I used to dabble with making tunes with a friend - we had access to a Juno 106, and a couple of Juno VST plugins. We'd do a bunch of takes with both, and then later we'd choose "blind" which versions to use. The real thing won every time... we tried to analyze why, but never really figured it out - though it's probably just because the music we were making was a bit wonky anyway ;)
I think a lot of "blind" preferences like this are likely due to appreciating the accidental noise introduced in the signal path of the hardware instrument. The Juno chorus in particular is/was notoriously noisy. Add to that some crappy audio cables to get the sound out of the machine and into your recording device, ground loop hum, nearby AM radio... No software emulation is going to include all that "unwanted" sound unless it's deliberating modeling it as well.
Personally I'm from the camp that likes super-clean audio, so I was overjoyed when software synths fixed all the problems that we used to have with hardware, but there's definitely a camp that really likes the "warmth" or unpredictability of the original machine's output. Sometimes I think people spend more time adding plugins to dirty up their sound than they did making the original patch in the first place.
We ran the VST synths through the same signal path as the Juno (as a test - with good DACs)... but yeah, I've long-since given up on hardware synths: they're fun, but just take up too much space. I miss combining the sounds though - most of our tracks would be 90% VSTs, 10% analogue. I think you're right though: my mission now is to try and "recreate" that 10% with plugins.
My biggest problem with software has been that it perhaps limits creativity by providing such an unlimited palette.
My first synthesizer was a Juno 60, and I owned a bunch of other vintage and modern ones over the years. With hardware, it was a whole ritual to turn everything on, each instrument had its own smell, it put me into a mood of "let's play with this machine and see what happens".
When I moved to software, I finally had all the sounds I always wanted but could never afford, I finally no longer had to futz around trying to reprogram a patch I liked, I finally could send any instrument to any effects box... but there were less happy accidents. It felt a bit more like my day job, which also just involves sitting in front of a computer.
I think it can be like that for a lot of people, where the tactility and limitations of the gear can inspire a different approach to music-making. I imagine that aspect also plays in to the emotion that some people have that hardware instruments "sound" better.
All that said, I would never go back to hardware. As you say, it's hard to beat the convenience of a laptop.
It's about the UI. Most hardware synths have one-knob-per-function on a UI the size of a large panel. You can mould the sound in a tactile way.
With a VST, everything goes through a mouse. And you'll probably spend some of your time getting distracted by moving windows around to show/hide other VSTs.
It's a much more cerebral experience.
My biggest problem with software is that it's so limited. VSTs and DAWs ape hardware studios far too literally.
I'd like to be able to connect anything to anything - including VST internals to the internals in other VSTs. And add some generative/programmed elements. But most DAWs either don't allow that at all, or they only allow it with severe limitations.
Yes, the big physical panels are what make them playable. When you learn a physical synth, you get the benefit of muscle memory, so tweaking the filter cutoff “just so” during a performance can be done almost without thought.
I’m excited to see what happens in VR. The tactile feedback isn’t there, but I bet the muscle memory is. I don’t have a VR setup, but Synthspace might convince me to get one this year—it looks better every time I check on its progress. A VR modular synth kit without the insane cost? Yes please!
What I find interesting is the line between an instrument and music, where does it lie? If you play piano you focus on the music played, but if you play a synthesizer the focus is much on the sound. Same applies to acoustic guitar vs. electric guitar with all them effects-boxes attached.
