Spectra or hora spectral processor?

hey all, i’m pretty familiar with the buchla 296e hardware and i’m deciding between the two 296 clones.
I see that the vcv spectra has a ‘vintage 296e’ mode but I’m rather unsure as to which to go for. Guess, i’m looking for as close as to the 296e, in terms of sound. And i should add that i really love the Model 295 Comb Filter.

Advice or an outline of differences would be appreciated!

spectra!

Spectra, no doubt.

I can’t comment on the sound and how close it is to the Buchla 296e, but whilst Spectra is the more powerful and flexible plugin, the Hora Spectral Processor is a closer copy of the functionality (I believe) of the 296e, particularly with regard to morphing between the A/B settings.

You could always get both :slight_smile:

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thanks everyone for the guidance - off to buy spectra. Cheers.

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Yeah, got them both. The Spectral Processor was released some time before Spectra. So, already had it when Spectra was released. If I had to choose one, it would be Spectra but only because it directly supports VCV dev.

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Just to comment on something mentioned in the first post: the Spectra “vintage mode” DSP was partially derived from a clone of the Buchla 296 (not the 296e, but in theory the two hardware modules should sound quite similar). The “digital” mode of Spectra represents idealized band separation without the quirks of the hardware.

+1 for Spectra. Support Andrew Belt. Plus, it’s just an awesome tool.

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no brainer: Spectra!
love it :slight_smile:

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Has anyone compared either of these against the Softube 296e?

Not sure what comparison you want as such.

I have the (breathtakingly expensive) Softube and I guess it is as close an emulation of the hardware as you will ever see in software (being licensed by Buchla, hence the cost I suspect).

It sounds great, has the Todd Barton endorsement, presets and tutorial videos, plus you can use any tutorial or example for the original hardware too.

Functionally, Hora captures most of it, including the - important to me - A/B morphing. Functionally, VCV Spectra far surpasses it, though it lacks the A/B morphing.

Sonically, you’ll have to demo it and judge whether you think Softube has that ‘magic dust’ or not :wink:

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Thanks for the run down. Yes I did notice that Spectra did not have the morphing which is why I haven’t got it yet, but I’ve also been resisting the price tag of the Softube one as well.

To get A:B morphing just use two instances of Spectra and cross-patch.

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