What hardware is replacable by vst and which isn't?

[pdxindy]

I have the Moog Matriarch. Nothing in software matches it. Monark cannot do all the different modulations possible with all the many patch points. Monark cannot just patch in some external audio into the mixer, or then make a feedback loop with it and ringmod it, or route the output of the delays back into the mixer, etc., etc. Adding all that capability would increase cpu significantly and make it impractical.

But Monark Blocks can do a whole lot more.

That is where the CPU use issue I mentioned would arise...

A Reaktor Blocks construct that replicated Matriarch would crush one core for me. Plus it would be so unwieldy to use compared to the big spacious Matriarch user interface... and that would still not address being able to easily patch in external audio, an extra filter via another synth, etc.

[cryophonik]

My mind is open and flexible. My profession was photography (retired from paid work) and I started with film. IMO, digital has surpassed film in every meaningful way. That is what I would say based on my experience in the field. Maybe someone who does lots of darkroom work would say otherwise.

I've tried most of the latest synth emulations and I have a variety of analog hardware. I don't live in past conclusions. I still hear a difference... today. If I stop hearing a difference, I will say so. I'm neither nostalgic nor sentimental on the subject. Also, to clarify, I don't care that much if an emulation is a perfect tweak by tweak match to the original as much as I care that the spirit of the medium is captured.

I'm very glad to have both hardware and software. Purism doesn't interest me.

You just described me perfectly (except I'm still very active in photography and have even started using film again occasionally since our son has taken an interest in it).

Anyway, I'm generalizing here, but I've noticed a trend in all of these software vs. hardware threads on KVR, GS, etc. over the years. These days, people who grew up on hardware are also largely software guys and tend to have a pretty unbiased and rational opinion of the pros/cons of each. I honestly can't recall the last time I encountered a hardware purist, but software purists abound for all the good and obvious reasons. From my perspective, software proponents generally tend to have a limited ability to see beyond their own reasons for preferring software, which is often convenience and cost-effectiveness (absolutely nothing wrong with that), and they tend to exaggerate their opinion that investing in a hardware synth is this huge monetary risk, especially for a beginner. I totally disagree with that, but I also assume that most adults are smart enough to make wise purchase decisions with their own money and, if they don't, well, we all learn fiscal responsibility our own way, right? OK, mostly joking there, but people buy and sell hardware synths all the time and it's really not a big deal, especially if you buy/sell used, since hardware resale values tend to be relatively stable. Alright, flame away (but, you can't thumbs down me, so )

I'm very glad to have both hardware and software. Purism doesn't interest me. (it was worth repeating)

[EvilDragon]

and that would still not address being able to easily patch in external audio, an extra filter via another synth, etc.

What are you even talking about? Audio input in Reaktor Blocks is entirely possible, and extra filters are all over the user library...

[pdxindy]

and that would still not address being able to easily patch in external audio, an extra filter via another synth, etc.

What are you even talking about? Audio input in Reaktor Blocks is entirely possible, and extra filters are all over the user library...

I mean the simplicity of just plugging a cable directly into the Matriarch... not that it cannot be done with Blocks... that is why I said 'easily'

[Tj Shredder]

This hardware cant’t be replaced by vst:
1. My computer. I need at least one in hardware and have never heard of a computer emulation done as VST. Would be a funny idea though, run an Atari sequencer in an Atari emulator as VST...
2. My LinnStrument and any other physical Midi controller like Fader boxes or Pads. Most VSTs that can be controlled by those tools have some sort of UI that looks like it, but even on a touch screen it can’t be replaced at all and its more of an annoyance than fun...
3. Speakers and headphones. Though we have now VSTs that want to mimic a complete Studio, I would still need headphones to hear it... And listening to speakers is more fun...
4. I still have a CD/DVD burner and a DAT for playing back old tapes... Though I should get rid of the DAT at least, even if there is no VST replacement.
5. I also have a Vinyl deck. I hardly use it, sold my collection years ago, but have a timecode disc for scratching. Recently got a VST for scratching, but thats different...
6. My Peavey MidiBase and a Yamaha fretless bass. The Peavey I consider being a controller...
7. My violin. Though I have the Arché collection as VST and I can play it expressively with my LinnStrument its too different to be considered a replacement...
8. My Tibetan bowls. I am interested in a modeled bowl for sure, but to play them with my hands is just a spiritual experience a VST will never be able to deliver.
9. I have some glasses I can let them sing and scream. No VST will be able to do that in the same way...
10. Kazoos are hard to replace with a VST as well...
11. Last but not least to mention my voice. Any attempt to put a voice into a VST is just a joke compared to the variety and expressivity of a human being...

I don’t have any hardware synth anymore unless you count my iPad as such. I am often tempted. Especially after seeing a live performance with an Udo 6, but just remembering that my iPad can do so much more saves my wallet from hardware GAS...
Which is immediately pushed up again if I see an interesting controller. I am more of a controller junkie than a VST collector, which I am as well though...

[vurt]

i still want to get some bowls.
maybe i should ask for some for my birthday

[BONES]

You are free to approach life in that manner. I would say that there is no single best possible way or best possible outcome.

Of course there is. That doesn't mean everyone should embrace it but, equally, people should be able to acknowledge that their way may not be the best. I certainly believe there is still plenty of room for improvement in the way I work, plenty of opportunities to increase efficiency and raise the quality of my/our output.

When I p-lock the analog distortion and compressor in my Analog Rytm, the tones that come out can be so grungy yet not a hint of harsh digital edge or aliasing. Nothing I have tried in software can match that result.

Have you tried Orion's AD-1 distortion? Because that's how I'd describe its effect. We used to use it on our synth strings all the time. You wouldn't know just listening to the songs but when you turn it off the difference in tone is unbelievable. The saturation in Hexeract and the distortion built into Thorn are also very good. But, of course, I can also get harsh and digital when I want that, too, I'm not restricted to a single type of distortion in a $3200 box. Although, I suppose you could always spend another $1500 on an Analog Heat and then you'd have that one type of distortion you can apply elsewhere.

[pdxindy]

You are free to approach life in that manner. I would say that there is no single best possible way or best possible outcome.

Of course there is. That doesn't mean everyone should embrace it but, equally, people should be able to acknowledge that their way may not be the best. I certainly believe there is still plenty of room for improvement in the way I work, plenty of opportunities to increase efficiency and raise the quality of my/our output.

You really have no idea what you don't know...

[BONES]

I don't know what Kim Kardashian is up to but there is nothing of any relevance I don't know. It may make you feel better to think you know something I don't but, honestly, what are the chances?

[Friendly Noise]

Another prove that VST can’t still get some sounds. Stereo distortion and audio rate modulation here. Watch your ears and gear!

http://youtu.be/NdA5gF5Xz_c

[whyterabbyt]

It may make you feel better to think you know something I don't but, honestly, what are the chances?

pretty massive.

[D-Fusion]

Another prove that VST can’t still get some sounds. Stereo distortion and audio rate modulation here. Watch your ears and gear!

http://youtu.be/NdA5gF5Xz_c

If there was a vst sounding like this i would call it broken....
Those sounds are so unmusical that i would put them in the Same Category as Modular Fart sounds.
It is offcourse fun to play with to pass some time but nothing more...

[excuse me please]

Anything is replacable. It's just what one expects in return

[Ploki]

Another prove that VST can’t still get some sounds. Stereo distortion and audio rate modulation here. Watch your ears and gear!

http://youtu.be/NdA5gF5Xz_c

Call me silly but i hear bit-crushing?
Also nothing i can't imagine myself doing with Softube Modular or u-he bazille. probably less fun tho

[BONES]

I have the Moog Matriarch. Nothing in software matches it. Monark cannot do all the different modulations possible with all the many patch points.

Monark is NOT the only software alternative. For the price of your Matriarch, anyone could buy every VSTi with a modelled Ladder Filter and be able to do hundreds of things your Moog hardware is completely incapable of, with enough money left over to buy a PC to run it all on.

Then there is the immediacy and hands on nature of the physical interface. No midi controller is near as good as the 1:1 interface with big controls like the Matriarch. That is an important part of emulation too, cause in realworld use, being able to easily control stuff in realtime affects the sonic results.

But what if you want to perform five different songs, using five completely different sounds, with it? Or just work on two or three songs in an evening, each of which requires a different patch? None of its advantages can possibly outweigh a showstopper like that, no matter how you try and spin it. You're stuck working on one piece until it is finished and then you are faced with the probability that you will never again be able to recreate it. Either that or you use a Au$4000 synth to play the same patch in every song. Whichever you choose, it's a terrible price to pay for some imagined advantage that probably nobody else can perceive anyway.

My mind is open and flexible...
I've tried most of the latest synth emulations and I have a variety of analog hardware. I don't live in past conclusions. I still hear a difference... today. If I stop hearing a difference, I will say so. I'm neither nostalgic nor sentimental on the subject.

Clearly this is not true or anyone would be able to hear what it seems only you can hear. Or you would be able to produce some evidence to convince us. But you saying you can hear a difference doesn't mean there really is one, let alone that it's worth anything.

Of course, there are differences but they all work in favour of software. e.g. Just look at all the extra features of The Legend or Obsession compared to the instruments they are modelled upon. Even a simple addition like the ability to reset the oscillator phase at NOTE ON in The Legend makes it a superior bassline machine to the MiniMoog. Unison and Polyphonic operation of bx_oberhausen make it far superior to SEM or even the 4/8-Voice. Obsession has its voice tweaks and step sequencer. And so it goes, on and on. Big, real advantages you will use all the time, compared to tiny, imagined advantages with no real world application.

But Monark Blocks can do a whole lot more.

That is where the CPU use issue I mentioned would arise...
A Reaktor Blocks construct that replicated Matriarch would crush one core for me.

So spend your money on a better computer instead of wasting it on hardware. If something "crushed one core" of my current laptop, which cost substantially less than half the price of a Matriarch, I'd still have five more for the rest of the arrangement. For the price of your Matriarch I could have a laptop that would be able to run 100 instances of Monark without raising a sweat, with enough left over to buy a MiniLab MK II, or whichever controller you prefer, to make it just as hands-on.