Roland SH 201 or Vst's

Hi i am thinking of buying a Roland SH 201 as it seems to be the best synth in my price range. I know that can hardware sound better than software but does that only apply to analog synthesizers?. I know the SH 201 is a analog modelling synth but the reviews i have read seem to say the sound is distinctly digital. If the sound is distinctly digital would i not be just aswell off using a VST and a midi keyboard or would the SH 201 still have a better sound seeing as its hardware?
I have a few VST's. Some i think sound great and some i dont which is why im seriously considering buying the SH 201.

Thanks,
Aaron.

you can't really say hardware synths sound better than vst synths now, it depends on the synths and the user.

"Analog" VSTi's and VA (Virtual Analog) hardware synths sound pretty much the same.

This is because they're both doing the same thing: simulating analog circuits with digital technology.

Genuine Analog hardware synths have a character (read: unpredictability) which VSTi's will never be able to recreate completely, but they're getting closer and closer to the extent that it doesn't really matter.

For my money, I'd say get a good controller keyboard and a couple of VSTi's.

i'd get a dave smith evolver, instead. seriously.

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Originally Posted by loopdon

i'd get a dave smith evolver, instead. seriously.

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I want the poly evolver, quite badly.

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Originally Posted by judas_beast

I want the poly evolver, quite badly.

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i'd prefer that one as well. fo shizzle. and this program will massively improve the evolver experience i reckon (make it usable as a vst-plugin):

http://www.psicraft.com/Purchase/index.php

http://www.psicraft.com/Purchase/images/StoreBanner.jpg

The Roland SH 201 is pretty much JP-8080 with a few extras. It'll deffinetly sound better than vsti's but dont be fooled into thinking its analogue.
A VA is soft synth in a box, they sound better because their processors are dedicated to the synth, rather than your pc running soft synths that can only use a small % of your CPU

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Originally Posted by Andy

The Roland SH 201 is pretty much JP-8080 with a few extras. It'll deffinetly sound better than vsti's but dont be fooled into thinking its analogue.
A VA is soft synth in a box, they sound better because their processors are dedicated to the synth, rather than your pc running soft synths that can only use a small % of your CPU

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With the advent of super-fast processors and dedicated DSP chips (e.g. Powercore, UAD-1) this really isn't the case anymore.

The SH-201 is (like some of the ominious MC groove boxes) under-equipped in terms of processing power.
Its a shame Roland Company abuses their reputation they gained with their classic analog machines for putting out such failed constructions.
The 201 is not even near the JP 8000 (which I consider a halfway decent VA synth), I would not recommend spending any money on it.
The last considerable Roland machines were the JD 800 and JV 1080, came out around 1995 (these were digital synths but still used in loads of classic electronic music tracks).
The real (analog) deal: SH-101, JX-3P, Alpha Juno.
For VA synths, look for a used nord lead or virus, should be the same price as a new SH-201 and are waaay better

yeah and if you want both analogue AND digital oscs you could test the aforementioned evolver in it's different versions :)

best of both worlds, imo

SH-201, yuck. Thought you said 101. 201 is a piece of shite. Bit like an MC-303, it sells 'cos its got a similar name to an old synth!!

Thanks for the advice lads, if i had the cash the Dave Smith would be mine but for now i think ill stick to the VST's.

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Originally Posted by acos1

Thanks for the advice lads, if i had the cash the Dave Smith would be mine but for now i think ill stick to the VST's.

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If you know where to look you can get VST's free!! Not that I would advocate piracy. ;)