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I own many vintage instruments, from a Mellotron M-400, , Hammond organ, Prophet 5, OBX-a, Pianets, RMI Electra Pianos, Rhodes, Wurlies, Multimoog, Matrix-6 (and even a few digital synths like the D-10 and Juno alpha and many rank mounted modules like the Matrix 1000, Vintage keys, V3, etc. The vintage equipment is very tempermental, susceptible to constant break-downs, minor problems and sonic foibles, but when working (now there is a caveat!) sound amazing, whether just noodling through an amp or in a mix.

Nonetheless, I basically replaced all my hardware vintage synths with software versions (B4, Pro-52, M-Tron, Mike Pinder's Mellotron Sample Disc, Reaktor (with many vintage ensembles bought via Dashsynthesis), Mini-E, EVP-88, Sonic Synth and many vintage CD-ROMs via the EXS24. I condensed my whole studio garage into a computer and workstation in my den (via Logic Control and the Motu 82 . Relaibility is sometimes a problem with ASIO errors and flakely Logic Audio software. Nonetheless, the soft synths sound reasonably good. I've A/B'd patches on the Pro-52 compared to the real Prophet and the real thing sound a bit more alive, i.e. less digital sounding. But really, that may only be because it is going through a power amp and speakers. In a mix, who the heck would even know that it was software prophet.

I do find that all the softsynths, especially the typical 2 osc. synths, sounds highly similar. You can get pretty similar sounds via Reaktor and the Model E. It may just be that they are going through the same hardware (828 or EMI 2/6), but still, there is sort of a sameness to all of these softsynths. In other words, they lack personality, which is something the vintage synths had loads of - you can isntantly hear the difference between a Prophet and a Mini.

Like any emulation or clone, it may get close to the real thing, but it is not the real thing. In practical terms though, my technician (Davidson Electronics) hates me because I don't send my keyboards into repair as often).

I agree that these soft synths are pretty versatile, but there is nothing like having a large box with lots of knobs and sliders.

While the sound may be (almost) identical, the experience isn't.

As far as oscillators go, the PC can't really duplicate those old transistorized, sometimes overheated, pcboards. There is nothing like a little temperature and stressed components to add that over stressed, extra zing to a sound.

While I am not a synth engineer or even close, I do know that a stressed component, with actual voltage coursing through it, sounds a wee bit different than a sterile, digital replicant. While it may meet specs, there is a bit of a difference in the actual sound. Could the average person differentiate, yes. Could he tell which was the real thing, probably not. I can't. *(disclaimer, I am not a synth engineer, just a guy who has fun doing music)

One example... the JunoX. I used to have a real Juno synth. The JunoX sounds *exactly* like I remember the real thing. However, I bet if they were placed side by side, and set with identical parameters, there would be a slight difference.

Despite all of this, and due to my limited budget, I have found it much easier to get cubase and some soft synths. You can get reaktor, Cubase SX and a bunch of cheap 2-3 oscillator softsynths for much less than it would cost to get a single Oberheim Xpander or a Prophet VS, and get nearly the same results, without the repair bills, bad pots, and patch cable shenanigans.

You get more bang for the buck, but obviously, the real thing is cooler. Would you rather have a genuine Shelby Cobra 289, or a kit car with a 5.0 engine in it that looks and sounds like one?

It is really the same type of comparison. If I had bottomless pockets, I would have a studio full of vintage synths. Any day of the week. I would take them, repair bills and all. I would probably have a real cobra 289 too: )

As it is, I am resigned to the fact that I will never have the cool toys. I make do...