> Analog synths, at least, just won't sound right if components get swapped. I think this is true in some cases for particular analog synths. But my impression

> Analog synths, at least, just won't sound right if components get swapped. I think this is true in some cases for particular analog synths. But my impression is that most synths aren't using unobtainium chips like this. I think you generally can redesign the circuit using alternate components and get to a fairly close sound. But that redesign process is iterative and time-consuming. By analogy, imagine there a shortage in "compiler invocations". You have a giant program written in one language, but you can't run a compiler on it. Could you port it to another language without a shortage? Sure, but it's a ton of work, and if you end up in another language that has its own compiler invocation shortage, you're no better off.