Experiment: Can you spot which is analog and which is digital? SH-101 vs TAL Bassline

[recursive one]

I'd say the second one is hardware, it sounds more "coherent".

I never played the real SH-101 though, so it's just a wild guess.

[foosnark]

Trick question. They're both WAV files and therefore digital.

[zerocrossing]

What I find the most interesting about these a/b comparisons isn't the truth, but the guesses and the descriptions. The last one of these that I participated in came in to about 50/50 with a lot of "I'm sure it's this one" on both sides.

I got it correct, but even I admitted I was pretty unsure and wouldn't have been surprised if I was wrong. Someone who I consider a lot more of an audiofile than I am got it wrong.

Yet... when I'm sitting in my studio playing with plug ins and hardware instruments (I don't own anything as vintage as a SH-101) I do feel confident that I hear a certain special character in the hardware synths that's missing from the software ones to some degree. Of course, usually the software ones have some special features that the hardware lacks that make it interesting anyway. In other words, your software emulation might not be a spot on Model D, but it's polyphonic and has a unison mode. This is where software interests me. I think my Bass Station II is better for the kind of "Rolandy" sound for basses, but I still bought Lush-101 this morning because it's like 8 polyphonic 101s with a modulation matrix and effects. I don't own Tal Bassline, but if it's a straight emulation of an SH-101, I probably wouldn't be that interested in it as I would if it got pretty close to the sound but had a lot of other interesting stuff going on as well.

[CableChannel]

What I find the most interesting about these a/b comparisons isn't the truth, but the guesses and the descriptions. The last one of these that I participated in came in to about 50/50 with a lot of "I'm sure it's this one" on both sides.

Proof - there is no human discernible difference between analog and digital.

Yet... when I'm sitting in my studio playing with plug ins and hardware instruments (I don't own anything as vintage as a SH-101) I do feel confident that I hear a certain special character in the hardware synths that's missing from the software ones to some degree.

It's all in your head. Or ours, that is.

[Timfonie]

(...) I will post the result tomorrow. (...)

Which tomorrow? Were are thou?

[User3333]

Its like buying antibiotics for the flu - the chemist may try to sell you a generic brand instead of the more expensive one. I will always want the more expensive antibiotic because I think I'm going to recover faster even though my system cant tell the difference. In this case you'd want to consider further because your comparing (I'm not sure of the prices but lets just say) $1500 against $150. Your making the track with the same DAW with the same effects, compression, and then you master and distribute the song. I don't think anyone is going to tell which SH-101 pad or lead is the VST or which pad or lead is the real hardware, 1 layer out of 40 layers in the track, with ear bud headphones on the train. Comments?

[penguinfromdeep]

Yes, but for me it's also the hands on control, the interface with these old machines, not only the sound. Yes you can hook up a midi controller to Tal Bassline but it's just not the same, at least for me. Really love the sequencer on the hardware SH-101 and how it's easy to work with (it's very simple of course). Also do some cool tricks like triggering the sequencer with a rimshot from TR-707.

Also I find lot of time the sounds from hardware needs 'less mixing' so to speak.

[arkmabat]

I like the second one way better. Might just be louder though.

[arkmabat]

Here's a comparison I did some time ago. This is between a real SH-101 and Strobe.

I think I saw this posted elsewhere and I saw the results so won't play the guessing game with this But they're close ... Btw. one thing I've noticed with my hardware SH-101 and Tal-Bassline (also own Strobe so its the same thing with that) is that the SH-101 seems to 'compress' the signal more, like it's more 'even'. Ah, hard to explain exactly what I want to point out, need more coffee!

I would say number 2 is the hardware 101 then...

[LimboLoves]

Trick question. They're both WAV files and therefore digital.

Also, if he indeed has a sh-101, what kind of A/D converter is he using? Something professional would definitely show a difference. As much as people like stoking the "software is as good as hardware" argument, I still haven't been convinced. These questions are always skewed in the favor OP prefers.

[Michael Russo]

Just a reply to User3333

I wouldn't matter if you paid a $1000 for your antibiotics to cure the flu, or if you paid $1; both lots of antibiotics would have exactly the same effect—which is none.

Influenza is a viral infection. Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections, and unfortunately are becoming less effective all the time because (at least partly) people insist on using them to treat viral infections.

Other than that, I have no idea which is the hardware synth and which is the software synth.

[arkmabat]

Trick question. They're both WAV files and therefore digital.

Also, if he indeed has a sh-101, what kind of A/D converter is he using? Something professional would definitely show a difference. As much as people like stoking the "software is as good as hardware" argument, I still haven't been convinced. These questions are always skewed in the favor OP prefers.

True. A valid test would run the software synth through the same audio interface which was used to record the hardware. If so, maybe everything would sound better that way?

[sjm]

Its like buying antibiotics for the flu - the chemist may try to sell you a generic brand instead of the more expensive one. I will always want the more expensive antibiotic because I think I'm going to recover faster even though my system cant tell the difference.

I wonder how much of that is down to treating a virus with antibiotics in the first place...

[User3333]

It might help a bit with a 'stomach flu' or if you've got some bacteria in you
This is interesting I must go and see whats in other forums for VST vs Hardware

[Aural Chaos]

Stomach "flu" isn't "flu"....