SE-02 is mellow by default, but can get nasty.
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If you like the Dreadbox Murmux sound, then maybe check out the Dreadbox Erebus V2 or Nyx. Not the exact same, but they have some nice character. And since you like the Moog sound of the Sub 37, then maybe check out the Grandmother or Matriarch. Those are based on vintage Moog modular circuits and will give you a different Moog flavor.
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I’d ignored these entirely, so I went to the Roland site for a demo. They sound great!
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Roland SH-101
assuming Boards of Canada is mellow sounding enough for you.
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Arp Odyssey can do some nice mellow leads, very sweet sounding in sync mode with the saw waves and pink noise. A bit of reverb or better yet, stereo delay, and you get a very vintage-warm sounding lead. Having said that, the subsequent sounds great in that vid. But as has been said, much to do with the reverb as well, I felt this was even more the case with the Murmux, totally drenched in that vid.
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It took me a long time to realise that most monosynths can send mellow if the oscillator levels are at half or below.
Even the 303 clones like MAM MB-33 can sound smooth and sweet.
e.g. Behringer TD-3 & TD-3-MO - Dreamy Sequences (64 Patterns) - YouTube
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Ive got a sub 37.
For mellow sounds:
use triangles/saws.
Use the 24db filter.
Go easy on the resonance
Go easy on the mixer, keep the levels below midway.
Dont use the feedback, dont use the multidrive.
Soft attacks etc.
For harder sounds
Use the 6db filter
Crank the mixer levels
Crank the feedback
Crank the multi drive
Use saws and squares.
Make tight envelopes.
(I almost sold my sub37 until I realised just how good those distortion circuits and different filter slopes are)
Sub 37 can do both. Its how you use it.
You can get an MS20 to mellow out if you know what you’re doing.
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The Yamaha CS-15D. has a beautiful, soft tone and the filter is also kind of creamy. A bit tame and not moogy but lovely in its own right. The CS-5, 10 and 15 sond similar but have more controls over the sound and can get more aggressive from what i read. I only have the CS-15D though. Kind of limited but i love it.
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I have a CS-10 and agree that soft tones can be coaxed out of it. Especially with the warmth of it’s filter.
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Moog Voyager was the most mellow, polite sounding monosynth I ever owned. It’s like the well-trained butler that follows you around with your nice comfy coat and a kettle of your favorite tea kept nice and warm.
I sold it because I realized I could sell it and get $2000 or more for it.
I liked the Voyager’s sounds, but not enough to not part with it for $2000 worth of other gear, whose sum total functionality that would be more useful to me at that time.
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Agree with some recommendations already posted such as the Typhon and BS 2/Monostation. If you’re happy going vintage then there’s the Yamaha CS01, MG1 or Kawai 100f. Another creamy synth is the Octave Cat/Kitten and the B version sounds great, as do their Odyssey, MonoPoly and Model D
I’ve not got the Pro3 but the Take5 sounds great too
I don’t tend to favour aggressive/overdriven/distorted/glitchy type sounds and patches and i agree with other folks. Programming makes a big difference.
I got to spend a weekend with a Sub-37 and found it to be very aggressive–lesson being, I think it really just matters how you program it. The Circuit Monostation is one of my favorite monosynths of all time and can easily go either way.
I get that some synths have distortion or overdrive and some analog filters have a certain character but beyond that, I feel like its programing.
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Came here to say the Yamaha CS-15. Unique sounding synth. Very happy with a nice spring reverb.
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Thanks everybody
I’m really liking the sound of the CS15 - they aren’t easy to come by these days. So, are there any modern alternatives to them?
I was close to getting a Voyager when I got my Sub 37 - so, yeah, really like them too
All this does is re affirm my adoration for the sub37…
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Analog 4 all day - SO mellow
NOTE: counting it as four monosynths, not a poly synth
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I disagree, my Ms20 can make wonderful smooth warm and mellow sounds