How the heck do hardware synths make sense to you?

[faun2500]

Hell yeah, I'd like to join the 'too old' club too. Do we have to be in our fifth decade, or will [very] late fourth do?

5th Decade I'm afraid. Sorry.

[faun2500]

im talking pure analog ,not VA crap

I'm not convinced that the Virus, 8080, JD800, Nord Lead, Radias, Waldorf Q etc etc etc are actually that crap.

No I am not either. The 8080 sound from 1999 (trance!) just gives me goose bumps. Interested in the radius actually but some softsynths are doing these types of sounds very well (massive, sylenth). Still sticking to analog for hardware myself, not a fan of the virus sound either, sounds like software. lol.

[faun2500]

I like real synths over software synths in the same way as I like driving a real car instead of playing Forza.

I mean I like both, but only one of them is actually real

lol, I like Real Ale.

[Sendy]

I prefer software these days, especially for sequencing and tasks that aren't synthesis. I have this Analog Four which is an excellent analog synth AND an excellent sequencing package, but I can't get into the sequencing side of it AT ALL, it just feels like a totally uninspiring way to work.

And to me using a mouse is just as natural as turning a knob, downside being you can't turn more than one knob at a time (without fancy GUI enhancements like the "flying slider" seen in I think Ohm Force products). But I can layer infinite passes of my one mouse turning knobs anyways, so for recorded music, it's a non-issue.

I can see why hardware is better for live gigs, but for creating music out of thin air, nothing beats software for me. And VA is honestly, to me, sounding pretty much the same as analog stuff.

[SODDI]

If I had to do it all over again (and had lots and lots of MONEY), I would probably dump it all for a Wiard or a Buchla and a DAW.

[deastman]

If I had it to do all over again, I'd get a computer loaded full of plugins, a room full of analog synths, and a giant eurorack modular.

Oh, wait, that is what I did!

[damoog]

im talking pure analog ,not VA crap

I'm not convinced that the Virus, 8080, JD800, Nord Lead, Radias, Waldorf Q etc etc etc are actually that crap.

my comment was a little unfair,im quite fond of rolands jp8000/8080 to be honest

however i think that the virus synth is one of the best looking modern synths despite sounding just ok,imo

[lotus2035]

Sound quality.

Soft synths can't make good sound because cpus are still too slow.

Omnisphere

[DevonB]

If I had to do it all over again (and had lots and lots of MONEY), I would probably dump it all for a Wiard or a Buchla and a DAW.

Buchla? Overly expensive. Go Synthesizers.com Tasty stuff and more reasonably priced.



Devon

[justin3am]

360 systems midi patcher is a lifesaver, I bought mine when I started working for the last music store I worked at (2001) and I dont know how I got along without it. The funny thing is this is the store that had all the used gear and was a large chain (Daddy's Junky Music) and when I went into the store I saw the midi patcher in their rack for 40 dollars (it listed for close to ten times that as I recall, 360 systems is not cheap as I found out doing research). I was told and later confirmed it had been in the system for years and no one wanted it. When I started working I found out there you were not allowed to buy used gear as an employee without permission from corporate, when I asked in my first week they couldn't wait to get rid of it and sold it to me for 20 dollars I think...I would not sell it for ten times that.

One nice thing is you can set it up as merger as well and it has program changes for each channel so you can set up to 99 programs with patches. The down side is it doubles your midi cables, but worth it

I have a MOTU MIDI Time Piece A/V and use it the same way. It's an 8x8 USB midi interface with patch bay (split, merge, thru) routing and an internal MIDI clock. I don't know how I would get by without it.

[justin3am]

Buchla? Overly expensive. Go Synthesizers.com Tasty stuff and more reasonably priced.

Devon

Pffff! There aren't even any digital oscillators in dotcom.

Seriously though, comparing Buchla/Wiard modulars to Dotcom/Moog modulars is like comparing a Minimoog to a DX7. One isn't necessarily better than the other but they are very different animals.

[DevonB]

Buchla? Overly expensive. Go Synthesizers.com Tasty stuff and more reasonably priced.

Devon

Pffff! There aren't even any digital oscillators in dotcom.

Seriously though, comparing Buchla/Wiard modulars to Dotcom/Moog modulars is like comparing a Minimoog to a DX7. One isn't necessarily better than the other but they are very different animals.

Yes they are very different; one is crazy expensive, the other not quite as crazy. Honestly, I've used the dotcom stuff (awesome sounding synths, 1/4" jacks that give a solid 'clunk' when you plug in the cables, and they just ooze quality in the build and operation of the components), and I have admittedly not used a Buchla. At those prices, I don't have an inclination to try them either.

Devon

[SODDI]

Buchla? Overly expensive.

When you dream big money, do you dream of a KIA? Or a Bentley?

[DevonB]

Buchla? Overly expensive.

When you dream big money, do you dream of a KIA? Or a Bentley?

I guess I dream more practical, so I have a better chance of achieving the dream. I've pretty much built my own dream studio myself. But point taken of course. I'm never getting a Lambo, but it might be nice to have one one day I suppose.

Devon

[trimph1]

When you all have decided which modules will get used I will have designed my own modules and I will dominate....