Flagship synth options

Thanks everyone

If you like the sound of hydrasynth, it’s a great option. I have desktop version and build quality it’s outstanding and the sound palette immense.

3 Likes

Sounds like you need a Virus TI Polar - it’s the best VA synth ever made and it’s in white. :slight_smile:

2 Likes

1 Like

The listed instruments are quite different from one another in terms of sound and features.

What do you want the synth to do, specifically? Do you have a particular sound signature in your mind? Maybe a certain type of workflow you’d like?
Currently this just looks like a “Price: High to Low” -filtered list from a random webstore.

1 Like

wall of polychained Behringers

6 Likes

The Oberheim or prophet 10

3 Likes

I haven’t used any of these specifically, however I had an OB-6 for a few years and ultimately moved it on because I felt like I was always missing one more thing to make the sounds I wanted on it (one more LFO, one more envelope, one more oscillator when I put the second osc into LFO mode, etc).

If it were me, I’d be afraid of the OB-X8 feeling the same way after you get past the admittedly amazing sound. That said, if that is the sound you want there’s not a lot else that can give it to you.

I would suggest a few other things to consider at this sort of price point though, both ana-digi hybrids. Either a Novation Summit or a UDO synth (I have a Super 6, though I am hearing great things about the Super 8 as well). I personally feel the sound palette that these are going to give you is much broader than an OB- based synth.

In the case of the Super 6, I can’t really compare it to anything else directly, other than to say when I want to just turn on a synth and know it will sound good quickly, that is the one I go to. Huge unison detuned basses and stabs are easy. Washy pads are hard to make sound bad. And it’s not too difficult to get to more esoteric territory with the custom waves, crossmod, and some of the other mod routings that are easy to set up (inverted looping envelope jumps to mind). On the face, there’s not a lot more than something like an OB-x8, but it is organized so smartly that you can get a lot farther with it - easily.

The Summit, I recommend because the Peak is what I recommend to anyone into sound design and the Summit is the Peak with keys. I got one guy to buy one of these and he still uses it on everything 5 years later. I think the filter section on this would be the killer feature if it didn’t have FPGA wavetables and one of the best reverbs ever put on a synth. And the Summit gives you two of them.

4 Likes

What about a Moog Muse, cheaper than an X8 with broader range of sounds.

2 Likes

yet another synth list thread, totally objective of course :partying_face:

get a bastl kastl and call it a day 🫶

3 Likes

Thanks everyone

1 Like

Arturia Polybrute 12

Melbourne Instruments NINA

UDO Super 6/8/Gemini

3 Likes

:star_struck:

2 Likes

I’d also suggest the Nina. It has two fully analogue oscillators, a wavetable oscillator and a fourth oscillator that can either be noise, ring mod or input source. It’s four part multi timbral. It has 12 voices so that you can actually use these four parts without immediately running out of notes. And two stereo outputs so that you can send A/B parts out separately and flexibly.

And of course, it has motorized knobs that will always tell you what each knob is actually set to in the moment. You will not get this on any other synth and it is a feature that makes sound design so much more fun and accessible. Assigning modulation is also pretty great and intuitive this way. Oh and you can program and save A/B parts for each preset and move through them live with a morph knob. If you don’t need anything particular but want to try something else, it’s a fantastic choice.

If Nina is a bit expensive and/or you need keys, look at Delia, which is a stripped down Nina with keys that is cheaper.

3 Likes

Between the Arturia Polybrute 12 and the Moog Muse, I think I’d go for the Muse for the sound over the PB12 that offers so many interesting synthesis/routing possibilities.

1 Like

Thanks everyone

1 Like

You can carry these two around the house or bring them with you for a jam. It won’t be the case for the PB12.

4 Likes

It has the flag part.

5 Likes

Gotcha, so you’re generally just looking for options to keep in mind then! Apologies for being a bit stand-offish.

On that note I would, specifically for the sonic qualities and wonderful playability of the instrument, recommend the Nonlinearlabs C15.

2 Likes

I completely forgot about this one. IDK if they still do this, but they used to let people rent to own and every purchaser gets an hour long sit down with the designer to be walked through the synth when they get it (video call or in person if you can make it to their HQ). I don’t think you can ask for better customer service/onboarding in the synth world today.