Ableton Forum

Hey guys! After working a couple of years with softsynths I'm really really starting to hear the difference between real analog vs my own softsynths - there's just so much more "life" and movement in real analog synths (to my ears anyway)
I own Ace and PolyKB and they DO sound really nice, but then I got a chance to try out the Alesis Andromeda and I was just blown away. I've also tried other analog synths like the DSI Tetra + mopho, Moog little phatty + the voyager and they just have so much more punch and sparkle - Is it the vco's or is it mainly the analog filters that gives these synths that presence and life and make them sound so fat (when wanted).

I was wondering if buying an analog filter and runing my softsynths through it would give my that same movement in the sound, or do I have to shell out for a real analog synth..??

Just to clarify what sound I'm after: Fat, punchy, drifty and with the possibility to get harsh (like the MS-20)

Analog synths get their character from all of the components in the audio signal path, plus the envelopes can make a huge difference too - some are just snappier than others. A nice analog filter will help, but to get one that is worth it (Sherman, Waldorf, etc.. ) you are often spending enough cash to get an analog synth. Perhaps look for an analog synth with a filter input, so you get both workflows form one box - e.g., a Waldorf Pulse Plus.

Thanks for the info!

I was actually looking into buying the Sherman filterbank 2 - it looks really nice! Seems to be able to really give sounds some dirt

Yes every part of the synth matters, like it has been said, but a cool analog filter can be lots of fun.

Sherman filterbank was out of my budget, but I found a used Electrix Filter Factory for cheap and it has some very nice features and a good sound.

erm... nevermind, I just saw that last bit about a gritty sound like the ms20. The filter factory's resonance isn't like that, it's more of a nice whistle with a hard edge.