You did a lot of organizing since the last time you posted a picutre. It looked like a pre-interior decorator version.

 

that's A LOT of $$

 

i bet this guy LIVES for the music

 

Sorry, but it's really DELULU to think hardware VA Synths do sound better than 100% correct emulations like the usual subjects stuff. Kate, you are just biased and you just prefer to work with hardware, and thats really cool, I love hardware, too but I don't think that I can hear the differences between an ostirus and a hardware virus ...... If you can hear any differences, please explain them well

 

plugins sound plastic.. well some of them.. hardware sounds bigger. wider. more present. plus some hardware have top effects inbuilt

 

I will only buy hardware synths with unique sound and that I can't find in vst's... but to each their own.

 

Last edited: Jun 27, 2026 at 8:11 AM

Hello @Kate Middleton, you are generalizing; there are plenty of shades of gray—please make some finer distinctions.

 

Ultimately whatever keeps you going, if piece of gear unlocks your attention, dedication and desire to make better music, then go for it, even if it's ultimately just placebo or bias, it worked in your favor and am all for it. Every day we wake up and try to figure out why we are even trying, same with music, if piece of hardware can do this, get that box and have a blast.

 

Lusted after DX7 but it was £1100 second hand, so had to buy new Juno2 instead as it was £800 new, I remember a more knowledgable musician stated disparagingly at the time, 'But it's not digital', as if digital was better.

Still using my Juno, did eventually get a used TX81Z, but sold it.

Juno2 was also the first digitally controlled synth, I think.

Anyhoo, it's not just the sound that does it for me, equally as important is the working method, the satisfying speedy immediacy of hands on, will always win hands down for me, digital or analogue, just don't happen to own any digital synths, i wouldn't rule anything out though.


I wonder where the VSL player fits into all this?

Like the Juno2 perhaps, digitally controlled analogue???

 

ITS VERY SIMPLE
you have alot of cash then its OK to get hardware synths .and even collect ONLY the best ones from 80s/90s/200/2010/2020s

but if you are tight on cash then ..get one of these companies like arturia /roland and korg ..or if you are a beginner you can use
free plugins out there that emulate the old synths like dexed and start get you hands dirty in old syx files loading in to dexed

i remember i started with e-jay softwares using samples then i found good ol nexus 1 and 2 and then start collecting everything from download site and became a collector and official plugins tester and never completed any project just enjoying the sounds of 2000s on midikeyboard lol

basically im not hardware guy heheheh
so good luck in finding YOUR hardware synths

 

If you can, forgo hardware; doing so saves space, raw materials, and hard cash. The advantages of software—also known as virtual software synthesizers—include portability, unlimited preset storage, and the absence of repair costs. The analog is becoming digital. If the sound seems a bit too thin, use a compressor—such as the Brainworx Vertigo VS-2 or SSL Native Bus Compressor—to make the sound "fatter" (i.e., louder); simply use the mix knob and turn it to the right!