3 ms·

Yes! But, huge but, very huge but, you lose the affordance of the switches and the buttons and the knobs and the patch cables. And that is a terrible loss for f

Yes! But, huge but, very huge but, you lose the affordance of the switches and the buttons and the knobs and the patch cables. And that is a terrible loss for fiddling and discovery.

drcongo 1y ago
Ahh, but, you can just chain a bunch of Intech controllers. That's what I do. https://intech.studio https://intech.studio
lolive 1y ago
True. But for going from zero to semi-hero, that’s definitely an option. [the huge amount of presets in software synths is really an BIG added value, so you can learn how each given sound is built]
- Juliate 1y ago
  Definitely agree too. Budget is definitely not the same. And something like VCVRack is heaven to learn, experiment and understand what one can do with synthesis, step by step.
kstrauser 1y ago
My first synth was a TX81Z. That one set of buttons I’ll never miss.
lolive 1y ago
My path has been to work a lot in the ODDYSEi app. Now that I understand most of it, I am really considering buying a ARP 2600 replica. So yes, the switch from software to hardware comes with time. But, at least for me, the first step is cheap apps on my already-owned tablet.
- piltdownman 1y ago
  As a BARP 2600 owner (standard, not grey or blue) I couldn't recommend it more. If nothing else its max €400 for one of the most incredibly routable FX modules of all time with a very serviceable digital spring-reverb and Ring Modulator in the mix. Pair with a Strymon Night Sky or Big Sky and you've an enviable ambient/soundscape setup.
  - lolive 1y ago
    Ah man, what can i say.... That's SO tempting! Small comments/interrogations regarding hardware vs software in this post: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45235398 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45235398 May be you have some opinion regarding these.
zokier 1y ago
Midi controllers work plenty good with ipads
- Juliate 1y ago
  Totally agree, and it's an intermediary step, but it's still not the same. I mean, it's terrific to have an affordable replica, especially for discovery, I'm not debating the price-point advantage (for both acquisition and maintenance), but this is not an on-par replacement. In an analog (less so in digital, but still somehow) synth, the controls are the instrument itself: they are in a specific place, react in a specific way, and physically part of the device that outputs the sound, and they stay there: you cannot move one without the other. The instrument has its own character. It's still more abstract than a classical instrument like the violin or the piano where the physical action alone is done and felt in real time, of course. It's significantly more incarnated than software + generic (in a good way) controllers. The good side of this is that after having software replicas or original synthetisers, there's room to build new exciting embodiments/physical instruments.
xdfgh1112 1y ago
You gain presets lol. And in the case of odyssei it has a ton of additional features including a sequencer and full effects bank! Experiences vary but sliding a slider on a screen is worth the benefits.
- lolive 1y ago
  In the case of ODDYSEi, I am not sure whether the included 6-controls sequencer [i think that’s called P-lock] and/or the desunion on 8 « channels » [not sure of the wording] also exist somehow as hardware devices for the real ARP Oddysey

Yes! But, huge but, very huge but, you lose the affordance of the switches and the buttons and the knobs and the patch cables. And that is a terrible loss for fiddling and discovery.

drcongo 1y ago

Ahh, but, you can just chain a bunch of Intech controllers. That's what I do. https://intech.studio https://intech.studio

lolive 1y ago

True. But for going from zero to semi-hero, that’s definitely an option. [the huge amount of presets in software synths is really an BIG added value, so you can learn how each given sound is built]

Juliate 1y ago
Definitely agree too. Budget is definitely not the same. And something like VCVRack is heaven to learn, experiment and understand what one can do with synthesis, step by step.

kstrauser 1y ago

My first synth was a TX81Z. That one set of buttons I’ll never miss.

lolive 1y ago

My path has been to work a lot in the ODDYSEi app. Now that I understand most of it, I am really considering buying a ARP 2600 replica. So yes, the switch from software to hardware comes with time. But, at least for me, the first step is cheap apps on my already-owned tablet.

piltdownman 1y ago
As a BARP 2600 owner (standard, not grey or blue) I couldn't recommend it more. If nothing else its max €400 for one of the most incredibly routable FX modules of all time with a very serviceable digital spring-reverb and Ring Modulator in the mix. Pair with a Strymon Night Sky or Big Sky and you've an enviable ambient/soundscape setup.
- lolive 1y ago
  Ah man, what can i say.... That's SO tempting! Small comments/interrogations regarding hardware vs software in this post: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45235398 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45235398 May be you have some opinion regarding these.

zokier 1y ago

Midi controllers work plenty good with ipads

Juliate 1y ago
Totally agree, and it's an intermediary step, but it's still not the same. I mean, it's terrific to have an affordable replica, especially for discovery, I'm not debating the price-point advantage (for both acquisition and maintenance), but this is not an on-par replacement. In an analog (less so in digital, but still somehow) synth, the controls are the instrument itself: they are in a specific place, react in a specific way, and physically part of the device that outputs the sound, and they stay there: you cannot move one without the other. The instrument has its own character. It's still more abstract than a classical instrument like the violin or the piano where the physical action alone is done and felt in real time, of course. It's significantly more incarnated than software + generic (in a good way) controllers. The good side of this is that after having software replicas or original synthetisers, there's room to build new exciting embodiments/physical instruments.

xdfgh1112 1y ago

You gain presets lol. And in the case of odyssei it has a ton of additional features including a sequencer and full effects bank! Experiences vary but sliding a slider on a screen is worth the benefits.

lolive 1y ago
In the case of ODDYSEi, I am not sure whether the included 6-controls sequencer [i think that’s called P-lock] and/or the desunion on 8 « channels » [not sure of the wording] also exist somehow as hardware devices for the real ARP Oddysey