software emulation discussion

[NoAffiliation]

there are a few bits of hardware in my studio that i also own software emulations and i've gotten really into testing the accuracy compared to the originals.

this thread is not about sound quality or color of hardware vs soft-synths, but about if a person were to start from blank on both platforms and start turning the same knobs if both synthesizers behave the same way. i have found in some cases the emulations are really dead on and other times not even close in terms of what actually happens to the sound when changing the same parameters.

i thought it would be fun to compile any experiences people have had comparing two "identical" synths.

the nord lead from the reaktor user library is just about fucking spot on the real thing, i dont own a juno but my friends have them and i think the reaktor emulation is near perfect in recreating the envelopes and modulations...

i've tried korg legacy against my m3 and even though not an exact comparison i think they did a good job. kind of pisses me off cause my m3 was expensive!!

arturia for me is a no go, just my personal opinion

[AK]

I haven't had the same software and hardware unit to compare really, apart from the Novation Super Bass Station and the Bass Station plugin sounds nothing like it at all, really terrible. I like the hardware for certain sounds but I had one way before the software come out and if it had been the other way around, I'd have had a very low opinion of it.

But hey, that's digital emulating an analogue synth, in terms of software emulating digital/va hardware, I see no earthly reason why they shouldn't sound the same. I have the Korg Legacy Collection too and although I've never had a Polysix or MS20, I've used a Wavestation and from memory, that sounded the same to me but it was never a direct comparison as it's been years since I used the hardware.

The real difference should, as far as I can tell, be noticeable when software tries to emulate analogue. As in say, the Minimoog and Minimoog V by Arturia. You've just dissed them but I once spoke to Scot Solida who writes for Future Music amongst other things and he's owned just about every bit of analogue kit you might imagine over the last 30 years and when this kind of debate was in progress, he shockingly revealed that the difference, to his ears, didn't justify the huge price gap. He also stated that A/B comparison test ( with the real minimoog and the Minimoog V ) in a mix ( where the hardware was used in one mix and the software in next ) revealed very few listeners were able to say which was which and a lot of those that got it right, didn't know, they just guessed. Some of the others said, they heard the difference between the two but neither one was any more preferable to them.

I have no idea on that myself, never used a Minimoog just found it an interesting debate/test.

What about studio gear emulations? Waves SSL, etc etc, are these included?

[tone-def]

the virus TDM plugin sounds worse than my friends TI.

[Stomper]

this thread is not about sound quality or color of hardware vs soft-synths, but about if a person were to start from blank on both platforms and start turning the same knobs if both synthesizers behave the same way.

i think the "result" is different between each person.
personally i think everyone needs to try both to know whats best for him.
i find that with hardware i get things faster. but eventually i got back to soft synths because i like to jump between projects so i rather have presets (the digital controlled and digital hardware synths i tried were less or equally good as soft synth so no real point).

[JonasEdenbrandt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkALw4qZbRE

heres a clip of swedish techno dude andreas tilliander aka mokira checking his 303 against a future revolution.

[steevio]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkALw4qZbRE

heres a clip of swedish techno dude andreas tilliander aka mokira checking his 303 against a future revolution.

it's really easy to tell the difference. maybe tastes have changed but the 303 sounds so much better. i played with a revolution in a shop, and it was fun, but it's not quite alive enough.

[hydrogen]

i probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between those two in context... but i did prefer the 303 in the video.

[TechnoMusic]

Im not sure why one would want an exact emulation of something one already has in hardware? When I buy new vst instruments its for new and original sounds not something I already have. Anyway for me my best find of the last few years is uHe ACE, it has an amazing sound palate and sounds like a genuine analog synth to my ears, but it still has its own sound and that for me is kind of the point.