I wouldn't say what they do is no art, without doubt there's a number of artists that produce great songs with an "old school sound".
Otherwise I agree with what you've said!
What hardware or what softsynth was used to produce a song is probably one of the most irrelevant facts for most listeners.

 

I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

Yeah, and people who play acoustic guitars made out of wood are stupid hipsters too, looking for imperfections. It's plastic era, you're living in the past. Plastic is new, wood is old, plastic is clearly the way to go. What is it "too perfect" for you? It is quality, it's smooth. Stop living in the past. Plus i can afford only plastic.

 

Tell me these waves are not perfect:

 

Its good to be a perfectionist,but once you realize hey its ok if i dont quantize all my stuff,its ok to turn off the metronome,its ok because that is the only way to really advance to the next level,plus you will actually finish your material instead of frantically searching for the "perfect vst".
We already invented the wheel,why go backwards.
Best stuff was already invented,the best music is already done,same for the movies,we are now living in the past renaissance days trying to capture the cool spirit of the 70s and 80s,sometimes we win at it,mostly we fail and on rear occasions even surpass if for a moment,but dont fool yourself if you think that a lazy smartphone mcgeneration of kids can lead the world into the next musical revolution.

 

To a very large extent that is absolutely true. But there are some rare instances where that 0.5% makes all the difference. Obviously there are people who care deeply about that 0.5% and are willing to invest a good chunk on their income into buying gear. It's also the reason why you have software companies clamoring to create the next vintage vst emulation that recreates that "sound"... whatever that "sound" is.

Personally, its not as important to me now as it used to be. I've owned a lot of hardware synths and recording equipment over the years and like a lot of aficionados, I became a bit obsessed over whether a sound was warm enough, thick enough, analog enough. And I think its important to state that although caring for the way something sounds is important, it can come at a price. I wish I spent as much time learning how to compose and understand arrangement better as I had worrying about getting that "sound". There's a good chance I probably would have finished more music had I done so :/

That being said, I'm convinced these days that the sound you create is less about what you use but the total sum of your process. Sure, some vintage synth or sampler can give you all the warmness you need but what good is that if your music sucks? Everyone's process is a little different and all those differences are what end up becoming our own unique sound, regardless of whether its analog or not.

 

For me it wouldn't be so much a hardware synth as it would a hardware sampler. I used a Yamaha A4000 for years and the sound that came out of it essentially encapsulated an era of music for me, especially when it came to drum and bass. Those A series samplers just made anything you ran through them sound so damn nice.

 

Last edited: May 7, 2016

Exactly. People want "organic" while they're looking for "analog". Organic CAN be made in a daw. And when I tell new guys "hey, spend a couple of years learning your daw", the only thing they think is "analog synths", "ssl consoles" and "vintage compressors".

 

Its definetly not easy to define analogue and organic,i do think the limitations are more in our heads and now with Acustica you can get your mix sounding fat,dimensional with weight that is missing in digital production.
We can make great material,yes,but its usually the laziness that is keeping it all very average these days...one button generation.

 

Ovation Guitars are not cheap...

 

All beautiful things are not art, and all art is not beautiful. There can be no perfection without imperfection. Nature is often imperfect, but does it mean it's not beautiful, I don't think so. When it comes to sound, that Imperfect sound just might be the perfect sound for a particular part. If your looking for THAT sound, then it doesn't really matter whether it's analog, digital, acoustic, hardware, or software, as long as it's the sound that you want.
Art and beautiful mean different things to different people.

 

Very nice and civil discussion. I don't think I've ever encountered that on any other forum.

Cheers guys!

 

hardware is pretty cool

still, with digital you can do much more with much less effort

even if you are not pro its fun to play around and cheap compared to pro hardware


i do prefer imperfections, but those are easy to simulate with any modern digital synth
wavetables are amazing, hardware with advanced wavetable manipulation would be too expensive


of course i get it that people who can afford it may prefer hardware


in best case i can afford a perfect interface with a good i7 and some midrange speakers

which is in comparison about the same price as ONE great hardware synth like 3+osc prophets or the like..

 

Still got my A5000 and only for the 6 FX units ;)

 

Yep... 96 total onboard effects with 3 blocks on the A4000 and 6 on the A5000. Now THATS a fucking sampler

I've owned E-MU and Roland samplers but I still think the Yamaha A Series outclassed them all. They were such monster units... you literally had everything you could ever need inside that one sampler and they sounded so damn nice.

Don Solaris did a great write up about them in case anyone is interested : http://www.donsolaris.com/?p=764
Yamaha Spec guide: http://usa.yamaha.com/product_archive/music-production/a4000/?mode=model

 

If you have something profoundly meaningful to say, people aren't going to give a bit-sampled fuck if it's through a loud speaker or a mic.

 

Another Yamaha AXXXX maniac here. :raising hand: I've got both A5000 and A3000. Very inspiring piece of hardware. Yes, the FX are incredible. It's like having a sampler and a very flexible FX rack. I've been looking for a perfect [soft] sampler for years, now I've got 5 hardware ones.

edit: but I'm not bragging at all. I honestly think it's almost stupid to have hardware samplers nowadays with all these nicely working software samplers. I'm just tired of mousing around. I like to be able to do stuff without a computer, too. It's just my kinda mojo that drives me.

 

Last edited: May 8, 2016

I'd rather ask myself what I'm going to do, what I'm going to accomplish by picking a hardware versus a software synth. Do I really need this or that thing for the sort of music I make? Do I care more for the musical quality of my track or the sound quality of a specific instrument/hardware stuff? Will my music benefit musically in any way when I use a particular hardware/software synth in it? Et cetera. Only then I'd be able to say which instrument just can't be replaced, and this could be anything from a cheap retro Casio mini keyboard to a fully loaded modular Buchla.

One day, I was forced to use only software synths and nowadays I just don't even think about getting any hardware back. My set up is trivial but I simply don't need anything more. I'm not a hardware fetishist and I don't care if a bass line sounds like a Moog as long as it lets me develop a certain musical idea or create a particular sonic effect. It doesn't really matter that much. Of course, a software emulation of a hardware keyboard or a processor will sound different from the real thing but is that difference a crucial factor in my creative process? When does the difference become definitely positive or negative?

For me, a PC is a much more flexible and versatile tool, I find my virtual workflow less distracting and in the long run the whole thing is simply way cheaper. Besides, my ambition is not really to sound like artist A, B or C because I'm none of them. So again, why should I care?

The answer to your question lies solely in your priorities.

 

I make BIG ROOM, Electro & Trap mostly. I had a Sexy Virus Polar Ti and a MOOG SLIM PHATTY for bout 3 years. Both have great sounds...but for the type of music I make i can accomplish satisfactory results with Sylenth, Massive, Spire & SERUM. The work flow is quicker and more efficient for me with soft synth. I bought a MASCHINE MIKRO 2 and NI Komplete Select(Got great value)...I don't miss my sexy Virus or my MOOG one bit...I use the shit outta my MASCHINE MIKRO 2 though.

 

Absolutely. Its like the modern Hollywood movies where everything is perfect always. You just can´t relate to that bullshit. It´s been a while since I heard or saw something that touched my soul.
Back in the days of people like Leonardo Da Vinci, society praised the intellect and strived for a perfect balance between body and soul, between man and nature. Beauty, harmony...Now I´m rambling