U-He Repro 5 Vs Softube Model 80 - Blind Test Comparisons + Settings to Match Them

[Produkt_Audio]

https://youtu.be/WzFlcAtNNZk

PART 1 - solo patches blind test - each patch is a basic setting intended specifically to demonstrate a certain aspect, such as pwm, fast envelope/resonance/bass, oscillator fm, filter fm etc

PART 2 - I put these sample patches into a simple demo jam so you can see also in a mix context - only basic bass cut eq, reverb, delay, and stereo imaging applied to create a mockup mix

PART 3 - At the end you see blind test results

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK -

NOTE - To get the settings to match on Repro 5 and Model 80 there is ONE METHOD - and its not saturation or anything else - its setting the tweaks filter to ROUNDED - this is clearly the method which matches the closest to the Model 80 out of any other method I have tried. It must be a match of the specific chip set modeled. If you use the default "poly" filter its going to sound way different by far.

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

(Check out my Presets for Diva, Softube Model 80, and Many Others HERE: www.produktrecords.com)

[Vortifex]

Agree about the low note priority. For me that's a deal breaker with any synth plugin. It's so damn annoying, I hate it. As for the sound, it's all much of a muchness, isn't it. The differences are very small, small enough to make the real choice between them about functions and GUI/UX, at least for me.

[Korg Supporter]

https://youtu.be/Vdvw5X8Sulk

[vitocorleone123]

Repro is a far, far better overall instrument, as well as the far better financial decision at list price, since it comes with Repro1, which is better (to me) than both Repro5 and Softube80.

Agree that Softube edges it out on sound, however, it's not on every sound. It's when it does edge out Repro that it does so by maybe 5% or so.

Model80 list price is $159 USD.
Repro list price is $149 USD.

[hebex]

Repro is a far, far better overall instrument, as well as the far better financial decision at list price, since it comes with Repro1, which is better (to me) than both Repro5 and Softube80.

Agree that Softube edges it out on sound, however, it's not on every sound. It's when it does edge out Repro that it does so by maybe 5% or so.

Model80 list price is $159 USD.
Repro list price is $149 USD.

Under the law of diminishing returns, +5% in sound quality in favor of Softube is a BIG difference. Go to a hifi-forum, for example, there are endless discussions over the last 1-2%, or less...

So that the repro would be a "far, far better overall instrument" may be your view, but not for the user that has the sound of the synthesizer as the first priority.

After all, most people that listen to the music made with the synthesizer in question, probably won´t give a toss about how convenient it was for the musician to produce the sound. It´s how it sounds that counts.

And don´t underestimate the subtle differences, they add up and can make the difference between a lifeless boring track, and a fascinating one that is full of character. It may depend of the type of music, of course. If you play tarnce, you can ignore my entire post.

[zerocrossing]

Repro is a far, far better overall instrument, as well as the far better financial decision at list price, since it comes with Repro1, which is better (to me) than both Repro5 and Softube80.

Agree that Softube edges it out on sound, however, it's not on every sound. It's when it does edge out Repro that it does so by maybe 5% or so.

Model80 list price is $159 USD.
Repro list price is $149 USD.

I didn’t even bother to do a comparison. Just a few minutes was enough to get that it’s a more detailed and probably accurate emulation, but I fully agree with you. That accuracy at the expense of useful features makes Model 80 worthless to me. Somewhat helpful for use in Modular, but not enough for me to spring for it. Repro, OTOH, feels and operates like I need a plugin emulation to be. My only complaints are the tweak page needs to lose the faux circuitry and I’d appreciate being able to up the oversampling on the distortion.

[zvenx]

And I am sure most people that listen to music can't tell that 5% (for me it isn't even as high as 5%), worse of all in a mix.
rsp

[liquidsound]

5%….
That makes Repro a 95% better choice

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Go to a hifi-forum, for example, there are endless discussions over the last 1-2%, or less...

Hifi forums are the last place anyone will find useful information about sound quality.

[hebex]

And I am sure most people that listen to music can't tell that 5% (for me it isn't even as high as 5%), worse of all in a mix.
rsp

Not in a tarnce mix, no.

[_leras]

And I am sure most people that listen to music can't tell that 5% (for me it isn't even as high as 5%), worse of all in a mix.
rsp

Not in a tarnce mix, no.

We’ll of course Unless it’s the main theme and has a section with almost nothing else playing.

Anyway, it’s hardly 5% better sounding, if it’s even sounding better at all…

I have the soft tube Juno and 101, but as a repro owner this one doesn’t make sense for me

[zvenx]

And I am sure most people that listen to music can't tell that 5% (for me it isn't even as high as 5%), worse of all in a mix.
rsp

Not in a tarnce mix, no.

So if I do a wave file with both model 80 and repro 5 playing different parts you can tell which is which right?
rsp

[Tobi MM]

My only complaints are the tweak page needs to lose the faux circuitry...

Didn't plugmon said a few weeks ago, after he finished the new Diva one, he wants to do a repro-skin? Maybe ask him about that...

[rod_zero]

Repro is a far, far better overall instrument, as well as the far better financial decision at list price, since it comes with Repro1, which is better (to me) than both Repro5 and Softube80.

Agree that Softube edges it out on sound, however, it's not on every sound. It's when it does edge out Repro that it does so by maybe 5% or so.

Model80 list price is $159 USD.
Repro list price is $149 USD.

Under the law of diminishing returns, +5% in sound quality in favor of Softube is a BIG difference. Go to a hifi-forum, for example, there are endless discussions over the last 1-2%, or less...

you must be joking, people in hi-fi drink snake oil for a living.

[zerocrossing]

And I am sure most people that listen to music can't tell that 5% (for me it isn't even as high as 5%), worse of all in a mix.
rsp

I’d love to know how people (including myself) come up with percentages for these things. Like when they say that chimpanzees and humans share nearly 99% of our DNA. That 1.2% is doing a lot of the heavy lifting.