Software vs. Analog in 2025 – Has the Balance Shifted?

[IvyBirds]

image link doesn´t wok

According to the liner notes the following instruments were used

Eminent 310, EMS Synthi AKS, Small Stone Electro-Harmonix, Electric Mistress, ARP 2500, ARP 2600, Moog Sub 37, OB6, Mellotron D4000, Korg Polyphonic Ensemble, Korg Mini Pops, Metasonic Digisequencer, Roland TR-808, Animoog, Teenage Engineering OP-1, PO-12 Rhythm, OP 24, Ochord, Elektron Analog Keys, Access Virus, Synapse Audio Software Dune VST, Nord Lead 1, Monark, RBlocks, Spire, Serum, Cognosphere, Moog Taurus 1, Micro Monsta, Philicorda, Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2, Spectrasonics StyusRMX

That is a pretty heavy grouping of hardware that even the most dedicated hardware enthusiasts would think was awesome

When I posted that I knew that a hardware enthusiast would jump in and say how much it sucked, which I why I left out all the analog hardware and just listed the software

They did not disappoint

[whassup]

Is the Iron Maiden polyphonic or monophonic?

Paraphonic. For the harmonized solos.

There are betters ones today.

[martinjuenke]

doesn't matter if it's soft or if it's hard, in both cases it can get the job done.

I‘m not that optimistic.

[Gamma-UT]

musicians aren't always the best mix engineers.
especially older ones who played a lot of loud gigs...

but if we are saying as a group, digital recording and it's inherent processes, have done this to audio, why are some of ok with this?
it sounds shit. (this recording, not digitally mixed albums in general )

It just shows that artistic decisions beat gear every time.

I didn't think it was that bad but I did get the sense that JMJ did phone it in a bit to hit a deadline for the trilogy box set issue.

[pdxindy]

Maybe it's just mixed *very* badly, but from the very first set of plucky chords it's clear that Oxygen III just doesn't cut it sonically. It's unfortunately just flat, turgid and pretty lifeless, with very few compelling sounds. Any musical ideas are lost in that mushy swamp of sound.

If you compare it to oxygen or equinox, from the 70s, it sounds pretty terrible. Those earlier albums are dynamic, great sounding and full of very compelling sounds and melodies.

I wish it wasn't so.

JMJ has not aged well... doesn't matter what gear he uses.

I like the aesthetic of mixing more with older music. There's lots of recent music I like as music, even if the current approach to production and mixing is less appealing to me. One of the downsides of digital is it allows people to obsess over every micro-detail which can suck to life out. But that is more a human problem than a digital problem.

I haven't listened to Oxygen III so I have no opinion on it specifically.

[_leras]

I'd love to go full ITB, but I have not heard a synth that's as complex as a PolyBrute that sounds analog and doesn't crap out at some settings. I'd love to get rid of my Analog Four, but nothing in software sounds remotely like it, with its blistering filter drive, feedback oscillator, etc. I'd love to sell my Prophet 12, but tuned feedback, AM and FM aren't available in software. I could go on with the rest of my synths, but you get the point. If you're happy 100% ITB, that's awesome. I'm envious. I'm not happy fully ITB... not yet. I do think it's a possibility, but not today. But to stay on this battle when you're clearly out of ammunition... you're just looking weak and confused.

Bruh!?

And yet you spent the first half of this thread vigorously stating that the many synth examples that had things not replicable by software, had software equivalents that were just as good.

[HAL76]

image link doesn´t wok

According to the liner notes the following instruments were used

Eminent 310, EMS Synthi AKS, Small Stone Electro-Harmonix, Electric Mistress, ARP 2500, ARP 2600, Moog Sub 37, OB6, Mellotron D4000, Korg Polyphonic Ensemble, Korg Mini Pops, Metasonic Digisequencer, Roland TR-808, Animoog, Teenage Engineering OP-1, PO-12 Rhythm, OP 24, Ochord, Elektron Analog Keys, Access Virus, Synapse Audio Software Dune VST, Nord Lead 1, Monark, RBlocks, Spire, Serum, Cognosphere, Moog Taurus 1, Micro Monsta, Philicorda, Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2, Spectrasonics StyusRMX

That is a pretty heavy grouping of hardware that even the most dedicated hardware enthusiasts would think was awesome

When I posted that I knew that a hardware enthusiast would jump in and say how much it sucked, which I why I left out all the analog hardware and just listed the software

They did not disappoint

I just said that I like the sound of "can´t stop raving" better. Not to speak of

Or especially the booty-bass in this track

[zerocrossing]

Is the Iron Maiden polyphonic or monophonic?

Paraphonic. For the harmonized solos.

There are betters ones today.

He'd have been torn apart trying that in my house with my cats.

[zerocrossing]

JMJ has not aged well... doesn't matter what gear he uses.

I've never seen the appeal. It's that weird overly melodramatic kind of thing that turned me off to synthesizers. I just switched between 1 and 3, and to be honest, the first thing that came to mind was that 3 was a lot less noisy, which sort of shores up a theory I have about people being attracted to noise.

[ghettosynth]

JMJ has not aged well... doesn't matter what gear he uses.

I've never seen the appeal. It's that weird overly melodramatic kind of thing that turned me off to synthesizers. I just switched between 1 and 3, and to be honest, the first thing that came to mind was that 3 was a lot less noisy, which sort of shores up a theory I have about people being attracted to noise.

The Siegfried and Roy of "minimal" electronica.

[IvyBirds]

JMJ has not aged well... doesn't matter what gear he uses.

I've never seen the appeal. It's that weird overly melodramatic kind of thing that turned me off to synthesizers. I just switched between 1 and 3, and to be honest, the first thing that came to mind was that 3 was a lot less noisy, which sort of shores up a theory I have about people being attracted to noise.

Jean-Michel Jarre has always been very very over the top cheesy. Sometimes you need/want some cheese even if it's whatever the French version of Velveeta would be called,

His first few records are held in high regard on forums like this because he used a huge collection of analog synths on them and he had a studio cat like all of us do

images - 2025-07-01T192946.087.jpeg

[vurt]

great hair too. for the times, very lush.

[ghettosynth]

great hair too. for the times, very lush.

Proto-Mullet

[pekbro]

I have no cat…

[vurt]

/blocked