yes, but the fun wont last forever, soon you will realize all your knobbing isnt going anywhere as all those sounds were played to death already in the 70s ! are you a rock solid sound designer ? can you really invent something unheard of ?
beginnners will have fun for a while but in the end you will find yourself with 2-3000$ wasted on something that makes the same sounds as any other VST synth, or even less if we talk about the Junos or the 808/909 !

it's shocking to see how many are praising those old drum machine, their raw sound is totally awful, they sound good ONLY with a good FX chain so they're still totally dependent on digital.

same for analog synth, what are you gonna do with the raw sound of a Jupiter-8 ? a bass line ? good, but then what else ? you will need at least EQ, compressor, delay, reverb, and all ... is it worth it ? NO !

if i was still an analog freak i would rather make my own midi controllers with wood and iron using Arduino or other kits, something totally custom, maybe just for Diva or Spire or Omnisphere.

 

and finally, all this talk about gear makes no sense, people should better focus on music and not just on the sound.
i can't imagine a good melody sounding like shit using any Omnisphere preset, on the other hand i've heard lots of bad music done with the most expensive synths.

 

in 2017 the source sound doesnt mean much, what makes the final sound is the FX chain !
dont believe the hype of the roland/korg/yamaha crooks, they're only there to rip you off and grab your money.

 

never trust those softsynth kid/DJs, never trust any soft emulation, most hardware synth have extreme quality audio output, native knob tweaking/live performing possibilities, software vsti/firmware update support, use softsynth only if it's unique(reaktor etc..)

 

Not really sure why you quoted me then started going on about Junos, 808s, 909s, Jupiter 8s etc. FWIW I mostly agree with you about that but those kind of vintage synths are not what I was talking about at all and I think you missed the point... I'm all for synths like Diva, Spire and Omnisphere but there is nothing quite like the immediacy, fun and creativity you get from modern hardware. Have you see the Make Noise 0-coast for example? Boat loads of hands-on fun in a small package and the only soft synth that has a chance of sounding anything like that is Reaktor blocks. There is some amazing innovation going on in Eurorack right now from the likes of Intellijel, Make Noise, Mutable Instruments, Mannequins etc and when you combine some of those modules with your DAW using something like Reaktor blocks, which has an incredible user library, or Silent Way for modulation, using an Expert Sleepers audio/cv interface, then it really opens up some amazing sound design possibilities. For me at least, I think that hybrid software/hardware combination will give me the best of both worlds. There is a reason why even in the current era where the promise of software has to all intents and purposes delivered, hardware is having a resurgence and selling better than ever.

 

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Hopefully I will be able to buy one of these three before I die:

- Kurzweil
- Moog
- DSI

Soft synth are all and well but nothing will ever replace the feel of the real thing.

 

Funnily enough, the synth I would lust after is the new Minimoog Model D reissue.

 

Last edited: Mar 5, 2017

It's the new Star Trek movie?

 

Last edited: Mar 5, 2017

Assuming you don't get some kind of blue screen in the middle of a gig.

 

As a lot of people have said, it really depends on what you want, and what style of music you make. For me, I prefer hardware, as I find it works for me creatively, where as A DAW and soft synths don't. The only piece of advice I will give you is this. Check out all the synths in your budget. Start from an Init patch, and play around, if you can go from start to finish of creation without having to dive through menus, or you completely loose track of time, because your having fun and are lost in the sounds, then you will have the answer to your question. It doesn't matter who makes it, or what sounds it can make, as long as you can make sounds that you like, and that suit your style.

 

Unless your FX chain is analog of course.

 

Been on the fence about getting one for a while also a arturia matrix or moog mother x 3. It would be a bit of a toy as i make music because i enjoy it, so an expensive toy, but still. I wonder is the sound really much better than an analogue model?

 

@ Avenel,

I have to admit that you're right, but you can't deny this vintage hardware looks very cool on stage and in the studio. Appearance does matter in lots of cases... . Unfortunately, looking cool comes with a price tag.....

 

Why this constant obsession of it has to be new? It doesn't!

 

@ The teknomage,

Do you compare Tom Holkenborg with an EDM producer?

 

For 10 busy and productive years I wrote exclusively on the Roland JD-800. It was the first synth I had ever bought for myself and my reasoning in the shop was, 'just look at this thing, it's like a spaceship!!' And it was... so many faders, knobs and switches; I was in love. A few years after that I added the Ensoniq ASR-10 sampler (w/external ZIP, JAZ, SCSI drives HA!) and that was it.

As someone else had mentioned earlier, having an actual synth forces you to learn the device inside and out. When doing a job for someone you knew how to dial sounds straight in and nail sound descriptions and for that I'll always be thankful. To OP point, I was working sound design on a film and the director was using an overhead, indoor fan in a few establishing shots... Using the JD-800 I was able to make a sound like a 'soft whoosh' of fan blades passing but using the synth could match the speed of the sound cycling to match the fan speed onscreen. Using freq and resonance controls you could have the fan sound be 'reactionary' to how close or far the fan was in the shots. It came out amazing and 100% original and landed me a few commercial sound design jobs afterwards.

So I personally loved having a piece of hardware. I don't know any of my softsynths anywhere near as good as the JD but using all those dials and faders, making unique multi-layered instruments, exercising total control over sounds created... Having that hardware was the absolute best way for me to learn in great detail what everything does in synth modulation.

 

Yeah I've got a JD-800, and a JD-XA (and polysix, dx7 II-D and plenty of others). I love hardware, it's not essential, esp depending on the musician and the music, but for me it's always been more inspiring. I will probably reduce my setup and use more ITB stuff (I already do) and have already given up on hardware compressors/eqs, but still, a synth (with keyboard) is an instrument and that gives me a different feel/vibe.

I also have an 88key digital piano, I'm a player (also guitars). I can see why a lot of people would have no need, esp constructo-tune EDM types ITB. The JD-800 is still a beautiful looking (though the above photo doesn't do it justice at all - bad angle, bad lighting and covered in dust and worn paint - mine's MINT!!) - and sounding machine, and great fun to work with. The JD-XA is the only modern synth I've been moved by thanks to both its sound possibilities, general quality of sound and depth of engine (and it doesn't cost too much). The build is good too for plastic (with metal), it's not half as bad as some people think it is (mostly those who've not touched it) it's much better built than the JP-8000 was (better knobs and sliders on the JD-XA very smooth/tight) and all the buttons etc are soft touch, the new free Roland overlay covers make it look a lot better and more expensive (no glare or scratches/dust).

Those 2 synths are two of my all time favourites and doubt I'll ever be without them. I've had all the old junos, jx's, sh monos, VCO, DCO been there done that. I still have a few favourites from that period (Polysix for one it's just so unique and the software doesn't touch it, not even close!)

the JD-XA has a massive range from fat analog mono (4 monos in one with 8 oscs) to jupiter/jx style analog and then JD-800/JP-80 in the digital, greater than the sum of its parts. Cost cutting stuff is appreciated in this case given the tech inside which far outdoes much of the DSI stuff (I mean XA has 5 analog filter types inc bandpass while the REV2 is stuck, still, with that harsh/sterile curtis chip)

 

Well... I guess that's one of the reasons for buying the rev2 man. The what you call harsh/sterile curtis chip. Not defending the Rev2 here. I am still considering buying a JD-XA but that will be after the Prophet 6 lol. By the way, i sincerely doubt the JD-XA is better built than a JP8000. I played 30 different gigs in 80 days in the summer of 2k with a JP8000 (among others) and never had a problem. Among other bashing, the JP-8000 fell twice if i recall, the metallic casing was sturdy enough to not let anything happen. I would like to see JD-XA's plastic casing withstanding the same thing

 

Dj and producer of Electronic Dance Music. Yes I know he's more than the average modern EDM producer. The post was about using vintage gear, as certain people here believe it should be in museums only.

 

If you begin to lack faith into plugins, try POLYKB III with Molecules soundset...
It's nearly as good as a real Prophet 6 (that i own so i can really compare both).