Most addictive synths

The Lounge General Discussion
#1

Piece of gear you are obsessed with that you can not stop playing.
Now it is time for talk out. Welcome to Synthalcoholics Anonymous!
My list:

  1. DSI Evolver
    I just love browsing the presets to get my dope. Something super mysterious in the sound. Maybe it’s the three delay lines, or the weird modulations, or the special vca feedback? Analog and digital magic combined. A bit challenging to program but worths the effort.

  2. Machinedrum
    I put really a lot of time tweaking this. I stopped and tried to forget. After several years I was taking it again, switching on, playing and I knew I never can live without it :slight_smile:

  3. Digitone
    Always sounds good and I very much appreciate this. Unlike Silvers which need a little care to get away clicks and pops and harshness. The filter is so analog and detailed. Even the Digi’s reverb is lush and sounds pleasant, honestly the first reverb in an Elektron I like and makes me wet moments NOT to add on everything. All controlled with the famous industry standard Elektron sequencer. This is a serious material, I can tell you.

Now, it is your turn, folks…

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#2

DN as well, only synth left after the sell off. It’s so lush and fun every time I turn it on.

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#3

Well, the first one is pretty obvious. Any of my modular systems I could sit at all day. They’re endless, even the smaller ones.

The Microwave XT/XTk’s were probably my favorite and most addicting synths of all time. Would love to pick up another XTk some day.

The one that REALLY surprised me (that I just got) is the Typhon. It’s amazing what can be squeezed out of it. I played it for about 8 hours straight on Sunday. :smiley: I couldn’t actually put it down. Just it, and headphones. It has JUST the right combination of things. I absolutely love it. It’s probably my favorite small mono-synth of all time. I can’t wait for the new firmware(s) as I’d love to program longer patterns on it.

Because this is Elektronauts, I will also say the Digitone (and really the Digitakt as well). Easy to use, easy to get sucked into. Just an excellent form-factor to get addicted to. Small enough to feed the addiction pretty much anywhere, and you can even write full tracks on them.

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#4

Prophet 12. Period.

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#5

That’s a good one. I guess I could easily add the Rev2 to my list above as well. It’s got so much going on. I always wanted a P-12 too. The thing about something like these, is that you can just sit down and play keys and get lost in them. (I guess any keyboard synth really) but I found myself just noodling away hours with the Rev2.

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#6

It has this enigmatic sound that just keeps pulling me back.

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#7

That’s how I feel about the XTs. There’s really nothing like them. Even the synths that contain their wavetables don’t really feel and sound the same.

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#8

Peak for me. Just a fun synth to dial in.

For bass and leads I love my sub phatty. It’s so basic in a way, but I love sitting in front of it.

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#9

Nord modular

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#10

MnM, but is it just a synth?

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#11

Agreed about the DN but I love my Slim Phatty. It has a simplicity and the sounds are just so rich and delicious. And it has a useful audio input.

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#12

Wish I hadn’t let go mine… Nice synth indeed!

Nowadays, I wonder which I prefer between A4 and DN… The A4 is really growing on me, constantly!

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#13

Eurorack :crazy_face:.

No but seriously, the endless way of patching things is seriously mesmerizing.

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#14

My name is Steve and I’m a Digitakt addict… I know not strictly a synth but don’t tell it that. :shushing_face:

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#15

-DSI Evolver
It’s a bottomless pit. Truly amazing machine.

-Korg ER1/ ES1/ ESX
-They’re so fun and interactive. Great level of complexity, enough to keep you coming up with new sounds and patterns for years yet simple enough to force you to play them like instruments rather than arrangers. They demand near constant interaction in just the right way.

-more recently for me Model:Cycles and ARmk1.
I haven’t had them very long but I’m finding it hard to step away from them.

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#16

Moog Sirin. Simple. Knobs are the perfect size and very responsive. Small form factor. Sounds really good. Perfect angle.

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#17

Octatrack. The possibilities are endless

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#18

:arrow_up: He speaketh teh truth.

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#19

DSI Pro2 - just spend ages creating and editing patches, then forget to write/record anything :man_facepalming:

Great fun though :grin:

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#20

Peak for me as well! Mostly because it’s the only synth I have :laughing:

Lots of knobs and easy to find great sounds feed the addiction! Currently digging putting a bass line down on the keystep and playing over it… excited to try this out with a better keyboard someday soon

Addictive synth >>> addictive synth forum + videos

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