dNAMMit 14

[Tony Hardie-Bick]

On 15/01/14 16:17, Andrew Tarpinian wrote:
> Well the factual stuff, analog synthesizer = subtractive synthesis?
> "Producing instruments the old way"?   The tech and process that goes
> into these modern instruments is light years ahead of what was going
> on before.

well - for sure there is some radically new stuff, especially in the
control circuitry, HOWEVER, one way of explaining the resurgance of
analogue is that modern production techniques and technologies make it
easier and cheaper to obtain high quality analogue signal paths, similar
or identical to those which are long established.

taking the example of macbeth, here is someone who carefully tweaks and 
listens
to the nuances of fairly old-fashioned signal paths (the designs will 
look very
familiar to anyone from the sixties), and takes full advantage of 
semi-custom
manufacture, CAD and modern components, to make these at a higher 
quality than
would ever have been cost-effective before. the innovation with macbeth 
is just
in sheer attention to sound, and having a really deep understanding of 
factors
that affect this, rather than some filter topology that's never been 
used before.

taking the example of arturia, the success there is due to their 
collaboration
with a designer whose knowledge of analogue design is encyclopedic, and then
selecting a topology, tweaking it slightly for suitability to modern 
production,
and improvements that are possible using SMD. again, extreme in depth 
knowledge
and incredible attention to detail, rather than new ideas. art and craft 
rather
than blue sky.

the modern machines are a hats off tribute to the history of synthesis, 
much like
piano making - there are many developments that make new things 
possible, but
much of what sounds good is just the same as before, but with better 
signal-to-noise,
lower power consumption, higher reliability (auto tuning with a 
microcontroller, for
example, but using a classic oscillator design), and lower cost - and, 
basically,
great design flexibility, lower up-front cost per unit manufacture, all 
leading to
a complete change in the dynamics of what's economically (and by 
extension, musically)
possible.

t.