Dave Bryce Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 The title says it all. Let's have your list of your picks for top 10 synths. If you're so inclined you can put 'em in order...or not... dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 Of today? Of all time? Personal favorites? Best sellers? Most widely recorded? Most innovative (even if rare)? The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
progfusion74 Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 Can we include software too http://www.indiegrooves.com/dnm/images/dnm_small.gif My Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 Top Ten Of All Time (In Chronological Order) (1) Moog Modular - Switched On Bach, Clockwork Orange soundtrack, Lucky Man. These recordings introduced the synthesizer to many people. (2) Arp 2600 - Weather Report, Star Wars (R2D2), Edgar Winter's Frankenstein (3) Oberheim SEM (2, 4, and 8 voice configurations) - First multi-timbral polyphonic synth, Zawinul, et al. (4) Minimoog - The template for things to come. (5) Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 - One word: memory. (6) New England Digital Synclavier - Integrated system with sampling, resynthesis, hard disk recording, wave level editing, and notation, all of the features that we take for granted today. Brought a lot of film composers into the electronics world. (7) Yamaha DX7 - Unleashed the power of digital synthesis on the masses. (8) Korg M1 - Introduction of the affordable workstation concept. First moderately priced synth with full samples (not just attacks) on board in ROM. (9) Kurzweil K2000 - First affordable, multi-technology (ROM, sampling, DSP) synth. Programming possibilities way beyond preceeding product. (10) Yamaha VL1 - First production synth based on physical modelling. The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Lozada Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 Based on Dan's list... no special order... ------------------------ On CLASSIC SOUNDS: * Minimoog - The template for things to come. * Yamaha DX7 - Unleashed the power of digital synthesis on the masses. * Clavia NORD LEAD - A standard nowadays for virtual analog sounds. I'd pick a SUPERNOVA II, a Waldorf Q or a Virus anytime over the Nord... but this is the most used IMO. * Korg Wavestation - Wave sequencing and all those monster layers Korg made famous later. On Workstation Concepts: * Korg M1 - Introduction of the affordable workstation concept. First moderately priced synth with full samples (not just attacks) on board in ROM. I prefer to think on the 01/W as the big dad of the workstations. ON TECHNOLOGY Breakthroughs: * New England Digital Synclavier - Integrated system with sampling, resynthesis, hard disk recording, wave level editing, and notation, all of the features that we take for granted today. Brought a lot of film composers into the electronics world. * Ensoniq MIRAGE - Cheap sampling for the masses. * Yamaha VL1 - First production synth based on physical modelling. * Hartman NEURON - A really new and cool concept * Alesis Andromeda - 16 voices analog synth with state of the art technology and great sound, at an almost affordable price Músico, Productor, Ingeniero, Tecnólogo Senior Product Manager, América Latina y Caribe - PreSonus at Fender Musical Instruments Company Instagram: guslozada Facebook: Lozada - Música y Tecnología www.guslozada.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pim Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 1. Minimoog 2. Roland System 100 3. Alesis Andromeda (desert island synth #1) 4. Sequential Prophet VS 5. Roland SH 09 6. Korg MS 20* (not the sound, it's here because of the design - this is how all synths should look like) 7. Technosaurus Systems* (in despite of the horrible design) 8. Kawai K5000S (additive synthesis with an almost easy to use user interface) 9. Hartmann Neuron (I am beginning to understand it...) 10. Oberheim OBX 8* voice (best sounding polyphonic substractive analogue) The sequence changes every month, but these are my favorite ten synths. * = not in my possession. Worst synth ever: Yamaha DX 7. It's brown; 100 steps in velocity only; user interface is crap; it made people think that a Fender Rhodes sounds like christmas bells. My Music I always wondered what happened after the fade out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yahoo Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 In no special order, and since i'm fairly new to the synth world , I'll only submit 6 to avoid filling in with synths I'm not that familiar with. Nord Lead 3. Roland JP-8000 - my absolute fav. all it's missing is distortion. Korg MS-2000 - very "electronic , raspy , crunchy, tweaker sounding". oone of a kind sound IMO. Novation K-station - when i played my friends, it sounded very modern and "high quality in sound".this observation was during the time that i just messed around on synths in stores , and began liking electronic music, so when i heard this live , it was nice. just missing a couple octaves of keys* Roland sh-32 -fun and good for the money.looks cool too. Roland MC-505 - the synth on this has the most fun , cool presets! I imagine that if i've played a Virus or Waldorf, they would take the place of 505 and,or sh-32 in my list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 1. Moog MiniMoog - THE lead synth. 2. Arp 2600 - The lead synth for musicians who were "out there". 3. Yamaha DX7 - I hated it but it changed things. 4. Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 - Who needs an orchestra when you have these pads. 5. Rhodes Chroma - In 1982 it had a split keyboard, auto-tune, computer interface, amazing modulation matrix, 16 part multi-tembre, and was expandable. This showed what keyboards could do in the future. 6. Clavia Nord Modular - Still has a better interface than any software modular. 7. Oberheim Matrix 12 - Who does not want one? 8. Roland Jupiter 8 - This keyboard WAS new wave. 9. Synclavier - The ultimat GAS attack, if you had $100,000 to spend. 10. E-mu Emulator I - Sampling for the masses, if you could afford $8,000-$10,000. Robert This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yahoo Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 You don't really liv ein Amsterdam, do you , Pim? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbobus Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 Yes, he does! Here's ten I like a lot and if I like don't like one, it was too important to forget this one (DX7). 1 - Minimoog 2 - Arp 2600 3 - SC Prophet 5 4 - Roland Jupiter 8 5 - Yamaha DX7 6 - Oberheim Matrix 12 7 - Korg M1 8 - Roland JD800 9 - Alesis Ion 10 - Yamaha Motif ES http://www.bobwijnen.nl Hipness is not a state of mind, it's a fact of life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 If the list includes samplers, then: 1. Minimoog 2. ARP 2600 3. Oberheim 4 voice 4. Emulator 5. Kurzweil 250 6. Yamaha DX7 7. Korg M1 8. Moog Modular 9. Prophet 5 10. Roland TR808 - changed the way we thought about drums in pop music, for better or worse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humannoyed Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 Well, this thread turned into a "for their time" mixed with some "for all time" instead of what's currently available, which I think some of us in rural land would more like to see opinions on. You urban guys get to try out all the nice new stuff (Hey, I said urban, not urbane... You are sooo self conscious) The usual suspects were all quickly listed and now the rest of us who agree with the list sound like parrots. Some that were great, ground-breaking for their time (like the M-1 and DX7) in my opinion are not great for all time, meaning worth still owning in light of what's currently available in the same technology. I am going to vote for just one more - a product not yet made and maybe will never be made - Memorymoog Voyager, which is just a polyphonic version of the Mini Voyager. I'm going to go ahead in put it in the great for all time list... Day Day "It is a danger to create something and risk rejection. It is a greater danger to create nothing and allow mediocrity to rule." "You owe it to us all to get on with what you're good at." W.H. Auden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 Originally posted by humannoyed: I am going to vote for just one more - a product not yet made and maybe will never be made - Memorymoog Voyager, which is just a polyphonic version of the Mini Voyager. I'm going to go ahead in put it in the great for all time list... Funny you should mention this... Last week, I went to see Bob Moog demo the Voyager and his other current products. Someone asked about a "polyphony Voyager". In a nutshell, his response was the it would require too much expensive hardware to considering bringing to market. If he sells a single voice instrument like Voyager for roughly $3000, how much is a muli-voice Moog? He did allude to the marketability of a new version of the Taurus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 I'll try to make a list based on excellence as instrument, not importance in history - and limit it to hardware. -Moog modular -Mini -ARP 2600 (and 2500) -SEM family -Matrix-12 -Prophet T8 -Chroma -Wavestation -K2600 -SY99 (advanced FM + sampled sounds) also: CS-80 Buchla 400 and 700 Various modulars (E-mu, Polyfusion, Aries, Buchla, Serge) Jupiter 8 / MKS80 Synclavier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 I would by a new Taurus if they used the Taurus II form factor and put a MicroKorg-like minikeyboard on the control section. Top 10 in terms of desirability (no order): Oberheim Matrix 12 SCI Prophet T8 Alesis Andromeda Yamaha DX-1 Waldorf Wave Korg Wavedrum Oxford Oscar Yamaha VL-1 Access Viruc C Yamaha FS1r Top 10 currently available: Alesis Andromeda Roland V-Synth Moog Voyager Waldorf Wave Nord Lead 3 Access Virus C Kurzweil K2600 Yamaha Motif (haven't heard the ES yet) Korg Triton Dave Smith's Evolver "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted August 27, 2003 Author Share Posted August 27, 2003 My top ten, based on personal taste (in no particular order): 1) MiniMoog 2) Jupiter-8 3) Prophet VS 4) Wavestation 5) Andromeda 6) Matrix-12 7) K2600 8) DSI Evolver 9) ARP 2600 10) MOTIF ES dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steadyb Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 MiniMoog MemoryMoog OBXa, OB-8 Jupiter-8 CS-80 GX-1 DX-7 Prophet-5, 10, T-8 Chroma Andromeda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted August 27, 2003 Author Share Posted August 27, 2003 Originally posted by steadyb: MiniMoog MemoryMoog OBXa, OB-8 Jupiter-8 CS-80 GX-1 DX-7 Prophet-5, 10, T-8 Chroma Andromeda Did I say top 13??? dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix. Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 Nice how SteadyB slipped in a couple of extra - I hardly noticed. Reminds me of the trick you learn as a kid where you convince your friends you can count 11 fingers on your hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
progfusion74 Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 My top ten, which like Dave B are based on personal taste and preferences 1. Moog Modular 2. MiniMoog 3. K2600 4. Wavestation 5. Andromeda 6. z3ta+ 7. Reaktor 8. Prophet VS 9. Arp 2600 10 Matrix 12 I must admit that I have never played the modular or the Arp http://www.indiegrooves.com/dnm/images/dnm_small.gif My Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 Originally posted by felix.: Nice how SteadyB slipped in a couple of extra - I hardly noticed. Reminds me of the trick you learn as a kid where you convince your friends you can count 11 fingers on your hands. I like steady's logic - no pun intended. The Prophet 5 and 10 had identical sound engines. The 10 was just two 5's in one box. I'd be hard pressed to tell an OBXa from and OB8 in a blindfold test. The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 Oops, I forgot: Yamaha VL-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MortenJ Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 1.Elka Synthex 2.Alesis Andromeda 3.Alesis ION 4.Roland System 700 5.Yamaha Motif ES 6 6.ARP 2600 7.MemoryMOOG 8.MOOG 55 9.Fairlight CMI III 10.MOOG Taurus Morten Access Virus TI keyboard,Alesis ION,Yamaha Motif ES 6,Roland Fantom XR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted August 27, 2003 Author Share Posted August 27, 2003 Originally posted by Dan South: The Prophet 5 and 10 had identical sound engines. The 10 was just two 5's in one box. I'd be hard pressed to tell an OBXa from and OB8 in a blindfold test.Yep - he probably wouldn't have been flagged if he had just done those two...it was slipping the T8 in that set off the bells for me. dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulliver Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 My list would be very biased due to my limited experience with different synths. As you know I own only 5 at the moment. They are all my favorites. Period. I also played on several more and have borrowed some others from time to time, so here I go (first 5 are my own synths and next 5 are those "others") : Ensoniq SD-1 Ensoniq TS-10 Ensoniq MR Rack (remember skyy with his Casios? ) Waldorf Micro Q Yamaha FS1R Yamaha DX7 FDII Roland D-50 Korg M-1 Emu Proteus (can't recall the number...) Kurzweil K2500 Honorable mention: Prophet 5 All those synths serve(d) me well and thus belong to my personal Top 10. I never played (I even didn't touch!) any Moog, Arp, Oberheim, PPG and such. Sorry... And finally my humble wish list (hardware only) : Alesis Andromeda Alesis Ion Alesis Quadrasynth Piano + Arp (don't know it, could be any model I guess?) Clavia Nord Lead 1,2,3 Clavia Nord Modular (are there more Clavias?) Dave Smith's Evolver Ensoniq Mirage (love this name) Ensoniq ASR-88 Emu Vintage Keys Emu Morpheus Emu Procussion Emu Orbit Emu Proteus World (Orchestral wouldn't hurt as well. ... Heck, give me Virtuoso too!) Emu Emulator III (I and II) Hartmann Neuronnn ( ) Kawai K5000 Kawai ... (that one with a killer piano sound) Korg Wavestation Korg Triton Korg Karma Korg TR Rack (my MR Rack needs a company) Kurzweil K 2600 (and K 2500) Moog Voyager Moog Modular MiniMoog (just to round up the collection) Novation Basstation Novation Supernova Oberheim Matrix 12 some PPGs... (don't know, are they any good?) Roland D-550 Roland JD-800 Roland XV 5050 Roland Fantom Roland V-Synth Yamaha Motif Yamaha VL1 mmm... DX7 too... a couple of Akai samplers... oh and all the instruments by Waldorf. Well, I think that would do it for awhile. No wait! There is also Synclavier!!!... I am back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 Notice how the Motif ES keeps slipping even though it has not been released. Ok, DB has one. But who else? And what if Roland or Korg or Kurzweil released a ROMpler next month with 512 Meg of great samples and even better features? Robert This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 strictly based on personal preferences: Clavia Nord ModularMoog MiniMoog VoyagerKorg OASYS PCIYamaha VP1Waldorf MicroWave XTkSequential Prophet VSOberheim Matrix 12Modcan/Cyndustries ModularAlesis AndromedaNI Reaktor Go tell someone you love that you love them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Klopmeyer Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 Not in any order (different synths, different music, different moods): - Matrix-12 - Andromeda - ARP 2600 - Wavestation - DX-7 - K2600 - Jupiter-8 - MiniMoog - OBXa - Alesis QS Series (please don't laugh...I am deadly serious. For its job of giving me decent, easy-to-access sounds that I can use in 90% of pop and rock material I play live, its relative small size and weight, good-feeling keybed, and capable method of shifting between being a performance versus compositional tool, the QS has been a workhorse for me over the years). There ya go. - Jeff Marketing Communications for MI/Pro Audio My solo music and stuff They Stole My Crayon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted August 27, 2003 Author Share Posted August 27, 2003 Originally posted by Rabid: Notice how the Motif ES keeps slipping even though it has not been released. Ok, DB has one. But who else? Mike Martin has one too... Steve F, steabyb and Steve L have all played/heard mine. dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 I thought about listing the best of the current crop, but - - I haven't tried that many of them. - I probably WON'T try many of them, because either they'll be replaced by the time that I do, or they're difficult to come by, or I'll go for a soft synth instead. The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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