Looking for a great synth for leads

The Lounge Other Gear
#21

Re. the above: Korg Arp Odyssey is lovely on leads from what I’ve heard. If you’re looking at Moog Subs, the Sub 37 is smooooth and sounds nice for sure, but for lairy, cutting FILTH, the Sub Phatty is where it’s at. And it’s half the price.

Buuut, for real soloing… You need a keyboard with more octaves.

In that respect, you could get an older Little Phatty and hook up any midi keyboard you like. But my top tip is a King Korg… You can get great lead tones out those - often overlooked for some reason, but they’re great for soloing (we use one several times a week on gigs with the Hip Hop House Band - aaand Corey Henry has often rocked one with Snarky Puppy!)

The last few weeks I’ve seen guys slay live solos on things as diverse as an Arturia Microbrute (Submotion Orchestra), and an OB-6 and Prophet 6 (Jamiroquai).

So really, almost anything can do it - it’s just all about dialling in your patches to find the sweet spots. Time with the instrument, programming it.

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#22

Another tip - think about how you like your pitch bend / mod wheel layout. The joystick ones tend to be better for me, but it’s all preference.

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#23

In fairness, the Wheel LD on the microkorg xl used to be my go-to lead vibe a few years back! Haha.

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#24

I think the Digitone can do very convincing leads and Bass too.

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#25

Here’s a vote for the Waldorf Blofeld.

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#26

Thank you guys for all the help! Lots of great suggestions already

#27

I’m liking the sound of the nord, is there a version of the lead that is thought to be the best? There are quite a few out

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#28

+1 for the SE-02. Sounds absolutely huge for such a small synth.

The Virus TI is super versatile but imo it doesn’t have that same punch that you can really only get from a beefy analogue mono. The Moog Grandmother also looks great.

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#29

I have and love the 4 - can’t speak to the others, unfortunately

#30

Notation Peak.

Get one and try it out, you will love it!

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#31

Nord A1 is said to have a more “analog” Sound than the 4, it for Sure, has better FX.
Some ppl say that they prefer the Classic “Nord” Sound from the older Nordlead 1,2,2x. NL3 is quite different, as well as the Nordwave.
I had the NL3 for a few years, but were always looking at the NL2x.
Then there are also the Nord Modulars. G1 and G2. Both sound great. G1 mire like the NL2, G2 more Like the NL3.
If i would have to choose one …i would get either a NL2x or an A1. Both as rack Versions.
The NL2/x is the only one with a drum map Mode. A1 has a warmer sound.

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#32

Thanks for all the help!

#33

I have a 2x, and I used to own the drum 3p (which has some bass presets)
They sound great.
The 2x or two is probably cheapest.
The 2x says it doesn’t have reverb or delay but it has its own version of both that take advantage of the synth’s polyphony as opposed to using a separate fx algorithm.
A midi delay, and then infinite release on the amp settings.
The synth sounds really big and I like the keybed.

3 Likes
#34

NL4 absolutely kills the SubQ37 and AnalogKeys for punchy punch. 48dB LPF helps with that.
For a while I had the setup below with Nord doing all the Bass and percussions.

image
4101A2DD-2898-4529-A02B-14B51FE5C640.jpeg3996×2617 2.33 MB

Sad to think all that gear has been unused, in storage for over a year.

4 Likes
#35

Nord Lead 2X got me into the wild world of synthesizers, easy to learn and an adventure to master!

I’ve made whole tracks with the 4 layers, holding arps for drums, pads, bass, and noodling overtop with a lead sound.

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#36

I’ve been realizing with all these suggestions that i’m looking for something that’s brighter. Options like the sub 37 are nice but I feel I have a deep analog sound with my oberheim already. I think I’m looking for something more like the nord or virus. I’ve had to watch so many demos now after all of these suggestions haha, thanks guys!

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#37

I’d be glad to take it out of the shed for you :wink:

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#38

PMd

#39

I think that’s why people are suggesting synths like the ARP Odyssey and MS-20. They have bite, they can get aggressive at the top end. Sub37 is definitely on the smoother side in comparison.

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#40

I got the Virus Ti and wouldn’t say that it’s “punchy” at all. There is a trick to get logarithmic and exponential envelope shapes done by application of a “recursive modulation” trick, but IMO it’s definitely missing the low end, which makes the speakers pump.

IMO the filters have no particular character like Moogs ladder-filter, Oberheims variable-state-filter, or the MS20 filter. IMO the filters are more neutral. Nevertheless it’s excellent at many other jobs and very versatile.

If you want bright leads and pads with a little pixie dust on top, the Virus is great, as would be the more affordable Blofeld. And it’s excellent at other sounds too, of course.

If you want angry, analogue dirty sounds, I would recommend the ARP Odyssey, the MS20 or some of the Dreadbox instruments like the Erebus or the Nyx.

IMO Oberheims, Moogs, and some Rolands are more on the mild-melodic side of the spectrum and are hard to drive crunchy. As an example, I compared the osc sync mode of the Odyssey and the Voyager. Where the Odyssey starts crying out angry the Voyager becomes it a little rough but keeps it also melodic and somehow even beautiful :wink:

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