From the day synthesizers were born it was evident that a feud would erupt at one point in time. The battle between analog and digital synthesizers. On the one side are the analog purists, and on the other side, digital fanatics. Is there really a difference in the sound? A difference worth fighting over? If you were to ask me, my answer would be very simple…

The UVI Synth.

What’s that and what do I mean? It’s simple really, but let us break it down first.

Why the Fuss Over Analog Synths Like the Moog and Digital Synths Like the UVI Synth?

To fully answer that question, we need to fully understand and appreciate both analog and digital synthesizers.

Analog Synthesizers – Like the Legendary Moog

An analog synthesizer creates sounds by sending waveforms through a circuit board in different shapes. The waves are propagated in different shapes such as such as saw, square, triangle, and sine. Each wave shape makes a sound that is different from the other waves. For example, a saw wave has a buzzy sound while a sine wave is perfectly smooth. This is because a saw waveform is pointy, rugged, and sharp, while a sine wave is smooth.

Image via UVI

A synthesizer filters the analog waves (electrical pulses) by eliminating what is not wanted and modifying what needs modulation. This is done in a number of ways, such as adjusting the cutoff and resonance filters or by adjusting the length of the notes through the attack, decay, release, and sustain envelopes. A bit technical I know, but please hang on. The signal is then passed through an amplifier to increase its size and modulation so as to give you the synthesized wave as a sound wave.

All this is done in a physical electric circuit. Because of this, analog synthesizers are quite bulky.

Digital Synthesizers – Like the UVI Synth

Digital synthesizers don’t use bulky circuitry. Instead, they use programming that emulates the electric circuitry. This is why no 2 digital synths can sound exactly alike. And that is also why digital synths don’t sound exactly like their analog counterparts. This is also why you need to choose your digital synth carefully, lest you buy a bug infested program that will frustrate you instead of fuel your creativity.

In a nutshell, that is why you should go with UVI Synths. Why?

Here’s Why You Should Add the UVI Synth Lineup To Your Production Toolbox

The reason is simple really. It’s the way UVI synthesizes their samples. UVI’s unique sampling methods begin with UVI’s engineers acquiring an original (yes, as in analog) synthesizer they want to emulate. If it needs restoration, it gets put back to original spec. Once they have the synth perfectly dialed in it is recorded using studio-quality analog recording devices. This results in an authentic sample that captures the resonance, depth, pitch, and all the other qualities that make each synthesizer’s unique sonic character.

Let’s take a look at the line-up so you get the full picture.

The UVI Synth Legacy – Resurrecting Analog Sounds

To call the Synth Legacy a mere sample library would be a huge understatement (should a crime too). The fact is can customize this synthesizer. With ADSR envelopes for the amp and filter, overdrive circuit, pitch and stereo controls, anything is possible when it comes to manipulating the output sound.

Image via UVI

Some of the legendary sounds included in the Synth Legacy are – Alesis Andromeda, Roland Jupiter 4, Roland Jupiter 8, Roland VP-300, 46 more. A total of 50.

The UVI Emulation II – The Best of the ‘80s Re-Lived

As the name says, the Emulator II is a recreation of one of the best workstations of the ‘80s era – the Emulator. The original Emulator samplers were popular 8-bit samplers that had analog filters and had a really unique sound. The dedicated controls and user interface give you the exact feel and look of the original Emulator while the sounds capture its characteristic tone.

The UVI Urban Suite – Taking Music to the Streets

The UVI Urban Suite was created for Hip-Hop and electronic music producers. With powerful instruments and over 2000 samples and loops to work with, you’ll soon be penning timely hits with the help of the inspirational beats and easy workflow proved by this package.

The UVI Urban Suite comes packed with 2 drum machines (an excellent Roland TR-808 emulation and an excellent general purpose one that divides its kick, clap, snare, and hat sounds into editable components), a three-oscillator synth, a multi-track REX file player, and a superb vinyl scratch emulator.

The UVI Orchestral Suite – An Orchestra on Steroids

The UVI Orchestral Suite is just that, an orchestra – on steroids. And this orchestra wants to play its more than 60 instruments in your home studio. Even some of the instruments that don’t feature in many orchestras are included in this mega orchestra – like the marimba. Now, who wouldn’t want all that firepower on their upcoming special track?

 The UVI Workstation – The Engine Behind it All

In order to experience the full potential of UVI’s goodies, you’ll need to download the UVI Workstation. Don’t worry, it’s completely free. The UVI Workstation can work within your DAW or as a standalone platform, giving you more flexibility in your music processing. Surely there can be no better deal than this – a full virtual studio right in your home.

Featured Image via UVI