Today, while I took down the outside Christmas decor, I listened to "Chaplin", and I was so sad to hear synth'd timpani all over the score. Yes, you can tell. I use it all the time. Why? Because I work where there is no budget. I recently heard a boot of "The Phantom of the Opera" from 1999, about 15 years or so since the first production. Who knows how many times the show was orchestrated since the opening. Well, anyway, this was a London production and there was a LOT of synth'd timpani, rolls and all. Back in 1999, the technology wasn't that great, so it all sounded like a bad MIDI file.
I digress....