If hardware didnt exist....
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- wiss
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If hardware didnt exist....
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
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
"All we used was the explosion and the orchestra hit. The Fairlight was a $100,000 waste of space."
- wiss
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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
I guess the nord modular g1 kb is a softsynth........so I would just keep using that
Last edited by wiss on Mon May 21, 2007 6:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
"All we used was the explosion and the orchestra hit. The Fairlight was a $100,000 waste of space."
- Analog Freak
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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?
"All Your Synthesizers Are Belong To Us!" Literally.
- Synthazaiser
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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.
Currently have: Baby Grand Piano, B3, CP-30, DX7, Casiotone MT-210, Axxe 1, EPS-1, Promars, MC-202, TR-606
Used to have: POLY-800, TR-505, Techstar TS-306, DX7, ESI-32, Juno-106, DX27, Synthcart, JX-3P, ESQ-M, Mono/Poly, MS2000BR, VX90
Used to have: POLY-800, TR-505, Techstar TS-306, DX7, ESI-32, Juno-106, DX27, Synthcart, JX-3P, ESQ-M, Mono/Poly, MS2000BR, VX90
- divineaudio
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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.
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.
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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.
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
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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.
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.

watch my first youtube video

-We're gonna die, you know.
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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.
Korg Volcas / 6 x TE POs / MicroBrute / EH Space Drum & Crash Pad
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.
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.