mholloway wrote:
-- the 'hands on' bit -- is covered suitably well by Controller technology and therefore rendered a bit moot
It's not the same experience, though at times it can get close. Take it from one has played both, & has gone through A LOT of controllers seeking a decent user interface.
At one time I was simultaneously using 3 Doepfer Drehbanks each with 64 knobs + 2 Doepfer Pocket Dials each with 16 encoders times 4 banks + Faderfox LX1 with 64 buttons times 2 banks + Faderfox LD2! Now that's a lot of control, but it didn't equal the elegance & functionality of one-knob-to-one-parameter analog goodness.
Plus sometimes you just have to get away from the damn computers.
Bottom line: hardware synths are nice. Software synths are nice. Each have their place, strengths, & weaknesses.
These arguments are like saying roses are
better than violets!
