Adam Szabo - AIRWAVE Out Now! (JP-8080 VST)

[Touch The Universe]

No, actually, I don't. I think it's mostly bullshit, people exploiting gullible idiots.

I see. So if you were to throw that plug on something, it would not affect it, or if it does, it would not resemble its intended purpose, in your mind?

Not seeing your logic.

Though, more to the point, I'm sure adam did not overlook dac or anything else. Regardless, if the goal is to match in the ears, perhaps mimicking the dac isn't a seperate step - if it sounds identical - you incidentally coded the dac.

[BONES]

So if you were to throw that plug on something, it would not affect it, or if it does, it would not resemble its intended purpose, in your mind?

The difference it would make compared to something free, e.g. Burier, would not be worth worrying about. Again, in a mix no-one would know that you'd used anything.

The problem is that you get excited by what it is, not what it does. These tools are all about making music, the music is what matters. I use things like FireCobra and STA Enhancer on my mixes because they make our songs sound better. I don't care what they're doing and I certainly have no idea how they do what they do, only what the result is. Similarly, I use Airwave because I like what it has to offer, not because it's an emulation of some synth from 40 years ago that I never had even the slightest interest in at the time.

That's also why we have embraced AI - we love what it has to offer, how it does it only matters in terms of getting the result we're after. I have complete confidence that our next album will be our best ever and that's all that matters to me. We'll give Tunee all the writing and arrangement credits, just as we always make sure to credit the correct people for covers we release.

I'm sure adam did not overlook dac or anything else.

That was my point - he didn't but the guys who are just copying the DSP chip almost certainly will because they aren't looking at the whole instrument, just at its micro-chip. I was simply offering a possible explanation as to why the DSP clone might not sound like a full emulation.

[Touch The Universe]

Thank you, that explains it. It's the DSP clone that might be missing a few things, makes sense.

[_leras]

I havent decided yet if Im done with emulations but if I were to emulate something new it would have to be analog which cannot be emulated by loading its firmware in a vst, since it has no firmware.

Well you clearly have a great ear for these things, and probably a great framework to build off.

Perhaps you can add to the best bits of what you have and make a new and original synth.

[Touch The Universe]

True Analog Synths (No Firmware in the Signal Path)

These would qualify as “cannot be emulated by firmware loading”:

Classic Fully-Analog VCO/VCF/VCA Synths

Pure voltage-controlled signal path, no firmware controlling oscillators or filters.

Moog
Minimoog Model D
Moog Model 15 (modular)
Moog Modular Systems (I, II, III)
Source (osc path is analog, memory is digital but not in audio path)
Roland (Early Era — Before DCO/Digital Control)
Roland SH-5
Roland SH-09
Roland SH-2
Roland System 100
Roland System 100m
Roland System 700
Roland Jupiter-4 (VCO controlled by CPU envelopes, but oscillator/filter path is analog)
Korg
MS-20 (classic)
MS-10
Mono/Poly (true VCOs)
Korg PS-3100 / PS-3200 / PS-3300 (wild and unique analog architecture)
Sequential / Prophet
Prophet-5 Rev 1 & Rev 2 (SSM chips)
Prophet-10 rev1/2
Pro-One (VCOs)
Oberheim
OB-X (purely discrete VCO analog)
SEM modules

Four-Voice / Eight-Voice

ARP
ARP 2600
ARP Odyssey (all revisions)
ARP 1601 Sequencer (not a synth, but all analog circuits)
Yamaha
Yamaha CS-80
Yamaha CS-60
Yamaha CS-40M
Yamaha CS-15 / CS-30
Yamaha GX-1 (legendary and very complex analog tone)
EMS
VCS3
Synthi AKS
Synthi 100
Buchla (Early Models)
Buchla 100 Series
Buchla 200 Series (purely analog; later 200e is digital hybrid)
Serge
Classic Serge Modular (all circuits analog)

Semi-Analog / Hybrid (Signal Path Analog, Some Digital Control)

These still qualify under your rule because the audio path is analog — no firmware to load, no CPU sound generation — but a CPU may control envelopes or patch memory.

Prophet-5 Rev 3 (CEM chips)
Roland Jupiter-8 (CPU controls tuning/envelopes, but signal path is analog)
Roland Juno-6/60 (DCOs — but still analog sound path; oscillator is analog generated via digitally timed pulses)
Oberheim OB-Xa / OB-8
Moog Memorymoog
Korg Polysix (DCOs with SSM filter)
These are still analog in tone, but not “fully discrete VCO,” so they’re a borderline category.

NOT in this category (Digital firmware = directly emulatable)

These can be emulated by loading firmware in a VST because they are digital synthesizers:

Access Virus (DSP)
Nord Lead (DSP)
Yamaha DX7 (FM with firmware)
Korg M1 (ROMpler)
JV/XV/JD Roland series
Waldorf Blofeld, Microwave XT
Ensoniq ESQ-1, SQ-80

All wavetable hardware with digital oscs

All modern digital polysynths (Hydrasynth, Wavestate, Modwave, etc.)

ASM Hydrasynth

Elektron Analog Four (digital control + firmware-based analog modeling in many areas)

If it runs firmware in the audio path, it does not qualify for your project requirement.

[BONES]

I upgraded my Arturia V Collection a couple of days ago and got to play with JUV-8000 for the first time last night. I like the extras they have built into it but the factory bank is anything but inspiring, especially when you compare it to Airwave's presets.

[BONES]

I just had my first proper session trying to fit Airwave into a song and it nailed it in a couple of minutes. I had JP6K in there and it was doing a decent enough job but it wasn't quite what I was looking for. I needed something with a bit more presence in the upper mids. I tried Arturia's JUV-8000 first and it was no better but once I added Airwave, I had what I wanted really quickly.

I think I had under-estimated the value of the layering in both JP6K and Airwave. I had to work really hard on the JUV to get it to match the oomph of JP6K, whereas with Airwave I could use its more comprehensive layers to get the extra I needed really quickly. Very impressive, Adam.

[Touch The Universe]

I'd like to hear what you did with it.

[adamszabo]

I think I had under-estimated the value of the layering in both JP6K and Airwave. I had to work really hard on the JUV to get it to match the oomph of JP6K, whereas with Airwave I could use its more comprehensive layers to get the extra I needed really quickly. Very impressive, Adam.

Thank you, I am very happy that you are enjoying it!

[starflakeprj]

@adamszabo
Did I read somewhere that you were going to try to port your code to JUCE, and that it could mean that there is a chance for a Mac version on the horizon? Or was it just a happy dream?

I'm originally a Windows user, but lack of motivation have prevented me to re-build my PC, so I ended up buying a Mac Mini M4 Pro instead. I own the JP6K and Viper, and will probably buy Airwave eventually, but not until I pull my shit together to re-build my PC

[Nside]

Great job Adam, just purchased it and I'm honestly delighted with it, you can see the attention to detail and the sound is amazing, loading my older JP patches into it is a joy!! Sounds identical to my ears.

Well done.

[Touch The Universe]

@adamszabo
Did I read somewhere that you were going to try to port your code to JUCE, and that it could mean that there is a chance for a Mac version on the horizon? Or was it just a happy dream?

I'm originally a Windows user, but lack of motivation have prevented me to re-build my PC, so I ended up buying a Mac Mini M4 Pro instead. I own the JP6K and Viper, and will probably buy Airwave eventually, but not until I pull my shit together to re-build my PC

Could AI make that job easier somehow? I know no code, yet i have it pumping out stuff for me for reaper scripts.

[BONES]

AFAIK, Adam does all this in Flowstone, which I don't think would be compatible with porting to JUCE or anywhere else. That said, I haven't looked at it in 15 years or more, maybe that kind of thing is possible these days.

[starflakeprj]

Then it was just a dream

[adamszabo]

@adamszabo
Did I read somewhere that you were going to try to port your code to JUCE, and that it could mean that there is a chance for a Mac version on the horizon? Or was it just a happy dream?

Im constantly looking at other options including JUCE, but it was not really possible to learn anything new until Airwave was finished. After a new Airwave update, I think I might have to go at it again and see if there is anything I can do about Mac versions, because believe it or not, it annoys me as well that its only available for PC.