A decent digital synth (poly)

So I am thinking of polishing off my set up with a nice digital synths to compliment my analog gear. The problem is that researching VA gear is difficult as many people are preoccupied with finding a synth that sounds analog.

Being as I have analog synths I don’t mind if it sounds a bit bright and sterile. I am trying to stay in a low price bracket (maybe the $500 area, less if possible).

The higher end I was thinking about a V-Synth XT (found two for $760). Having more sample based sounds might be interesting. Musically I’m more flying lotus than autechre so I thought the XT might suit that. Also squarepusher has one so…
But that’s quite a lot of cash so I started looking around.

The nord Lead x2 is always one that gets mentioned but I think thats because it does a good analog impersonation. Wether it would bring anything that the tetra or shruthi couldn’t do I don’T know.

I’ve heard demo’s of the M-Audio Venom. That thing is dirt cheap ($100) and sounds pretty damn good. I’ve heard more impressive demos than of the V-synth. Can something that cheap really sound that good?

And then theres the mininova. My second synth was a KS rack. I loved it. One knob per function. A good sound. But no idea about the mininova.

Had a blofeld, got rid of it. Didn’t like it for some reason. I couldn’t tease a nice sound out of it when I made my own patches. Maybe its worth another shot.

In this price bracket I could get a bass station 2 but I dont think I need another analog mono, maybe I am wrong.

Anybody got suggestions?

Yahama FS1R if you’re looking for digital - as a complement to the analog kit you already have. Also has great effects.
Couple of software editors (ZeeEdit, and free ones etc) make it far less the opaque beast it is sometimes described as… and with a midi merge cable you can sequence it while developing sounds.
Main problem is you can get lost for hours just tweaking its millions of settings.

Get an old EMU E4x Ultra.

if you’re into Flying Lotus you’d get more out of a good rack sampler sequenced with the OT and played with a keybord.

The EMU E4XT Ultra can be had for about $400. You can get single cycle .WAVS of every synth ever made and it can pitch up or down way more than the OT. No need for “Virtual” when you can mimic “actual” synths.

Never-mind the fact it will give you the sampling dream of two interconnected samplers kicking things back and forth, plus it will add 32 tracks and 128 voices of poly to your rig =). It has a bunch of MIDI Outs and a beastly sequencer so you can save your OT tracks for the fun stuff.

It cost $5,000 in 1999…there’s a reason for that.

Listen to this set of demos this guy has on Youtube.

Yahama FS1R if you’re looking for digital - as a complement to the analog kit you already have. Also has great effects.
Couple of software editors (ZeeEdit, and free ones etc) make it far less the opaque beast it is sometimes described as… and with a midi merge cable you can sequence it while developing sounds.
Main problem is you can get lost for hours just tweaking its millions of settings.[/quote]
The FS1R sounds amazing- but I sold mine in less than 2 weeks. Don’t get an FS1R unless you want to be glued to the computer screen when you try to dial in patches…

I had the Venom briefly when it came out - got rid of it pretty fast though. My deeply subjective thoughts about it: It does sound pretty good and you can get some fun going on pretty fast… but that’s about what it did for me… somehow it felt like a slightly toy-ish synth designed for the kind of it-sounds of the moment: Gritty, dirty, wobblebass-dubstep-kinda-thingie and fast satisfaction…

I dont know about the Nord, mininova or the V-synth (although the V does look interesting) - I am however considering getting a Blofeld again (my last one died on me a while back). I like it’s sound and I think it can do just what you are asking - namely that somewhat bright/sterile kinda sound… which is a good thing.

The Bass Station…hmm… I’m actually considering that one too - but for bass duties haha. Somehow I dont think it would fit your requirements.

Considered the Virus?

I’m pretty satisfied with my Ultranova. Very straight forward to use. Lots of editing possibilities. No multitimbrality though. Can sound VA as well as more digital.
Had a Virus TI before, but did not like the TI and there were too much of menu diving. It sounds very good though.
Blofeld also has a great sound. I wouldn’t say it is sterile. More metallic maybe. Sold it because of the UI. Not really inspiring to edit.
I have always loved the sound of the Korg Poly 800 and DW 6000/8000. Maybe a little awkward to program. You could probably find one quite cheep.

I love my DW-8000. It’s essentially an analog poly, with digital waveforms on one end, and a digital delay on the other. Sounds lovely, the filter is excellent (tho I wish you could run external sources through it without modding it), and they are pretty inexpensive.

I’m really happy with my Nord Lead 3 especially because of the unique LED encoder interface. It works perfectly with the 4 slots so you can always see how the parameters are set for the different patches. I sequence all 4 slots at the same time with my OT all the time.

Best bang for buck of the newish digitals is Mininova hands down - 3 OSC, wavetables, programmable Arp, mod pads, vocoder/autotune, huge filter knob :slight_smile: lotsa fun for not much money - latest firmware update is stable and the software is very usable if you wanna tweak on your laptop.

If you wanna spend more and don’t need a keyboard - Virus TI Snow gives you 4 parts multi timbal and all the other Virus features and sound you can read about everywhere. Awesomeness in a small package - second hand 400-600gbp on the Bay. I find it decently usable to tweak from the panel but there is a lot of menu diving - otherwise Total Integration gives you a sweet VST for laptop control - oh and it’s a "studio grade’ sound card too - whatever that means… In practice, audio over USB,audio in, convenience, route soft synths to Virus effects and filters etc. Fantastic value if you can get one at a good price.
I use mine mostly standalone as I personally can’t be bothered with the laptop, but it’s useful for detailed tweaking - the front panel is quick once you figure it out.

Leftfield pick - Waldorf MicroQ keyboard version - I love this and use mostly for strings, pads, organs - it’s deep but I just tweak the presets a little and go. If you didn’t like Blofeld maybe this won’t work for you. Used 300-500 GBP.

Cheap Ass Awesome pick - another from Novation - drumroll…
XioSynth 25 or 49.
Small, built in sound card (not studio grade :slight_smile: ) great arp with cheesy gate effect, xy pad, joystick (can be used to control monomachine). lots of knobs but a tiny bit fiddly, doubles as midicontroller and has a ‘hybrid’ controller/local mode. Sounds great if you like that novation sound and can be had second hand boxed with manuals etc for 100gbp or less on the Bay for the 25 key version. I have the 25 key, cheap, portable, awesome :).

EDIT: I had a Venom - sounded great, sent it back after 3 days due to persistent issues with the audio outs. Turned out to be a common issue so I didnt reinvest… Also, this synth is heavily dependent on the software editor whch Maudio dropped like a stone and stopped supporting before it was finished. Caveat Empor.

If you’re considering Mininovas and Venoms then don’t forget Akais Miniak. That thing can sound fantastic, some of its VA presets are superb. Not all that hard to program either once you get your head round the set up. Can pick them up for £120-170 too (like mine on eBay!!). I’m selling mine as I need to downsize space wise but can recommend it as having great bang for buck and capable of sounds far exceeding the asking price expectations.

I also have an x-station which I think is on a par with the Xio. The x station can sound pretty good too so a Xio could be ok.

Used to own a Fs1R and really regret selling. With my Octatrack and Tetra it’d be perfect. Hard to come by though. I reckon I’ll start hunting one down soon enough.

Have you got an ipad? You could try Nave for excellent digitalness?

+1 for Miniak - sounds superb (pretty much the same engine as Micron/Ion with improvements). Also Multitimbral, has phrase sequencer, drum maps etc.
Surprisingly solid build.

Downside - menu diving is DEEP.

But yes, great bang for the buck.

Thanks for the replies. I probably should have mentioned I’m working without a computer which is why I skipped the virus (and will also skip thevenom). Also out here the snow goes for 800 plus. And there are literally zero virus c’s to be had. I think that maybe access doesn’t have any Japanese distribution because they are seriously like pixie dust.

The nord lead 3 looks nice but it’s very expensive.

The FS1R has really peaked my interest. However I suck at fm. Saying that, my TX81Z sounded amazing through the OT. With a bit of reverb it really sounded fantastic. I was really shocked. I bought it for $40 ages ago and only used it once, but the bass and Mallet like sounds are fantastic. Probably disclosures fault for reviving the lately bass.

Miniak has a logic defying interface. Tried tweaking one in a shop when it came out and had no joy.

Positive words for the novation. Not bothered with its VA reproduction skills as I want something to compliment my tetra and shruthi_1. But if it can do tippy digital that will be cool.

DX7 ?

A DX9 (DX7s little brother) went for $50 with a case this week here on ebay! I already had two new synths turn up this week so I had to let it go :sob:

Blofeld or Microwave XT would be my choice. Perhaps a Korg Radias. The trick with the Blofeld is to completely disregard it’s built in effects. They are more harm than good.

have to recommend the Sonic Potions LXR drum synth/sequencer.

Not what you have on your list as a digital synth, but it is digital and offers a huge range of tweakable sounds covering a very wide range.

Just built mine a week ago, 7 tracks of digital synths with lots of parameters, rock solid timing and very well spec’d sequencer.
Works great with A4 and OT as a drum machine (I didn’t want to sacrifice OT or AT tracks to drum sounds).
If you’ve never soldered before it is still an enjoyable 1 day build and the instructions are great.

Check out the image on this page to get a feel for the structure of the synths http://mididesigner.com/qa/2003/layout-sonic-potions-lxr-digital-drum-synth

The sequencer design is very cool.

Not a VA… but digital and poly (and multitimbral)

Esq-1 or SQ-80

Agreed, I’d look for something other than VA. Ensoniq released a few great sounding synths (though I;m admittedly basing this on Youtube videos!). I was just too late to grab myself a fully working TS12 for £125 on Gumtree a few months back. Was a local sale too and nothing decent is ever up for sale near where I live (Falkirk, Scotland).

As for the Miniak, it baffled me to beging with but once you get your head round the “button + key” route to enter various parts of the editor it can actually be a lot quicker than you’d think.
A Yamaha synth could be a great option. SY35, SY77, DX200, that sort of thing.

+1 on the SQ-80.

Would still rather have an EMU EMAX HD SE =)

Nedavine-didn’t I see you say recently that you came across a Monomachine for $550? You should hop on that like a fat kid on a Twinkie. It is mono, but…not really.