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

VST, AU, AAX, CLAP, etc. Plugin Virtual Instruments Discussion
Locked New Topic

Has digital finally dethroned analog?

Yes, software has clearly taken the lead
22
31%
No, analog still holds its ground
17
24%
About 50/50 - I balance both worlds
4
6%
Not sure, it's context-dependent
1
1%
Doesn’t matter. It’s about results, not tools
26
37%
 
Total votes: 70

RELATED
PRODUCTS

Post

SamDi wrote: Thu Jun 12, 2025 11:14 am This discussion is pointless as always.
Not entirely. Gourmet burgers are always a fascinating topic.
J60 Heatwave for Omnisphere 3 - Juno-60 Inspired soundbank
HARDWARE SAMPLER FANATIC - Akai S1100/S950/Z8 - Casio FZ20m - Emu Emax I - Ensoniq ASR10/EPS

Post

DrGonzo wrote: Thu Jun 12, 2025 12:01 pm
SamDi wrote: Thu Jun 12, 2025 11:14 am This discussion is pointless as always.
Not entirely. Gourmet burgers are always a fascinating topic.
Hm, I ask myself how often then, there is something new brought to the table, which leads to change somebody's mind.

Post

SoftSynthLover99 wrote: Thu Jun 12, 2025 2:53 am Hundred Burgers in Valencia Spain is not a fast food chain :hihi: but of course you would consider a "gourmet burger restaurant" that was voted the #1 best Burger in the world to be equal to McDonalds fast food :dog:

Google A.I: No, Hundred Burgers is not considered fast food. While it specializes in burgers, it's more of a high-end, artisanal burger joint that emphasizes quality ingredients and a refined dining experience, rather than a quick and inexpensive meal

So do you see the difference between that and McDonalds? 1 is made to be inexpensive and accessible (like software synths) and the other caters to a more "high end" dining experience (like some higher end hardware synths).
Hilarious using AI to try and say a chain "Burger Joint" isn't fast food, of course it is, and even if you want to claim that a burger joint is not fast food, awesome, it's most certainly not a 5 star fine dining restaurant which was your original point

Remember you said Moog was a 5 star restaurant and plugins were fast food and to prove your point you talked about a chain of burger joints in Spain that gave a ton of people food poisoning

Anyway I am going to McDonald's today for lunch and will bring my laptop, my Keystep, and a pair of headphones and mess around with "The Legend HZ" while I am in there, I hope to design a patch called "SoftSynthLover99" in memory of you since you love burger joints and soft Synths so much

Maybe I can eventually design 99 patches in burger joints starting with "SoftSynthLover99" and working my way down to "SoftSynthLover01", maybe tomorrow I will go to Burger King, and on Friday Wendy's, maybe hit Five Guys over the weekend, and hey Arby's has burgers now also

See that's another advantage of software you can use it in burger joints to design patches to pay tribute to fellow forum members who love both Soft Synths and burger joints like yourself

Post

The difference is only in your head...

Post

IvyBirds wrote: Thu Jun 12, 2025 1:39 pm Maybe I can eventually design 99 patches in burger joints starting with "SoftSynthLover99" and working my way down to "SoftSynthLover01", maybe tomorrow I will go to Burger King, and on Friday Wendy's, maybe hit Five Guys over the weekend, and hey Arby's has burgers now also
You missed the most obvious one..

Jack ITB
Logic Pro | LUNA Pro | OB-X8 | Prophet 6 | OB-6 | Rev2 | TEO-5 | Pro 3 | SE-1X | Minitaur | Deepmind 12D | Slim Phatty | TR-1000 | Analog RYTM mk2 | Digitakt 2 | TD-3 MO | TD-3 | Maschine+

Post

cryophonik wrote: Thu Jun 12, 2025 2:29 pm
IvyBirds wrote: Thu Jun 12, 2025 1:39 pm Maybe I can eventually design 99 patches in burger joints starting with "SoftSynthLover99" and working my way down to "SoftSynthLover01", maybe tomorrow I will go to Burger King, and on Friday Wendy's, maybe hit Five Guys over the weekend, and hey Arby's has burgers now also
You missed the most obvious one..

Jack ITB
Very true

Post

IvyBirds wrote: Thu Jun 12, 2025 1:39 pm
SoftSynthLover99 wrote: Thu Jun 12, 2025 2:53 am Hundred Burgers in Valencia Spain is not a fast food chain :hihi: but of course you would consider a "gourmet burger restaurant" that was voted the #1 best Burger in the world to be equal to McDonalds fast food :dog:

Google A.I: No, Hundred Burgers is not considered fast food. While it specializes in burgers, it's more of a high-end, artisanal burger joint that emphasizes quality ingredients and a refined dining experience, rather than a quick and inexpensive meal

So do you see the difference between that and McDonalds? 1 is made to be inexpensive and accessible (like software synths) and the other caters to a more "high end" dining experience (like some higher end hardware synths).
Hilarious using AI to try and say a chain "Burger Joint" isn't fast food, of course it is, and even if you want to claim that a burger joint is not fast food, awesome, it's most certainly not a 5 star fine dining restaurant which was your original point

Remember you said Moog was a 5 star restaurant and plugins were fast food and to prove your point you talked about a chain of burger joints in Spain that gave a ton of people food poisoning

Anyway I am going to McDonald's today for lunch and will bring my laptop, my Keystep, and a pair of headphones and mess around with "The Legend HZ" while I am in there, I hope to design a patch called "SoftSynthLover99" in memory of you since you love burger joints and soft Synths so much

Maybe I can eventually design 99 patches in burger joints starting with "SoftSynthLover99" and working my way down to "SoftSynthLover01", maybe tomorrow I will go to Burger King, and on Friday Wendy's, maybe hit Five Guys over the weekend, and hey Arby's has burgers now also

See that's another advantage of software you can use it in burger joints to design patches to pay tribute to fellow forum members who love both Soft Synths and burger joints like yourself
I am honored and sounds like a good time and hope you have lots of fun creating! :hug:

BTW here is what one of the members from Daft Punk had to say about software synths (which I tend to agree with) Operator is one of the best soft synths out there, and I hate soft synths in general," says Bangalter. "It's great because it's got its own thing, it's not trying to emulate this or that."

Now I’m off to find a good burger for today :pray:
https://equipboard.com/submissions/83376

Post

SoftSynthLover99 wrote: Thu Jun 12, 2025 3:42 pm ...says Bangalter. "It's great because it's got its own thing, it's not trying to emulate this or that."


:lol: :lol: :lol:
How original

Post

Seriously. Maybe the masks make them immune to irony.

Post

SoftSynthLover99 wrote: Thu Jun 12, 2025 3:42 pm BTW here is what one of the members from Daft Punk had to say about software synths (which I tend to agree with) Operator is one of the best soft synths out there, and I hate soft synths in general," says Bangalter. "It's great because it's got its own thing, it's not trying to emulate this or that."
Wow so it's 4op FM like Yamaha was doing in the 1980s, has the same preset algorithms you can create in countless Yamaha FM Synths and FM Synths that steal that paradigm, with the ability to have a few extra wave forms like Yamaha was doing in the 1980s and expanded further with FS1R in the 1990s, and has the ability to have additive Operators for the FM Operators as New England Digital was doing in the 1970s with the Synclavier 1 and enhanced further with the Synclavier II in the 1980s, all of which can be run through an analog style subtractive synth model and filters as Yamaha was doing in the 1980s and countless others have been doing for decades, and has ADSR envelopes which no synth has ever had,

but sure it's doing its own thing and not emulating anything.

Hilarious how the guy from Daft Punk who says he hates softs Synths seems so ignorant of them, while proclaiming his love for hardware that he has no idea about

He is the poster boy for the "Hardware Good, Software Bad" evangelists

Post

Seems like unit sales figures would help answer question about the balance of popularity between hardware and software instruments. But what company is going to release these proprietary figures? As long as some people learn to play keyboards, there will always be hardware synths. But because software instruments are much cheaper than hardware synths, I imagine unit sales of software instruments is much higher, and therefore more popular. Whether one sounds better than the other is, well, in the ear of the beholder.

Post

Clearly, the fact that synth manufacturers are still cranking out hardware synths and new models and companies are popping up every year should tell you that the hardware synth market is still alive and well. And people are clearly still buying software synths and prices have plummeted over the past decade or so, and the market is way oversaturated. So, I guess that can only mean one thing: hardware vs. software debates are as pointless as ever. Now, where's my burger?
Logic Pro | LUNA Pro | OB-X8 | Prophet 6 | OB-6 | Rev2 | TEO-5 | Pro 3 | SE-1X | Minitaur | Deepmind 12D | Slim Phatty | TR-1000 | Analog RYTM mk2 | Digitakt 2 | TD-3 MO | TD-3 | Maschine+

Post

The person who’s trying to convince anybody that either hardware or software is better is either the most pitiful prophet ever or the most broken seller around.

There’s a market and a place for both. Proven everytime it’s discussed. Period. Burger time.

Post

cryophonik wrote: Thu Jun 12, 2025 6:30 pmNow, where's my burger?
Beef or Beyond? Has the balanced shifted?!
Zerocrossing Media

4th Law of Robotics: When turning evil, display a red indicator light. ~[ ●_● ]~

Post

zerocrossing wrote: Thu Jun 12, 2025 9:05 pm Beef or Beyond?
Bruh...

Locked

Return to “Instruments”