Part of what made FM synthesis such a brilliant discovery was that it was actually possible to implement on contemporary computers. The kind of FM synthesis produced by Yamaha's early chips had such an impact on how modern music evolved. I can't help wonder if it would have been considered at all if contemporary DSP technology had allowed any kind of serious analog modeling. It's absolutely amazing that within the space of just over a decade we went from synths being built entirely out of discrete analog components, to FM synthesis on LSI chips, to DSP based synths.
My personal favourite artefact is the DX7 Mk1's trademark 'saturation'. I've never heard anyone conclusively pin down the exact source of the synth's characteristic distortion.
Plogue have done such an amazing job on their DX7 emulator. It definitely does a great job of emulating the synth's particular character.
And that one did contain actual analog multi-mode filter.
It is the custom logic IC that generates the sound, but in the original cards, the (low-fi) DAC also contributed to its audio quality.
Of course, people use these eurorack modules for the DIY and tactile hands-on experience. I get that. However, sound-wise, a lot of the hardware geeks are still convinced that software does not (and/or will never) sound the same, even for "digital" chips like the YM3812/OPL [1] !
What is “the same” ? And to whom ? These are the nuances.
[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735683
[1] https://www.discodsp.com/opl/