Let's Argue! Synth snobs care more about where a sound comes from, than the actual sonic qualities of the sound.

 

If I'm listening to music, a sound is a sound.
If I'm watching a live performance, it's a lot more interesting to see someone in front of a visually impressive setup (i.e. modular) than just a plain preset keyboard with little or no tactile interface.
I saw ELP in 1973 doing Brain Salad Surgery and watching Keith Emerson in front of his Moog Modular was mind blowing.
Listening to it was just as mind blowing.
Am I or am I not a synth snob?

 

The definition of a 'good' sound is subjective and depends on it's intended use... Bt I still wouldn't have bought a Prophet 6 & 2 Moogs this year if I didn't think it was worthwhile.

 

Last edited: Mar 5, 2020

Some of these "synth snobs" are doing paid advertising.

 

I own a vintage Les Paul and I am a guitar snob

My original Korg MS-20 is getting less use these days though, due to the easier softsynth workflows.

 

I know where you're coming from and why you would say that but I think people care about where a sound comes from because of their inabilities and lack of confidence that it will sound good. Let me explain.
My first synth was a battered up second hand Juno that I got from a junk shop. I learned to play on it but I never had confidence that it sounded good because I had no experience with keyboards and nothing to compare it to. I remember swapping it for an almost new all singing all dancing Casio and I was really proud of my negotiating skills.
Today, the Juno 6 goes for nearly 2,000 and that Casio? Probably wouldn't make enough money to cover the cost of sending the postage and packing.
35 years later and I know a bit more than I did, so I can decide if a preset sounds good or naff irrespective of what synth it is, but I really couldn't then. As long as it looked expensive I was fooled into believing it was a good keyboard.

 

I would argue that the use of the term synth snob is the problem. Some people are just more intrested in the tech and its history, than the music. Dont mean they are snobs, just means they are intrested in gear.

 

I agree with a lot of the points above. Back in the 90's I worked with a really smart audio engineer... He used to put all of his teachings online on geocities. I found his theories and formulas so valuable I memorized every url. There was a section specifically on the quality of a synth sound.

http://www.geocities.com/area51/dimension/3257/audiosynthformula.jpeg
http://www.geocities.com/area51/dimension/3257/audioisolation.jpeg
http://www.geocities.com/area51/dimension/3257/synthpremiumsound.jpeg

These 3 images had so much information on them I could never remember it, so like a phone number I made sure to ingrate those urls into my brain. I hope they provide sanity to you all as well.

 

I've got a Roland Alpha Juno too, but I mostly use the TAL-U-NO-LX or Roland Cloud softsynth versions. My one little trick is to add some Nebula sauce.

 

Last edited: Mar 5, 2020

The sonic qualities of the sound depends on its origin. So those "snobs" do have a valid point. People may say "Oh but we have good software emulations of Oberheim, Juno", but the truth is that the vast majority of them never had the chance of playing with the real one in order to appreciate it.

 

I dont care if your sound is digital or analog,

But if you are using presets/loops/construction kits/templates you are not an artist, you are a poser. Just barely above the dirty rat level of a DJ who just wants to flex for a crowd

Cork sniffers at least have some interesting mental thoughts to posit, posers just waste space

 

i concider myself a synth snob in that i demand flexibility and options. but i dont care where a sound came from, if it is amazing, then it is amazing.
if those people are real then they need to do some blind testing.
although, i have seen many people claim that null tests do not prove that two signals are the same, so..

 

I also agree that "synth snob" is not a helpful or useful term. "Synth Nazi" maybe.


Just kidding, really. :p Maybe.

 

Acoustic instruments are basically "presets"...

 

I own an Alpha Juno 1 since 3 weeks and I did a comparison with U-He Diva,which emulates this synth with all the waveforms.Although Diva is an amazing plugin and has a lot more possibilities than the Juno,it's not the same thing.The Juno is more lively,warmer and less agressive,the filter is different,the waveforms are not exactly the same,the chorus is different.

 

That why I use Nebula

 

There are non linearities that are exquisite in well designed analog synth. The fact that it travels thru your very unique signal chain also brings something unique to your sound. It's more real. And I'll say it : drum machines have actually the right sound for the job. Software drum synths are good, but not quite there. Samples ? Yeah sure but it means you need to tweak your music to go along the sample, where in fact it should be the contrary( 606 samples are fine though). Very often Drum synth in software form have not enough meat to my ears. I still use them along with balsy analog kicks and snares. I even have a Nord Drum 2, which is something digital in hardware form. I trust Nord and the way they code. It's like a softsynth in a box, but it might well be the best out there. Same for the Virus. Lovely aliasing lol... All in all, I just have excellent results now, with a quite expensive setup. I had worst results when I was using only Reason 5 without rack extensions and a poor mic. That's the truth. BUT. BUT. I learned all I know on Reason. Trust me. It's great to be spoiled with good tools ONLY if you know what to do with them. If you don't, chances are you'll stop making music at some point.

 

One thing I'd like to add : Analog effects are also super important. A few in your setup go a long way. Thick, rare, exclusive textures if you choose wisely. Consider them as important as synthesizers. Hope this will help.