Diva Vs. Real Analog

[spaceman]

Eventually it all gets run through AD converters, so anything we do in that sense is analogue really. It doesn't matter how the sound was created(calculated) in between.

In my opinion, the approximations achieved by good software is as analogue as anything else. To my ears at least, and judging by blind hearing tests, to many others' ears as well. Not to mention to mathematics.

The difference is imagined.

[Gonga]

There is still a very distinct difference with regard to VCA attack envelope. Diva's Roland section has an attack that's so good I can't distinguish it from my Roland SH. But the mini is another story. Nobody has nailed the mini attack yet, especially among 95% of the VAs. Even ACE, for example, has a very wimpy attack envelope.

It may not matter to most people, but the difference is very much real.

[Aroused by JarJar]

DCAM Synth Squad. End of argument.

DCAM supports my point that when analog emultion is taken seriously, it sounds damn good.

So now we have a handful of synths, out of thousands, which I would seriously consider as having truly virtual analog features.

(Not talking about the plethora of synths that sound great without pretending to be emulations or virtual analog, of course.)

Out of these handful, I can of only ACE and Cypher which have "analog" characteristics which are distinctly "not the usual suspects" sounding.

[Aroused by JarJar]

The idea that softsynths are emulating "analog" is actually not accurate. It's an illusion drummed up by ad-speak. Very little of the wide variety of analog sound is attempted in software.

but the sounds are still analogue emulations, so it is accurate, just not the variety you like/want, and you seem to be in a minority there

not that i care, just pointing it out

What I said was:

"Very little of the wide variety of analog sound is attempted in software"

In order to demonstrate that this incorrect, simply point me to the hundreds of synths which are emulating/simulating (in a serious manner- a bunch of samples in SE doesn't count) analog sounds beyond the handful of usual suspects. Pony up, home-krim!

[zerocrossing]

What is really attempted is a a handful of analog flavors principally as heard on recordings. (And that's really a footnote to stunning GUIs of course)

That whole heavy-but-bland Moog thing, the sonic mashed potatoes and gravy of magnificently side-burned dorks of yore, has been in demand, and so it is done. It has been done very well for a long time, and now it's pretty much nailed. You can tell it is nailed because those saying it is not are starting to grasp at straws for stuff that can't be emulated in blind tests.

First of all, it's in "demand" because it has an almost universal appeal. Hail to our synthesis forefathers for creating instruments that are enduring. Humans just respond to some types of sounds. Struck drums, plucked strings, the human voice... it's in our DNA. So you tend to hear more of one thing than stranger sounds, though I've always gravitated to the more strange... I still want a fat moogy bass line. Gotta keep it real.

Also, FM8 doesn't sound as good as my cheap DX200. Both are digital, but I can clearly hear a difference. So... yeah.

[spaceman]

Also, FM8 doesn't sound as good as my cheap DX200. Both are digital, but I can clearly hear a difference. So... yeah.

It's must be sound bouncing of the plastic.

[Kriminal]

The idea that softsynths are emulating "analog" is actually not accurate. It's an illusion drummed up by ad-speak. Very little of the wide variety of analog sound is attempted in software.

but the sounds are still analogue emulations, so it is accurate, just not the variety you like/want, and you seem to be in a minority there

not that i care, just pointing it out

What I said was:

"Very little of the wide variety of analog sound is attempted in software"

In order to demonstrate that this incorrect, simply point me to the hundreds of synths which are emulating/simulating (in a serious manner- a bunch of samples in SE doesn't count) analog sounds beyond the handful of usual suspects. Pony up, home-krim!

i never said there were hundreds, i said VA's are still emulating sounds of analogue synths, but not the type of sounds you like.

just cos you dont like those sounds, doesnt make them less VA

[AdmiralQuality]

Jupiter8:
...
The black stuff that protects the sliders was all turned into a black powder inside this synth. My mom helped me doing new ones that made from leather. It's better than the originals. If Roland ever remakes this synth, I can lend my mom to be their designer.

Ah, the incredible degrading black foam rubber. How many products have been ruined by the planned obsolescence of its use? I recently just noticed my 10 year old Sony MDR-D600 headphones were getting crackly. When I took off the ear pads, what did I see but degraded black foam rubber protecting the grille holes, that had all turned to dust, but not before perfect little die-cut circles of foam had dropped through all the holes into the cavity with the diaphragm. After blowing all the black dust out and picking out the round foam disks with a pin they're back to sounding fine.

My first synth, a Realistic/Moog Concertmate MG-1 had a black foam dust protector underneath the front panel. Took it apart when it was nearing 20 years old and the foam had turned to a sticky black sludge, having to be cleaned off everything and out of all the sliders that it was literally gumming up. (By the way, I think felt would probably be a more appropriate material here than either the original foam, or leather.)

A friend had a black rubber toy gorilla from the 70s on his shelf. We picked it up a few years ago to notice that it was literally melting, turning back into the petroleum it came from.

This is why we will never use black foam rubber in any of our software!

[whyterabbyt]

This is why we will never use black foam rubber in any of our software!

what colour of foam rubber do you use, then?

[AdmiralQuality]

This is why we will never use black foam rubber in any of our software!

what colour of foam rubber do you use, then?

Seafoam.

[Aroused by JarJar]

What is really attempted is a a handful of analog flavors principally as heard on recordings. (And that's really a footnote to stunning GUIs of course)

That whole heavy-but-bland Moog thing, the sonic mashed potatoes and gravy of magnificently side-burned dorks of yore, has been in demand, and so it is done. It has been done very well for a long time, and now it's pretty much nailed. You can tell it is nailed because those saying it is not are starting to grasp at straws for stuff that can't be emulated in blind tests.

First of all, it's in "demand" because it has an almost universal appeal. Hail to our synthesis forefathers for creating instruments that are enduring. Humans just respond to some types of sounds. Struck drums, plucked strings, the human voice... it's in our DNA. So you tend to hear more of one thing than stranger sounds, though I've always gravitated to the more strange... I still want a fat moogy bass line. Gotta keep it real.

Also, FM8 doesn't sound as good as my cheap DX200. Both are digital, but I can clearly hear a difference. So... yeah.

The human voice? Which human voice? Sinatra? Jenkins? VoiceS, man, voiceS.

Different voices.

[Aroused by JarJar]

The idea that softsynths are emulating "analog" is actually not accurate. It's an illusion drummed up by ad-speak. Very little of the wide variety of analog sound is attempted in software.

but the sounds are still analogue emulations, so it is accurate, just not the variety you like/want, and you seem to be in a minority there

not that i care, just pointing it out

What I said was:

"Very little of the wide variety of analog sound is attempted in software"

In order to demonstrate that this incorrect, simply point me to the hundreds of synths which are emulating/simulating (in a serious manner- a bunch of samples in SE doesn't count) analog sounds beyond the handful of usual suspects. Pony up, home-krim!

i never said there were hundreds, i said VA's are still emulating sounds of analogue synths, but not the type of sounds you like.

just cos you dont like those sounds, doesnt make them less VA

You're missing the point. The original claim was that softsynths were emulating "analog" (generic).

The claim was not "the vast majority of VA softsynths do a nominal job at emulating a very small number of particular analog synths".

There is a huge difference. If the effort that goes into circuit emulation of Diva or DCAM went into many synths, and the emulations were of a wide variety of analog circuits, what I say would be simply wrong. As things stands, I am simply describing the situation.

[spaceman]

Is anyone emulating OnePingOnly?

[Kriminal]

Is anyone emulating OnePingOnly?

i think a compnay called OneSaleOnly had a go, but it wasnt successful

[Kriminal]

You're missing the point. The original claim was that softsynths were emulating "analog" (generic).

no, you're missing the point, they DO emulate analogue.