I know that different tools are for different people, and what is best for me isn't necessarily best for everybody.

I'm not really wild about soft synths, VST or otherwise.

Why?
  • External hardware synths have a longer shelf life. I still use my 1980s TX81z and MT32 - I got them when Win3.1 was on the PC and Mac used OS6 on Macs with Motorola CPUs. With all the OS changes and orphaned software synths, my old ones still work. Some of the sounds are still great, and I can mix them with the newer sounds of my more recent synths
  • External synths have minimal drain on the computer's CPU making it more stable (fewer glitches/crashes). The soft synth requires the CPU to 'do the math' for every note played and ever expressive device use.
  • Since external synths don't tax the CPU I can put a dozen of more synths into the mix. I can use the great Dr.Solo sound of my MT32 on one track, the woody acoustic bass of my i3 on another, the great mute guitar of my SD2 on another, the Tele rear pickup sound of my SD90 on another, the FM Rhodes of my TX81z on another and so on, choosing the best patch from my array for each part on the song. Since the sounds are in ROM and/or created by the sound module and not the computer, I could probably use 256 synths with no performance problems on my computer.
  • External synths all have about the same latency, 5 or 6ms. That means I can mix a dozen or more synths, and they are synchronized. I've seen soft synths with almost a half second latency, try adjusting that track with one that has a quarter of a second latency.

I started with a DDD5 drum, added the TX and MT shortly after when my keyboard broke, and added newer synths when needed. If I used soft synths I would have had to replace them when OS upgrades happened, and then again when the next upgrade happened, and again and again, making them not only longer lasting but in the long run less expensive than soft synths.

Insights and incites by Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
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