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

[zerocrossing]

So why dont the Moogerfooger plugins sound exactly like their hardware counterpart. They should pretty much have nailed it already, right.

The Moogerfooger plugins sound great... and not like their hardware counterparts. Why? No idea, but that's not some sign that they couldn't be properly emulated, it's just an example of them not being properly emulated. How many times has the Model D been emulated? So many... so many times. Some are more successful than others, but if you dismiss the ones that miss the mark you also are missing out on great instruments. Like has been discussed, The Legend doesn't do the feedback all that well, but you get an 8 voice synth with other features! I can accept that. If you want something that's spot on, the UAD will get you there.

[zerocrossing]

Taylor Swift uses VST plugins in her music production process.

[stoopicus]

They have some different waveforms. SQ80-V contains both sets (plus the bug exploit IIRC).
IIRC there were also some sound differences between the early metal case ESQ-1 and the later plastic case ones (I had the latter).

I loaded up all the ESQ-1 SYSEX into SQ-80V and it did a remarkable job. the only two I notived sounding less edgy than the original were ICEPOP and MINI-M. The latter being different at all is kinda weird though.

ICEPOP’s biggest difference was it seemed way less velocity sensitive than I remembered.

[stoopicus]

Now that we are talking about it though I would love a VFX plugin too.

[ghettosynth]

Almost at 100 pages! Now, that's a proper thread!

[ghettosynth]

In case you want to waste 22 minutes of your life.

[seafire]

Sell them, buy the Behringer versions, use the money you make to buy more analogue gear!

[Papuzzo]

Almost at 100 pages! Now, that's a proper thread!

And what have we learned that hasn't been said a gazillion times since the DX7 first came out? Those of us in our 60's now remember when analog was the predominant technology and digital was first emerging. Then the D-50 came out and soon after the M1 and those workstations blew everything out of the water and deep into hyperspace. Now digital is everywhere and analog exists as a niche for the gearheads who are more interested in the technology than actually making music people would want to listen to today. "Yeah, but the filters!" Then they convert their analog sound to digital to work in a digital computer and ultimately export a digital MP3. "Yeah, but....."

[seafire]

Speak for yourself

[stoopicus]

Sell them, buy the Behringer versions, use the money you make to buy more analogue gear!

100% serious, my Behringer Pro-1 felt better made than the originals did

Sounded great too.

[_leras]

Analog filters did matter before digital technology became able to model them, in 2025 they no longer do

So to recap once again filters matter but if they are analog or digital really doesn't matter

If having filters be actual analog circuits mattered why does the 3rd Wave and the Waldorf M have digital filters?

Except that we've had countless examples shared in this thread where the filter and resonance from hardware synths has timbres that the softsynths can't match yet.

Perhaps you've lost the high end of your hearing.

The Waldorf M has digital filters, at least in part to model an older digital synth. It's the analog filters that give it such a great sound. (Imo)

[_leras]

I agree, digital osc's or a combo of analog and digital osc's into a then fully analog signal path is a great combo. There are lots of great sounding hybrids these days.

I actually also do an emulated kind of this thing in the box. Sometimes I'll open up a synths filters and run it into a software filter like the UAD Moog's, or the drop.

Can get some interesting times this way.

[stoopicus]

Except that we've had countless examples shared in this thread where the filter and resonance from hardware synths has timbres that the softsynths can't match yet.

I wouldn't frame this as "cannot match". I would instead say that there will always be differences, and some are difficult to avoid in a way that justifies the effort in runtime cost (i.e. filter phase response differences in a discrete time vs continuous time system). And the filter transfer functions can be close but they will never be *the same*.

Also nailing the way they behave under modulation is another interesting topic.

Anyway, like I said upthread, all that matters to me is if they can sound good, which software filters definitely can. The challenge is in making emulations of analog filters sound the same. And to be honest I am impressed that the softsynth emulations of old analogs do as well as they do here. Many are very close.

I mean, if you want to actually learn about this from a DSP perspective, instead of just argue with internet randos about it, there's plenty of resources to do so online and some excellent texts on it. Lots of good references in the pinned threads in the DSP development section of this forum.

[seafire]

Analog filters did matter before digital technology became able to model them, in 2025 they no longer do

They do here, very much so.

[HAL76]

Analog filters did matter before digital technology became able to model them, in 2025 they no longer do

They do here, very much so.

Analog filters matters just as black lives do. No arguiung about that! #MAGA

I suppuse he has never touched e. g. a SEM 2044