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

[vurt]

Well, there is a tendency of people to say their analog equipment is better, meaning superior, to all digital hardware and software. There are purist analog snobs out there.

There are a few such analog purists over on Gearspace. I don't recall anyone in this thread saying such a thing though.

im such an analogue purist, im not even on gearspace!
and rarely post on modwiggler either, scared to go there in case my rig grows beyond my room! im too easily lead.

[pdxindy]

and rarely post on modwiggler either, scared to go there in case my rig grows beyond my room! im too easily lead.

You're right to be scared of going there!

[whassup]

Page SH-101

Dang! That one hit hard!

[zerocrossing]

So what you are saying is that Analog Filters don't matter and digital filters can do things that can't be matched with hardware

You're really determined to label peoplr and try and put words in their mouths, eh?

I use all kinds of processes on all kinds of sounds.

Digital filters can be easily automated, for some kinds of things that's very helpful.

And I don't think anyone said anything like all digital filters are bad. I think people have just, accurately, stated and shown examples of tonal qualities software doesn't quite do yet.

Well, there is a tendency of people to say their analog equipment is better, meaning superior, to all digital hardware and software. There are purist analog snobs out there. And its not only in instruments, but with effects too. And amp sims. Hell there are people who still swear by vinyl instead of digital. We are told our music will be inferior if we use digital and ITB solutions and it is just not true.

At one point, I mentioned that I'd like to get an old mid-century console radio/record player to have as an historical artifact and to play Esquivel records and sip martinis, and my wife decided to get me one, but some hipster she worked with convinced her to get me a high-end modern turntable instead.

It basically sucked in every way. The sound fidelity is poor in comparison to a CD, and even to an AAC file from Apple Music. Using a record is such a pain in the ass, I rarely did it. Take it out, clean it, put on the needle, flip it after a short while, clean it, etc. What a waste of money. It looked cool, though. The model she got me was later featured on an episode of Westworld, and while I love killer robots, it was not enough.

[ghettosynth]

So what you are saying is that Analog Filters don't matter and digital filters can do things that can't be matched with hardware

You're really determined to label peoplr and try and put words in their mouths, eh?

I use all kinds of processes on all kinds of sounds.

Digital filters can be easily automated, for some kinds of things that's very helpful.

And I don't think anyone said anything like all digital filters are bad. I think people have just, accurately, stated and shown examples of tonal qualities software doesn't quite do yet.

Well, there is a tendency of people to say their analog equipment is better, meaning superior, to all digital hardware and software. There are purist analog snobs out there. And its not only in instruments, but with effects too. And amp sims. Hell there are people who still swear by vinyl instead of digital. We are told our music will be inferior if we use digital and ITB solutions and it is just not true.

At one point, I mentioned that I'd like to get an old mid-century console radio/record player to have as an historical artifact and to play Esquivel records and sip martinis, and my wife decided to get me one, but some hipster she worked with convinced her to get me a high-end modern turntable instead.

It basically sucked in every way. The sound fidelity is poor in comparison to a CD, and even to an AAC file from Apple Music. Using a record is such a pain in the ass, I rarely did it. Take it out, clean it, put on the needle, flip it after a short while, clean it, etc. What a waste of money. It looked cool, though. The model she got me was later featured on an episode of Westworld, and while I love killer robots, it was not enough.

Try smoking a cigarette and slapping <appropriate participant> on the <appropriate area> to really lock in that Don Draper vibe.

[whassup]

The first 100 pages! Nicely done _leras. Also well put. I don’t fully agree with your last sentence but it’s completely accurate to say when *trying* to model an analog filter, there will be gaps to an exact representation.

Whether or not those are really meaningful is open for debate though.

It's funny, I talk about the fact that I can often find that software doesn't hold up when doing various types of things at higher notes, but I forgot to mention that those notes are also pretty annoying sounding on analog synths as well.

Yeah. Hence I seldomly play them.

[ghettosynth]

The first 100 pages! Nicely done _leras. Also well put. I don’t fully agree with your last sentence but it’s completely accurate to say when *trying* to model an analog filter, there will be gaps to an exact representation.

Whether or not those are really meaningful is open for debate though.

It's funny, I talk about the fact that I can often find that software doesn't hold up when doing various types of things at higher notes, but I forgot to mention that those notes are also pretty annoying sounding on analog synths as well.

Yeah. Hence I seldomly play them.

Notes are overrated.

[pdxindy]

And I don't think anyone said anything like all digital filters are bad. I think people have just, accurately, stated and shown examples of tonal qualities software doesn't quite do yet.

Bazille is one of my favorite synths and I make great use of its digital filters which are excellent. However, if I could magically make the filters analog I would.

An analog filter is not going to have digital artifacts or that hint of brittle edge when driving the filter with high resonance and filterfm.

[whassup]

And I don't think anyone said anything like all digital filters are bad. I think people have just, accurately, stated and shown examples of tonal qualities software doesn't quite do yet.

Bazille is one of my favorite synths and I make great use of its digital filters which are excellent. However, if I could magically make the filters analog I would.

An analog filter is not going to have digital artifacts or that hint of brittle edge when driving the filter with high resonance and filterfm.

Bazille as a whole in analog. All the wildness with zero aliasing. That would be interesting. I like quite some of those aliasing sounds from it. But to be able to turn it off adlib sounds like cool thing.

[seafire]

And I don't think anyone said anything like all digital filters are bad. I think people have just, accurately, stated and shown examples of tonal qualities software doesn't quite do yet.

Bazille is one of my favorite synths and I make great use of its digital filters which are excellent. However, if I could magically make the filters analog I would.

An analog filter is not going to have digital artifacts or that hint of brittle edge when driving the filter with high resonance and filterfm.

Bazille as a whole in analog. All the wildness with zero aliasing. That would be interesting. I like quite some of those aliasing sounds from it. But to be able to turn it off adlib sounds like cool thing.

Bazille as analogue seems a contradiction in itself, given the large nod to Casio/PM. Its just a hybrid modular.... init?

[Papuzzo]

So what you are saying is that Analog Filters don't matter and digital filters can do things that can't be matched with hardware

You're really determined to label peoplr and try and put words in their mouths, eh?

I use all kinds of processes on all kinds of sounds.

Digital filters can be easily automated, for some kinds of things that's very helpful.

And I don't think anyone said anything like all digital filters are bad. I think people have just, accurately, stated and shown examples of tonal qualities software doesn't quite do yet.

Well, there is a tendency of people to say their analog equipment is better, meaning superior, to all digital hardware and software. There are purist analog snobs out there. And its not only in instruments, but with effects too. And amp sims. Hell there are people who still swear by vinyl instead of digital. We are told our music will be inferior if we use digital and ITB solutions and it is just not true.

At one point, I mentioned that I'd like to get an old mid-century console radio/record player to have as an historical artifact and to play Esquivel records and sip martinis, and my wife decided to get me one, but some hipster she worked with convinced her to get me a high-end modern turntable instead.

It basically sucked in every way. The sound fidelity is poor in comparison to a CD, and even to an AAC file from Apple Music. Using a record is such a pain in the ass, I rarely did it. Take it out, clean it, put on the needle, flip it after a short while, clean it, etc. What a waste of money. It looked cool, though. The model she got me was later featured on an episode of Westworld, and while I love killer robots, it was not enough.

The first time I heard a CD I bought a player immediately and started getting the whole Mozart collection on CD. And the first CD players weren't cheap. And I was one of the first to get a Korg M1 despite everyone saying ewwww.... it's digital... and then it became one of the most popular synths. I have no problems with digital music.

[dellboy]

And I was one of the first to get a Korg M1 despite everyone saying ewwww.... it's digital... and then it became one of the most popular synths. I have no problems with digital music.

In 1988 when the Korg M1 came out analogue was dead, everyone went digital, the Yamaha DX7 had pretty much killed analogue by 1985. No one wanted analogue, digital was all the rage for 15 years. In fact digital is still by far the main way of making music, only now its in a computer instead of a workstation or module.

[zerocrossing]

So what you are saying is that Analog Filters don't matter and digital filters can do things that can't be matched with hardware

You're really determined to label peoplr and try and put words in their mouths, eh?

I use all kinds of processes on all kinds of sounds.

Digital filters can be easily automated, for some kinds of things that's very helpful.

And I don't think anyone said anything like all digital filters are bad. I think people have just, accurately, stated and shown examples of tonal qualities software doesn't quite do yet.

Well, there is a tendency of people to say their analog equipment is better, meaning superior, to all digital hardware and software. There are purist analog snobs out there. And its not only in instruments, but with effects too. And amp sims. Hell there are people who still swear by vinyl instead of digital. We are told our music will be inferior if we use digital and ITB solutions and it is just not true.

At one point, I mentioned that I'd like to get an old mid-century console radio/record player to have as an historical artifact and to play Esquivel records and sip martinis, and my wife decided to get me one, but some hipster she worked with convinced her to get me a high-end modern turntable instead.

It basically sucked in every way. The sound fidelity is poor in comparison to a CD, and even to an AAC file from Apple Music. Using a record is such a pain in the ass, I rarely did it. Take it out, clean it, put on the needle, flip it after a short while, clean it, etc. What a waste of money. It looked cool, though. The model she got me was later featured on an episode of Westworld, and while I love killer robots, it was not enough.

Try smoking a cigarette and slapping <appropriate participant> on the <appropriate area> to really lock in that Don Draper vibe.

IMG_2495.jpeg

[seafire]

And I was one of the first to get a Korg M1 despite everyone saying ewwww.... it's digital... and then it became one of the most popular synths. I have no problems with digital music.

In 1988 when the Korg M1 came out analogue was dead, everyone went digital, the Yamaha DX7 had pretty much killed analogue by 1985. No one wanted analogue, digital was all the rage for 15 years. In fact digital is still by far the main way of making music, only now its in a computer instead of a workstation or module.

I think it was MIDI that people were drawn to, with the availability of computers and sequencers. Nobody dumped analogue because of its sounds. Sure, the M1 and D50 etc offered different stock sounds, and the scene was changing as it does, but I really think it was MIDI, or lack of it, that convinced ppl to skip perfectly usable instruments

[pdxindy]

And I don't think anyone said anything like all digital filters are bad. I think people have just, accurately, stated and shown examples of tonal qualities software doesn't quite do yet.

Bazille is one of my favorite synths and I make great use of its digital filters which are excellent. However, if I could magically make the filters analog I would.

An analog filter is not going to have digital artifacts or that hint of brittle edge when driving the filter with high resonance and filterfm.

Bazille as a whole in analog. All the wildness with zero aliasing. That would be interesting. I like quite some of those aliasing sounds from it. But to be able to turn it off adlib sounds like cool thing.

Bazille as analogue seems a contradiction in itself, given the large nod to Casio/PM. Its just a hybrid modular.... init?

The Bazille Osc's would stay the same... anyway, it's just a fantasy cause it's not possible to have analog filters in a softsynth