Thinking about buying an analog poly, but unsure if it’s worth doing..

[kvotchin]

Thanks guys. Appreciate your thoughts on this.

Will do it. Shooting for a character poly, and a character mono, because why not.

[Uncle E]

If Behringer releases the Poly Source, that might be an option for both.

[Jim Roseberry]

As to the age old chestnut from twats who don't even use analogue synths - no, many of them really don't sound the same as software plugins. That's utter nonsense. Not saying they're better, but there are plenty of things analogue does that sw sounds crap at, and plenty of things that sw leaves analogues in the dust for. Yes, you can hear the difference instantly with many of the better analogues and it really is night and day. Yes, a mega VST synth can do all kinds of wonderful things no analogue can do and they sound really very good. Sw is without doubt a whole shitload cheaper and can play a thousand times more notes if that's what you want. There are pros and cons for analogue and sw, but they are NOT the same.

Agreed on software and hardware are not the same.

The bulk of my adult life has revolved around DAWs.
Ironically, when I fire up a software synth, it just doesn't do much for me.
Advanced sample libraries are hard to beat (ie: The Grandeur)... but otherwise, I'd much rather use one of my hardware instruments.

Was prepping for a recording session last week... where I needed to come up with something in the vein of Stabbing Westward or NIN. (I mentioned this earlier)
Given the "Industrial" nature of what I needed, I figured Omnisphere 3 would be a perfect fit.
Tried Omnisphere, but what I was coming up with was just kinda "meh".
Fired up the Kronos 3 (14 year old tech)... and found exactly what I needed.

For whatever reason, I just prefer hardware keyboard/synths.

Recently started reworking a song (written many years ago)... and was thinking Mini Moog would be perfect for the synth bass part. The Mini Moog sound itself was good, but the depth of modulation was just too much (to fit the existing MIDI performance).
Wound up programming a similar sound on my Stage 4... that gave more control over modulation.
Though not a deep synth architecture, the Stage 4's VA sound is one of my favorites.
Nord's are expensive and have their own quirks/limitations, but it's just so quick/easy to get sounds that work well in a band/ensemble scenario.

[machinesworking]

Some of the reasons given for liking analog or hardware synths better comes down to interface, and I 100% agree. I've mostly been in the box for years, but I do own a Memorymoog and a Xpander, which I've used on most songs I do, one or both.

Recently getting a live sequencing rig together, three analog percussion devices, an UNO synth Pro, Wretch S-1000 and Dreadbox Hydra. The Push 3 standalone is mostly being used as a mixer and for a single MPE synth. Everything is readily accessible not being in the box. I'm practicing quickly building up songs and changing to a new "song" live without having much at all sequenced. Immediacy, it's a thing, being able to quickly dial things in without it being necessary to set it up in advance.

This is all why even though I love the Xpander, it's much more of a PITA than the Memorymoog in terms of sound creation, because it requires some menu diving etc. my biggest suggestion to anyone looking at hardware is look out for how quickly you can navigate it's interface, if it's menu diving oriented then it's not any better than the computer.

[BazJacuzzi]

Oh, before I forget...

As to the age old chestnut from twats who don't even use analogue synths - no, many of them really don't sound the same as software plugins. That's utter nonsense. Not saying they're better, but there are plenty of things analogue does that sw sounds crap at, and plenty of things that sw leaves analogues in the dust for. Yes, you can hear the difference instantly with many of the better analogues and it really is night and day. Yes, a mega VST synth can do all kinds of wonderful things no analogue can do and they sound really very good. Sw is without doubt a whole shitload cheaper and can play a thousand times more notes if that's what you want. There are pros and cons for analogue and sw, but they are NOT the same.

And yet people fail to tell software from hardware in blind tests all the time. If you want an instrument, a musical object to play, then absolutely hardware is great, but the sound, with the exception of a few cases like oscillator fm (but good luck getting that to track) is not a reason to get hardware.

I've owned and serviced a ton of analogue gear, btw.

[Jim Roseberry]

Practicality is certainly an important factor.
It's hard to beat software on that front.

Many folks (myself included) have limited time to work on music, so anything (software or hardware) that increases productivity is a major plus. There's also the enjoyment factor.
I've recently gotten into using ProTools with SSL UF8 and Streamdeck XL. (Forced into using PT for collaboration)
Love the immediacy (hands on control)

Have a Leviasynth arriving tomorrow.
Hoping it can authentically cop analog type sounds (in addition to the FM capabilities)... and that the envelopes yield a nice snappy attack.
Some YouTube video demos... it sounds ok/good/great... others it sounds like an ice-pick.
Back in the day, I loved the Kawai K5 (additive synth)... so something in that realm (with good sounding analog filters) could be a great fit.
The K5 had some amazing/expressive horn sounds.
There was also a great DX type bass sound (not the Kenny Loggins Top-Gun bass)... but more authentic (real) sounding.
(Pardon the thread derail)

[Ronny Pries]

Questions I'd ask myself:

1. How much of a keyboard-player am I?
A lot of subtle nuances come into play whilst actually playing a synth. People who mostly program sequences in their DAW are likely oblivious to how differently one synth responds and feels to another. A lot of factors contribute to this. From the keyboard to keytracking filters, velocity curves, instable envelope timing, oscillator phase continuity etcpp.

2. How much do I OCD about little sound details?
About stuff like air and texture? Intricate high-end phase-glittering of oscillators that are never exactly in tune? Or the symmetry and shape of oscillator waveforms? If/how they're biased, skewed, bent and behave across octaves?

3. What kinds of sounds am I using the most?
The usual bread'n'butter presets that make up a majority of sounds ending up in our music probably doesn't justify a purchase.

4. How much time do I invest in learning a synth, and program my own sounds?
Exploring the edges of a synth, its quirks and character takes time. Relying on the devs presets may not be the best idea. In my experience, a lot of synths (including digital ones) start to shine when doings things beyond the usual sound palette.

5. Do I have a case of GAS and hope to buy myself out of a problem, make music music magically sound better?
I'm 99% sure the synth is not going to solve it

What I'm trying to say is: If this is a journey for you, above all things, depends on you. Every time I sit down with a piece of hardware, I'm discovering a new little nifty thing. An edge where its software counterpart (if it exists) behaves differently. However, as a developer and sound-designer I also OCD about these details.

Last, but not least: Analog isn't necessarily analog. Those old discretely built analog behemoths develop a life of their own over time. Oscillator tuning, pitch and filter tracking slowly degrade. BBD chips become more noisy... And I'm never sure what we mean when we discuss "analog synths". What something sounded like when it left the factory in the 70s/80s? What weird kind of quirks a thing developed after 30/40 years? Or a modern thing driven by components that probably don't age? That might be digitally controlled to be as stable as possible anyway?

Also: Old digital synths from before everything was made from standard components aren't necessarily boring nor lifeless either. And often shipped with edgy quirks developers of software emulations tend to overlook, or just dismiss. Which an average user will probably never notice. Or deem important enough.

[zerocrossing]

I mean, there’s the various - very freaking good - VA softsynths I own and use. And besides, all analog gear shall be summarily digitised upon doing damn near anything at all, let alone recording it. Been that way for many a year now.

So, with those factors in mind, is it actually worth the considerable monies - and selection stress - to make this happen?

Here's my take on it. Don't think about the technology of your instruments. Unless you really care about hands on interfaces that are bespoke for the synth engine, I feel it's largely irrelevant. Buy what makes you happy. Here are a few analog polys I've purchased because they're different than anything available in software.

Prophet 6. Similar sounding to a Prophet 5, but with resonance compensation, an additional high pass filter, stereo panning, and more!

Nina. Technically a hybrid, because it has 2 VCOs and a 3rd oscillator that's a digital wavetable. Dripping charisma and character, and has a really great patch morphing feature. Plus, motorized pots!

PolyBrute. Great sounding poly with a very unique personality, and a ton of modulation options. Nothing in software sounds remotely like it. If you get the 12 voice, you get a polyphonic aftertouch/MPE keyboard. Bonus.

Analog Four. Best filter drive in the business. It really sings like a cranked guitar amp.

[HAL76]

It would turn your quality standards upside down.

[audiojunkie]

I mean, there’s the various - very freaking good - VA softsynths I own and use. And besides, all analog gear shall be summarily digitised upon doing damn near anything at all, let alone recording it. Been that way for many a year now.

So, with those factors in mind, is it actually worth the considerable monies - and selection stress - to make this happen?

It really depends on you and how you work. I like being mobile so that I can do music wherever I want. Sometimes in bed even. So I use a laptop or portable equipment. You can't do that with hardware synths--very comfortably, that is. Also, if you are thinking you would like a vintage analog, you need to be aware that those things cost a lot of money, just to keep them running. I had, and eventually got rid of a couple of analog / hybrid classic synths that required constant maintenance, and it was very expensive. The difference between the emulations that are available for those synths just wasn't worth it. With Diva, Repro, Hive2, Zebra 3, and others, it's really, really hard to justify going out of the box these days--unless it is something portable like an Ableton Move, or a Roland SP404 mk2, or an Akai MPC Sample. At least, that's my personal opinion.