Has software caught up with hardware?

[jplanet]

Having been the owner of many great synths, including classic Moogs, Rolands, etc., it seems to my ears that some of the recent VSTi offerings out there have finally caught up in terms of sound quality. I was tring out a Nord Lead, and Triton in Guitar Center recently, and I was hard pressed to find any sounds that couldn't be easily matched using Minimoog V, Kjaerhus Spectra, etc.

Not talking about accuracy of emulation, so much as overall usability and quality as a musical instrument.

In this case I am talking about synthesized sounds, as of course, with thing like Ivory and East West libraries, sampled sounds have a huge advantage on a computer because there is so much more storage available.

I wonder what others here think...Is dependability/portability of computer equipment really the biggest hurdle to cross before hardware synths are history? And, while we're at it, aren't digital hardware instruments really just VSTi's in a fancy, dedicated box?

[ReaPeR]

And, while we're at it, aren't digital hardware instruments really just VSTi's in a fancy, dedicated box?

Yes... but they are more reliable than computers and (it's strange) they often sound warmer for me... but there are some vsti that are warm too (absynth is great)...

PS: but isn't funny to tweak a knob using the mouse :biggrin: (but in effects shouldn't be funny to bring vintage things at a gig too... they seems heavy!)

[ChipCurtis]

I think the biggest hurdles to obsoleting hardware are still:

- reliability
- UI (user interface)
- "all in one" concept
- "turn it on, it's ready"

As far as sound, I think we're there. As long as A/D converters are of high quality in both computer and hardware synth.

The "all in one" concept has already been addressed by OpenLabs NEKO/MIKO, and to some extent the Korg OASYS.

Reliability has been addressed by the Receptor rack-mount VSTi player (no "generalized" computer OS..... just a dedicated OS to run VSTi's)

UI is addressed by controller keyboards with knobs/sliders, but that's not as nice as a keyboard that's built specifically for a particular synth, i.e. the user has to assign each knob/slider to particular controls in the softsynths, and each knob/slider is not labelled or laid out in an elegant/specific way. So there's still a ways to go on this front, even with all-in-one units like the NEKO.

"Turn it on, it's ready" is solved with Receptor (to a degree) because of the stripped-down, specific OS.

[jplanet]

I think the biggest hurdles to obsoleting hardware are still:

- reliability
- UI (user interface)
- "all in one" concept
- "turn it on, it's ready"

As far as sound, I think we're there. As long as A/D converters are of high quality in both computer and hardware synth.

The "all in one" concept has already been addressed by OpenLabs NEKO/MIKO, and to some extent the Korg OASYS.

Reliability has been addressed by the Receptor rack-mount VSTi player (no "generalized" computer OS..... just a dedicated OS to run VSTi's)

UI is addressed by controller keyboards with knobs/sliders, but that's not as nice as a keyboard that's built specifically for a particular synth, i.e. the user has to assign each knob/slider to particular controls in the softsynths, and each knob/slider is not labelled or laid out in an elegant/specific way. So there's still a ways to go on this front, even with all-in-one units like the NEKO.

"Turn it on, it's ready" is solved with Receptor (to a degree) because of the stripped-down, specific OS.

Off-topic for a moment, i just noticed your sig...nice work on that MinimogueVA, that is a highly acclaimed synth! And, I just sadly had to sell my Sequential pro One!

I am glad to hear that you think the sound quality is there. When I take my band out this fall, I will probably need a Receptor to duplicate the synth parts on the album. I just wish I could install their OS on my own PC, where the hardware config is much more flexible.

As for the tactile knobs and switches, it would probably require a virtual-reality solution to eventually adapt human touch to every possible GUI...