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

[pdxindy]

Repro [...], but you’ll still get aliasing when you start working with the distortion.

I never considered the distortion a part of Repro's "layer of authenticity", but one of our new developers brought up a "miracle algorithm" which reduces aliasing in the distortion by a few dozen dB at next to no extra cost of CPU. Not sure if that's already in current versions, or when it's coming.

[Norqa]

The uhe repro5 is up there.
Synapse Legend also.
But neither are real, just very good approximations.
I am liking both the above go beyond what was possible with the original units.

[Ah_Dziz]

All the uhe stuff sounds like analog. I don't necessarily think that's a good thing. If you wanna do the synth wave 80s score thing then it's fine and dandy. Build a couple analog filters and oscillators you can make a pile of them for 50 bucks.. They sound a bit different, but not "better". Basically if you can't tell the difference yourself, why do you care.

[Rastkovic]

And finally, after 12 pages my 2¢ to this topic....

Doepfer and Moog (Model 72) modules inside Softube Modular are my personal favourites when it comes to analog sound with software. I think especially the Doepfer modules are a bit underrated.

[hoxclab]

Synapse Audio Obsession sounds so real. I think it’s easily the best emulation.

[Effectsworks]

U-he are at the top of the chain as far as I'm concerned.

[zerocrossing]

For instance…

Not sure about this one, but my problem with almost all of these comparisons is that there's so much guessing and speculation going on.

Some reviewers take the time to fact check with us, but others can't be bothered. Yet, the videos with the "I can't explain this..." - just like the audio examples where basic settings are obviously wrong - are the ones that keep being shared.

(but then of course, there's the infamous case where the reviewer plays Repro an octave higher than the Prophet-5 and people interpret that as the Prophet 5 having "more bass and weight" when it just was a different note).

Repro [...], but you’ll still get aliasing when you start working with the distortion.

I never considered the distortion a part of Repro's "layer of authenticity", but one of our new developers brought up a "miracle algorithm" which reduces aliasing in the distortion by a few dozen dB at next to no extra cost of CPU. Not sure if that's already in current versions, or when it's coming.

No, you are of course correct in pointing out that the distortion effect isn’t a part of the actual emulation of a Prophet 5, but it is sort of a “tell” that one can come across that lets you know that you’re using a digital instrument and not a pure analog instrument. That said, the distortion on a Sequential REV2 is a digital distortion on an analog synth, so there aren’t any hard and fast rules. There are some new instruments that do get distortion right. Massive X is one of them, IMO. I’d love for it to also be RePro. I can’t say if I’ve used it in a while, but that would be huge.

But aside from that issue, I’m sure that I could be fooled into thinking RePro is analog. In fact, I already was when you released the alpha and I put it up against other synths I had that let you modulate the filter cutoff with an oscillator. I still use it at times when I prefer it’s sound to the Prophet 6 that sits on a desk above the computer running RePro.

[zerocrossing]

And finally, after 12 pages my 2¢ to this topic....

Doepfer and Moog (Model 72) modules inside Softube Modular are my personal favourites when it comes to analog sound with software. I think especially the Doepfer modules are a bit underrated.

Initially I dismissed Softube Modular because it seemed too expensive, not enough interesting modules, and very taxing on my i7. Since then, I moved to a much faster computer and I’ve been building up my Softube Modular collection, and I agree that it is scarily close to sounding like an actual analog.

[pdxindy]

And finally, after 12 pages my 2¢ to this topic....

Doepfer and Moog (Model 72) modules inside Softube Modular are my personal favourites when it comes to analog sound with software. I think especially the Doepfer modules are a bit underrated.

Initially I dismissed Softube Modular because it seemed too expensive, not enough interesting modules, and very taxing on my i7. Since then, I moved to a much faster computer and I’ve been building up my Softube Modular collection, and I agree that it is scarily close to sounding like an actual analog.

What is the copy protection on Softube Modular?

[vurt]

And finally, after 12 pages my 2¢ to this topic....

Doepfer and Moog (Model 72) modules inside Softube Modular are my personal favourites when it comes to analog sound with software. I think especially the Doepfer modules are a bit underrated.

Initially I dismissed Softube Modular because it seemed too expensive, not enough interesting modules, and very taxing on my i7. Since then, I moved to a much faster computer and I’ve been building up my Softube Modular collection, and I agree that it is scarily close to sounding like an actual analog.

What is the copy protection on Softube Modular?

have you seen the new vcv 2 video in the modular section

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=570430

[pdxindy]

And finally, after 12 pages my 2¢ to this topic....

Doepfer and Moog (Model 72) modules inside Softube Modular are my personal favourites when it comes to analog sound with software. I think especially the Doepfer modules are a bit underrated.

Initially I dismissed Softube Modular because it seemed too expensive, not enough interesting modules, and very taxing on my i7. Since then, I moved to a much faster computer and I’ve been building up my Softube Modular collection, and I agree that it is scarily close to sounding like an actual analog.

What is the copy protection on Softube Modular?

have you seen the new vcv 2 video in the modular section

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=570430

VCV is frightening! There are too many modules! It is like going into a giant grocery stores with so many products across so many shelves!!

[vurt]

[kobal]

analog sound can mean so much things.. right now for me some plugs that don t even emulate analog ,sound more analog than some emulation , analog can mean handling extreme setting (that are not that extreme depending what you are into in term of music )wihtout craping out in a digital way , most of my sound use more extreme settting with modulation, saturation , distortion .. many emulation that people judge hight show very quickly their digital nature and cpu saving in the design choice of the plugin, it seems some newer synth use tricks to get decent audiorate modulation wihtout taxing too much the cpu, like massive X ,vital, pigment, but it sound a bit fake to me , like it s filtered, smoothed.. but it s still better than craping out badly with harsh digital sound, no aliasing and "no bandpassed sound and modulation " are the most important feature to sound analog in a convincing way , i don t know to explain it a i have no clue about all this, but clearly a good analog emulation can only use a lot of cpu, otherwise it mean tricks have been used to cut corners while still have good sound but it sound not totally like analog.
also i think the oversampling filter... in many plugins it ruin the sounds with phase shift , really plugin developper should always let the choice to upsample or not cause oversampling in some case harm more the sound than aliasing, it make it sound fake instanly depending the patchs, it remind me many mixing plugins that used non linear phase upsampling or non transparent oversampling in the past and it sound bad in many case to the point it was not usable ( like these limiter for mastering that destroyed the sound just with their oversampling... hhhhh you wonder what was the point but i feel exaclty the same happen on some synths )
if you have different quality on synths you use always check them all for the patch you make.. clearly it s not a indicator of what sound best on some plugins, you will see that often higher quality ruin the sound cause of how it affect transients and the top of the spectrum , making the sound more plastic and fake sounding and less detailed, it depend if this is still better than aliasing depending the patch, it s a compromise but in many case aliasing ruin less the sound caractere compared to what they use to supress it

[Examigan]

For myself (and it depends on the situation) I used Saurus 3 and a preset called "1970s Soloist" and it sounded almost exactly like a section in a Yes song that I wanted to use in my own composition. Diva, The Legend and Repro are also great for that type of music. It's just that for my situation, Saurus fit the bill perfectly.

[coroknight]

Does VCV actually sound analog or does it just look analog?