Re: Loop effects: Can software be as good as good hardware?

["Krispen Hartung" <khartung@cableone.net>]

Hmmm, well a computer is a piece of hardware with software on it. And a 
rack 
mount processors is also a piece of hardware with software in it 
(firmware, 
embedded firmware, or whatever engineers call it now), albeit a very 
specialized piece of hardware that only runs that one piece of 
software/firmware. So, if you can get your computer audio I/O up to snuff 
with the hardware audio I/O in terms of latency, quality of inserts, 
etc..then I don't see a lot of difference between the two in principle. In 
practice, of course, some people are intimidated by computer based systems 
because of the massive flexibility and hordes of options, plus all the 
other 
problems that can come along with a computer...whereas, with a piece of 
effect hardware, it is basically a finite trick pony. Once you burn 
through 
all the algorithm and settings, you've reached the end of that particular 
effective universe.

The true pragmatic test for me is in the output on CD or in live 
performance. And I can't tell any difference in quality between my 
hardware 
effects (Boss VF1, Lexicon LXP5, LXP1, etc) and my computer VST effects, 
even when one signal is going through a 1/8" IO system on a tiny sound 
card, 
and the hardware is running through a balanced 1/4" audio IO.

I buy  hardware now only for back-up, because it is new and cool,  or to 
relieve my irrational insecurities derived from on playing through  
hardware 
for so many years. I think over time, dedicated function hardware effect 
units will become obsolete, but not for a long time, and maybe not our 
generation. It's just a hypothosis, veriable only by time.

Kris

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "mark sottilaro" <zerocrossing2001@yahoo.com>
To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 3:54 PM
Subject: Loop effects: Can software be as good as good hardware?


> All this talk about Eclipse/Fireworx vs. Max/Reaktor
> made me think, surely dedicated hardware must sound a
> lot better, no?  Perhaps software is way more flexible
> but is it as good?  If all you got from hardware was
> lower latency I'd imagine ebay would be flooded with
> effects processors to the point people couldn't give
> them away.  I'm excited about what my humble laptop
> can do but will it rival even my modest Lexicon MPX1
> in terms of sound quality?
>
> Mark
>
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