Analogue Equipment, Trackers, Modern DAWs, Hardcore

Did the switch to modern DAWs kill Hardcore? Was the sound better on analogue equipment and old tracker software? A while ago I listened to some Hardcore from the turn of the millenium, I period where I didn't like most releases very much; and I noted that in concept and structure, the tracks were not so much different from 1993 or 1994... but the sounds! The kicks gave me nothing, and the rest of the sounds didn't push me either... I also remembered a VERY veteran producer, who said with old analogue equipment you almost instantly had a good sound, while that's much harder to pull off with a new DAW... obviously there are s lot of producers with modern DAWs whose output I adore... but maybe that's the point, you need to work really hard with these DAWs to get something good out if, while it was much easier on old equipment.