'Immediate' synths

The Lounge Other Gear
#22

I totally feel the same way.

Some synths that I own that give me that kind of immediacy:

DSI OB-6 – relatively “limited” but it’s hard to make it not sound great and it always sits nicely in a mix

Novation Peak – Really hands on and amazing sound quality – you can get tweaky with the mod-matrix or keep it simple with the front panel. You can really push this synth into abstract territory that at times reminds me of sounds I’ve gotten out of Buchla machines.

Korg Ms-20 – I actually don’t own this anymore, but this is just pure classic techno – always sounds awesome and powerful

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#23

I didn’t try it yet, but I will. People were bashing this immediately because of lacking patch memory and minikeys, but there are videos that tell me this thing is very immediate and good sounding.


Nick Batt was quite impressed in the sonicstate review as well.

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#24

Great selection. I’d love to get my hands on all of those…

I played with a Behringer Model D this afternoon. Without getting into a debate about the moral standing of Behringer (please), it did seem to have some of that instant tweakability, wide sweet-spot thing going on.

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#25

The CS is the one that eluded me, I have the CP but still the CS looks like so much fun, patch memories are overrated, human memory is where it’s at :thinking:

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#26

Haha. I like that thinking

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#27

Was surprised when I got my Behringer Neutron by how immediate it is! Sounds amazing, the layout is logical, nice feel and build quality. And just about everything sounds good no matter what I do!

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#28

Shout out to the moog minitaur and karp odyssey. I could tweak those buggers for hours.

Some people say the minitaur is a one trick pony, but it’s a helluva trick. Seemed impossible to make sound bad. Fattest bass in the cosmos.

The oddy seemed like such a simple interface yet i could always come up with some strange new sound that put a big smile on my face.

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#29

I feel the same. I have always tried to buy mostly knob-per-function or fairly straightforward synths. Wish I hadn’t sold some of the ones mentioned here. 106, ESQ-1, Nord Lead 2x. Still have the MS20 and it ain’t going anywhere. I also really like my TR-8. Looks cheesy but it’s dead simple to get a good beat going.

I’ve been eyeing this one. Waldorf engine, lots of knobs. Decent price.

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#30

Once people realise they can save patches on their ipads and computers they tend to lighten up regarding the reface CS:

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#31

Oh these kids nowadays :joy:

#33

MS20, 303, and – dare I say it – Digitone.

This little EBM/techno monster is one of the best synths I’ve used, and I have owned and used a lot over the years. SO easy to make good sounds and sequence them together.

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#34

I really love the DN - it‘s my 2nd synth but I really don‘t think that it‘s easy to get nice sounds out of it. Most of the time it‘s weird / atonal FM stuff when I randomly turn knobs and try to look like I know what I am doing… so more like the opposite from what some of you say about other „immediate synths“.

This thread is really nice and makes me wanna try out all those synths!

#35

sub37 ticks that immediacy box for me. very rewarding and instant (sequencer is rather cryptic for my taste though) - but having all knobs right there is awesome (and looping envelopes are the t^%s)

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#36

I agree with what some others have said here; somehow when there’s patch memory involved it risks losing the immediacy for me (apart from the Moog Voyager maybe).

I have two Dreadbox synths, Erebus and Nyx, and I find those to be super immediate as well as great sounding. Especially the Nyx is one to explore.

I also like the Intelijel Atlantis module, which is effectively a SH101 clone.

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#37

Hahah so true! You can’t make a bad sound on the sh101, I’ve tried!

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#38

How do you like the CP? I was thinking about getting it… not sure if you heard of this guy, but these video’s are what got my attention.

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#39

You are the first person I’ve seen have his feed back about the dn. The complaint I’ve commonly seen is that it’s too musical and difficult to get weird atonal fm sounds out of.

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#40

Of all my gear i’d say my semi-modular pairing of the Mother 32 and Ø-Coast are the most immediate and immersive. They were truly meant for one another, each with their unique signal flow that compliment each others limitations.

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#41

maybe atonal was the wrong word … and maybe FM just sounds like this. No clue… new in the business.

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#42

I don’t know how I didnt remember to mention it in my last post but the DFAM is instant, the first time I used it hours passed and in felt like minutes. A truly unique synth and amazing fun.

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