A synth is a synth (pretty much)?

[Krell]

I'd agree that yes, VA and VST synths do tend to lack character and can sound very similar. Hardware, particularly old VCO synths can be pretty weird/wild especially when they are a bit crusty. Its interesting that cheap old analog (SH-101 etc) just has something about it... maybe its just a reaction to some oscillator drift or bad tuning...

[DonnieAlan]

Right. I’m laying myself open a bit here. Call me a heretic, but I’m really getting caught up in the idea that all synths are pretty much created equal. Additive, subtractive, granular (maybe) and all the other ones in between. Yeah I know some stand out like the old favourite tb-303. It’s just that I’ve got so many in my Rack and a LOT of the pads and the patches and the leads sound just the same as each other. Different filters, knobs, bells and whistles but essentially the same. Again, call me a heretic, and maybe I’m missing something but, well, that’s what’s been in my mind today.

I have to disagree. Yes, there are similarities across synths, both hardware and virtual, but there's a world of difference between analog and digital, FM and samplers, romplers and wavetable synths and all the rest. Its more than just how each type creates sounds, but how the user can create sounds that blend into a mix the right way. Some will give you highly specific control over harmonics, frequency ranges and such, while others are more generic. Even if you have two similar type sounds from each (a bass sound, say), you might just want more detailed control to fit the sound into your mix.

And because each synth uses a different method to generate sounds, and how you can edit and manipulate them for the final sound you want, there are big differences in their sonic character. Serum sounds WAY different than Dune2 even though both are wavetable VIs. You can approximate a patch on one with a patch on the other, but not duplicate. East West Symphonic library sounds awesome, but has much different sonic character than, say, symphonic libraries from 8dio Sound or Vienna Symphonic Library.

Its those differences that make the market and why we have so many from which to choose! No, all synths are NOT created equal!