Like why does Uli Behringer have to clone the entire half century long back catalog of beloved synths? Why didn't they just keep making them? The Prophet, the Juno, the Jupiter? Why did they go out of production for so long only to have to be recreated by a budget brand?
Date: July 30th, 2026 2:27 PM Author: Demanding indecent elastic band hell
Because analog synth fetishism is a very recent thing. When digital/FM synthesis became commercially available, NO ONE gave a shit about analog. The Yamaha DX7 was the thing to have, and that was that. Analog was discarded like obsolete old tech. And when samplers became affordable and ubiquitous in the late 80s it was truly over for analog.
Date: July 30th, 2026 2:31 PM Author: Demanding indecent elastic band hell
It was just new and trendy. People got it in their head that they could recreate the sounds of acoustic instruments, which is why those cheesy brass synth sounds are all over the 80s.
Also analog synths are hard to keep in tune and the voltage controlled ones have lots of drift. Not always what you want, but now it’s considered part of its character. But really you can recreate any analog sound digitally with near-perfect accuracy now.
That's crazy. I only have one analog synth. It's the Behringer Model D, a Moog clone. Compared to the digital it seems different. You can do a lot with digital and I even think a lot of bands use digital just because the audience can't tell the difference. But I will say the Model D doesn't sound exactly like the digital. It makes weird noises and is kind of unpredictable. You can definitely tell that it's different. It sounds a bit mad.
The digital is really practical though. I saw a guy on YouTube perfectly recreate MGMT - Little Dark Age with only Serum and a couple Arturia soft synths. It sounded exactly like the studio recording although it was actually like 5% better somehow. Amazing.
But I wouldn't say that digital and analog are exactly the same.
Date: July 30th, 2026 2:33 PM Author: silver indian lodge
This is basically like asking why everybody is using AxeFX/Quad Cortex/Kemper instead of bringing a massive pedalboard and finnicky tube amps on tour. It sounds 99.9% as good, is more reliable, and you can shove a million sounds into a backpack instead of a trailer.
Sure there will always be analog purists, who ime are usually Bald and don’t make music outside of their basements, but for the vast majority of working musicians, digital is King.
Date: July 30th, 2026 2:39 PM Author: silver indian lodge
Yes. A tube amp sounds better in the room, so get one if you want the amp to be your only source of sound. It will be better than, say, using your studio monitors or a FRFR speaker. But if you are playing out and using a sound system, skip the tube amp.
If you can afford a road crew to haul it around for you and you don't have to lift it into a van yourself, definitely go with the tube amp for live. Using digital on tour is like putting a rubber bonnet on your johnson before nutting. Just have enough backup amps to where if something goes out one of your stage hands can just switch to a different head in real time. Easy.
I own the new Helix Stadium XL + the Fender FR12 speaker made to be an FR speaker, and when I play the new Deluxe Reverb model on it, it sounds almost exactly as good as the real thing (which I also own - brand new FB Marketplace for $800 lol). Only with the modeler you don't have to use annoying attentuators to prevent your ears from blowing out and its just easier overall to control - you can even get the "breakup" ok on it.
And frankly I play my Hot Rod Deluxe a lot more than my Deluxe Reverb when I play a "real amp"
But the Helix Stadium sounds so damn good and you can make some insane shit with all of the effects.
Date: July 30th, 2026 8:28 PM Author: gunneratttt (gunneratttt)
It's the same as analog versus digital everything.
Digital is accuruate, reliable, easy, and 99.9% of the time will produce something better or comparable. Analog is more Artistic and can be tweaked more. So enthusiasts are the only ones who see the value in analog.
Consider cameras. Digitally recording and editing photos and videos is generally better and easier than analog. Yet there are still aspects that analog is different/better. But only enthusiasts notice or care.
It seems like a hobby for richmos with no intention of writing music. It seems like the whole aesthetic revolves around people who want to push knobs and play an automated set. The sounds are cool but none of these people are doing shit like writing the soundtracks to Stranger Things or Uncut Gems which seem to be the pinnacle of the art form. But 99% are dorky losers who will blow a million dollars just to film themselves pushing a button and twisting a knob for an audience of exactly 5 people.