Which "analogue" mono synth? Part 1.

I finally got around to making a proper (kind of) post... if you're bored by/not interested in  (yet more) internet synth comparisons, then please read no further and don't bother to comment. Otherwise, read on...

After many years without my studio set up, I've finally started getting the hardware out and getting it all rigged up again. Also, I've "invested" (probably the not the right word here!) in some new (to me at least) synths, and started working out how I'm going to be able get everything working together, also with the possibility of doing some live jamming if not gigging.

If like me you spend time watching youtube vids, reading soundonsound and wading through lengthy gearslutz discussions (for want of a better word), you quickly get caught up in the endless debates regarding which synth is better than another, whether cheap gear sounds as good as expensive, is old kit much better than new, should I wait for vapourware or buy what's here now, etc. etc. There are often references to "snobbery" from those who perhaps don't have the cash to buy super expensive vintage gear (or they might say they have more sense!), while those who have the vintage gear often say the cheap modern kit is not as good, as rich, as interesting etc. etc. as the "real thing", perhaps with some implied criticism of the "ears" or technical abilities of those who disagree. There are of course many pluralists also, who use a variety of technologies in a pragmatic way - perhaps they lurk more than post.

Being someone who has access to some vintage analogue mono synths, some modern and some VA (software), I thought I would try some experiments to compare them, trying to create the same sound on each device - therefore excluding some very interesting sounds which can only be made on some (which clearly might be the whole point of getting some of them) - just to see what core differences are there, at least for my own benefit. I'm sure we've all done it at some point. Of course being of a certain age, my ears will no doubt miss some differences which others can detect, however, I thought I'd try, starting with a pretty basic bass sound. There is no agenda here, I'm just curious as to how close I can get. 

I should also point out that the sound is only one - very important, clearly - aspect of what makes a great synth in my book (and I'm sure in most musicians' books), many other factors come into it, something I'll probably blog about in the future. 

In case you want to try this on your own synth, I've put a MIDI file of the bass riff, corny as it is, so you can easily try to match the sound on whatever you have. The bass sound itself is a simple 2 osc job plus enveloped LPF with some resonance, as described below. I used a short decay on the filter envelope, as to my mind this is one of the key differentiators in the sounds different synths make, together with the filter itself.

Parameter	Details
Osc 1	square wave	i.e. 50% duty cycle
Osc 2	pulse wave	narrow duty cycle
Oscillator  Mix	equal balance	same octave, a little detune (beats around 0.5Hz)
Filter	low pass	some resonance, a little keyboard control, more envelope control,  cutoff low.
Filter Env	short attack, short decay, medium sustain, medium release.
Amp Env	short attack, max sustain, short release (but no click).
Glide	on	short, ~5ms, always on (where supported)
Legato	on	low note priority
No MIDI velocity control.

So I tried to get the same feel and sound with N analogue mono synths (vintage and modern) and M software synths, 7 altogether, which you can hear in the attached audio file. This was done purely by ear, no measurements. I'm sure with more time (and skill) they could be made closer, but I think this is a reasonable attempt, although they are by no means identical. 

They each play the same bass riff once, using the same MIDI data, so each cycle of the riff is a different synth source. There are no effects applied in the chain.

I'd be curious to know what people think about the different versions (beyond "they all sound crap/great" 😀) - please be constructive! I'll reveal what each synth is in a later post, and will run the same comparison with some other sounds just because I'm interested and if anyone else is, then that's a bonus. I've not taken a blind test of this example myself yet, but I will do it soon. Do listen on decent phones/speakers before commenting!


Here is the audio:

Here is the MIDI file (you may need to transpose to play the correct octave):  BassRiff.mid

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