Like most advancements in music technology, the journey of virtual analogue synthesis is not a linear one – it's a story told through the various designs of many different manufacturers and brands. So, buckle up as we dive into the history of VA synths and find out why they remain enduringly popular, three decades on from their invention.
Originally, 'virtual analogue' was a marketing term popularised by manufacturers like Clavia to furnish their instruments with an identity, but the designation doesn’t simply refer to a digital synth. In fact, there are two qualities that distinguish a virtual analogue synth from other digital predecessors like the Roland JD-800 or the D-50.
