Hardware synths vs sofware synhs

[jasefos]

@bosonHavoc
Having 1 instrument is not necessarily a bad thing either.
Just like having thousands of options is not always a good thing.
Another way to look at it is, I have thousands of options but one option tends to sound better than all of mine, (sure it's subjective).

From back in the days when hardware was the only option finances limited the rate at which you'd buy gear. I'd buy serious pieces on bank loans (e.g. Ensoniq EPS16+ in 1993) and while paying it off, focus on that piece, exploit every aspect of what it offered and discover its hacks/tricks.

I enjoyed this experience again in recent years in software land through doing sound design projects for a few big-brand VA synth products. Focusing for 6 months or so on developing a sound set for a synth and using it to the exclusion of every other in your studio (even when you have a myriad of synths at your disposal) is a great exercise. At the end of the project you have the added bonus of having a soundbank in your arsenal to call upon where every sound is one to your personal taste.
; )

[djadonis206]

Here's some more hardware music inspired by the good folks at www.elektron.se 100% Octatrack and Machinedrum!

https://soundcloud.com/djadonis206/dontsaynothin

[james.gibbs]

I had one of those Imposcar 2 controllers. I sold it a couple of months ago. It was beautiful, but took up a lot of room & really was overkill for me. I already own a Voyager XL & Jupiter 6, amongst a few others for hardware synths & to my ears, soft synths are good, but there's just something about analogue. I replaced Imposcar 2 controller with a Roland V-synth XT & I love it! Yes, it's basically a VST in a dedicated box, but it sounds wicked

[Quez]

Hardware gives me more of an "instant" play and discovery feeling. With software, things have to be a bit more pre-planned / programmed.

So besides the analog/digital/software sound debate, that's the main difference for me.

[irrelevance]

Well made hardware will potentially last a lifetime. Software will last as long as the next gen update allows.

Software is by virtue of the marketplace ephemeral (especially if it's apple!) so how can we as artists expect to develop any kind of longterm relationship with it?

I bought Camel Alchemy in november 2014 and i'm glad in some ways that I have the opportunity to continue using it and I'll have fun with it for as long as the OS allows and then it's goodbye programming chops it was all for naught...

Waldorf have come and gone a few times over the years when they disappeared for the first time it was certainly a sad day. And while that meant firmware updates would no longer come, units still worked and would continue to work.

I know my supernova inside out (literally) doesn't matter Novation no longer officially support it as a pot or vfd screen display change will likely be possible for years to come. What about push how many updates will this survive? If the Ableton team sells up and moves to the Bahamas all I'm left with is a hard decision as to where to put all of my experience to date with software that is no longer supported. (think logic and pc)

I'm very happy with the market developments in analog/modular and that the ever so slightly older generation are pushing in this direction reminding us why these technologies/design principles have stood the test of time.

If I had the cash I would kit myself out with ton of gear and use the computer for what it's best at which imo is capture, editing and recording.

[hennessey]

Well made hardware will potentially last a lifetime. Software will last as long as the next gen update allows.

Software is by virtue of the marketplace ephemeral (especially if it's apple!) so how can we as artists expect to develop any kind of longterm relationship with it?

I've heard this argument before, and I'll offer another point of view. I have a Reaktor Ensemble I've used since 2003. I've had hardware keyboards that died after 3 years. I can still use that Reaktor Ensemble though. I've used the Synth1 VST for almost 14 years. I know that thing much more than any hardware I've ever had. People seem to forget hardware breaks.

[irrelevance]

Well made hardware will potentially last a lifetime. Software will last as long as the next gen update allows.

Software is by virtue of the marketplace ephemeral (especially if it's apple!) so how can we as artists expect to develop any kind of longterm relationship with it?

I've heard this argument before, and I'll offer another point of view. I have a Reaktor Ensemble I've used since 2003. I've had hardware keyboards that died after 3 years. I can still use that Reaktor Ensemble though. I've used the Synth1 VST for almost 14 years. I know that thing much more than any hardware I've ever had. People seem to forget hardware breaks.

Out of interest how many times have you updated your pc hardware/soft since 2003 to keep up with reaktors processing demands?

Little anecdote about NI and the benefits/disadvantages of the mutability of software.
I've owned Absynth as long as you've been using your reaktor ensemble maybe a bit longer. When NI decided that KORE was no longer a viable product/production philosophy the next 'upgrade' to absynth drastically changed the browsing and editing of patches and imo not for the better. I didn't even own the KORE hardware product!
I could have stayed on my current version at the time but the improvements to the sound engine and sound design were a big draw.
Now if this was a hardware synth a firmware update would not remove previous functionality it would build upon what was already released. I wouldn't be forced to relearn a working practice to benefit from new features.

As for the hardware synth 'dying' I appreciate this is a possibility but if you don't mind getting your hands dirty it's likely an easy fix. Off the shelf replacement universal power supplies are cheap and when things 'die' like that the PSU is the first point to check. So it's entirely possible to keep that synth alive if you are so inclined.

When I bought an old yamaha sy77 of ebay back in 2000 internationally shipped and found some white keys were broken. I walked to my local non specialist keyboard store and was able to purchase new keys over the counter without any notice for a product that was first manufactured according to synth explorer in 1989 . Seems yamaha aren't in the business of redesigning their key beds (or the keys for the key beds at least) for every keyboard they make. 'If it ain't broke'

Can I keep my version of Alchemy running beyond a major OS change. Unlikely. Even if I could code in C what chances do I have of reverse engineering a commercial i.e. non open source product to get it play nice for years to come? It's more likely that I can maintain a legacy rig in order to use legacy products but as I've mentioned the obsolescence of hardware components in the computer hardware industry happens fast. A lot faster than the electronics components industry at least.

I love using software don't get me wrong but I do tire of developers giving with one hand while taking away with the other.

[Tagor]

Since i told my friend to make after long hassle his basslines
with virus/waldorf samples which he compress in Live together
with kick and save this combination to the mpc1000 he have,
his basslines sound much better then mine. It took me 2 years
to get him making basslines not via midi-cables, because he his
absolute hardwarejunky. http://zeichenzeit.de/dje/?page_id=9

So now i am at the point, to use his hardware to reinvent
my own suggestions to him for myself