EMS Synthi AKS vs iVCS3 For iOS

This video, via studentsmusic, is a software vs hardware comparison, pitting a vintage EMS Synthi AKS analog synthesizer against iVCS3 for iOS.

As he notes, “Believing is not knowing.”

Here’s what they have to say about the video:

Excerpts from trying to get objective data comparing an app with the original synthesizer. Don´t take it for granted, especially comparing waveforms here in such a short feature. So probably with mistakes, but somehow the tendency: the app is quite good!

One core challenge that should be done better is comparing the filters, which might behave different in every hardware device and are one important character of the ems synths.

Interesting: Sine (sorry for german/latin “sinus”) wave on AKS AND IVCS is not pure and has quite some harmonic distortion (due to Wave shaper?). Normally around 5%THD. The sine of the self oscillating Filter should be around 3% THD. Here its more, but somehow congruent analog and digital!

Of course there can be endless discussions comparing virtual with analog vintage. We all know its two different Animals. But as it comes to sound and hearing this might be a trigger for you to check by yourself, whats cooking with your hardware/app gear. Believing is not knowing.

9 thoughts on “EMS Synthi AKS vs iVCS3 For iOS

  1. Amazing guy. Great Unbiased and Objective comparisson “now you can listen to your music” at the end of the video made me lmao !!! 🙂

  2. I just skipped around but I can hear a difference when the VCD is doing something more complicated like amplitude modulation by a square wave. The real thing sounded so fucking intense. Just made me want one more. I hope Behringer clones one someday.

  3. There was a noise floor you could see in the scope on the hardware Synthi that was not present in the virtual version. From what I could tell in the video, that was the primary component that made the difference in sound between the two. It sounded like it was dirtying up the sound and giving that degree of “grit” that the VCS3 was lacking. Now, if that is a good thing or a bad thing, that is strictly a matter of opinion.

    1. I`m with you on that. If it`s gritty already it gives it more character but the downside is that it is harder to mix cause it takes up more space. On the other hand pristine sounding can feel “empty” sometimes. But then you can throw effects on it. Basically it all depends on the mood of the moment and of course in this case even more than mood, to the fact that i can`t afford a Synthi but i don`t think i would spend that money on a synth that is completely overpriced with this new (hedonistic almost) collector-musician wave

  4. Appreciate the effort on this, but very disappointed in the actual video. It’s unclear which sound is produced by which of the instruments. Not a well spoken voice, would have preferred text to that. Would appreciate links to any other video comparisons of these two.

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