Someone mentioned it on gearlsluts. True?
The digital age is at the door, better than ever!
Discussion is open
Haha analog reached its peak in the 70’s
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I think there will always be new ways to use the same technology or blend technologies. We do live in amazing times though. Never before have we had such choice and quality and differences in how each instrument is used. Price wise as well. Imagine even 10 years ago. The advent of VST instruments and mainstream DAWs allowed for literally anyone to get In and have a chance to make music. Now we have choices in hardware with prices within reach of a lot of people. Good times baby!
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I think both Analog and Digital in synthesizer form have reached their peak. I’m guessing that’s why people are attracted to Modular. The Modular world seems more inventive.
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can we just abstract this to finite vs infinite?
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Well. Can you list any new innovations in the last few years that have found a place in hardware synths? I guess wavetable synthesis maybe but this is old already.
Actually maybe revise the peak time of analog to the 60’s
Hans Zimmer and his Moog - circa late 60’s
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Wavetables are very old. Granular is the youngest AFAIK, but both of them are definitely not analog.
But when you look into the details are wavetables really something “new”? Or Granular? Both of them take the idea of a sample and take it a “little” further. IMHO that’s not really new. It’s just taking some old stuff and mix it up.
The last really new stuff in the digital domain, I remember, was physical modelling (simulating physical objects like a string or a pipe).
There was not really much money for patch cables left, isn’t it? 
here is the original thread on gearlslutz:
And over the other side of the pond around the same time another bloke called Don Buchla had a few good ideas of his own
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Ha! And i thought this thread is about the Novation Peak…
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good point… it is said, that the Peak sounds like a digital synthesizer, so no analog character
The Peak has both digital and analog where it counts.
Digital oscillators for the complex waveforms, with analog filters and vca’s. Sounds great.
Hybrids are the best synthesisers currently available imo, literally the best of both worlds.
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so it could be said, that Waldorf with their incarnation of the Microwave I. in 1989 and far more earlier the PPG Wave 2 (1981) from Palm - they were ahead of its time
Analogue reached its peak a long time ago. Now it’s all a matter of sustain and resonance.
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Absolutely.
PPG Wave 2 is legendary. Check it’s specs. Amazing hybrid
I don’t think so … both technologies, analogue and digital, have not reached their potential. There have been some great synths in the past and too many have tried to copy or to be close to those blueprints.
Examples …
- Most synthesizers - even many digital engines - are derived from concepts of subtractive synthesis (2 OSC - 1 filter, maybe some more waveshapes, wavetables). That’s definitely not the end of possibilities
- The new Quantum of Waldorf will be a collection of digital sound engines, which are not new at all.
There is nothing wrong about it. But if there are too few developers, trying something new or more complex, we must get the impression that an end of the evolution has been reached.
IMO it’s also about us, the musicians. Are we ready to try and pay for quite different electronic concepts? What about new “filters”? Having the Moog-Ladder or the Oberheim SEM is not the end of good sound shaping. But how many machines follow exactly this path. Arturia (Steiner Parker) and Modulus (Modal 08) are exceptions, which come to my mind, and I hope others will follow. But will it be “subtractive” synthesis only again?
We could have different “analogue” oscillators, filters, waveshapers, distortions, concepts … technically speaking. But again, it’s all about us the musicians … consider only the number of threads here on Elektronauts complaining about the simple fact that an A4 does NOT sound like a Moog, Oberheim, or Roland …
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Peak? Most likely a long time ago.
Behringer will still sell tons of clones.
I think it’s funny since the volca fm and digitone many people praising fm, while over the last years all you could read was analog is best, everything digital sounds plastic and has no life
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