Over the years I moved from HW+DAW to softsynths+DAW, but as the price of flexible synths drop I’m thinking of hardware again. In the past I’ve had a Novation Nova, Virus Ti, Korg ESX-1, RM1x and a few other bits and pieces. I love programming and the flexibility of the DM12 is very appealing.
I haven’t bought any recent softsynths but I love Lazerbass/Razor, Virsyn Tera3 and Komplete 10.
What are your thoughts please?
Deepmind if you want more than 4 polyphony and a keyboard with aftertouch for your DAW (or other hardware). The sequencer and arp are also very nice and they send midi. Sound-wise its modeled after the Roland Juno.
Neutron is mono and its great just patching it alone or as a standalone synth with no patching but the strength is when you have other gear to patch it with. If you get the Neutron id recommend saving up a bit for something like an 0-coast. You could also get a sequencer for it but if you are ok using your DAW for sequencing then that would be better.
I dont know much about the Skulpt but id say that a better partner for it is a Behringer Model D instead of a Neutron.
Deepmind is still my first choice from a cost and value perspective because you could get rid of whatever midi keyboard you already own, and this would take its place.
Most important would be to tell us, which kind of music and sound do you want to create?
Most synths have their particular strenghts and don’t necesserily fit well to all musical ideas. Your list of past synths shows typical digital machines. You even had a Virus TI, which IMO is one of the most versatile machines made in HW and it’s generating great sounds too. Why not go back to the Virus?
A synth like the Deepmind 12 can’t deliver the same versatility as a typcial digital synth can do. Same goes for the most other analogue synths, if they are in an affordable price range.
I think for the sake of programming fun I would point out the following non-vintage synths:
Just to name a view …
Interesting points, never considered the 0-Coast because I thought it was a bit too far down the modular path to be integrated into my basic set up, as well as outputting a radically different sound than I’m used to programming. Could be a good thing, but the cost is pretty hard to accept, when I compare it to the cost:feature set of, say, a DM6.
Will look at the B.ModD, haven’t really given it the consideration it deserves.
Peak for poly, at least i would go for peak.
To elaborate: it cost a bit more, but also sounds interesting and row, dm is ok, but the fact it is “just” a one osc synth in core is incomparable with peak imo. Some sound examples I’ve heard are beutifull and jeah, that’s about it 
Well…I have some short samples of tracks on soundcloud which give an idea of some of the stuff I’ve programmed.
Why not go back to the Virus? Cost, basically - which unfortunately makes some of your suggestions unattainable - as much as I would love a Solaris I have to accept it will NEVER happen!
Not really interested in vintage synths to be honest; your recommendations of alternatives aren’t really in the same price bracket, apart from the Maxibrute.
However I’ve been giving some hardware effects some thought, as in an Eventide unit or a couple of high end pedals to take my processing into a different (less travelled?) direction.
But the budget was going to be around £600-£650, which puts even the Peak out of reach.
I’d love a Peak but it’s $$$$ instead of $$$ !!
Yeah i know, same here, but if you have 650 and than wait a bit more, you could get one second hand. And be really happy with it!
What about nord lead 2x? Great sounding too. It is limeted on the paper, but it can deliver, and around 600eur second hand
Or I could not wait and get something NOW NOW NOW (you know how it is!)
Hmm, Nord Lead 2 - interesting - love the graphite wheel. Should be at a good price now seeing as they are almost vintage-virtual-analogue.
I have one, it is crisp sounding and sits great in the mix, and it likes to be processed, i really love it, it always gives some nice air to the mix, it is like the ray of light or like broken glass in the dirt. I don’t use it for bass sounds, its to glassy or metalic for that ( not that it sounds thin or bad ), its snappy and razor sharp but can be soft also, but not warm or drty and earthy…
I need to hear some alternative NL2 to Jexus on his YT channel - have you got your music uploaded anywhere?
Off topic, but is your user name referring to the Gemini constellation?
Here’s another VA to consider - the Korg MS2000.
I just sold a Nord Lead 2 for a Korg MS2000. Nord Lead has way better polyphony (16 vs 4) but the UI on the Korg is super easy (especially the ‘original value’ LED - why don’t all patch memory synths have this?!), it’s got more flexible oscillators, sounds great and the three track P-lock style sequencing of any parameter is incredibly useful and easy to use.
The Nord is a nice unit but the number-only display confused me when trying to load up patches, particularly when using it as a multitimbral sound engine.
Finally, the Korg can be picked up really cheap these days.
A really interesting ‘forgotten’ synth. But perhaps going back to VA after I spent so many years with the Nova will be going over the same ground…still sounds great though, even just through YT vids.
I need to make some decisions - what synth type, how programmable, what cost - or:
hardware effects/pedals - different to my current plugins to give my patches new life.
But could the DM12 not cover the Bass Station II’s ground, plus do extra with the on board effects?
That’s one thing I miss about the Nova - creating really complex effects patches, then combining them into a performance which uses 6 parts, all with different, synchronised use of the dual inputs. Really rewarding. That’s definitely something the DM lacks. Interesting shout on the BSII.
You will get a lot of suggestions of other synths that are not Behringer but if money is a factor in your purchase decision then it will be hard to find anything else in the DM price range with the amount of features it has. And if you are concerned about build quality just go to a store and check it out if you can, it aint plastic.
The synths in my recommendations have only been named, because they are very versatile … considering the versatility of the Virus, which had been used in the past.
Since you don’t look for vintage synths, what about the followin two:
As an example the D-50 has per voice:
There is EQ, chorus, and reverb too …
The D-50 voice can be either four completely different synth-voices, or four completely different sample-voices, or any combination between … layered or split … it’s polyphonic, keyboard generates velocity and aftertouch … it took some time to get my head around the engine and interface, but it’s also one of the most versatile synths in my studio 
This machine screams to be programmed and to make sounds, which other classical synth concepts can’t deliver.
… it’s availabel also brand new … Roland D-05, should be below £400 …
BTW … I like your tracks and would say, the D-50 or D-05 sound would perfectly fit to this vibe 
That’s not a synth I would ever consider, but I would love to hear what you’ve done with it. The presets remind me of some of the GM stuff packed into my old RM1x and miles(km?) away from the psychedelics that I can get out of NI’s Razor. Have you got any of your music anywhere that features your programming of the D-50?
Not yet, because I bought it second hand just a couple of weeks ago. I just started to make my first steps
During the 80ies this synth and some of it’s factory patches have been used in some hits, which have been in the charts. To get an impression of what this engine can do …
One of the factory patch programmers was Eric Persing … which tells much …
https://www.spectrasonics.net/company/artists/artist.php?id=9
AFAIK this machine has been used for many genres. Its many modulation options should make it a good choice for psychedelic sounds.