Hardware vs software synths take infinity : topic initial focus Andromeda A6

[V0RT3X]

So nobody prefers the hardware over the software?

I prefer my hardware and my software to yours, because my choice of gear is reflective of my absolute f**king genius and insight, and yours is reflective of ignorance, insanity, moral corruption and antibiotic-resistant syphilis.

So there.

[zerocrossing]

So nobody prefers the hardware over the software?

I prefer my hardware and my software to yours, because my choice of gear is reflective of my absolute f**king genius and insight, and yours is reflective of ignorance, insanity, moral corruption and antibiotic-resistant syphilis.

So there.

I wish I could have put it so concisely!

[zerocrossing]

I really didn't start it to upset anyone, not even remotely, but a lot here seem to think it's a stupid topic.

A Vs D is no more stupid than topics from any other area of life - in that it usually ends up being discussions about personal preference, and how some want to tell others why they're right and you're wrong. Those who complain may as well shut down anywhere on the internet where humans can input text.

But, if such things didn't raise reasonable questions, a lot of plugins wouldn't exist

What's discussed ultimately isn't so much about differences either, as the crossover between the physical (analogue) world, and the virtual, and the blur of the boundary. The debates arrived earlier with audio since it mainly involves the one (hearing) sense.

It takes the physical world to enable the virtual, and the virtual must be transformed back to the physical to be experienced. So maybe, in amongst all that, you might find ways where the two can happily co-exist.

Well said. I think my posts often get misinterpreted as being hardware elitist. My only beef is with those who declare that there is no difference. I don't care which you prefer, but I think it's important one be clear on the differences. For instance, in the V Collection thread there are people who've stated that basically there's no aliasing or any real sonic difference between say the Prophet V and a Prophet 5. That's b.s. Saying you prefer using Prophet V because you like the character and extra functionality is perfectly rational.

[V0RT3X]

As far as aliasing goes, I happen to use plugins such as the PPG where it is part of the 'sound' so my opinion is biased. Then again i make noisy types of music so..

I was looking at Bluecat FreqAnalyst the other day to detect aliasing. I think in plenty i cases i can't actually hear it, so it might be worth investing in something like that.

[deastman]

can i buy it please if all the voices work?

No, and there is a small issue with one voice.

15 voices is fine, confused why you wouldn't be interested in off loading it if you don't use it at all. But anyway, i hope you at least do get some use of it someday.

He's probably a gearslut.

It's enough to have it. You don't have to use it.

Bingo.

No, the truth is that my life pretty much sucks right now and I barely have time to keep up with downloading software updates. I rarely get to do anything productive. I'm trying to change that, and I hope the A6 sees more use soon. That is one synth I hope I'll never have to sell!

[andrelafosse]

(I hope you don't mind me plugging your music. I'm a big fan.

Good HEAVENS, no! You're very kind. (Plus, it's getting hard out here for a pimp... and it ain't so easy for the hookers, either.)

Why not sure Amplitube? Or even an AxeFX or Kemper. I'm just busting your chops a bit because I know that you have a very keen appreciation for quality instruments.

I LOVE Amplitube. Record with it all the time (it's all over both of the 2012 releases I did), and use it to practice with at home so I don't piss off my cat and neighbors. I might be inclined to gig with it if I had a laptop. Love to try a Kemper, as well. Both a Kemper and a laptop are totally out of my budget right now, though, so it's the tube combo amp when I gig or record with a live band.

Please say, "It's the same to me" or "It's good enough for me."

But it seems to me that this goes without saying, anyway, no? Very, very little in music making actually comes down to JUST a decision about sound.

You know, there have been a handful of times I played some really boutique guitars through some really upscale amps (at the NAMM show, at various stores, etc.) and I can STILL remember those moments. Spine-tinglingly good. But there's all sorts of reasons why I don't plan to spend $3,000 or more on a single guitar and/or amp - many of them financial, some of them practical and logistical.

Here's an anecdote that kind of sums up my feelings about all of this: last year, the band I play with got to record with a fabulous engineer in his home studio. He's got Grammy nominations, has a super-impressive resume, yadda yadda. During some down time, I was picking his brain about tech geekery, and asking him many of these same kinds of questions.

At one point, he pointed to one of his racks of hardware. "You know, I have a hardware LA-2A over there. It sounds REALLY GOOD!" Then he pointed to his computer screen. "I also have an LA-2A plug-in emulation in there. It sounds... REALLY GOOD. Is there a difference between the sound of the two of them? Probably. Is there a difference in sound between two different hardware LA-2As? Definitely. Some people get really preoccupied with these sorts of distinctions, but I can't worry about that - I have albums to make."

[wwjd]

I planned on never selling my A6 also. The less than intuitaive control ranges, and overall complexity made it sit around way too much. I did take the time to learn all the programming and had it down, just did not SEEM to enjoy it. I wanted to get used by someone who could appreciate all it could do, so I sold it. No regrets

[pdxindy]

It's interesting to me that at one point I was 100% ITB and I would have totally thought "hardware elitist"' but now I an probably thought of as that. One thing I did was start what might have been seen as a trollish thread where I threw down the gauntlet and challenged someone to prove to me that there was an advantage to analog hardware. Someone did and I'm glad I was open enough to take their advice.

Indeed... analog hardware still has something digital doesn't... it is also sonically limited in ways digital isn't. They seem quite complimentary to me. But yes, I agree with you. It is not always easy to tell which is digital and which is analog when listening to online demos, but put a synth in my hands and it is easy to tell.

I think Bazille is one of the best synths ever made... hardware or software. It is not trying to sound like a MiniMoog. It sounds like itself. It has an aliveness similar to analog, but a digital tone. I love that combination!

I also find the Analog Rytm to be special. Nothing I have tried in software comes close.

[exmatproton]

It's interesting to me that at one point I was 100% ITB and I would have totally thought "hardware elitist"' but now I an probably thought of as that. One thing I did was start what might have been seen as a trollish thread where I threw down the gauntlet and challenged someone to prove to me that there was an advantage to analog hardware. Someone did and I'm glad I was open enough to take their advice.

Indeed... analog hardware still has something digital doesn't... it is also sonically limited in ways digital isn't. They seem quite complimentary to me. But yes, I agree with you. It is not always easy to tell which is digital and which is analog when listening to online demos, but put a synth in my hands and it is easy to tell.

I think Bazille is one of the best synths ever made... hardware or software. It is not trying to sound like a MiniMoog. It sounds like itself. It has an aliveness similar to analog, but a digital tone. I love that combination!

I also find the Analog Rytm to be special. Nothing I have tried in software comes close.

+1 on Bazille. Amazing synth. Huge in capabilities and sound!

[pdxindy]

Actually the best part for me has been learning them inside out. I never really did that with my softsynths. There was always another new one around the corner that would make 'that type of sound', so there was never any reason to learn how to coax a range of sounds from a single source. That's what hardware has done for me and I'm loving every minute of it. These real things seem to possess a value to me.. a magic.. that no virtual instrument ever has..

But that's just me...

I love learning my softsynths inside out. That is why I keep the number I have to a relative minimum. And what you are describing with hardware, is my experience with software synths. For me, it was quite a few of my hardware synths that I never dug as deeply into because they were so painful with the menu diving, clumsy preset saving etc.

[fluffy_little_something]

Maybe it's more of a psychological thing. Seeing that massive synth in front of you, even flashing like a Christmas tree, probably hooked up to great speakers, leaves another impression even before it makes its first sound.
Maybe it would help to play a great synth plugin via a super fancy PC that also looks the part, you know, steroidal

[sazb30]

Yep, my Pro 2 certainly flashes like a Christmas tree, and I accept that I may be under the spell of the bling effect (!) but it sure is fun (and gorgeous!)

[zerocrossing]

(I hope you don't mind me plugging your music. I'm a big fan.

Good HEAVENS, no! You're very kind. (Plus, it's getting hard out here for a pimp... and it ain't so easy for the hookers, either.)

Why not sure Amplitube? Or even an AxeFX or Kemper. I'm just busting your chops a bit because I know that you have a very keen appreciation for quality instruments.

I LOVE Amplitube. Record with it all the time (it's all over both of the 2012 releases I did), and use it to practice with at home so I don't piss off my cat and neighbors. I might be inclined to gig with it if I had a laptop. Love to try a Kemper, as well. Both a Kemper and a laptop are totally out of my budget right now, though, so it's the tube combo amp when I gig or record with a live band.

Please say, "It's the same to me" or "It's good enough for me."

But it seems to me that this goes without saying, anyway, no? Very, very little in music making actually comes down to JUST a decision about sound.

You know, there have been a handful of times I played some really boutique guitars through some really upscale amps (at the NAMM show, at various stores, etc.) and I can STILL remember those moments. Spine-tinglingly good. But there's all sorts of reasons why I don't plan to spend $3,000 or more on a single guitar and/or amp - many of them financial, some of them practical and logistical.

Here's an anecdote that kind of sums up my feelings about all of this: last year, the band I play with got to record with a fabulous engineer in his home studio. He's got Grammy nominations, has a super-impressive resume, yadda yadda. During some down time, I was picking his brain about tech geekery, and asking him many of these same kinds of questions.

At one point, he pointed to one of his racks of hardware. "You know, I have a hardware LA-2A over there. It sounds REALLY GOOD!" Then he pointed to his computer screen. "I also have an LA-2A plug-in emulation in there. It sounds... REALLY GOOD. Is there a difference between the sound of the two of them? Probably. Is there a difference in sound between two different hardware LA-2As? Definitely. Some people get really preoccupied with these sorts of distinctions, but I can't worry about that - I have albums to make."

True, it is easy to go into "zen and the art of motorcycle maintenence land" in many respects and it is best to avoid it, but sometimes... something calls to you. It's like when you're in some bar and you can't help go down to the basement to find someone's left Luke Skywalker's lightsaber hanging around there. Awesome flea market find, I must say.

The Andromeda has always been one of my Holy Grail synths. I almost bit on one awhile back but it would have meant getting rid of some favorite instruments to fund and having all my money tied up in a synth that can't always be serviced was too frightening to me. I was fine for a long time using software for polyphonic sounds, but I kept hearing Prophet 6 and OB-6 demos that got to me in a similar way the Andromeda got to TheoM.

Here's an exercise. I threw this playlist up in a few minutes just now. Put it on and have a listen in random mode on a good system and try not to look at what is what until you've gotten into each track a bit and see if it changes your ideas in any way.

https://soundcloud.com/zerocrossing-1/s ... -prophet-6

I could really tell a difference even buried in Soundcloud codec. It's way more clear in person.

[zerocrossing]

Maybe it's more of a psychological thing. Seeing that massive synth in front of you, even flashing like a Christmas tree, probably hooked up to great speakers, leaves another impression even before it makes its first sound.
Maybe it would help to play a great synth plugin via a super fancy PC that also looks the part, you know, steroidal

Not for me. Two of my favorite synths barely have a light on them and while I like my 1m, it's not a contender to replace my Prophet 6 and man that thing looks like a summer carnival. A lot of the Sonic Core synths look horribly ugly and sound great... I think Zebra's stock skin sucks, but it's one of my favorite plug ins. My ATC-X is pretty ugly and not super fun to program but I love the hell out of that box. I think physical interface can effect one's relationship with an instrument, it has to, in some sense, but I think we're mostly sophisticated enough to discern sound quality and not be hypnotized by pretty lights and knobs. I think the reason you like a Pro 2 has more to do with that kick-ass filter than the way it looks.

[fluffy_little_something]

I like the sound from 1:12 on, that's a typical analog sound to me, the fullness, power, and density