Best digital filters?

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

I was totally obsessed with 'warm' sound of virtual analog synths and their filters for few years,but now curiosity makes me explore more digital side of the sound.
What synths you consider for 'best' as typical digital or at least without 'analog' label on it?
I hesitate between Hive 2 and Serum,but wanna hear subjective opinions.

[imrae]

For aggressively-digital filtering you should probably look into FFT-based processing like Unfiltered Audio's SpecOps.

[chk071]

Serum and Waldorf Largo have the best digital filters IMO.

Even though I must say that this kind of distinction is a bit pointless, because, all those filters are more or less modelled on analog counterparts, it's just a matter of how well that is done (and depending on the skill set of the developer). If you take the Virus' filter for example, I'm sure the task at the time was to closely model the behavior of analog filters, and was the state of the art at that time, like other digital filters at that time. So, if a soft synth models the Virus filter now, it's pretty much a model of a model of a analog filter, not something where the developer sat down, and thought to himself "I will create a great sounding truely digital filter now!".

It's more like some filters simply don't sound very much like analog filters. If you want a extreme example of that, dust off Z3TA+, and play with those filters at higher resonance settings (mind your ears though... they're piercingly... digital ).

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

I haven't touch Largo seriously yet since that historical discount...my mistake,thanks for remind,that's why is kvr talk so helpful.
I plan to buy one of these two since they appears, because of their digital sound,but maybe have to explore Lagro deeper first,then to combine it with one of the mentioned above,which will define 'better' in combination.
It's very disputable what is 'analog' and what 'digital' when everything is basically digital if it is vst,if a man have enough knowlege and experience to create complex sound with a lot of random changes inside the structure of preset,most digital synth will sound more analog-ish,but it's subjective question about color,temper so on and if they are not modeled after famous hardware,we say it's digital,so simply it's what we like or not in a synth behavior a guess.Cheers

[chk071]

I was "sexed up" by Serum a couple of times as well now. Might go for the rent to own thing one day, but, ATM, I really have zero interest in purchasing more plugins. Thankfully, says my wallet...

[imrae]

For digital filtering integrated into synths, maybe look into spectral/additive synthesis? Some people love the spectral filter in Thorn; I find it a bit hard to dial in and prefer the one in Europa. And there's Razor of course.

[gentleclockdivider]

Troll thread for sure
To begin with , every modelled vst filter is digital , no explanantion needed
Largo and serum's filters are analogue modelled digital filters
Why is that you may ask , because there are non linearities present in the filter
To make it even more ridiculous the op claims that if a filter is not modelled on exisiting designs then call it a digital filter , for real ?? ?
People writing their own rules
Clean digital filter = abscence of non linearities , or pure additive spectral filter

[imrae]

And then there's this wonderful piece of strangeness: a 4-bit analogue implementation of a digital filter!

https://www.nonlinearcircuits.com/modul ... -simulator

[excuse me please]

@gentleclockdivider

Of course. But then again: if one really wants to have access to old school quirky sounds, then they have to buy the original synths. Using all the same equipment which was used in those productions. Simple as it sounds... you also need the same ears of all people who worked on a specific track; to make the exact same decisions while producing..

Travel through time and space to get in the right mood and "have that feeling." Maybe I forgot some personal details which come down to life experience.. who knows. Same relations perhaps. Did I forgot to mention something? Please let me know

Btw researchers have tried to make replicas of Stradivarius' instruments, by scanning every detail with nano technology, looking for the same wood structure, condition etc. etc., but they all sounded still average in comparison. These instruments are also very old and are quite unique in their time survival as it comes to their condition atm.

While old Strad just finished his products by hitting a nail in the neck of his instruments. Seemingly at random.

[excuse me please]

PS I forget to mention something else; all equipment must exactly have the same temperature, humidity conditions etc. aaand it has to behave exactly as during those recordings of the past. I'm not going to start about magnetic fields etc. That is, eventually: perception as a whole.

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

nevermind

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

Maybe i use term 'analog' and 'digital' wrong way and it's more 'analogish','simulating analog behavior' or whatever,the topic about digital-analog is interesting,but there is many technical stuff i am not familiar,so can't argue actually,to me is sonic,emotional side of the question,how the synth sounds and make you feel.Cheers

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

Troll thread for sure
To begin with , every modelled vst filter is digital , no explanantion needed
Largo and serum's filters are analogue modelled digital filters
Why is that you may ask , because there are non linearities present in the filter
To make it even more ridiculous the op claims that if a filter is not modelled on exisiting designs then call it a digital filter , for real ?? ?
People writing their own rules
Clean digital filter = abscence of non linearities , or pure additive spectral filter

Yep the water is wet,can't fight with such logic or ABSENCE of it,cause i am not sure what am i trolling actually,but anyway the topic goes to the channel already :)Cheers

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

In the end i still can't get what define 'analog' or 'digital' synth - structure of a synth,filters,some internal magic or what,to me is temper of a synth,some have this analog dna,other don't,but in both cases if use different modulations tricks powerful synths have you gonna achieve less or more 'analog-ish' result,Largo,Serum and Hive are probably best examples for that.
Cheers

[GRUMP]

In the end i still can't get what define 'analog' or 'digital' synth - structure of a synth,filters,some internal magic or what,to me is temper of a synth,some have this analog dna,other don't,but in both cases if use different modulations tricks powerful synths have you gonna achieve less or more 'analog-ish' result,Largo,Serum and Hive are probably best examples for that.
Cheers

Hmm ... that is not so difficult in the End. You just have to see that the Terms Analog and Digital just refer to the technical Implementation of the lastly crucial Synthesis Method.

Substractive Synthesis (OSC>VCF ...) is what People are usually talking about when they speak of analogue Synths.

It´d be too much Text if I tried to describe other, (more) "digital" Concepts here (Overview of the essential Concepts: https://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech ... ell-196545 - but some are missing here like e. g. Vector Synthesis).

Just a Tip from my Side: Discover. The "spectral Domain" has much more to offer than Filters. And every Synthsis Method as well as certain Companys and also Synths have a - more or less - certain Sound. Let´s better say a "Philosophy". Every FM Synth is not like the other (really!), as well as the Term "additive" refers to completely different Concepts and so on.

The Main Difference is the Involvement of Samples, what makes the Main Difference between oldschool digital "Workstations" (e.g. SY99) and todays VST Market imhO. Check out the Wusik Station (currently 10% of 99$!). It´ll hopefully give you a Feeling for that Difference. In the last Decade the Market tends to focus on pure Syntheis Concepts and many Companys generally don´t implement Samples anymore - what results in a completely different Sound (back then we often spoke about FM Synthesis for Example, but what we have heard way 80% AWM in the End).

IL Harmor + NI Razor (Substractive Additive)
RP Blue (Substractive, FM, Sample OSC. ...)
Wusik Station (Samples, Wavesequencing, Wavetable, ...)
MSoundfactory (several Synthsis Methods - additive, substrractive, FM, Physical Modelling, Wavetable, ...)
NI FM8, BigTick Rhino (FM, Samples)
Korg Wavestation+Triton, Nils´ K1V (free https://www.nilsschneider.de/wp/nils-k1v/) and NI Kontakt for "Sample Synthesis".
Wavestation + RP Vecto (Vector Synthesis)

iZotope Iris
U-he Zebra
Parawave Rapid
RP Predator (Bundles, Upgrades!)
...

And lastz but not least: Steinberg Halion. UVI Falcon.