Can you tell the difference between Analog and VA?

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

1) Synth1basic (http://www.heathfinnie.com/media/synth1basic.mp3)

2) Synth2basic (http://www.heathfinnie.com/media/synth2basic.mp3)

3) Synth1more (http://www.heathfinnie.com/media/synth1more.mp3)

4) Synth2more (http://www.heathfinnie.com/media/synth2more.mp3)

Go on....have a guess :lol:

DS

[Juho L]

1. Analog
2. VA
3. VA
4. Analog

Edit: This test would be much better if the sounds would be programmed as close each other as possible. Now there's a bit too much difference.

Edit 2: Uh-oh me winamp mixed up the files. Resorted.

[Tomer=Trance]

synth 1 basic is the only analog i think.
the fact that the sounds are dipped into reverb and fx is a making it a bit hard to realy pay attention to the small difference noticable today with the great analog emulation.

[Khazul]

Hard to tell with the patch and fx differences.

BTW - this is quite impressive - Moog vs Norg G2

http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/2005/12/g2-minimoog-samples.html

Actual samples here in case you dont notice the link in the page:
http://www.matrixsynth.com/blog/media/JoseSogoFlores/


Edit: stuck on my proper monitors rather than PC monitors:

Synth 1: Analog
Synth 2: Digital

[ledge]

I'd have no idea, at a guess synth 1 more and synth 2 more are analog. It would also help perhaps if these were encoded at greater than 128 as that makes everything sound shitty :)

[F5D]

Hard to tell from these samples. It would be easier to answer if you tweaked the filter. Basic waveforms of digital synths can be really close to analog's sometimes. It could also be that you're just fooling us with your DX7. :wink:

[Timo]

I've never played a real analogue.

The examples are a bit dodgy, though. The latter two very wet with external effects/treatment.

The first two samples could've come from literally any recent VA synths.

Sample four sounded alright, though. (When trying to ignore the reverb).

[Onkel Dunkel]

1: VA
2: Analog
3: VA
4: Analog

[Khazul]

OK DS - spill he beans :)

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

1) Minimoog
2) ION
3) Minimoog
4) ION

DS :wink:

[ledge]

1) Minimoog
2) ION
3) Minimoog
4) ION


Well at least I didn't do worse than chance :)

[Timo]

Poor old Onkel. :D

[Khazul]

I had thought it was a drom not a moog :)

Oh well - at least I got them the right way round - lol


OK - so whos got a moog and and TI to do the same? :)

[Onkel Dunkel]

Poor old Onkel. :D

I?m not old :evil: Maybe deaf though :lol:

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

Unless any of you have used true analog....then of course....its to be expected that you cant tell the difference. When listening to the clips....dont base your judgments on the fallacy that true analog sounds warmer and fatter. In some cases it does....but more and more softsynths and VA's can match and superceed an analogs girth. The real difference still lies in the finesse and presence/bite of analog. If you listen to the clips again (would be better with wav files and not mp3) then you should conclude that no current VA or softsynth can offer the same presence and bite. If your listening to true analog and va side by side through decent monitors...the difference is unmistakable. People like me still believe that this quality is what lends a track a certain je ne sais quoi quality. This is the holy grail for software developers.....

Of course.....at the end of the day this is a matter of taste - just like a wine connoisseur probably wouldnt get much enjoyment out of a ?2 bottle table wine. Is it all in the head? Personally i dont think so....their are differences....and these differences do exist. Some people are more finely tuned to pick up these differences.....and thats all it is

DS

[Hollowcell]

I think it's always hard ot tell in recordings actually. Although a nice slow filter sweep always spills the beens. But put me in a room blindfolded with all the synths in question plugged into an analogue desk, then it's pretty damn easy.

PS. The ION isn't a bad sounding synth but....No matter which side of the fence you're sitting on.

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

Well yeah HC...I do kinda agree with you. I think one of the reasons why early analog synth use (70's and 80's) is easier to spot is because for the most part, they were also recording in analog. This has a big effect. Recording analog synths within the digital demain definitely curtails any 'improvement' the analog synth might have had over a digital counterpart....

DS

[Targon]

I have an Sequential Circuits Pro-One and a Virus Indigo, when designing low end basses and 4 pole low pass filtering both of them side by side, the difference is astounding. The Pro One sounds so much deeper and fatter and has a nice grind/grit to it when filter sweeping. The Virus has alot of bass but it feels/sounds very hard, heavily compressed and too clean/smooth sounding. I must admit im NOT a fan of the way the bottom end in the Virus sounds. I prefer it for its clean/sharp mid range sound when bandpass filter sweeping.

Listen to the SCI Pro One bass in

ED-Rush & Optical - Alien Girl
ED-Rush & Optical - Funktion

now get that sound out of a Virus haha

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

Another Pro-One user hurray. Looks like its just me and you....everyone else loves their fat 'n' warm soft shits...i mean soft synths...

DS

[jasedee]

Another Pro-One user hurray. Looks like its just me and you....everyone else loves their fat 'n' warm soft shits...i mean soft synths...

DS
everyone???? Eh-hem....

[TeenGirlLust]

Well I have only played with a couple "REAL" analog's :tb 303,Moog Rouge( not sure if I spelled that right , lol) , Juno's , etc. But the sounds that you said were Ion sounded dull as hell , like the cutoff needs to be higher or something. My friend has a Micron and left it with me a few day's to play with , and I found it pretty boreing . He rave's about it thou. I am much more impressed with my Virus Classic desktop (I know it costs more ......but , shit , it's worth it)!!!!!!

[Khazul]

Never owned an Ion - alot of people in the Harmony Central KSS forum rave about it - I had a brief play with one once in a shop - I have to agree - at first pass it seems quite dead and its presets are rather dull.

Its one of those synths that seems to take a while to get into and start to exploit - Ive heard some good sounds done with it. Certainly it seems to have alot of potential, especially considering its current price.

I cant say I am even remotely tempted by one though given what I allready have :)

[Hollowcell]

I don't mind the ION at all actually. It's not an all in one box though - kinda similar to the Nords in that respect.

The filter combos are pretty cool, plus it can get some really quirky sounds.

The thing that put me off of them when they first came out was the hardware glitches and bugs. But even though now they seem to be all fixed I still wouldn't buy another standard VA.

At any rate, for the money I would spend on an ION I could get a used 101 and MS10. I think I'd know which I'd choose. :D