Top 10 synths?

[zeronyne]

Originally posted by zeronyne:

I would by a new Taurus if they used the Taurus II form factor and put a MicroKorg-like minikeyboard on the control section.

By the way, this is what I meant:

 

http://midiasylum.com/taurus3.gif

 

I guess it's just a Rogue with pedals. Never mind.

[Byrdman]

Originally posted by Dave Bryce:

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

Here's a few that have been overlooked:

 

VCS3 - Pink Floyd. Brian Eno. Much better sounding than the minimoog (as long as you did not lose those pins)

 

Fairlight - sampling for the rich

 

That little Casio 8 bit sampling thingee - sampling for the impecunious.

[Dan South]

How about the Korg Polysix, the first affordable polyphonic that sounded good?

 

And let's not forget the Odyssey, which was on stages everywhere for a few years.

[zeronyne]

Originally posted by Byrdman:

Here's a few that have been overlooked:

 

That little Casio 8 bit sampling thingee - sampling for the impecunious.

The SK-1? That little thing is awesome. It's also a very primitive additive synth.

 

EM had an article that showed how to build a MIDI in for it.

[Anoplura]

Originally posted by Byrdman:

 

VCS3 - Pink Floyd. Brian Eno. Much better sounding than the minimoog (as long as you did not lose those pins)

 

Huh? Is this flame-bait or are you serious? That's like saying a Theremin sounds much better than a Steinway. They are apples and oranges.

 

I can't image a single context where I could replace a Minimoog with a VCS3. Sure the Minimoog is capable of some wild, spacey sounds, but it's a bass and lead synth. One of the best ever.

 

The VCS3 doesn't even have a keyboard. You can play "leads" with the joystick, but it's not at all the same thing. Spacey sounds? No problem. Bass line? Good luck. I know that people have successfully connected CV keyboards to a VCS3 and played it in tune, because they have bragged about it. It is not easy.

 

Is it a credible candidate for someone's "top 10 synths" list? Sure. It is a classic. Overlooked? Maybe, but I think that has a lot more to do with the fact that it has a limited audience. I don't see a Theremin on anyone's list either, and the Theremin is inarguably a more important instrument in terms of its impact on the development of synthesizers - and electronic music in general.

 

Ben

[marino]

Originally posted by Byrdman:

VCS3 - Pink Floyd. Brian Eno. Much better sounding than the minimoog (as long as you did not lose those pins)

Yeah, the VCS3. I played with a few of them. It does NOT sound 'better' than a Mini, but you're right - it was overlooked. Craziest synth of all times.

[Magpel]

Okay, it's a bit of a farce that I'm even answering this question, but that never stopped me before.

 

--Korg Z1, because I own one and because Aeon and Busch so love their OASYS PCI cards

 

--DSI Evolver because I own one and because Dave says so

 

--Roland Alpha Juno 1, because Jeff hates his so much.

 

--Minimoog, because everyone else says so

 

--Hammond B3 because it is, in the words of Cameron Bobro, an electro-mechanical additive synthesizer

 

--3ms triwave picogenerator. 'Nuff said.

 

--Gigasampler, because of its stability, the sample size it allows, and its low latency. As a programming interface, I actually think it's pretty dreadful.

 

--Seer Reality, the first softsynth that really turned me on.

 

--Um, I dunno. Oberheim, SCI, Arp, all that nonsense.

[humannoyed]

Originally posted by Mark Zeger:

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.

No doubt it would be expensive with the pricing of just the MV where it is!

I have wondered what Bob Moog's next move will be.

I would like to see him do a pre-sell of maybe both polyphonic Voyagers and re-makes the big modular machines for some the bigger unversities around that have electronic music programs.

They could afford his prices

[Darcity]

Well, here's my Top 10 List:

1. Access Virus Indigo Redback
   
2. E-mu Proteus 2000
   
3. Korg Triton Rack
   
4. Korg Wavestation SR
   
5. Kurzweil K2661S
   
6. Moog Minimoog Voyager
   
7. Oberheim Matrix-12
   
8. Roland D-550
   
9. Roland XV-5080
   
10. Yamaha Motif ES8
    

[burningbusch]

• My Sony laptop loaded with every soft synth I own
  
• Yamaha VL1
  
• Minimoog
  
• Kurzweil 2600
  
• Oberheim Matrix 12
  
• SE Omega 8
  
• Oberheim 4/8 voice (SEM)
  
• This space intentionally left blank
  
• This space intentionally left blank
  
• This space intentionally left blank
   
  

Granted not very creative, but what the hell.

 

Busch.

[realtrance]

I'll just be the Space Oddity here again:

 

1) E-Mu Audity 2000

2) Yamaha FS1R

3) Nord Modular

4) Waldorf Q

5) Evolver

6) Andromeda

7) Korg Karma

8) Roland V-Synth

9) Yamaha A-5000

10) Novation Supernova

 

 

rt

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by Darcity:

Roland D-550

No, no - the D50 was better than the D550.

 

Why, you ask?

 

Two words - portamento function!!!!

 

I used to have a D50. It had a dedicated portamento button. I wrote a ton of killer lead programs that used porta. I actually wrote a ton of D50 programs - I have, like, four cards full of programs.

 

Anyway...I sold the D50, replaced it a few years later with the D550. To my surprise and displeasure - no porta...not just missing from the front panel...no porta anywhere in the instrument!!!

 

What the hell were they thinking? Okay - they couldn't find a place for the button - I can handle that. Put it in a sub-menu somewhere...but omitting if from the instrument? Bad call.

 

I've even asked the Roland folks if there's a sysex string I can feed it to engage it - no such luck. No porta.

 

Suck factor is high.

 

The D50 is better.

 

dB

[Gulliver]

Originally posted by Dave Bryce:

 

....

The D50 is better.

 

dB

Good morning.

 

I think D-550 has more voices... Is this true?

[Darcity]

Originally posted by Dave Bryce:

The D50 is better.

 

Thanks a lot Dave! I had forgot all about that. I figured that all I would miss would be the joystick when I sold my D-50 for the rack. Then, I too discovered this. It took me a long time to get around this. I had even considered buying my D-50 back from my friend that I sold it to. It was like I had a bunch of "stale leads"...well they are still killer but the portamento sure made a difference.

 

Originally posted by Gulliver:

I think D-550 has more voices... Is this true?

No it's the same number of sounds. That would've been the least that they could've done for taking away the portamento.

[ABECK]

1. MiniMoog

2. ARP2600

3. Yamaha GX-1

4. D-50

5. Jupiter 8

6. Korg Wavestation

7. Synclavier (later versions)

8. Yamaha DX-1

9. Andromeda

10. K250

[Gulliver]

Originally posted by Darcity:

 

Originally posted by Gulliver:

I think D-550 has more voices... Is this true?

No it's the same number of sounds. That would've been the least that they could've done for taking away the portamento.

No. I mean voices as polyphony, not sounds. The bigger polyphony - the more notes can be played simultaneously.

Though I may be wrong on it...

[Ski 1642606170]

This is tough, because there are SO many wonderful machines out there, but here goes...

 

Classic Monophonic Modular Analog Dinosaurs

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1) Moog Modular - The beginnings of the industry, from the acknowledged master.

 

Honorable mention:

ARP 2500 - An amazing monster of a synth from Alan R. Perlman.

 

Honorable mention:

Korg M1 - Yet another revolution; this time, sample playback.

 

Classic Samplers

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6) EMU Emulator - Arguably the most prolific early sampler that put samplers on the map.

 

Honorable mention:

Fairlight CMI - Incredible sound, and statospheric price.

New England Digital Synclavier - Ditto.

Ensoniq Mirage - The first sampler that normal people could afford!

 

Modern Machines

¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

7) Yamaha FS1R - Hands down the best FM machine ever, plus the formants thingie.

 

8) Yamaha EX5 - Great sample playback with excellent filters and synth engine, along with user sampling and flash memory option. The best Yamaha AN (virtual analog) engine after the AN1x. The wonderful VL (virtual acoustic) engine. The not-available-on-any-other-synth FDSP engine, which among other things, is capable of creating the best Rhodes emulation ever with its electric piano pickup model. The ability to mix and match these four synthesis technologies in ONE patch. Outstanding effects. Great performance controls, including three wheels, a ribbon, six programmable knobs, and two "scenes" for each patch. All together in one integrated package. Highly underrated. (To you detractors, yes, the SCSI speed sucks. Get over it and buy the flash memory!)

 

9) DSI Evolver - Incredible analog digital hybrid. Real analog oscillators and circuits, digital oscillators with the Prophet VS waveforms. Incredible features rivalling many modulars. Incredible price.

 

10) Yamaha Motif ES8 - This is premature, but I expect it to be the best ROMpler/workstation ever, for all the reasons listed in many other discussion topics.

 

Honorable mention:

Yamaha A5000 - Very innovative sampler, with an outstanding synth engine. Much like having the AWM engine from an EX5 or Motif, minus the ROM, plus a lot of extra features.

Access Virus C - It has lots of *very* close competition, but I think that the Virus nudges out the other virtual analog machines for bragging rights.

Alesis Andromeda - Kudos to Alesis for having the kahoonas to build a real analog polyphonic synth for the mass market.

Moog Minimoog Voyager - Bob is back!

[steadyb]

What? No JP-8000???

[Magpel]

Wow, Ski, that's a good list! Great readng, whether you agree with judgments or not.

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by Gulliver:

Originally posted by Darcity:

 

Originally posted by Gulliver:

I think D-550 has more voices... Is this true?

No it's the same number of sounds. That would've been the least that they could've done for taking away the portamento.

No. I mean voices as polyphony, not sounds. The bigger polyphony - the more notes can be played simultaneously.

Though I may be wrong on it...

I'm pretty sure you are. I think they both have the same polyphony (16 voices, if memory serves).

 

dB

[sign]

I wonder why only one guy (Gulliver) mentioned the TS10/12, which is a great sounding synth.

 

Has anybody mentioned the AN1X?

 

This thread is about synths right?

Do samplers fit in that catagory as well?

 

Peace.

[Dan South]

Heh-heh! Odyssey superior to the Mini? That should start a few riots!

[Ski 1642606170]

Hey, first of all, I put the Mini in my top ten, not the Odyssey. Second, I most certainly didn't say "superior"! "Superior" could mean a lot of different things... superior sounds, superior synth engine, superior audio quality, superior construction, etc.

 

The Odyssey DOES have a superior synth engine, that is, it has significantly more features and functions than the Mini. That's inarguable - all you have to do is look at and understand the front panels of the two machines.

 

The SOUND is another thing. Most people seem to prefer the Mini, though there are some that like the Odyssey better.

 

[marino]

Originally posted by sign:

Has anybody mentioned the AN1X?

Thanks. I think I'm one of the few around here who likes the AN1x better than most other VA synths. However, I don't know if it would make it in an all-time top 10...

[burningbusch]

In the Odyssey/Mini debate, sound difference a side, I never liked sliders on synths. I find that knobs are much easier to control precisely. I understand that sliders are better visual indicators of the current state, but I find that I overshoot when trying to control them. Quality 100mm faders found on mixers are a different matter.

 

Busch.

[marino]

Originally posted by Ski · EX5Tech ·:

• ARP Odyssey - Much more capable than the Minimoog, with a different sound that is preferred by some and hated by others. But it was second.

• Yamaha CS-15 - TWO multimode filters, and better "Minimoog bass" than the real thing. Unknown by many, and highly underrated.

• Yamaha CS-30 & CS-30L - Quite possibly the most feature laden, complex, and capable monophonic analog synths short of a modular system - yet virtually unknown.

Thanks for reminding us how nice those synths were. They were certainly more capable than the Minimoog, in terms of features. The Mini has variations on a few sounds, or even one basic sound. But that one sound had a roundness, and character, not unlike a clarinet or a flute. It's precisely that sound quality which made the Mini king over the others. That, and the interface.

 

Incidentally, just before my recent purchase of the SE-1, I was offered a CS-15 for about $500 (not bad for Europe! ). Very good conditions, no midi. I went for the more expensive SE-1 and I don't have the slightest regret. However, the Yamaha sounded very nice in its own way. Maybe in the future...

 

Carlo

[Gulliver]

Originally posted by sign:

I wonder why only one guy (Gulliver) mentioned the TS10/12, which is a great sounding synth.

.......

Peace.

I don't wonder at all. I just own, use and love this synth!

[Analogaddict]

...bringing nothing new to the table, and in no particular order...

 

- MiniMoog (and the complimentary MiniMug!)

- Alesis Andromeda

- DSI Evolver

- Yamaha GX1

- Oberheim OBX

- Obie SEM synths

- Prophet 5

- Rawlund MKS 80 (/Jupiter8)

- Yammie CS-80

- Arp 2600

 

Honorable mention;

- Yamaha DX7 (Brian Eno!)

- Korg M1 (everybody!)

- Arp 2500 (Close encounters!)

- Memorymoog (I´ve never played one, can´t put it in the top 10...)

- Moog Taurus pedals

 

Extra honorable mention;

- Roland GR-series guitar synths, for bringing an awareness of synthesis to our beloved six stringers. The new generation of virtual guitars (Line6) are yet another step bringing guitars and keyboards closer.

 

/J nas

[Ski 1642606170]

Magpel & Marino - Thanks for the kind words. Marino actually summed up what I was trying to say about the Mini a lot better than I did! It's the winner because it was first, and because most people *really* like the sound.

 

Analogaddict - The guitar synths! Good catch. Everyone forgot about those. The maligned ARP Avatar bears mentioning. Also, was it an ARP 2500 or an ARP 2600 in "Close Encounters"? It's been so long since I saw the movie, I've forgotten!

[waveterm]

MY GOD !!!

 

Are you serious guys ?

 

NO PPG´s ??????!!!!

 

Hahahaha..............you´re so lost.

 

LOL

 

WT