(Not) another virus vs. VST thread

[Barnelby]

But strawberries definitely have better hypersaws.

[fgimian]

Originally Posted by Barnelby

But strawberries definitely have better hypersaws.

lol, yeah they do

Though I must admit that Zebra2, with it's Eleven mode can do a decent job too.

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by soundpalace

lol, yeah they do

Though I must admit that Zebra2, with it's Eleven mode can do a decent job too.

Not to mention you can have 4 of those if you want 44 saws!, running through all kinds of modulations and envelopes. It's the only plug-in I have that gives the flexibilty of modular synthesis, yet saving you from the drudgery of dealing with cable ins and outs.

Zebra takes a little longer to learn than the average synth, but the reward is worth it. Sylenth's beauty lies in its simplicity, and its ability to just sound beautifully analog, while Zebra can sound like analog or anything else you want it to (including synthetically emulating acousting instruments in a way sometimes indistinguishable from samples, although that takes more effort to get there.) The user defined filters and MSEG envelopes of Zebra give crazy possibilities.

Aside from those two staples, I've recently discovered Oresus, an amazing product, especially considering its only $45 US! The versatility is not in Zebra's league, but to my ears sound-wise it can compete with Sylenth, the Virus etc. and it's easy to program. It has an interesting UI that controls exponential / logorithmic filter variations that make it quick to make sounds that are harder to achieve on other synths.

Omnisphere is another one I really like. It's not cheap though, and one instance of the plugin feels kind of bulky, both in usability and CPU consumption. I should reach for it more often but for whatever reason I don't. It has such a massive and great library of waveforms to start with, but then I always end up stripping them out because I want the organic nature of a synth instead of a rompler (even though there is a lot you can do with them).

As far as VST versus hardware... I almost wonder if the next stage of advancements in CPU (or also possibly increased general use of GPUs for musical instruments and effects) will almost put the nail in the coffin of hardware synths. Personally I hope not. I cut my musical teeth on hardware, and there is a very special place in my heart for these instruments. They have a character and mystique that software will never have. But as CPUs and GPUs get faster and programmers get more clever, unless the integration of hardware synths can learn to not get in the way of workflow (latency, cables, synching everything up, etc) then I have to remain firm that I think software is the future.

[Barnelby]

Gah! No oresus for mac. Sad.

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by Barnelby

Gah! No oresus for mac. Sad.

That might be one reason the price is so low. Sylenth was PC only until not long ago... it seems to be the trend for many synths to begin on PC, so maybe an Oresus Mac port will appear some day.

[synthfiend]

i think this type of discussion is pretty difficult to make sense of.
how can you compare a piece of hardware with 1's and 0's (software)...its like trying to compare apples and oranges.
for starters you can sit down in front of a Virus and start jamming etc...you dont have to boot up your PC and fire up software.
I love both, but they are completely different beasts.
As for the sound difference, that is personal preference, although i do love the sound that a dedicated DSP creates.

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by synthfiend

i think this type of discussion is pretty difficult to make sense of.
how can you compare a piece of hardware with 1's and 0's (software)...its like trying to compare apples and oranges.
for starters you can sit down in front of a Virus and start jamming etc...you dont have to boot up your PC and fire up software.
I love both, but they are completely different beasts.
As for the sound difference, that is personal preference, although i do love the sound that a dedicated DSP creates.

Well in my case, my PC is always on (no booting required) because I use it for other things I would never leave my music hardware on 24x7, heat dissipation and airflow in music hardware is nothing like a good tower case, just begging for failure and higher power bills.

But I agree it is an apples and oranges comparison. I cut my teeth on a pure hardware environment and I am now almost exclusively software. If only I could find a way to benefit from the beneifts (and coolness factor) of hardware with the workflow ease, flexibility, and perfect timing/synchronization of software.
I love acquiring new synth gear, its a feeling buying a new VST doesn't really give me. And I like the modularity of adding new pieces of dedicated kit that are responsible for its own processing instead of all needing to pass through a single CPU.

What irks me though is I started with hardware back in the 80s. We were thrilled to have MIDI back then. The reality was that to get the timing of everything just right was a real pain. And 25 years later, it seems like a lot of the same issues exist. But then if I produce solely with VSTs, I get perfect timing, no latency of running through cables, perfect compatibility, ease of automation, ease of everything.

There is nothing I'd love more for hardware vendors to figure out how to give the dedicated processing of hardware, but the integration of VST. Sadly it seems like things in the hardware scene have stalled, while VSTs continue to get better sounding.