It's rare to find a video that's both informative and so much fun. Great job on this. I pretty much agree with your assessment. Personally, I really like how engaging and musical the Softube synths sound. I actually want to fiddle with them and not just slap on a preset and be done with it, like I do with most soft synths.
@@EarlyMist No idea, but it would have provided for a better evaluation if soft clipping had been turned on. FYI, I recently got Moog Music's Model D soft synth, and the overdrive is way closer to how the original synths seem to behave. I wish that soft synth had been included in this lineup.
No still sounds terrible and worse the soft clip effects the output and doesn’t sound natural at all. Just muffle and thinner. Honestly Arturia Mini is pretty bad and I’ve had it since 2003. That might be a clue as to why.
Behringer the best for me no doubt. Its an actual analog engine, more pleasant tone and obvious the only one with real analog feel. People go by brand.. UA is not magic, is hard to fight analog gear with a plugin.
I fully agree with your conclusions. Very fun, right to the point and effective comparison. If only shootouts were all like this one! A minor note: +1 for adding Synapse The Legend to the test.
Great video! I've got a Behringer and to me, it sounds great. I've seen the comparisons online and it's very very close to a real Moog, and there is enough variation between Moogs that it's in the ballpark of Moog because there isn't a 'perfect Moog' to use as a benchmark.
The Arturia emulation is probably the worst one, the minimonsta 2 is clear the settings can’t be matched in the same way than the behringer or the UAD. I own the UAD version and I’m quite happy with it, it’s incredible.
The arcade video style was really nicely done! I also agree with you conclusion. The Arturia seems to sound the least accurate. The real hardware sounded the best.
My opinion is pretty much the same. I have everything in the comparison except the GForce version. I think the Softube Model72 sounds really good, but the Uad seemed to consistently sound the most like the ModelD. I think Softube did a little better overall with the Model 84. I like some of Arturia’s instruments and effects, but they should probably revamp their Mini. The Arturia will produce usable sounds, but it seemed to be the least authentic. The GForce was sounding thinner, and a bit harsh to me.
This is my second time watching this video and I still find it informative.. I purchased the Boog Model D a year ago and I still find it an amazing instrument.
I have a Poly D, so I'm a bit biased - I love the Model D and Poly D Behringer sound. I think it mashed the soft synths in the face! I was disappointed with the Arturia sound in comparison to the rest. Really great video! 😀
Hello, I'm with you concerning the Arturia. I didn't know to be disappointed until I got a Model D and went to the Arturia and couldn't get it to sound nearly as warm. The Model D bass has a certain tightness that I could not get from the Arturia.
Great video! One of the best synth comparison videos I've seen! I agree with your assessment of the various merits of the emulations. For certain examples I liked the character of the GForce. I had a nice 1977 Minimoog which sounded amazing but I preferred the Moog reissue because of the Fatar keyboard and some of the extra features they added. I never tested the feedback trick on the reissue though. None of your examples remind me of my Minimoog's external input overdrive but I think that has a lot to do with the oscillators pitch and waveforms settings. For feedback I like to use 3 saws tuned to Root, Octave Down, and a Fifth (can be up or down). Oscillator set to a fifth should be down a bit in the mixer a bit. This gives like a guitar powerchord type sound that sounds really good with the feedback trick.
Great job! In college, I played Rhodes and a MiniMoog in our band, and as much as I love the MiniMoog, I'd have used a software version in a heartbeat if one had been available, because the MiniMoog would, every once in a while, go horribly out of tune. These days I use the Mini V3.
I have a Behringer Poly D, Model D and Moog Gramdmother and they are all very Minimoog-y. The Behringers especially are very stable and take only a minute to warm up. The Moog is closest in overall character, very stable but takes about 10 mins to warm up. I think those older designs were more prone to annoying tuning issues than today.
Great video! I think the vsts generally do a pretty decent filter emulation but those lovely fat oscillators moving around on the Poly D make the software sound very cheap. Especially in the attacks, always changing, that's where I find the software versions unusable.
I own a vintage Minimoog. Recently purchased the UAD. IMO the UAD is the only software version I’ve heard that captures the analog sound of the original. Worth noting, just like the real Mini, the UAD does not let you play chords on your midi keyboard. Maybe that is why it sounds so fat and nasty.
The sounds are so different across each brand I've got to say this isn't a great comparison video. Different detunes, vastly different filter settings/sounds. It's almost impossible to use this video as a comparison video Which is a shame because the effort is really good otherwise and I love the idea and style. So 10/10 for that..just wish the effort went into making the sounds similar!
You weren't very honest with the Arturia. At 1:24 you didn't detune it like the others, making it sound thin in comparison. At 2:29 you used a saw on one oscillator and a saw-tri on the other two, instead of saws on all three like in previous examples, making it sound radically different. The Mini V isn't the best pure emulation but it is a decent synth in its own right.
It’s not as simple as you say. Detune isn’t static in analog. It has flux which varies the detune sound and helps create that pleasent “alive” rather than static detune effect. You can certainly detune Arturia much more but I’d you take it as far as hardware it starts to sound less useable because it doesn’t fluctuate. Put another way, the Behringer here was probably very slightly detuned whereas you have to highly detune the Arturia to get the same maximum beating, but since it’s static it isn’t very pleasant and would sound more like just out of tune. Similar to why tape warble can sound nice compared to a fixed warble without subtle fluctuation. All issues in the video are things I’ve noticed for years using Arturia. I wish it weren’t the case but it simply is.
After watching again the video, I was almost to buy the UAD version, which is currently $65 only, but I decided to compare my Minimonsta 2, which I like very much how it sounds, and I couldn't believe it is so far away from Model D, as shown video. I was able to get it far closer to Behringer and UAD versions, than in the video, with the first patch (Funk Bass) - close enough to make me wonder whether buying the UAD version is justified even at this price.
Boog is Boss! We all know how good UAD and Softube VSTs are so no surprise but I was expecting better from Arturia whereas the GForce, which I didn't know, sounded the weakest in almost every fight.
I used to have an early 70's Mini on loan fora couple of years. Used it on a ton of stuff. I still use samples I recorded of it despite owning a dozen synths and twice that many soft synths. Surprised at how different they all sound from each other. The overdrive was an interesting difference. Most of these apps/hardware don't replicate the way that resonance and overdrive compete for control. You can dial in a certain amount of overdrive then almost remove it by increasing resonance. This isn't strange actually. It's similar to how opamps use feedback to linearize the signal. Also on a real Mini there are a lot of little things that don't always show up in emulations. Like the way the mixer of it clips asymmetrically. Or how the noise behaves. It's not pure white noise. There is a kind of living quality to it that I've never heard replicated. Even the Minimoog re-issue doesn't get it right. I did a ton of patches based on modulating the filter with noise and once you hear it you know. But then it's also an aspect of that filter that is hard to recreate. Even for Moog. Of all of them I really liked the UAD. I have a lot of UAD DSP so I might have to pick that up next time they have a sale. Also, why not the Moog music Mini App? It's on Mac OS now and it is really good.
Hi there agree that despite the technology progress in software instrument development the hardware is still ahead of plugin equivalent soundwise! Thanks for the comparison . You may check out some of my hardware analog synthesizers demos including Behringer Model D and Poly D. Great job! Take care
The softube actually sounded the closest to real minimoogs that I've heard. The behringer sounds better than all of the plugins but it's not really a minimoogish sound. The nice sizzle in the top end is missing.
Lovely production, but the sounds aren't well matched, the Arturia one, while my least favourite, can sound better than shown here. Your Detuned Saw had almost no detune to speak of in the Arturia one. Hold Shift to avoid the half-note steps for proper detune, for example. Filter settings between the synths also seem super off. As a comparison, this is difficult.
I agree the arturia sounds are complete different patches almost. Different filter amount, resonance, no detune almost at all. The funk bass was a totally different sound too. Almost seems like they are asking you to not like Arturia haha
Fun part with Softube is that you get components for their Modular environment if you buy their synths. The UAD sounded nice though. Wonder how the Synapse would do.
Arturia is the weakest. I agree with your comments ate the end - just note that the Softube is modeled after a 1972 mini Moog probably older than the others
This is a much better constructed demo than most that showcase the differences. I have a few Moog-likes and a Moog and software versions are always off in so many ways. The detune and oscillator character is always really simplistic sounding. Drive (especially on Arturia) is iffy. Mixer saturation and how it suppresses harmonics not right. FM usually sounds like simple digital (again, Arturia wtf?). Amazing how all of these small parameters combine to make such a complex one that’s still very difficult to emulate. PS> to my ears the official Minimoog app on iOS comes closest. It’s pretty impressive for software emulation.
Nice vidéo wonderful 8 bit stuff. All Presets could have been closer to the Behringer with more tweaking. Vst requires more fine tuning adjustments to sound the same.
Im not surprised about Arturia. Ive owned the hardware CZ1 , Martix 6 ,and the SQ80. And they don't even come close.i can only imagine how far off the others sound.
Fantastic video format, loved the music too! I agree Minimonsta 2 doesn't sound very accurate, but it does sound very nice. I bought it. Hoping to pick up a boog at some point though!
The detuned saw examples sound very different and sometimes not so convincing. The best is always the Behringer. It's so cheap, why should you use the software?
The UAD is very, very good. I think the Boog has a slight edge, especially when overdriven, but I'm considering selling my Boog and buying the UAD, its just so convenient working 100% in the box.
How come Music Music's own Moog soft synths aren't included in this comparison? Some Behringer owners have said they said more faithful to the original vs the Boog hardware.
Yeah I agree. It must have been possible to match the sounds more, I’m sure. WIth the detuned saws for instance, on the Arturia they were hardly detuned at all it seemed, it almost sounded like a single oscillator.
No. I think this is another one of those “Knob Position” comparisons. Which is absolutely silly. Even two hardware synths won’t sound the same with knobs in the same position.
Dang, Arturia's sound really is different. Closer to digital. But does an average customer know the difference if we add sound goodizers? I say it does what it does.
Ya I can tell ya that a real moog and arturias version are about as far off as they come .. if you think that sounds good you really need to listen to Diva
big agree here. Monark and UAD are the closest to the real thing. In my mind they're tied for first place, with only Moog's own Minimoog app on iPad being #2.
