TR-6S and TR-8S
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Anything with a multimode filter or hp filter at least
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Prophet 5/10 rev 4 is most definitely record-ready, very addictive. And Expressive E Osmose is pretty close, more particularly with the recent update 
Toraiz SP-16 gets my vote. Great filter and converters.
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The P5/P10 is the one. I’ve never heard a synth that needed less processing. Every note sounds perfect.
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Fender P-Bass.
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500 series preamp plus compressor of choice.
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I concur on Machinedrum, Tanzbar kick, P-Bass, and AS-1
TRs8 for sure, compared to DFAM 
. On the synth side the Nord Leads and Virus Tis sit well in a mix right away even with multiple tracks coming from them.
Syntakt doesnt need much attention other than a bit of limiting.
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The scooped sound of DT I converters makes it “record ready” to my ears.
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An actual mixer may be cheating here, but the EQs on the BiG SiX adds that quality to most source material. And the reason I put it in here, is because it’s super easy to dial in with just low and high boost / cut.
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Hi @digable-me, I’m replying for the sake of any newbies who might read this thread—I’m not trying to convince you. Do whatever you want. If this is a moment on your journey as a musician, with a certain kind of exploration, and you feel convinced… then keep going with it.
It really sounds like the kind of thing a sound engineer would say, and then from person to person, the criteria spread as “the thing.”
I also think it’s quite subjective, so good luck sorting through and making a decision before buying. Personally, as long as there’s no “gear list mixed ready,” I wouldn’t put too much importance on it—unless you’re a soloist looking for your main instrument, and I don’t get the sense that’s what we’re doing here. We’re more like conductors or mixers in some cases, so making sure there’s a good recording with a quality source will certainly be better than the opposite, but in any case, it’ll have to be mixed. That really reduces the significance.
Take microphones as an example—it’s pretty obvious. Maybe someone with 30 years of experience can tell the difference, but for many people, it’s really not easy. (I’m not talking about finding the right mic for a certain type of voice through lots of testing—that’s something else. I’m talking about hearing the same voice through ten legendary microphones, through the final master)
Anyway, buy the instruments that genuinely excite you (far more important to me), regardless of the so-called criteria. If an instrument inspires you, if you’re always drawn to it and you’re having fun, then whether it’s high quality or pristine is secondary in my opinion.
Having Fun lead to great musical idea, record ready quality : not.
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TL;DR:
one can like or dislike Roland grooveboxes – but sound-wise they are exactly what you’re asking.
factory presets are designed to sit well in a mix with very little or zero effort.
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Out of my synths, most “record ready” ones would be:
- Prophet 5 rev 4
- Korg MS20FS
- Moog DFAM
- Casio CZ-101
- MegaFM II
…but mixing is funny, sometimes the crappiest, weediest sounding thing fits the mix best (?) :yingyang:
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Not a comment on the quality of your comment, but for some reason this reminds me that casuistry is a real word pronounced kazoo-istry and not just something Terence McKenna made up.
Jury is out on how kazoos sit in the mix.
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There are two main processing parts: sound design and mixing.
For sound design I’d prefer gear with plenty onboard effects. More is better. Give me all of them and I decide what works best for that track.
Mixing processing aims to resolve conflicts and it entirely depends on the mix. If you design all your sounds for a particular mix, you barely need to process anything apart from maybe some master bus finishing.
And if arrangement is good (each instrument has its own range without conflicts) you will have almost nothing to fix.
Onboard EQ is always welcome, but often you track synths through mixer which already has EQ.
In addition, sometimes there are genre specific stuff which you add later unless an instrument is designed with that genre in mind.
TL;DR
“Record ready” depends more on arrangement, mix and sound design rather than on instrument. Most instruments can sit in the mix well if you make track from scratch for yourself and control everything including arrangement and sound design.
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Turntables.
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CD Player
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The only correct answer - korg ms-20
Thing is a beast
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… after an extreme highpass …
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