyway for really fat and warm Monophonic sounds after trying lot of softsynths i finally got a Moog Slim Phatty rack recently.


Ingo

[Richard_Synapse]

If you could blindfold someone and have them play the same two synths, I believe that more people would pick the hardware synth over a virtual synth run through a good audio/computer system with a midi keyboard. Even though it is very small, latency would play a role.

I doubt that, but I dont think it matters. This test would only apply to a small subset of hardware to begin with. It would exclude all digital hardware, as well as all MIDI-controlled analog hardware (e.g. rackmount versions). This is because MIDI will add considerable latency on its own.

Richard

[izonin]

This is a perfect example of a cheap software imitation. The digital doesn't get even close to the open, bold, musical sound of the analog synth. It's all in the filters.

[randyandyvandaman]

If you could blindfold someone and have them play the same two synths

In a recent Sound on Sound article on the new Jupiter-80 the reviewer who actually did a blindfold test against the Jupiter 8 and the string and brass patches were identical. However that;s where the comparison/similarity ended because the Jupiter- 80 can sound like anything in between and beyond.

Now why would you need to blindfold someone if all they had to do was listen.

He would of felt the difference in a 76 weighted keyboard against a 61 key light weight.

I can tell the difference between a moog and its emulation and I dont even own one especially with the cut off and resonance or lfo and Fx and its all in the artifacts and aliasing.

Cheers

[stimresp]

If I could but either an OB-x or OP-x pro I would go for the software every time. Far more flexible, much cheaper, stable, saves space, patch memories, multiple instances, easy to clean and maintain . I think the sound is very close.

I've also had a few analogues and I would agree that there is a something special about playing them, but when buried in a mix, 99% of people couldn't care less if bassline was analogue, digital, sampled or farted, as long as it serves it's purpose.

[ariston]

I've also had a few analogues and I would agree that there is a something special about playing them, but when buried in a mix, 99% of people couldn't care less if bassline was analogue, digital, sampled or farted, as long as it serves it's purpose.

Yeah, but what about sitting around all day, fastidiously comparing samples of "real" and "fake" analogue sounds? What about that nice, warm (analogue?) feeling of superiority you get when you can say "these bass lines were played by a real Minimoog"? What about the street cred? Not to mention starting threads on KVR, and witnessing folks get all angry and pouty about whether or not the filter sweep is authentically gnarly?

Now where's the fun in that? You're not seriously claiming that making music is more worthwhile than these noble pursuits?

[izonin]

I've also had a few analogues and I would agree that there is a something special about playing them, but when buried in a mix, 99% of people couldn't care less if bassline was analogue, digital, sampled or farted, as long as it serves it's purpose.

A great sounding synth is what inspires you to play great basslines. If you're just fooling around with cheap software, your lines will be as boring as the emulation.

[layzer]

To me, software synths only sound as good as the hardware devices processing them ie; a crappy onboard software codec based audio device is not gonna have the same dynamic range and clairity of a pro hardware card. and your recordings
of hardware synths using codec based audio device won't sound as good either.

so, get pro hardware gear if you are serious about your music.

my opinion anyway.

[stimresp]

A great sounding synth is what inspires you to play great basslines. If you're just fooling around with cheap software, your lines will be as boring as the emulation.

I love the emphasis on 'cheap'. There are plenty of great-sounding software synths - some of them free (gasp!).

But it's not my job to convince you - If you have the money to fill your house with analogues then I say go for it! I'll continue to fritter-away my dosh on booze and women.

[izonin]

A great sounding synth is what inspires you to play great basslines. If you're just fooling around with cheap software, your lines will be as boring as the emulation.

I love the emphasis on 'cheap'. There are plenty of great-sounding software synths - some of them free (gasp!).

But it's not my job to convince you - If you have the money to fill your house with analogues then I say go for it! I'll continue to fritter-away my dosh on booze and women.

If you're not a pro musician, then you obviously don't need pro gear.

[ariston]

A great sounding synth is what inspires you to play great basslines. If you're just fooling around with cheap software, your lines will be as boring as the emulation.

I love the emphasis on 'cheap'. There are plenty of great-sounding software synths - some of them free (gasp!).

But it's not my job to convince you - If you have the money to fill your house with analogues then I say go for it! I'll continue to fritter-away my dosh on booze and women.

If you're not a pro musician, then you obviously don't need pro gear.

Spoken like a real pro.

[Urs]

What if, one day, a virtual analogue synth came out that simply sounds better than its analogue counterparts? It still wouldn't sound the same then... just maybe more snappy, more crunchy, more meaty and maybe less noisy.

[Examigan]

This is a perfect example of a cheap software imitation. The digital doesn't get even close to the open, bold, musical sound of the analog synth. It's all in the filters.

I disagree...have you seen/heard this video? He speaks Japanese but you get the idea:

[izonin]

What if, one day, a virtual analogue synth came out that simply sounds better than its analogue counterparts? It still wouldn't sound the same then... just maybe more snappy, more crunchy, more meaty and maybe less noisy.

It could be done in hardware. Look at Fractal Audio Axe FX. It simply kills software like Amplitube, Guitar Rig, GTR3.

[hakey]

Sonigen Modular

Really? Indistinguishable from hardware - what's the hardware?