Doctor Mix - Top 10 Synthesizers Of All Time

[Philip Clark]

 

 

[timwat]

• Minimoog
• Jupiter 8
• DX7
• CS80
• 2600
• M1
• Prophet 5
• Fairlight
• D50
• OB8

 

While you can probably make a case for a unit or two not on his list (cough...Nord Lead...cough hahaha), I think it's difficult to argue with the body of his opinions.

[Michael W]

4 minutes ago, timwat said:

• Minimoog
• Jupiter 8
• DX7
• CS80
• 2600
• M1
• Prophet 5
• Fairlight
• D50
• OB8

 

That's an excellent list.

[timwat]

And I gotta believe Junkie XL probably has two of each in his collection.

[Justin Havu]

Excellent choices, although I'm not too sure which of the OB's I would've put on a top 10 (OB-X, Xa, or 8.)  Also, I probably would've ranked the Prophet a little higher up, although I'd have to have an internal debate on which of the polysynths listed had the most impact.  My ranking would probably go like...

 

1. Minimoog
2. ARP 2600
3. DX7
4. Prophet 5
5. M1
6. Fairlight CMI
7. CS-80
8. Jupiter 8
9. D-50
10. OB-8 (Although I could easily substitute the OB-X or Xa here.)

[Dave Bryce]

9 minutes ago, justin_havu said:

Excellent choices, although I'm not too sure which of the OB's I would've put on a top 10 (OB-X, Xa, or 8.)

 

Was thinking the same thing.  I'd have probably picked the Xa.

 

dB

[ProfD]

Doctor MIx iis a like a kid in a candy store when it comes to his studio and gear. 

 

HIs exuberance pops through the screen regardless of whether he's going to check out or buy gear or when he's talking, programming, playing, mixing, etc. 

 

The man seems to be the embodiment of do what you love and never have to work a day in your life. 😎

 

 

[Justin Havu]

29 minutes ago, Dave Bryce said:

 

Was thinking the same thing.  I'd have probably picked the Xa.

 

dB

 

I'd agree with that.

[stoken6]

I clicked expecting to post "that list is pointless - how could he have left out X? Or Y? And what the hell is Z doing in that list" but actually very sensible. We can all argue about which synth deserves the higher billing, but that's detail. 

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Doerfler]

I keep trying to like this guy. He plays very well, but his presentations remind me of when I was in High School. YMMV

[timwat]

Here's a related question. Given this list of 10, how many have you gigged?

 

Me, the number is 5.

[NewImprov]

I love it when he describes the DX-7 as "remorseless."

 

I have gigged with a total of 2 of the instruments on the list, The DX and the Mini. I currently own a BARP 2600, but have yet to gig with it.

[16251]

14 hours ago, timwat said:

• Minimoog
• Jupiter 8
• DX7
• CS80
• 2600
• M1
• Prophet 5
• Fairlight
• D50
• OB8

 

While you can probably make a case for a unit or two not on his list (cough...Nord Lead...cough hahaha), I think it's difficult to argue with the body of his opinions.

Nice list, but it should be called "10 greatest if money is no object." I'd like to see 10 greatest synths for the common man <person> Back when old folks, like me wanted to buy a synth, a 2600 was too expensive and too big. I bought an Odyssey. I could of bought a Minimoog, but I liked polyphony option. Then I wanted a Prophet 5, but I could only afford a 600. I wanted an M1 but settled for a D50. (Not a perfect analogy as some of the choices were relatively inexpensive but more than half were quite pricey.)

 

[Mr -G-]

Just to spice up the discussion, Top Ten in which sense? Revolutionary? Influential? Commercially available? Affordable to studios/gigging? Most loved? Most sold?

I can think of several that could be in a list of top ten influential synths: RCA Synthesizer, Moog Modular, ANS synthesizer, Synclavier II...

 

[CEB]

M1 wouldn’t be on my list. Even though it’s probably the great selling unit of all time.  But the OAsys or Kronos may…. Or even the DW-8000 I liked better than the M1.  
 

I prefer the OB-X to the OB-8. 

 

Not sure why the D-50 keeps getting tagged as a preset machine. I programmed the hell out of the D-50. But Eric Persing is a genius. 
 

2600 needs to on a list. 
 

I really like the MemoryMoog. Those 18 Oscillators in unison can shred.  Plus to really shred leads you need at least 61 keys.  Also right now I need those 18 oscillators to heat my house. Damn it’s cold.  

[Ed A.]

21 hours ago, timwat said:

• Minimoog
• Jupiter 8
• DX7
• CS80
• 2600
• M1
• Prophet 5
• Fairlight
• D50
• OB8

 

While you can probably make a case for a unit or two not on his list (cough...Nord Lead...cough hahaha), I think it's difficult to argue with the body of his opinions.

Good list. I had five out of those ten synths years ago (Minimoog, ARP 2600, DX7, M1, D50). Never had any Oberheim or Sequential synths, and was never a Jupiter 8 fan. Almost bought a Fairlight, but I couldn’t justify the cost. I had an Emu EII instead.

[Marzzz]

If money was no object I would throw in a Synclavier. 

[Tom Williams]

Disclaimer: Never owned any of those.  For me it's been Ensoniq, Casio, Alesis (Fusion) and Kurzweil over a near-40 year period.

 

That said, I would probably replace the M1 and D50 with Kronos and Synclavier.   The latter was pretty significant for recording.

[KuruPrionz]

Hammond Novachord?

From whence all other synths sprung forth?

https://dangerousminds.net/comments/the_first_synthesizer_was_built_in_1938

[dongna]

2 hours ago, Tom Williams said:

Disclaimer: Never owned any of those.  For me it's been Ensoniq, Casio, Alesis (Fusion) and Kurzweil over a near-40 year period.

 

Speaking of Kurzweil... any love for the K2000?

[David Emm]

My Top 10 is made up of the synths I bought that did not crap out prematurely. Its a bit hard to seriously roar over a Fairlight in real world terms. A DW8000 and a Juno-1 make an admittedly modest pairing, but laboring over them was always a WIN. Its easy to be wowed by a CS-80, but its also a bit like aching to have a Mars Rover in the den.

[Shamanczarek]

I still have three of those synths. The DX-7, Prophet 5, and OB-8. My DX-7 w/Grey Matter E! is currently up for sale so probably will be gone soon.

[ProfD]

I clearly remember buying the Roland D50 and Korg M1 hot off the press. Hard to believe that was over 30 years ago.

 

Back in those days, the realism of the sounds made it easier to cover gigs with one KB. 😎

[ABECK]

I'm guessing he's probably around my age, based on the list.  I'd have substituted a Synclavier for the Fairlight, but otherwise, that's my list. (PPG Wave as a runner up).

Give or take 10 years in age of the reviewer and I'd hazard a guess the list would look different by half.

 

[Tusker]

Love this list.  I think all of these are great instruments. However, I would add an instrument which proved convincingly that synthesizers should be taken seriously.

 

It made a revolutionary Bach album for Wendy Carlos. It fascinated the Beatles. It enraptured Isao Tomita. It spawned entire new genres..  In rock music, it was the signature voice of Keith Emerson. So what if there is already a Moog synth represented? The Moog Modular has more than earned a place on the list.