I am going to opt for the unpopular opinion and would recommend the Jupiter X out of that list
Versatile, quite easy to learn/navigate and 4 part multitrimbal (5 if you count the drum parts). Great keyboard, fantastic fx and unlimited expansion possibilities. You can also multitrack both audio and midi over usb, which is a big plus for me.
Itās not analog, but my guess is that 95% canāt tell the difference in a blind test, and 99.9% wont be able to tell the difference in a mix.
What is your goal with this synth? Are you running a commercial studio that needs cool gear to impress potential customers? Or do you want something for a private/home studio that will inspire you? Or something else entirely?
Another vote for the PolyBrute 12 if youāre looking for a real flagship synth.
Awesome sounding
12 voices, all analog signal path
Bitimbral, with morphing between voices A and B ā awesome for discovering new sounds
Digital FX if you want 'em (quite good)
FullTouch / PolyAftertouch keyboard ā the new FullTouch mode is awesome, but even just the āregularā Poly AT is well implemented and awesome for controlling other synths
Modulation galore
Powerful and flexible sequencer/arp section
Incredibly well designed UI
Helpful and thorough companion software tool when you want to work with it from your DAW
Those UDO synths have the nicest build quality ive ever touched. Itās like a military metal enclosure (in blue or white!) with the firmest clicky knobs, almost like knobs on a high end kitchen appliance or something. And yeah they sound insane.
The Moog Muse is neat and sorta affordable compared to others.
I had the Novation Peak for a while, which is the smaller desktop module version of the Summit. It was good - had a very clean sound, and was flexible. But I got a bit bored of it over the years and ended up offloading it. It has a very pristine and crystalline sound. Itās got a few key parameters hidden in menus, although most of the controls are on the front.
The Hydrasynth is a lot more affordable and it sounds fricking amazing, but IMO its quite an ugly design.
How do you feel about the UDO Super 6? Iāve been going through these past weeks and making about a bank of patches a week and have been liking the range sounds Iāve been getting out of it.
I also have an OB-6 but havenāt got a chance to go through and make my own patches yet, so I donāt really have an idea of what kind of range it has. Really digging the patches that the guy I bought it from left on it thoā¦
Thatās the last thing Iād say about Jupiter XM. Yes, the sound is awesome. But even the most basic things like loading and saving a patch are so unnecessarily obtuse that I regularly lost patches even after several months of owning it. Iād recommend this if the UI was better and you love your classic Roland sounds, but definitely try it before you buy it.
I get where you are coming from. Yet, there is a substantial difference between the X (the one I am referring to) and the Xm. Still, Roland gonna be Roland. But honestly, I find it quite intuitive to work with (and I donāt even own one myself)
Well, not sure about the exact amount of dedicated buttons (donāt own them, but played quite a lot), but I thought there were quite a few more dedicated controls on the X (e.g. for both envelopes) and the faders make a big difference to me.
Also, I happily sacrifice some direct access to get all these Roland classics in one machine, but I realize I am in the minority
Montage M8X is the one out of the OPs list that Iāve been thinking about.
It would be be an instant upgrade over any of my current keyboards as a centerpiece machine. 88 keys to cover a wide range of pitches, with poly aftertouch, ribbon controller, etc. Better sampled pianos than any of my current machines. Ridiculous polyphony. The onboard sequencers have been criticized but they look good enough for sketching out songs.
The onboard FM-X and VA sounds seem decent enough to me but Iād probably spend more time playing the thing than diving into sound design. I have a modest analog synth collection I can turn to if i want that kind of sound so Iām not picky about the VA engine.
However, this is based on my own tastes and considerations as to how the new piece would fit with the gear I already have. OP may have completely different tastes, priorities, etc.