What are the best VST instruments that sound "really" analog?

[chk071]

Yep.

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

They all sound like sht if you ain’t doing drugs, including real analogs.

[pdxindy]

Yep good example. There's still a presence and dimension that software doesn't get on some sounds. There are some sounds where software is near indistinguishable though for sure. Usually not the most interesting sounds though. As a sound gets more unique or adds more distortion the difference between software and analog becomes bigger.

Yeah, well said.

With more complex sounds (audio-rate modulations etc), analog has wider sweet spots and what I have also found is that it really doesn't have sour spots. It sounds more or less interesting, but you never get some painful digital harshness showing up unexpectedly by pushing the filterFM a bit more etc. Analog always sounds coherent and unperturbed. Pushed into the edges, and digital starts to sound strained and loses coherence.

So if you like to record live sound exploration, analog is excellent. I cannot make a bad sound on the Matriarch!

The usual demo comparisons of static sounds don't cover this aspect.

RePro really does pretty well in this regard too. But...

[kobal]

Many can sound analog , even digital one like Mpowersynth .. but it s on some snap shot .. it s not possible to forget their digital nature in use but it dosen t really mater unless you re a analog vintage sound lover or audiorate maniac or love juicy saturation , nice screaming filter , great osc sound with depth and clean sounding ect ..then buy analog that you like cause plugin won t replace it

[Dirtgrain]

People don't fail the blind tests of good analog emulations (no sampling) vs hardware?

[Chrisk-K]

Even the DX7, the PPG or the Wavestation can sound analogue.

[zerocrossing]

People don't fail the blind tests of good analog emulations (no sampling) vs hardware?

Every blind test I’ve ever taken is very “safe.” The most famous one is the OB-X (or was it 8? Xa?) vs Diva. I think I actually got that one right, but I could have just as easily gotten it wrong. It wasn’t that they sounded exactly the same, I just couldn’t pin point which was the real hardware. I probably could have if I looked at the waveform. Noise always gives it away, but I didn’t. What I do know is that if you know what you’re doing with an analog synth, you can find the places it goes where Diva is too full of herself to follow. Generally those things are fringe type sounds that a lot of people don’t really use or care about. The test is like a spot light on a specific part of Diva, the rest being in the dark. The test designer makes sure they don’t get too close to the places where Diva isn’t quite accurate. Does this make Diva bad in any way? No. Diva has lots of things that are not in any analog synth, so if you view it as it’s own thing, it’s excellent. If I had done a Diva vs. demo, I’d find the place where it’s obvious and 90% of people would figure it out.

Personally, I love software and I love hardware, but I can assure you that I have the hardware because it really brings something to the table that I’m not getting in software. Whether or not that matters to you is personal choice, and I’m sure great music is made 100% ITB, so if that’s your deal, knock yourself out.

[ghettosynth]

Definitely UltraAnalog VA-1, but you can't get it anymore.

[dune_rave]

only omnisphere hardware library

[pdxindy]

People don't fail the blind tests of good analog emulations (no sampling) vs hardware?

Every blind test I’ve ever taken is very “safe.” The most famous one is the OB-X (or was it 8? Xa?) vs Diva. I think I actually got that one right, but I could have just as easily gotten it wrong. It wasn’t that they sounded exactly the same, I just couldn’t pin point which was the real hardware. I probably could have if I looked at the waveform. Noise always gives it away, but I didn’t.

Lots of people fail those tests... lots of people have also never used analog synths and frequently have stylized ideas of what analog sound is. And yeah, the tests favor the emulations.

What I do know is that if you know what you’re doing with an analog synth, you can find the places it goes where Diva is too full of herself to follow.

Yup... for an experienced user, it takes all of 30 seconds to find the places digital falls apart enough that the differences are obvious.

[JerGoertz]

Definitely UltraAnalog VA-1, but you can't get it anymore.

Ah yes, the vintage VSTs...

[pdxindy]

Definitely UltraAnalog VA-1, but you can't get it anymore.

Maybe someone will make an emulation!

[ghettosynth]

Definitely UltraAnalog VA-1, but you can't get it anymore.

Maybe someone will make an emulation!

One can only hope. To get that true sound though, it has to have a tiny non-resizable U/I. In non blind testing one can definitely hear the difference that a more complex U/I has on the authenticity of the sound. It probably has something to do with the size of the images and cache or something, or something.

[digitalboytn]

Definitely UltraAnalog VA-1, but you can't get it anymore.

Maybe someone will make an emulation!

One can only hope. To get that true sound though, it has to have a tiny non-resizable U/I. In non blind testing one can definitely hear the difference that a more complex U/I has on the authenticity of the sound. It probably has something to do with the size of the images and cache or something, or something.

I like VA-2 and there's something about it's raw nature that helps it blend in the mix really easily...

It can sound like crap by itself,but pop it in the mix and "voila"

I would keep it just for the fantastic brass sounds that you can dial up with it

[Urs]

And yeah, the tests favor the emulations.

Not really.