Diva Vs. Real Analog

[samsam]

hardware synths are very much like a Lamborghini.

Very few people can afford more than one.

Agreed. I bought my Countach and then decided 'enough is enough' and I moved onto buying Ferraris.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

Countach

such a dirty sounding word

[samsam]

Countach

such a dirty sounding word

Yup

[2ZrgE]

That is why I would never be able to replace some of my hardware with software, because no software exists (nor does it seem likely to be practical any time soon) that could be considered even similar, let alone close enough that I couldn't tell the difference.

The point that is always lost in these arguments is that I would never be able to replace some of my softsynths because no hardware exists (nor does it seem likely to be practical any time soon) that could be considered even similar, let alone close enough that I couldn't tell the difference.

The real point is that people who claim to be able "to tell the difference" never have to prove their claims in a real double blind situation.

(And if they do they fail...)

[Lotuzia]

Lets see..

On your computer ....... you can essentially have as many Minimoog, Jupiter-8, Juno, etc polyphonic style synthesizers as your CPU can handle.

IRL you can probably only afford to buy 1 Minimoog Model D..which only plays one note at a time and needs to be tuned on a regular basis. Or one jupiter-8 etc etc

Best to just have the closest thing you can which is xxxx, and honestly i don't think a majority of mainstream listeners will even care or notice if you used a VA or not.

Each to their own though.

Probably true, but completely useless argument.

So ? A majority of *mainstream listeners* won't care either if you use a Fender or a Gibson or a Takamine.

Does that mean that for the musician/composer it doesnt make a difference to use this or that guitar ? This or that piano or EP ? This or that synthesizer ? Obviously the music will BE different, because the sound will be different, and your playing experience will be different. It does matter if you choose a Model D, or a VCS3, and it does matter if you use the real thing, or their software counterparts. Both have pros and cons. And in the end the track content will not be the same.

It's not about *better* or *worse*, like the other guy who shamelessly declares that *soft synths sound better*, it's about difference and what suits one more.

It's about the pleasure of making music with the instruments you choose, cherrish, and like. It's about freedom, art, music and difference. As it has always been.

Since when the goal of making music has been that the *mainstrem listener* would care to identify the instruments used ... I'm afraid the answer is ... never

[Elektronisch]

hardware synths are very much like a Lamborghini.

This is such an inadequate comparison, its actually stupid.

Lamborgini is ireplacable by any car, because of specs, and the LOOKS. The looks are one of the most important factor why people buy those expensive cars, to show of they can afford, because those cars look cool, not because they can take you from point A to B. You cant just say on old Lada or new Porche, "oh look it looks nice, totaly similar like Lamborgini".

...while most of people buy synths because of the sound it produces.

[2ZrgE]

Since when the goal of making music has been that the *mainstrem listener* would care to identify the instruments used ... I'm afraid the answer is ... never

Exactly.

And why *mainstream listener*?

Personally I really don't care if some *producer listener* spots synths or even presets in my music.

Like with this Youtube channel "I spotted that famous preset" and stuff. Seriously, who cares if Lady Gaga uses a Sylenth preset in this or that track? Does it make those envy driven *amateur producers* feel better if they can catch someone else using a preset and/or a hundred dollar common soft synth? Because those lazy people have the nerve not to craft every preset, every sound on the sweat of their brows with real analog gear? Obviously it does.

For me my art is not a competition, I use almost only soft synths and a lot of presets in my music, sometimes even unchanged (why should I wasting time and program a Moog style bass on my own if I can choose between hundreds of Moog style presets anyway? Because I have too much time?)

I don't produce music for analog gear snobs, soft synth haters and smart-arse preset spotters.

[Lotuzia]

to 22rgE : Your quote is a bit surprising though

[DJ Warmonger]

I don't produce music for analog gear snobs, soft synth haters and smart-arse preset spotters.

You got the point. You can produce great music with anything you want. Listeners only care about the final outcome.

Reminds me of a discussion about "real" and "unreal" DJs, but that is another topic .

[2ZrgE]

to 22rgE : Your quote is a bit surprising though

Sorry, I fixed that. Not that I am a shameless preset user, I also cannot operate modern forum software...

[aciddose]

I like how the conversation always devolves to this point. I think though that what is more important is what the artist feels about their tools.

In that light I think that disparaging the opinion of others is not productive.

This "I'm fully happy with software and don't need to know anything about my other options" and "what really matters is if listeners could tell, which they can't" sounds very defensive.

You don't need to defend your opinion. I think we can all respect if someone prefers the old-school plugins from over a decade ago to create their own individual work. I think we can all respect that work as the expression of an artist without disparaging that work.

[Tonberry]

Ok, so in the spirit of not killing each other today:

hardware synths are like Lamborghinis, software synth are like Ferraris.

Both beautiful and capable of taking our ears from point A to point B.

[2ZrgE]

Ferraris are for people with good taste, Lambos...well..SCR.

[2ZrgE]

I like how the conversation always devolves to this point. I think though that what is more important is what the artist feels about their tools.

In that light I think that disparaging the opinion of others is not productive.

If only the gear heads wouldn't be that snotty...(not saying every one, but a lot from what I read here and on Gearsluts...)

[IncarnateX]

These discussions seem a little dated now that we can have cheap analog gear. If you want analogue sound, stick to hardware, everything else is a wannabee. If you want the best emulation and otherwise don't give a f**k about analogue magic, stick to DIVA or whatever. You gotta ask the question: Do I need 45 plug-ins or should I save the money for a new Prophet or maybe a Volca Studio? Your choice, your pleasure. There are enough gear for all needs.