Minimoog Softsynth Shootout: Diva MiniV3 Monark Legend Minimonsta vs Model D

[AnX]

There are three problems with analogue synths, possibly four:

1) Maintenance - those things break and they need to be refurbished every couple of years.
2) Price. You can buy all the plugins you want for a price of one good analogue synth.
3) You need a good audio interface with good AD to be able to record them properly.
4) No total recall. Every time you want to play a new track, you have to know which preset is being used.

That being said, I'm doing perfectly fine with all of these. But it is not for the new lazy generation. I'm oldschool.

1. Not true. Some break, sometimes. You def dont need a refurb every 2 years
2. Not true
3. True, but you need that for any audio input
4. Not true for all analogue synths.

[fluffy_little_something]

Was just checking and comparing something between Diva and Sylenth1, and noticed that Diva seems to employ some internal equalization. When you take the J8 init patch for instance and turn the oscillator mix balance all to a single oscillator, then play a low note and one 4 or 5 octaves higher, the bass notes is just a whole lot louder according to the meter. With the init patches on other synths that is not the case. In other words, what would be left of the often praised bottom of Diva if one could turn off the internal eq?

[wagtunes]

Was just checking and comparing something between Diva and Sylenth1, and noticed that Diva seems to employ some internal equalization. When you take the J8 init patch for instance and turn the oscillator mix balance all to a single oscillator, then play a low note and one 4 or 5 octaves higher, the bass notes is just a whole lot louder according to the meter. With the init patches on other synths that is not the case. In other words, what would be left of the often praised bottom of Diva if one could turn off the internal eq?

What does it matter? The point is, that's the way they designed if so that it DOES sound like it does.

That's like asking "What would Sylenth1 sound like if they didn't use <fill in the blank>?" It's pointless because they did use it or they did do it and nothing is going to turn back time and make them do something else.

In addition to that, you're guessing as to what's actually going on internally. Do you know for sure? Do you have the specs? No, of course not. So how can you say that's what's happening?

[chk071]

I don't think any synth has a linear frequency response. At least i would be surprised if that was the case.

[wagtunes]

I don't think any synth has a linear frequency response. At least i would be surprised if that was the case.

Personally, I don't get all caught up in that crap anyway. If the synth sounds good to me in the register where I normally play (yeah, most top ends are garbage) then I buy it. But some people, well, what can I say?

To each his own.

[fluffy_little_something]

What does it matter? The point is, that's the way they designed if so that it DOES sound like it does.

That's like asking "What would Sylenth1 sound like if they didn't use <fill in the blank>?" It's pointless because they did use it or they did do it and nothing is going to turn back time and make them do something else.

In addition to that, you're guessing as to what's actually going on internally. Do you know for sure? Do you have the specs? No, of course not. So how can you say that's what's happening?

Well, it does matter because if it is due to equalization, then any synth with a built-in equalizer can have the same bottom.

I didn't say that is what's happening, I said "it seems to employ some internal equalization". So, please learn to read properly before you waste my time...

[fluffy_little_something]

I don't think any synth has a linear frequency response. At least i would be surprised if that was the case.

Well, from a certain note up it seems to be more or less linear, no more decrease. But the lower notes up to that point seem to be much stronger.

[wagtunes]

What does it matter? The point is, that's the way they designed if so that it DOES sound like it does.

That's like asking "What would Sylenth1 sound like if they didn't use <fill in the blank>?" It's pointless because they did use it or they did do it and nothing is going to turn back time and make them do something else.

In addition to that, you're guessing as to what's actually going on internally. Do you know for sure? Do you have the specs? No, of course not. So how can you say that's what's happening?

Well, it does matter because if it is due to equalization, then any synth with a built-in equalizer can have the same bottom.

I didn't say that is what's happening, I said "it seems to employ some internal equalization". So, please learn to read properly before you waste my time...

Which is why I said in my last paragraph that it seems like you're guessing. So you're guessing based on what exactly? What you're hearing with human ears, which are terribly fallible? If you want to know for certain, ask Urs. I'm sure he'll give you an honest answer as he's a pretty standup guy, unless of course it's some trade secret, in which case you'll never know.

[fluffy_little_something]

So, you were contradicting yourself when you first said that I was guessing and then at the end ask me how do I know that's what's happening...

Anyway, as I said my DAW's meters say that bass notes are much louder, my ears don't really, they are probably too worn by now...
I don't have oscilloscope and analyzer plugins, but I suppose they would show the same as my DAW's meter.

[wagtunes]

So, you were contradicting yourself when you first said that I was guessing and then at the end ask me how do I know that's what's happening...

Anyway, as I said my DAW's meters say that bass notes are much louder, my ears don't really, they are probably too worn by now...
I don't have oscilloscope and analyzer plugins, but I suppose they would show the same as my DAW's meter.

I am not contradicting anything. I said right up front, you're guessing and I continue to say that, you're guessing. You have no way of knowing what's going on internally in Diva.

Or are you privy to info that the rest of us don't have?

[fluffy_little_something]

So, what was the point of your post when I never even claimed to know what's happening?!

[wagtunes]

So, what was the point of your post when I never even claimed to know what's happening?!

For the love of God. This is exactly what you said. I have highlighted the relevant part.

Was just checking and comparing something between Diva and Sylenth1, and noticed that Diva seems to employ some internal equalization. When you take the J8 init patch for instance and turn the oscillator mix balance all to a single oscillator, then play a low note and one 4 or 5 octaves higher, the bass notes is just a whole lot louder according to the meter. With the init patches on other synths that is not the case. In other words, what would be left of the often praised bottom of Diva if one could turn off the internal eq?[/quote]

So let's take it one part at a time and then I will explain why I responded as I did.

1) You say it "seems" that Diva is employing some internal EQ. Again, I ask. Based on what? Your ears? But that alone isn't why I responded as I did.

2) You then went on to the next part where you asked what would happen if one could turn off the internal EQ. So now you've gone to flat out assuming that that's exactly what's happening. That there is an internal EQ and wondering what would happen if you could turn it off. Those are your words. You can read them for yourself a page back.

So you've pretty much insinuated that Diva has an internal EQ and now you're wondering what would happen if you could turn it off.

All assumptions based on absolutely no empirical evidence other than your own ears.

And in reading between the lines (and don't even try to deny this) you're inferring that any synth could sound as good as Diva if they applied an internal EQ just like Diva does, which is beyond absurd.

Maybe you didn't intend for what you said to come across that way, but that's the way it came across to me especially with your "often praised bottom" remark. And if I took it that way, I'm sure others did as well.

THAT is why I responded the way I did. I took exception to your assumptions and your snide comment about the "praise for Diva's bottom end" making it sound like it's all because of some internal EQ.

I hope things are more clear now that I've explained them.

Though I am sure you're going to deny that you meant any of that by what you said.

In that case, choose your words more carefully.

[fluffy_little_something]

That's the point, I am assuming it is internal equalization, but I never said I knew it was. And based on my assumption I asked the question I asked.

And no, again, not based on my ears, but based on my DAW's meter when playing a single low vs a single high note.

Equalization basically means that some frequencies are deliberately made to sound louder than others, relatively speaking. And that's what seems to be going on, regardless of how and why. For instance I don't know if it was the same on a hardware Minimoog.

[wagtunes]

That's the point, I am assuming it is internal equalization, but I never said I knew it was. And based on my assumption I asked the question I asked.

And no, again, not based on my ears, but based on my DAW's meter when playing a single low vs a single high note.

Equalization basically means that some frequencies are deliberately made to sound louder than others, relatively speaking. And that's what seems to be going on, regardless of how and why. For instance I don't know if it was the same on a hardware Minimoog.

Okay, fine. Let's take it from there. You ASSUME that's what's happening. But since you have no way of knowing, asking the question you asked makes no sense until AFTER the assumption is verified. So go ask Urs, get the answer and THEN we can speculate as to what would happen if we turned off the internal EQ, though the answer is obvious, isn't it? If there IS internal EQ boosting the bass, if you turn it off, the bass will get softer. Even I know that.

Again, what I had a problem with is your inference that Diva wouldn't sound so great if it didn't have this internal EQ, which we don't even know to be a fact.

It was the subtle dig that I objected to.

Again, if it wasn't meant as a dig, then choose your words more carefully. And if I need to point out which words (I'm sure I will) I have no problem doing that, yet again.

[fluffy_little_something]

Not from my perspective as to me it is obvious that there is some sort of equalization. How and why it has been implemented and what it is called in technical terms is beyond my knowledge, but my DAW clearly shows me the result of it.

And, the frequency response seems to play a big role in how a given synth sounds. Anyone who has ever played around with synths' built-in or external equalizers knows that.