Why buy hardware synths?

[Invention]

Almost mandatory to have at least a controller to get a "human" touch to the music

[Dogboy73]

The synth I'm really looking forward to now, is ImpOSCar 2. I like the demo videos.

Not sure what has happened to the ImpOSCar 2. I was invited onboard to do some patches for it after writing some banks for the original IMpOSCar after it was released. I finished & emailed the ImpOSCar 2 patches to Dave Spiers @ GMedia what seems like ages ago now. Not heard anything since other than they were re-writing the patch bank layout/structure or something. All I can say is that the ImpOSCar 2 is massive! The Unison modes makes it sound bloody amazing. The extra modulation makes for some very interesting & diverse possibilities. Definitely my favourite soft synth ever. Can't wait for the full release.

[balma]

Why not?

[Dj Pound]

IMO twisting actual knobs and pushing actual buttons is quite alot of fun. If you dont enjoy that atleast, I dont know what to say to you

[CS_TBL]

That implicates that a softsynth with a hardware controller is ok for you!

[Dj Pound]

Yeah kinda sounds that way doesnt it But I was speaking mostly in regards to a self-contained machine such as a hardware synth or box etc...

[cartesia]

"Why buy hardware synths?"

Blofeld vs. Largo.
-same algorithms (for the features that are the same)

..different sound.

So it depends what sound you want. do you want the sound of largo? or do you want the sound of the blofeld? If you want the sound of the blofeld, that is why you buy hardware... because the hardware DOES change the sound.

[Ashe37]

Also, has anyone ever actually been to a gig where someone's tripped over a power lead and unplugged anything; synth, computer, amp, whatever? I've seen guitarists unplug their leads by stepping on them and not having them looped through their strap, but never seen power go out on anything.

I suppose it could happen in theory if you were stretching extension cords across the room and have power boards connecting off the ground, but if you do that you deserve to have power go out on you.

I have - my mate has knocked the power cable out of the keys (which provides the drums) at many of our gigs. His record is four times in the space of two songs at one gig. It's a good job I can keep time on bass, that's all I'm saying!

Send me your address so i can send you a few rolls of gaffer tape.

[Barfunkel]

I was making some music at my friend's place a few days ago. I had my Monomachine with me, he used Cubase. It took about 2 seconds to get the midi clock working on my side, about 30 minutes to get Cubase's working. Cubase crashed about 20 times during that 4 hour session. Monomachine didn't crash once. Once I got the basic groove going I was basicly jamming the whole session, changing settings in realtime, having fun. They were browsing folders after folders of sounds and stuff, spending a majority of the time doing stuff that didn't resemble playing an instrument, more like using Powerpoint.

If it's always like that, I could never imagine going software, except for recording.

[nvbrkr]

That implicates that a softsynth with a hardware controller is ok for you!

When you twist the knobs on a true analog synth you can feel the control voltage in your hands.

... and no arguing over this thing, ok.

[Stab Frenzy]

I was making some music at my friend's place a few days ago. I had my Monomachine with me, he used Cubase. It took about 2 seconds to get the midi clock working on my side, about 30 minutes to get Cubase's working. Cubase crashed about 20 times during that 4 hour session. Monomachine didn't crash once. Once I got the basic groove going I was basicly jamming the whole session, changing settings in realtime, having fun. They were browsing folders after folders of sounds and stuff, spending a majority of the time doing stuff that didn't resemble playing an instrument, more like using Powerpoint.

If it's always like that, I could never imagine going software, except for recording.

That just sounds to me like your friend doesn't know how to use Cubase or set up his computer to work properly with audio.

[CS_TBL]

When you twist the knobs on a true analog synth you can feel the control voltage in your hands.

Ever seen this desk IRL? It's an analogue desk, but the actual analogue components and the processing aren't in this desk but in a load o' rack machines (to keep the signal paths as short as possible). This desk is a mere controller.

"Control voltages in your hand" .. bah! humbug!

[mao]

imho... like Master Onion said "kick punch it's all in your mind".

I like hardware... I like having metal boxes with knobs... but I must admit that sw has grown so well and are so easy to edit and to manage that sometimes I feel I need only a PC with Reason or Cubase with some vst. But again I feel better twisting knobs so I really can't understand why nobody follows the korg idea to give a hardware controller suited for their vst MS20.

I mean... I used a behringer BCR2000... well try to remember where things are... Novation Remote... ok you have the display but again very far from having the real thing... so the solution (and I hope someone builds the thing) is a custom controller for each vst. I mean a tabletop custom USB controller with knobs and labels in the right position (the same of the gui) for a PRO52 for example. A custom controller for Minimonsta... and so on... Well keep it at the same price of a behringer BCR or lower and you're sold.

[Ashe37]

When you twist the knobs on a true analog synth you can feel the control voltage in your hands.

Ever seen this desk IRL? It's an analogue desk, but the actual analogue components and the processing aren't in this desk but in a load o' rack machines (to keep the signal paths as short as possible). This desk is a mere controller.

"Control voltages in your hand" .. bah! humbug!

If you can feel the control voltages, its time to get it serviced.

[Barfunkel]

That kinda proves the point I think... with hardware, you only need to know how to connect the power and you can start playing, with computers you need to spend hours and hours before you can even start to actually do anything musical. I'd rather spend a week playing a synth than tuning a computer so that it would work properly.