If hardware didnt exist....

Post by **wiss** » Mon May 21, 2007 4:26 am

femmespeaksever posted this question:

Hypothetically, if you HAD to only use softsynths for the rest of your life would you still continue to make music, remain a synth hobbyist, etc?

p.s. it was locked and instruction was given to repost in this area

Post by **wiss** » Mon May 21, 2007 4:28 am

I wouldnt it. just stick with my guitars

I guess the nord modular g1 kb is a softsynth........so I would just keep using that

Analog Freak · Post by **Analog Freak** » Mon May 21, 2007 4:41 am

This question is quite illogical becuase you must have some type of physical hardware to interface software with the physical world. You have to have a computer, a mouse, a keyboard, and a display, all of which count as hardware. I think a better rephrasing might be: If a dedicated hardware synthesizer did not exist, would you still have interest in this hobby?

Synthazaiser · Post by **Synthazaiser** » Mon May 21, 2007 4:49 am

No. I would never have gotten into it. Also, does a midi control keyboard count as hardware? If that's hardware, I couldn't really play my softsynths.

divineaudio · Post by **divineaudio** » Mon May 21, 2007 5:05 am

probably not. when i discovered synth hardware, i didn't even have a computer, so i probably wouldn't ever have even attempted to make music.

Cybananna · Post by **Cybananna** » Mon May 21, 2007 5:29 am

I doubt it means you can't have a controller (some interface, keyboard etc).

Yes, I would still continue just as I do today. It would be more tedious (for me softsynths are) but sure. In many ways I don't think I'm a musician by choice. I can't help it. it's what I am. Like breathing, you must do it. Synths make the sounds I like most. Depending on the interface, I may play synths less. I may play somthing else more if the interface was to tiresome.

Anyway, not having hardware is a poor excuse to stop making music. YOU SUCK if you would quit because you didn't have hardware synths. Change insturements or something may make sense because some poeple just don't like computers, but to stop making music....This may piss some people off, but you should just quit now, quit wasting your time.

music isn't about analog, synths, digital, soft, or virtual, it's about sound and feel (and other stuff). I'd play music with a rock and a stick if that's all I had.

MrHope · Post by **MrHope** » Mon May 21, 2007 5:38 am

I agree it's about the sounds. I'd continue making music.

RedElectricMoon · Post by **RedElectricMoon** » Mon May 21, 2007 4:06 pm

Although logically, it is true that a softsynth must come with some sort of hardware and, thus, is a hardware synth too, why not drop this complicated logics and stick to the simple fact that software and hardware synthesizers are not the same categories of things? Obviously, a softsynth will remain a softsynth, no matter what you connect to the computer to control it.

If the hardware synths disappeared, I'd continue to make music... on the pennywhistle

I don't agree that sound is the only thing that matters. Softsynths may sound good, and they do, but there is the performance factor that's missing.

Thefumigator · Post by **Thefumigator** » Mon May 21, 2007 5:26 pm

Now that I imagine it, I just remembered that my most important tunes were tracked on PC, they weren't played live except for the solos of metropolis 3 (which I arranged with mouse later and fixed a lot of notes).

Amazingly enough, at the time I composed my bunch of tunes, I couldn't play my keyboard no near as good as you can see in my video.

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Mon May 21, 2007 5:48 pm

I would... I would just use Reaktor, Live, Logic, some of the newer 909 and 303 plugins, and some of the Arturia stuff....and control it with a novation controller and an Akai MPD24. I prefer hardware these days, but that set-up would be fine with me.

Soundwave · Post by **Soundwave** » Mon May 21, 2007 5:55 pm

I personally found Reason as a complete studio often more intuitive and efficient to use than any groovebox workstation or hardware set up but the synths sounds were sadly not upto scratch. I then originally redesigned my studio to be a dedicated softsynth set up after hearing the Arturia Moog Modular but hardware has been slowly creeping back in as its just more inspirational an immediate to use. I tend to leave the PC for complex synths, recording and in depth sound editing and the hardware I have now has to be stuff that can run itself or be useful in a live/jam scenario. Trying to join the two worlds in perfect harmony has resulted in much hair loss and unproductive time but I think the knowledge I’ve gained on the way will be more advantageous in the long run (I hope).

If I had to start over again without any studio space I would be happy with Reason 3 and an Apple laptop as a lot software is fine for making music it just depends on how well you get to know it. Many respectable artists have been doing the zen laptop thing for years tho I've noticed a bit of a hardware revival recently so I guess some folk must be getting bored with doing things the same ole way and laptops are only cool on stage if you're Kraftwerk.

kk994 · Post by **kk994** » Mon May 21, 2007 6:31 pm

i'd learn how to play the spoons.

stephen · Post by **stephen** » Mon May 21, 2007 10:09 pm

Yes I would still play with software. It's how I started out (well, OK I am *still* starting out!!)

But then I'd invent hardware and everyone would want a MiniStephen and a Stephen Jupiter.

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Tue May 22, 2007 12:55 am

Oh yeah, add the DX synths from NI and a sid emulator.

Wiglaf · Post by **Wiglaf** » Tue May 22, 2007 4:03 am