What makes a plugin "dated"?

[crimsonwarlock]

The DX line was especially frozen in time due to the difficulty of programming it. I couldn't quite figure it out and gave up, using presets instead. I think that's what most people did, so you end up hearing those presets again and again.

I think the real problem is "that" e-piano sound, that was on almost every hit record in the early eighties. Most people that say they hate DX7 FM sound actually just hate "that" sound. I ran my DX7 through a Ibanez bi-mode stereo chorus and a Ibanez DM1000 delay (I still have those) and that combination would give any big analog poly a run or their money.

So I would say that two or maybe three heavily overused DX7 presets sound dated, but DX7 FM can still sound very modern, even the original presets (apart from "those" presets).

[zerocrossing]

The DX line was especially frozen in time due to the difficulty of programming it. I couldn't quite figure it out and gave up, using presets instead. I think that's what most people did, so you end up hearing those presets again and again.

I think the real problem is "that" e-piano sound, that was on almost every hit record in the early eighties. Most people that say they hate DX7 FM sound actually just hate "that" sound. I ran my DX7 through a Ibanez bi-mode stereo chorus and a Ibanez DM1000 delay (I still have those) and that combination would give any big analog poly a run or their money.

So I would say that two or maybe three heavily overused DX7 presets sound dated, but DX7 FM can still sound very modern, even the original presets (apart from "those" presets).

Yeah, I agree with all of that. I couldn’t afford a DX7, but I did buy a DX100, and while I found it too tedious to program, I found enough interesting presets and ran them through enough effects (including an 80s pink Ibanez bbd guitar pedal) to make the sounds “mine.” I was primarily a guitar player then, so the idea that you took a simple sound and used effects to alter it was second nature to me.

[eLawnMust]

Back in the mid-80's I had bought a Casio CZ-101 off a guy who needed quick cash... Also bought a Roland SH-101 with the 'modulation bar'... Never would I have expected that 30-40 years in the future there would be software developers making audible copies of these 'Really Not So Fat' Sounds in some sorta software form & Many craving the sounds like 'Brawndo'...

This is why to NEVER think of any sound as 'Dated' if used musically... Hell French Horns are extremely dated but used all over the world still with no natural substitute...

So next time you come across anyone saying that a sound or plug is 'Dated & worthless' ask them what their favorite bands are... many will say 'Beatles', 'Rolling Stones', 'Steely Dan', 'Boy George' or whatever then you can tell them they are fulla shit because none of those groups used 'Modern Fat Sounds' yet these people will tell you how great this music was & nobody can do better... Yet your 10-15 year-old soft synth is 'Trash-Can Garbage'... Go kick rocks>>>

[audiojunkie]

Most everyone posting here has mentioned all of the things that I would have mentioned. However, I want to add that "dated" code could include outdated libraries. One could complain that a plugin doesn't work properly on a new version of an OS, and it could be because of the dated libraries used when coding the plugin. Updated libraries could fix the problems in the "dated" plugin code. The same could be said of GUI problems (or any other issue you could imagine), where the older version of the library (for example) might not support high resolution scaling or HiDPI scaling. A an updated library may have this capability and a recompile of the binary, using the latest version of the library may fix this.

[jamcat]

I guess I'll go toss out my '67 Fender Jazz Fretless Bass as it's pretty dated now>>>>

Definitely you should.
And you are in luck, I offer a free curbside pickup service. Call for an appointment.

[agharta]

The haircut of the person playing it has to be considered.

[mjolnir]

Back in the mid-80's I had bought a Casio CZ-101 off a guy who needed quick cash... Also bought a Roland SH-101 with the 'modulation bar'... Never would I have expected that 30-40 years in the future there would be software developers making audible copies of these 'Really Not So Fat' Sounds in some sorta software form & Many craving the sounds like 'Brawndo'...

This is why to NEVER think of any sound as 'Dated' if used musically... Hell French Horns are extremely dated but used all over the world still with no natural substitute...

So next time you come across anyone saying that a sound or plug is 'Dated & worthless' ask them what their favorite bands are... many will say 'Beatles', 'Rolling Stones', 'Steely Dan', 'Boy George' or whatever then you can tell them they are fulla shit because none of those groups used 'Modern Fat Sounds' yet these people will tell you how great this music was & nobody can do better... Yet your 10-15 year-old soft synth is 'Trash-Can Garbage'... Go kick rocks>>>

I totally agree with you, eLawn

[VOODOO U]

So next time you come across anyone saying that a sound or plug is 'Dated & worthless' ask them what their favorite bands are... many will say 'Beatles', 'Rolling Stones', 'Steely Dan', 'Boy George' or whatever

Boy George is not a band.

[VOODOO U]

I totally agree with you, eLawn

You agree that Boy George is a band?

[Michael L]

So next time you come across anyone saying that a sound or plug is 'Dated & worthless' ask them what their favorite bands are... many will say 'Beatles', 'Rolling Stones', 'Steely Dan', 'Boy George' or whatever

Boy George is not a band.

He's a 'band' in the other definition, "a range of freaquencies in a spectrum."

[eLawnMust]

Or 'A Derange of Freak-Wencies in a Rectum'... Didn't know what name to place so I figured 'Boy George' would 'sideline' a few... Did not disappoint, you are all paying attention...

i find many old synths quite nice sounding don't know what everyone is talking about 'modern'... This first VirSyn from 2000 still very nice sounding many possibilities with smooth FX & a robust sequencer not to be seen in any VirSyn after as they greatly simplified the sequencer in later products... Has robust modulation matrix as well not seen in similars like VAZ modular-



In sequencer you can turn any note into chord with choice of inversions-



Just goes to show that some features go into the toilet as time goes on... Tried makin' a tune in it but well over 20 crashes just making this one-

https://alonetone.com/TalkOrBell/tracks/stalin-for-time

Audio 'capture' render so moving X/Y while the tape is running a temptation of course going offline a time or two...

But since discovered by running in win95 compat mode most instability gone now, don't know why I did not try at the start...

Upshot is this VirSyn kicked ass on everything else in 2000 & it still sounds good nowadays... "If it sounded good THEN, It STILL sounds good NOW!"...

[VOODOO U]

Did not disappoint, you are all paying attention...

Yeah because your viewpoints are entertaining as is what you put yourself through to get sounds you can get with freebies optimized to work on current systems.
For example:

Tried makin' a tune in it but well over 20 crashes just making this one

But since discovered by running in win95 compat mode most instability gone now, don't know why I did not try at the start...

Why would you put yourself through this for sounds that, in the case of this particular VirSyn I'm sure you can get from (guessing) a stable Full Bucket synth?

Upshot is this VirSyn kicked ass on everything else in 2000 & it still sounds good nowadays... "If it sounded good THEN, It STILL sounds good NOW!"...

It's all a matter of taste but I don't think anyone ia disputing whether or not a synth from the past sounds good. It's a matter of it having capabilities and features to produce certain sounds.
NI Massive has features and capabilities that produce certain sounds that this VirSyn can't. Massive was released after 2000 so it makes it a modern synth versus this VirSyn.

Don't get me wrong, retro is cool but not worth the headache to make songs that could be made in more stable conditions with current (modern) plugins.

[eLawnMust]

This VirSyn is plenty stable enough, there's plenty of instability still around nowadays & I have all the Full Bucket stuff, nice but still none sound as good as the VirSyn... The brief jingle not the best example I would have to go through the many presets plus turn on FX which is what really gets them popping...

Still the sequencer is quite nice & modulation matrix very thorough & like I said not the same after this version as they concentrated on plugins massively & standalones a distant second...

But yea, I have all the FB including the newest 'paralogy' or whatever it is, good but not good enough in comparison so considering the age difference the point goes to Virsyn...

Also see this is useful as MIDI sound module as it is 12 part multi-timbral both as sound module AND MIDI sync which works quite well... You cannot import samples into it but has alot of synth drum sounds...

Some of the tunes are good I'll have to 'Capture' a few also this thing never uses more than 40 MB RAM or 5-6% CPU & I am on a 15 year-old dual-core... What the hell has that kinda efficiency? Not just a single synth we are talking a whole tune of 8-12 instances running in this multi-timbral enviro...

So many reason to still use something like this nowadays as there's nothing like it anymore...

[_leras]

I think it's all about certain sounds or types of sounds, or musical styles, that point to a particular point in time.

In soft synths there have been a few examples of overdone sounds that pretty much killed genres and as result sound dated.

Korg M1 killing 80s ballads?
Virus supersaws killing trance?
Massive X growls killing dub/bro step?

But needs to be said, if you take out the overused and 'dated' sounds there's still a lot of great not dated sounds to he had. Though also there are mainly better alternatives now as well.

[jamcat]

I really think of the DX7 E.Piano as the '80s ballad sound.