my work is based on working with clients, and often clients have fixes, so using analog equipment is not possible in my scenario, because it will take a lot of time.
Secondly, software is more practical, convenient, and sounds (to me) better than hardware

 

imagine this file is really a $10,000 compressor. Which would you pick?

 

I don't know if my opinion is going to contribute anything, because I never had an analog equipment and a plugin like it.
But what you ask, is something that I always wonder. Is there really a difference between hardware and vst?.
I've been in some studios with really good hardware where I went to record vocals and guitars. And really the sound moved me, maybe it was because of being there, unlike my PC that sounded like a can to me.
I have also searched on youtube how Elysia's compressors and equalizers sounded. And I was really amazed at the sound.
The same thing happened to me the other day when I saw a video of a "Korg Arp 2600" Synthesizer. As soon as I heard it in a few seconds, I was amazed at the realism it has, the body of the sound. Look if the VST exists but I didn't find it. Nothing I have on my PC sounds like that synth and I mean realism. But I have mdr 7506 headphones and edifer speakers, and that may work against the comparison, I don't know.
I also think that the visual can influence a lot, I say. We see hardware and we think it sounds better because we're seeing it. For example, this happens with VST or Daw, when the GUI is more "attractive" it gives us the impression that it sounds better.

It is my humble opinion

also:
It is true what they said. People aren't going to notice if you used an equalizer or a saturator to color it, they're going to notice the song. But I think that we not only do it for others, we also make music because we like to listen to it, we like how that or this sounds, beyond the fact that the final product does not have as much relevance for the listener as it does for us.

 

This argument is totally fine.
But then people have to mark different points.

If someone says "I like hardware because it gives me a feeling, or an atmosphere or a haptical advantage to get to my target faster even at the expenses" it is totally valid for me.
But the argument with sound simply is not, even if people wish to get a sound advantage out of their expensive equipment.

As stated earlier, all those acting components are reproducable. Only the haptical feeling is not adequate yet. This is something I miss.

 

Last edited: May 3, 2022

Would you rather walk into a pawn shop with a copy of FL Studio or a Moog?

 

Assuming that one's signal chain is up to par, imo, running a signal out of a DA into a piece of outboard with iron, ICs, and 'electricity' puts a huge smile on my face. Big 3D, more wide, evens out the low end, etc. Outboard EQ will ALWAYS produce more pleasing results. HW EQs are a pita for builders to produce and cost lots of $$$ for a reason. HW compressors come in 2nd place for me, and sound better than plugins.
Preamps came in 3rd. They are the law of diminishing returns. Cranked gain w/ xformers sound better, but a high quality preamp with straight wire gain still beats a Focusrite Scarlett interface pre that costs $40.

OTOH, plugins sound great! And, you can have many instances of them which changes the game. Do you need outboard? No. But, for me, once you hear and feel it, it really is hard to deny.

As far as today's electronic music is concerned, you don't need anything but ITB. But when you get into productions using mics and treated rooms, and reamping or outboard mixing, it's a different ball game. I think the key here is actual circuitry, electricity, and iron, steel, nickel, ICs. 1's and 0's keep getting closer every year though, but takes more and more CPU power.

I can't speak for Nebula or acoustica, but I've heard that they perform great. my 2 cents.

 

So my public transportation (subway/bus) pass, is really a Virtual Cadillac? All I have to do is put a picture on it, and imagine?

They both get you to the same place, right? These coders have you convinced these are equal things, while they take your money and give you nothing but files. To crank out more files with, because noone's 8 listeners on twitter will know the difference.....

 

Depends on goals