Favorite Synth Brand for playing

[Muad’Dib]

I"m just curious to know what brand of synths/keyboards everyone likes? For Playing

 

There is an "Other" category for any synths I may have forgotten about. I.e. KURZWEIL.

[KuruPrionz]

You left off Kurzweil, they deserve a spot. :-)

 

I don't have a favorite but I've owned a Kurzweil K2000 and K2000R (rack mount version).

The only other synth I've own was a small Novation thingie.

 

Since soft synths are the programs without the hardware, they're pretty much totally legit. I have a bunch of Native Instruments, IK Multimedia, a bit of Arturia and free odds and ends from U-he and others.

Played more often than not with a Fishman Triple Play wireless MIDI pickup on one of my guitars.

[KuruPrionz]

Oh, and Nord, lots of threads about Nord on here. :- D

[Muad’Dib]

Sorry, About Kurzwiel.

 

I do have NORD I listed that as Clavia/Nord

 

I put other in case I missed one.

[KuruPrionz]

Sorry, About Kurzwiel.

 

I do have NORD I listed that as Clavia/Nord

 

I put other in case I missed one.

 

You're right, you do have Nord. My apologies.

And, I sold my Kurzweil and Novation stuff long ago.

 

3 things in the world are bad. Knobs, cords and cheap canned anchovies...

[timwat]

[CEB]

None. Best rigs pull from multiple brands.

[The Real MC]

There are brands I like that are not on that list.

[AnotherScott]

I like a variety as well. Current favorites in my too-big stable include boards from Casio, Korg, Kurzweil, Nord, Roland, and Yamaha. But fwiw, only Korg and Nord are represented more than once.

[ProfD]

For the purpose of the poll I selected Yamaha because I've had more of their KBs than any other manufacturer.

 

However, having been around synths a very long time, "other" is more appropriate. I've had fun programming every synth and sampler I ever owned. :

[Dave Bryce]

Favorite for what? Playing, programming, playing live, favorite to look at?

 

...and yeah - Kurzweil definitely deserves a spot. I use my Kurzweil stuff a bunch.

...and why are Behringer and Clavia not capitalized? My poor OCD...

 

dB

[Muad’Dib]

I realize there a large number of brands on the Market, but trying too name them all is hard. Plus I"m not as young as I used to be. Pushing 50.

[Muad’Dib]

Look! I am sorry everyone, this is my first attempt at a poll on here. I apologize if a particular brand was not listed. Also, that I was not explicit in the title I fixed that! Forgive me, and just cut me some slack.

[Moonglow]

I"ve been a Korg guy for many years, but even among the engines in the Kronos, for example, I wish for more sonic separation. So like others, I favor a broader sonic palate, for which I find that Roland nicely fills in the gaps. I rarely connect with Yamaha keyboards. They sound great, but not when I"m playing them.

[Muad’Dib]

If i could edit the poll i would add other brands. Kurzwiel, KAWAi, Arturia, Oberheim , ARP. Etc...

[cp-the-nerd]

The title threw me off because when I hear "favorite synth" I think of stuff like the Moog One, Subsequent 37, Kork Minilogue/Prologue, Sequential Prophet 5/10, etc. I voted before I realized it was a general keyboard brand poll. Womp.

[Lou Gehrig Charles]

I only have one keyboard, so I voted for it.... Like they say, "the one you know is the one that is the best".

[Muad’Dib]

Sorry!

[Muad’Dib]

No surprise that no one has voted for Behringer?

[Stokely]

voted Nord for live use. I owned an Electro 6 for a while (only sold it to get a Stage compact, all that is on hold now). Light weight, internal power supply, good build quality, easy to control....just a very well-thought-out machine.

 

I use software at home other than whatever keyboard I have as controller. For synth, I'd say my favorite plugin is u-he's Repro, just an amazing sound that I'd put up against anything for sound quality. Hard to compare different synths as obviously they are shooting for different sounds.

[Dave Bryce]

Look! I am sorry everyone, this is my first attempt at a poll on here. I apologize if a particular brand was not listed. Also, that I was not explicit in the title I fixed that! Forgive me, and just cut me some slack.

No worries, Paul - speaking for myself, I'm kinda just joking around...hence the emoticon in my previous post.

 

dB

[Muad’Dib]

Oh! Yea, should have guessed? My bad ð¤¦ââï¸. I do jump to conclusions sometimes without thinking?

[allan_evett]

I voted for Nord, specifically for live gigging. When called for, I've been easily able to cover a job with my Stage 3,76. And that's even included some current dance/pop material that has two or three prominent keyboard parts. I've supplemented the few gigs that called for more by bringing out another poly - previously a Kronos 61 or JP-50, more recently a Fantom 7.

 

For recording I lean on Yamaha and Roland a lot, plus a handful of software instrument favorites (Logic instruments, IK MM Hammond BX-3, etc..)

[Konnector]

I prefer a mix of brands as they all have their strengths and weaknesses. That said, I've used more Yamaha and Roland gear over the years than anything else.

[KuruPrionz]

Nobody on here should ever take me seriously, except when I provide procedures for setting up guitars, that are very cereal.

[Muad’Dib]

Obviously I need interact more on here! I"m still trying too figure people out.

 

As of right now! People on here favor YAMAHA.

 

Then NORD

 

Then other I would say KURZWIEL.

[Nathanael_I]

For playing? Favorite playing = best possibility for self-expression and nuanced playing from a traditional keyboard for me, so you can read the rest of this through that definition.

 

I look for synths with a Fatar TP-8S action, high-quality real-time controls, and a very deep modulation matrix. These are essential to expressive playing and expressive sound design. I prefer sound engines that are not subtractive at this point - I have those bases well covered. I'm looking for thoughtful, well-considered access to new ideas in hardware, not emulating old things.

 

The Non-Linear Labs C15 is extremely expressive - the highly over-sampled controls definitely help. The sound engine is excellent and very easy to tie to real-time controls. Until the Osmose arrives, the C15 ranks very near to the top - it is a delight to play, and I get lost in it for hours.

 

The John Bowen Solaris has all of these characteristics as well, but with a Virtual Analog engine. The modulation is the best of any hardware synth I own. Because it is digital, you can even modulate every phase of the envelopes with positive or negative amounts. Very expressive patches can be programmed. It is very deep, but very expressive for playing.

 

On the list of brands in the poll, the Waldorf Quantum fits my peculiar taste, and is on the list of "things I'd like to own". I'd probably take the new Iridium form factor and stereo filters. I do love my Dave Smith OB-6 - it pretty much just spits out useful, awesome sounds. I have the desktop. It is not as expressive as the C15 or the Bowen and cannot be made so - it is a simple device, but it is a joy to play in its own way. The Minimoog is also special, and fun to play it its own way, but again, can't do the nuance that more modern things are capable of.

 

I've owned a Roli Seaboard Grand, but just couldn't get on with the lack of traditional keys. If non-traditional interfaces are part of the question, the Hakken Continuum is likely the most expressive synthesizer available - it also has a straight vertical learning curve and is very much "its own thing".

 

But you said favorite playing, and that doesn't necessarily imply most expressive, even though that's how I answered. I suppose if pushed, I'd take the Non-Linear Labs C15 as my favorite playing synth - it is the easiest one to get the most nuance out of. But my synths were all purchased because they essentially don't overlap, so like a guitarist, I've got more than one "favorite", depending on what kind of sound is wanted....

[Tom Williams]

Look! I am sorry everyone, this is my first attempt at a poll on here. I apologize if a particular brand was not listed. Also, that I was not explicit in the title I fixed that! Forgive me, and just cut me some slack.

No, Paul, I most certainly will not cut you any slack. You're supposed to always anticipate all of our whims and whinges.

BTW, my two favorites are Kurzweil and Ensoniq.

[brenner13]

No surprise that no one has voted for Behringer?

I haven"t voted yet, because different moods call for different synths. Just to sit down and dive in with a synth with hands-on controls, Behringer Deep Mind 12 is my pick. Just so dern fun.

When I just want to play piano, Kawai ES100 is a joy. But that"s not a synth...

Korg MS2000r still holds a sweet spot, but it"s a desktop, and needs another synth MIDI"d in to really 'play' it.

Sometimes I wax nostalgic and pull the dust covers off the Yamaha EX5...man what great sounds and expressive controls, but it still is a beast to program. And the super quick aftertouch is a challenge to not unintentionally trigger.

Sometimes I pine for the way back machine and fire up the SY77. Now that synth really has some very cool sounds. Big harry nightmare monster to program.

JX10 is a fine old beast. A real joy to come back to every few months.

There are so many iOS synths that are terrific and pure fun, but again, need a controller to really play them.

MODX does just about any sound I want, but the keybed is meh, and no aftertouch.

 

For all the reasons to dislike Behringer, I must give the nod to DM12 for my overall favorite to just turn on and play. Those Midas people really made a fine synth for their first roll-out.

[Muad’Dib]

Look! I am sorry everyone, this is my first attempt at a poll on here. I apologize if a particular brand was not listed. Also, that I was not explicit in the title I fixed that! Forgive me, and just cut me some slack.

No, Paul, I most certainly will not cut you any slack. You're supposed to always anticipate all of our whims and whinges.

BTW, my two favorites are Kurzweil and Ensoniq.

 

 

Oh! Very funny, very ð!