Edit: Let's revive the analog vs. digital debate once and for all

[IncarnateX]

Guys! Of course I have to dig it up to bury it, but plz note that I haven't asked which sound best or what the best emulation is or which VSTi sounds more analog. What I am claiming is that prices and availability of analog gear have made such questions pointless (or even more pointless than before) and that the emulation abilities should be a lesser focus point of VAs in the future.

If you want argue with me on this, then tell me why it isn't so, or you can accept the premise and come up with some good ideas about the future of VAs without the ubiquitous analog-digital hysteria.

[samsam]

once and for all

[recursive one]

What I am claiming is that prices and availability of analog gear have made such questions pointless.

Besides price, there are also the workflow factors, such as total recall, multiple instances etc.

that the emulation abilities should be a lesser focus point of VAs in the future.

On this I mostly agree. E.g., I love Diva, it is one of the best sounding soft synths I ever tried, but IMO it is too limited for my uses because it sticks to much to the hardware prototypes. I'd love to have a synth having the same overall sound character but with wavetable and FM oscillators in addition to pure VA, various filters (vowel, comb, whatever), digital distortion, bitcrusher, hypersaw, and other cool things invented during the digital synths era

[Glyn Darby]

My only view is that we nearly all listen or play are music through the digital domain nowdays so its all digital in some way. I just love synths hardware digital/analogue,software emulation/never seen before and we should all just embrace all this amazing technology that we have at our fingertips. Many thanks Glyn.

[mcnoone]

Besides price, there are also the workflow factors, such as total recall, multiple instances etc.

Yea, that's another thing.
The latency, and having to find the correct target setting to make up for it, make hardware synths a pain to deal with. I have a usb midi connection on my hardware synth, and the latency is so bad, that I have to spend a long time adjusting the parameters which still ends up much worse than any software synth. I imagine midi connectors are even worse for that.

[Boardwalk]

@mcnoone

You are right. Especially when it comes to older equipment. Therefore I plug the outs of my synth into the ins of my soundcard. Problem solved

[BertKoor]

[JerGoertz]

Final Score:

Analog - 89
Digital - 77

[cryophonik]

So, that's it? No more analog-digital debates ever again? Cool, and just in time for dinner.

[rp314]

Let's bury the analog vs. digital debate once and for all

...by restarting it all over again. Kill for Peace, motherfuckers!

Analog vs. digital may indeed be dead, but Tuli et al live on!

[deastman]

Thank goodness we were able to end this debate once and for all.

[Aleatoriac]

Diva is better than all analog and digital. Diva is better than GOD.

Reaper is better than ALL PLUGINS AND DAWS EVER.

Crank it till your ears bleed and then amplify that sh!t again, smash it to -0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000103 db dynamic range and then compress it again, then run it through every saturator you have, maxed, then limit it again, max the input gain, max everything.

Red.

EVERY METER BLOOD RED.

[Urs]

A synth like DIVA should be more promoted on the things it can do beyond "emulation" and get it's very own identity.

None of the dinosaurs she can impersonate can swap modules just like that - that's a hard to beat advantage of her digital nature, and what sets her apart from her analogue siblings.

Swapping of modules is not gonna make it alone in these new times and is based on comparison between originals and DIVA as an emulator. But granted that DIVAs emulation cababilities is the lesser point, what can she do as a (di)VA that beats other VAs?

When I look at our sales figures it's quite obvious that "emulation capabilities" is the strongest selling point there is in this industry. Hence, obviously, there's no point trying to bury the debate. It's the single most sought after property in a VA, demoting any "what else can she do" to a mere technicality.

In fact, the "what else" is a big problem for Diva - she's already too complex and capable for many of those who seek "emulation capabilities". Which is why we're expanding our portfolio with seemingly pointless emulations that offer no "what else" at all.

Long live the Digital vs. Analogue debate!

[tehlord]

Besides price, there are also the workflow factors, such as total recall, multiple instances etc.

Yea, that's another thing.
The latency, and having to find the correct target setting to make up for it, make hardware synths a pain to deal with. I have a usb midi connection on my hardware synth, and the latency is so bad, that I have to spend a long time adjusting the parameters which still ends up much worse than any software synth. I imagine midi connectors are even worse for that.

That's like saying that playing Forza is better than driving a real car because it doesn't require insurance or fuel to make it run.

There's more to hardware than just getting the job done.

[whyterabbyt]

Let's bury the analog vs. digital debate once and for all

...by restarting it all over again. Kill for Peace, motherfuckers!

Analog vs. digital may indeed be dead, but Tuli et al live on!

Im kinda glad someone got that.