Your favorite "versatile analog-modelled/emulation" synth plugin?

[YnJ]

As written though, the CZ sounds more "analogue" than most actual analogue synths

O_o



One must trust their own ears, I suppose.

Have you actually heard all analogue hardware synths made over the years? Or are you just comparing it to the tiny share of high end synths?

[dellboy]

I am not sure what is the best virtual analogue synth. Tal Mod seems pretty decent for the price. But the absolute no brainer - everybody should own it synth - is E-phonic Invader. Its "pay what you want", but can be bought for just five euros. It sounds fab, very musical,and whole tracks can easily be made that sound pretty analogue-ish to my ears using just that one synth.

As for software emulations, they never seem to quite have the bottom end of real hardware synths. I own four hardware synths, and even my Roland Juno 6 has more "oooomph" at the bottom end than any virtual software emulation I have tried up till now. And bear in mind its just a weedy one osc synth.

[zzz00m]

If I had to pick one analogue emulation soft synth I would probably go for Saurus, for versatility and excellent sound

Saurus sounds good, but, I would say that I know at least 10 soft synths, which sound more "analog". Saurus sounds like a Tone2 synths. Digital. (Someone described it as a mixture between a Virus and a Waldorf synth on steroids once, which is quite appropriate, I think. Even though they lack a bit of punch compared with these.) Not meant in a bad way, it's just that the "analog modelling", if any, is not really apparent in Saurus.

Saurus1 indeed was quite cold soundwise because it lacked from low-end.
We drasticaly have improved Saurus during the last years. Saurus 2 sounded 'more analog' than Saurus1. The free upgrade to Saurus3 now sounds 'even more analog' than my own analog hardware. It also has a lot more punch.
You can select the degree of 'analogishness' in the 'Config' menu.

To init an analog patch click FILE->init analog.

You can convince yourself by downloading the free demo of Saurus3 which is available here:
https://www.tone2.com/download.html

We also reduced the price of Saurus3 to €59 / $69:
https://www.tone2.com/saurus.html

I have both Saurus 3 and Repro.

I really like Saurus 3, even though it is not an exact emulation of a specific synth like the Repro is a circuit modeled Sequential Prophet emulation.

Even Diva is not an exact model of a specific analog synth, but rather sort of a hybrid Moog and Roland, with oscillators and filters that you can mix & match.

If you have not tried Saurus 3 yet, you should give it a try! Big and fat, and not quite as "polite" as Repro.

[Introspective]

One must trust their own ears, I suppose.

Have you actually heard all analogue hardware synths made over the years? Or are you just comparing it to the tiny share of high end synths?

Oh, I see your point. Because the CZ sounds better than the shit analogue synths that have been made over the last 50 years, that makes it "analog sounding."

That's a really bad point, but okay. Sure. Carry on.

[excuse me please]

I can get all the "ooomph" that I want, but it still sounds digital in comparison with the real stuff.

[zzz00m]

Just bought Polymode and because it's first and only emulation i've got so probably this will be my only one hahahaha:)
It's really nice to play with it,gives that nostalgic 70-80 feeling.
Cheers

Polymode is a nice emulation of the Polymoog.

Hard to pass up for $19 on sale at PluginBoutique!
https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/ ... 0-Polymode

[chk071]

I never had a MiniMoog, or a CS-80 or a Jupiter 8, and you're missing my point completely. What's the standard? Who decides the standard?

The standard of "analogue sound" is defined by analogue sound... So, it's very weird to say that a soft synth sounds more analogue than any analogue synth you ever played or heard. That would be like saying that a Minimoog sounds more digital than any digital synth you ever played or heard. Or like saying that an electrical car has a much more authentic combustion engine sound than a car with a combustion engine.

[AnX]

I never had a MiniMoog, or a CS-80 or a Jupiter 8, and you're missing my point completely. What's the standard? Who decides the standard?

The standard of "analogue sound" is defined by analogue sound... So, it's very weird to say that a soft synth sounds more analogue than any analogue synth you ever played or heard.

You mean like

xxxxc now sounds 'even more analog' than my own analog hardware

Not weird... it's just not true, fake news, a flat out lie. It's physically impossible

[vurt]

I never had a MiniMoog, or a CS-80 or a Jupiter 8, and you're missing my point completely. What's the standard? Who decides the standard?

The standard of "analogue sound" is defined by analogue sound... So, it's very weird to say that a soft synth sounds more analogue than any analogue synth you ever played or heard.

You mean like

xxxxc now sounds 'even more analog' than my own analog hardware

Not weird... it's just not true, fake news, a flat out lie. It's physically impossible

or he's got shit hardware that sounds pants.

[e-crooner]

If I had to pick one analogue emulation soft synth I would probably go for Saurus, for versatility and excellent sound

Saurus sounds good, but, I would say that I know at least 10 soft synths, which sound more "analog". Saurus sounds like a Tone2 synths. Digital. (Someone described it as a mixture between a Virus and a Waldorf synth on steroids once, which is quite appropriate, I think. Even though they lack a bit of punch compared with these.) Not meant in a bad way, it's just that the "analog modelling", if any, is not really apparent in Saurus.

I don't share that view. You make it sound as if there were one analog sound and you were the referee deciding which one is authentic. I think a Juno for instance sounds rather different from a Moog, yet they are both analog.

Although I hate the song, the best emulation of the Oberheim brass patch from Jump I have heard so far was on Saurus.

When people say Saurus sounds digital or polished, they might think that artists record a raw Moog or whatever, but usually they also polish such hardware sounds so that they lose their rawness, which is often inappropriate.

[chk071]

This is turning into a debate on principles, kind of...

Ok, a question for you then: If Saurus is supposedly emulating analogue sound, what IS analogue sound then, if analogue sound isn't really defined?

For me, it is, for example, trying to emulate sound characteristics in analogue filters as close as possible. Same with other components. For you, it might be completely different then.

[e-crooner]

I am not sure what is the best virtual analogue synth. Tal Mod seems pretty decent for the price. But the absolute no brainer - everybody should own it synth - is E-phonic Invader. Its "pay what you want", but can be bought for just five euros. It sounds fab, very musical,and whole tracks can easily be made that sound pretty analogue-ish to my ears using just that one synth.

As for software emulations, they never seem to quite have the bottom end of real hardware synths. I own four hardware synths, and even my Roland Juno 6 has more "oooomph" at the bottom end than any virtual software emulation I have tried up till now. And bear in mind its just a weedy one osc synth.

Yes, it's mostly an EQ thing, I have always thought so. In Retrologue 2 I have made myself an init patch with a hardware EQ profile.

If it weren't for minor bugs, I would have suggested Retrologue 2 in this thread.

[e-crooner]

This is turning into a debate on principles, kind of...

Ok, a question for you then: If Saurus is supposedly emulating analogue sound, what IS analogue sound then, if analogue sound isn't really defined?

For me, it is, for example, trying to emulate sound characteristics in analogue filters as close as possible. Same with other components. For you, it might be completely different then.

I don't hear filter characteristics, I just hear the whole sound, for instance a sweep, and compare it to the sounds I know from old records.

[YnJ]

One must trust their own ears, I suppose.

Have you actually heard all analogue hardware synths made over the years? Or are you just comparing it to the tiny share of high end synths?

Oh, I see your point. Because the CZ sounds better than the shit analogue synths that have been made over the last 50 years, that makes it "analog sounding."

That's a really bad point, but okay. Sure. Carry on.

You make yourself sound too stupid to understand with that sort of straw man argument, or perhaps you are?

[YnJ]

This is turning into a debate on principles, kind of...

Ok, a question for you then: If Saurus is supposedly emulating analogue sound, what IS analogue sound then, if analogue sound isn't really defined?

For me, it is, for example, trying to emulate sound characteristics in analogue filters as close as possible. Same with other components. For you, it might be completely different then.

To answer your question, I don't know. Analogue is not a sound, it's just a type of sound generator which can be replicated digitally. The point is that there is no single analogue sound, there's a conception of analogue as something warm and fat, hence the reference to the digital CZ which is warmer and fatter than any comparable analogue synth I've ever heard. While we probably agree on analogue sound having certain characteristics, we also probably have different opinions. I'm not telling you which softsynth you prefer, I'm not even saying Saurus is the most realistic emulation, I'm just saying it's the one I would pick and that it sounds as analogue as anything as far as I'm concerned