Can't speak for the others, but I'm talking about a general trend rather than any specific artists. If you compare current releases with those of say 10 years ago, they have in general become far smoother, cleaner and, in a way, colder. I rarely hear new material with the depth and warmth of B12, Stasis, GPR etc, or the raw grit of older UR and Planet E tracks.
you could lodge this complaint against some of the ghostly/spectral stuff, but for the most part it sounds great to me.
I think this comes down to the increasing use of software that allows a 'perfect' sound to be created, and also a stylistic trend (mirroring the development of other sounds such as minimal house and techno where this clean feel has been an integral part of the style).
absolutely. i know someone who's happy to get his hands on software versions of classic analog synths ands says "they sound exactly the same, except without the noise!" well then they don't sound the same. noise is part of the sound. even if you then try to remove the noise through gates and filter, that's going to be different than a totally clean vitual synth.
the problem is often VST instruments and plugins don't create noise, they don't have a lot of character. they do different things, but the overall sound is the same or very similar because it's all generated inside a box - and the end result usually sounds like it.
i'm sure there are artists creating things on laptops with no raw material from outside it that is kicking stuff. maybe they've discovered some secret combination of plugins and frequency boosters, or maybe it gets masterd through an analog compressor.
It's a very subjective thing, a lot of people seem to feel that striving for the so-called perfect production is an essential development, but personally I'm far more into a sound that gives more rawness, warmth and depth than one which is ultra crisp and clean.
i agree, although again it depends on what you like or what the artist wants to express. i've been getting into very gritty analog synth bleeps and farts which is why i joined this list.
d.
