Analog synths vs Digital synths

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varun213

New member
Hi guys, Im really inclined towards making a $3700 investment on the Dave Smith Prophet 12 and his Tempest Drum machine. The goal is to import created synths and drums from these 2 pieces of hardware and incorporate them into my hip hop based production. Im totally daw based so all sequencing is done in the box, with that being said I hear most people cannot tell the difference between analog and digital produced music.

My question is it worth spending that much on hardware disregarding budget? I really want to push my music to the next level but dont know if moving to hardware synths and drum machines will help change the sound? Physically Im sure there will be more juice in the analog synths but is it enough to raise your music to the next level?

any input is really appreciated as I dont know if i need to really go analog even though it sounds and looks cooler ofcourse.

thanks
 
varun213 said:
Hi guys, Im really inclined towards making a $3700 investment on the Dave Smith Prophet 12 and his Tempest Drum machine. The goal is to import created synths and drums from these 2 pieces of hardware and incorporate them into my hip hop based production. Im totally daw based so all sequencing is done in the box, with that being said I hear most people cannot tell the difference between analog and digital produced music.

My question is it worth spending that much on hardware disregarding budget? I really want to push my music to the next level but dont know if moving to hardware synths and drum machines will help change the sound? Physically Im sure there will be more juice in the analog synths but is it enough to raise your music to the next level?

any input is really appreciated as I dont know if i need to really go analog even though it sounds and looks cooler ofcourse.

thanks
Click to expand...

any input?
 
I'ma software dude so naturally I'd suggest software synths.
But if there were a hardware synth and digitals didn't exist and hardware synths HAD to be used...I'd find me a rack and some modules.
 
varun213 said:
Hi guys, Im really inclined towards making a $3700 investment on the Dave Smith Prophet 12 and his Tempest Drum machine. The goal is to import created synths and drums from these 2 pieces of hardware and incorporate them into my hip hop based production. Im totally daw based so all sequencing is done in the box, with that being said I hear most people cannot tell the difference between analog and digital produced music.

My question is it worth spending that much on hardware disregarding budget? I really want to push my music to the next level but dont know if moving to hardware synths and drum machines will help change the sound? Physically Im sure there will be more juice in the analog synths but is it enough to raise your music to the next level?

any input is really appreciated as I dont know if i need to really go analog even though it sounds and looks cooler ofcourse.

thanks
Click to expand...

The only thing that's gonna take your sound to the next level is your sound selection, arrangement and mixing. So as far as if you're using analog or digital gear it's not really gonna matter all that much. Whether or not is worth it is up to you. Weight your options. Can the 3700 be better spent? Will it motivate you to make better music? What other area can I invest this money into. Ask yourself these questions before you buy. As for me. I probably wouldn't buy the synths and would focus more on marketing.
 
It's 100% not necessary to go analogue to make yourself sound good: I would say the majority of sounds in modern productions aren't analogue these days. Neither does being analogue somehow make your sounds better, if you can't program your VSTs, you won't get any better trying to program a hardware synth.

Most people who buy analogue buy it because they like the vintage appeal, like DJing using vinyl or owning classic cars and things.

If you know all these things already, and still want analogue because it's really cool and fun to own, then get analogue gear. Not any other reason.
 
I guess I can understand that. If I'm waiting to see what the ren 2 is before getting a standalone pad...I should already understand such a thing.
The plus side is the standalone capabilities, and to me this is why this is still a thing.

I feel similar when it comes to that particular device, square 4x4 stubs on controllers. Being able to use a 4x4 set of square stubs standalone... That I can understand clearly why some folks consider hardware.
Heck, I'd grab a standalone even if it still had to be tethered to something.
 
KelevraOne said:
The only thing that's gonna take your sound to the next level is your sound selection, arrangement and mixing. So as far as if you're using analog or digital gear it's not really gonna matter all that much. Whether or not is worth it is up to you. Weight your options. Can the 3700 be better spent? Will it motivate you to make better music? What other area can I invest this money into. Ask yourself these questions before you buy. As for me. I probably wouldn't buy the synths and would focus more on marketing.
Click to expand...

Thats some real shit you're saying man. Its not about the gear its about the person and his skill. I think its more of a personal decision then. Ive been using VST's and programming my own sounds from it for a while now especially with Omnisphere. I just want to take those principles and apply on a hardware synth and see how it goes. I just ended up going with the Prophet08 which is 1300 because anything past that is too much and better spent on VST's or something.

You mentioned Marketing though, damn I am terrible at that. I noticed you may become a dope producer one day but that doesn't mean you can market yourself well at all!

as beatmaker/producer how the hell do you market yourself when every other person is making Daw based music now? I was one of those guys that stayed away from marketing and social media till I felt I have spent enough time crafting my music. I have only an IG right now. Which seems completely useless to me or the Ratio of actual business opportunities is real slim on there. More for attention seeking lol

Im waiting for a good song that I produced before I head towards the sound cloud area. Everything ive produced just hasn't turned out to be a good song. My beats can also use a lot of work but not as lacking as the artists Ive worked with.

Could you give any advice on Marketing yourself well? I dont have the luxury of working with close personal talented artists like Alot of producers do. it seems like being part of great songs is how you get stapled into the industry. Otherwise you could be a really dope producer but not get anywhere because there is so much traffic out there now.
 
scrapheaper said:
It's 100% not necessary to go analogue to make yourself sound good: I would say the majority of sounds in modern productions aren't analogue these days. Neither does being analogue somehow make your sounds better, if you can't program your VSTs, you won't get any better trying to program a hardware synth.

Most people who buy analogue buy it because they like the vintage appeal, like DJing using vinyl or owning classic cars and things.

If you know all these things already, and still want analogue because it's really cool and fun to own, then get analogue gear. Not any other reason.
Click to expand...

Thats true, i also believe alot of commercial music nowadays and just big records in general are all made in the box. Id like to say mixing and mastering was done totally out of the box though. I could be wrong though. Ive been using Omnsphere as my main VST for about 3 years now and been programming my sounds from there. I love their engine its crazy powerful. It makes me want to move to hardware and try that out.
 
Tools don't change skill. Give Premier FL Studio and he will still make dope ass beats like he does on his MPC 60. Same holds true to hard synths. There are advantages to either side. I was making the same types of beats when iw as on my all reason setup vs when I had my Ensoniq EPS with the Mpc 2000 and Korg trinity vs my now Maschine and Komplete based setup. That said don't over think it just make good music.
 
There are some good partial answers here. The real question is "Do you think (based on your experience and ear) that this analog gear will help your music?" If you've never heard any of this stuff live, save your 3700.

GJ
 
In addition to it being about your skills/sound selection/etc it also depends on your signal change.

Don't spend $3700 on a synth that's going into a $100 mixer or if your audio interface isn't great . I'm gonna assume if you want to spend that kind of money, the rest of your signal chain is decent?

As for Analog/Digital - no preference - but a mix of both can't hurt and you'll get more 'warmth' from the analog.

Peace
 
Digital vs analogue is a debate that is feeble. Some prefer the automatic distortion of the hardware [something about ciruits or something making harmonics different]
and some prefer everything to have a digital characteristic of sounds and beats.

But if you want to spend 3700 on a hardware synth, your hard earned 3700 on a hardware synth when omnisphere is basically a gigantic library of sampled hardware is beyond my comprehension.
I think that's the case but wasn't there something that said omnisphere had a synth engine and was a rompler on the side?
 
If I had a $3700 analog synth, I'd have to run it through at least a $400 Pre(which could be on a board, meaning it's 8-48 other pres that came along with it). I'd have to run it with at least 1 other synth, and a Workstation keyboard(at least another $5k)just to validate it's existence in my setup. That would also mean I have invested at least $1300 in a nice mic as well, and $2k in decent monitoring(because I personally would see those as better investments). By the time I do all that, I could buy a new top of the line PC, low end decent monitors($300-500), a DAW, and tons of plug ins(including effects that make my stuff sound "analog"), and a decent($200-500)mic for the original price of $3700.

JUST MY OPINION, unless you know all about that synth and how to get the best sound out of it, it's not worth the investment. I'd personally start off with something cheap off ebay to feel it out. But, then again, I use Reason with a buncha rack extensions, I haven't touched hardware since like 2010, so my opinion is probably jaded. At least look up some finished music done with analog synths and compare it to vids of people working with Logic or Ableton, or even FL. You may not even like the "sound" and all the work it takes to achieve it, same time, it may be exactly how you've wanted to make music since you've started. Good luck.
 
@Varun, what DAW do you use? If you're looking for synth drums, alot of companies have already done the work for you. Modules like NI Battery, NI Maschine, Reason's Kong, and sample libraries like those found for Kontakt are full of drum samples that came straight from analog synths that have been recorded at phenomenal quality. I'm not an Ableton user myself, but I'll give credit where it's due, alot of producers I hear who use Ableton WELL usually give me a first impression that I'm hearing analog hardware. That could be due to the fact alot of Ableton users were hardware junkies before jumping to it.
 
i doubt it will make your music sound better, but it might make producing more fun, encourage u to learn more thus indirectly make your music sound better.
 
Why not invest in some cheaper hardware to start out? Something like a studio electronics SE-1 would be a good choice if you just want to dip your toe into the world of analog hardware without breaking the bank. Maybe a Dave Smith Mopho x4 if you want polyphony. Also, you'd be better off staying ITB with your drums and simply investing in some quality drum libraries.
 
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