Desktop mono synth recommendations

Typhon is the obvious answer. It checks every box and is very well priced.

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Looking to replace my Bass Station 2 with something more portable. I have been playing around with a Typhon but so far haven’t gotten many satisfying sounds out of it by myself - and not a huge fan of most of the presets and their heavy use of effects. Looking for strong bread&butter bass and leads.

Besides looking at SH-01a or AS-1 are there any obvious others? And which are closest in ease of use / sweetspot to the BS2?

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Moog Minitaur

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I have both, love both. I would say for ease of use and tweak ability the SH01a wins, and it’s pretty much all sweetspot, but the AS-1 is a monster and sounds fantastic. If I had to pick just one I would reluctantly go for the AS-1 as it’s got a broader palette (and is capable of absolutely ripping bass)

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AS-1 probably the best all-rounder under $1k, but if you want super solid bass- Minitaur. If you want crazy leads and fx sounds, try the Karp Odyssey module.

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@DonovanDwyer recommended me an AS-1 a while ago.
Not 1 knob per function but damn does it sound good.
FX are really nice: Chorus and BB Delay are top notch.
A basic MIDI controller would sort you.
Sequencer is actually fun also.
But overall, the SOUND of it :slight_smile:

Microfreak, although no effects, is also to be taken seriously into account.
Add a basic fx pedal (MS70-CDR) and you have a beast :slight_smile:

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Norand Mono maybe?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d8fEDJ38gw
I was not so interested at first, but what seems to make a difference is the way to use it rather than any special engine (I don’t own it… yet)
A bit pricey but that’s probably the price to pay for innovation
(full review by Loopop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIRniE_-cLI)

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If the Moog model D archetype works for you (3 osc, ladder filter) the SE-02 is a beast, and I think excellent value since they lowered the price (when the Boog came out).

The small knobs are more fiddly than the SH-01A’s sliders but then it’s a more complex synth.

SH-01A, SE-02, AS-1 are all great synths to be honest.

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I added that and then I decided I needed a pedal which cost as much as the Microfreak. But it makes even the init patch sound good!

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Out of curiousity: Which pedal did you get?

recently got 6-in-1 desktop monosynth(s) with individual outputs for each voice:

since i almost never use anything poly, i only need a companion drum machine and some fx for it to get a complete setup.

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That looks interesting, but I can’t identify it. An early audiothingies product ?

Ambika, originally by Mutable Instruments

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Source Audio Collider.

Looks (and prolly sounds) nice! :+1:

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I took a funny route to it. It came up on Craigslist; I bid, but lost it. But I’d watched demo videos and read reviews, and it seemed better than the MS-70CDR, so I bought it at a Mother’s Day sale. The MF has gone up in price, so the Collider’s not quite as much, but it’s more than I expected to spend when I bought the MF. My standards have been steadily calibrated upwards…

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I bet it was more than you expected! Good story!
It is usually funny when new cheapish synths are introduced on YouTube and the accompanying stompbox for fx is like twice the price (or 5 times the price in B’s case) of the synth they want to sell.

Nothing wrong with higher standards … as long as you can afford them :wink:

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This has been a source of frustration for me in my learning and acquisition, and I appreciate those who demo uncoloured sounds. I now know that I’m probably going to add some effects, but I want to hear the raw material. Even for synths with built-in effects. The number of times I’ve written “tweak” in my notes on factory presets, meaning “turn down the delay and/or reverb”…

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Yeah, so true!
I do not blame YouTubers who like to show off their synths (and pedals) but when it comes to reviews by people who actually are getting paid for it … now that is something else. And that is happening all too often. Pointless IMHO.

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Will try out the SH-01a - for combo of bread&butter sounds and portability. Was tempted by the AS-1 but the interface is too off-putting (don’t want to use a software editor or have to have a controller)