There’s an easy way to avoid critics, do and say nothing. Never have an idea, or if you do, then squash it before someone else squashes it for you. I say that knowing that before the ink was dry on the Waves press release for their new Element synth that someone, in fact thousands, were ready to trash even the idea of their new VI, let alone the reality of one.

I’ve seen a lot of comments about the new Element synth and some are asking “does the world need another subtractive synth VI?”

Let me ask another question, was it worth Apple inventing the iPod with all the other MP3 players already on the market? Or was it worth Apple messing around with phones when brands like Nokia and Motorola already owned most of the market? The iPhone may not be the best phone out there, but it certainly gave the industry a shake up it needed to be more inventive with phones.

In our derivative world, it is commonplace for companies to jump on the bandwagon and create ‘me-too’ products, but sometimes companies enter the market to bring a new thought on the same idea. Even better they do so to try and make something that is actually better than the rest - or in the case of instrument modelling, closer than the rest.

I think it’s no secret that I’m a friend of Wolfgang Palm and I’ve done what I can to support him as the PPG has born again on the iPad. There were a lot of iPad synth apps before the PPG. Did the world need another one? Yes, it needed one that was a professional sounding synth with ultimate tweakability. From both professional and consumer feedback so far, the world did need another iPad synth and Wolfgang made it, even better he did it right in my opinion.

It’s early days with the new Waves Element synth, but from my early interactions with it I have to say there’s something about both the filters and amps that is a lot better then other subtractive synth VIs. It may not be orginal, but as we’ve seen so often it’s not originality we seek but for someone to do it better.

You may have a different opinion on the new Waves synth than me, we can agree to disagree, but I would rather have companies like Waves try a new approach, than a culture where software developers don’t bother trying to do things better because there are armies of people ready to trash their ideas.

I don’t mind them trying, rather that, than a barren creative landscape. I’d rather have a world where people try something new, than bedroom critics who never made anything.