I bought the digitone a while back because a small, desktop polysynth had so much appeal - but while I’ve had some good times with it, it’s not really clicked for me. I’m too impatient for FM synthesis, I think - especially when the sounds I’m looking for tend to be soft, organic, almost piano sounds…
So anyone know any synths at a similar price point to the digitone (I would sell it to buy something else) with a small form factor that is all about melancholic, soft, organic sounds?
How about finding a preset pack that you like for the Digitone?
Another synth is going to need just as much work to dial in sounds you like, so perhaps investigate presets? The Digitone can totally do the sounds you describe.
Yeah not a bad shout - I’ll have a look. It’s not the work I mind, it’s the ‘I have no idea how to make the sounds I want in FM’ that’s the issue. Seems like I’m always fighting against the dustbin lid sounds.
Prophet 12 too bulky for you? Otherwise, that one excels at those sounds.
I would recommend the Ambika.
That would be lovely - but I bright have the space not the money!
Yes, it’s rocketing in price since it got discontinued.
Though not here in Sweden. Our mainstream culture is beneficial if you’re shopping for kits that aren’t used for EDM 
so here, you can still pick up a cheap Tempest or Prophet 12 module, if they’re around (which they rarely are, though).
did you consider a reface cp?
Ideally I don’t want keys…
Not heard of that - will investigate
From my point of view and most of the sounds i use your describing exactly what the DN does?! Advice when creating patches: be gentle with the operator levels and use both width and LP/HP filter. Use it as a subtractive synth and add little FM modulations for timbre and harmonics.
If you happen to become interested let me know I have one for sale 
Very lush analog synth, very Juno. This is one of mine. Damn maybe I don’t want to sell it 
But yea these aren’t the sounds Digitone excels at. I have a Prophet 8 for that. I originally wanted to do everything with the Digitone but its square peg in a round hole territory.
Maybe check out some of the presets available though - some people have made some very warm analog-ish packs.
I discovered the M:C is quite capable in this ballpark, if limited in variation. Tone machine (so 2 operator FM) ratio 1.0 small amounts of modulation and feedback. If M:C can do it, I’m sure the DN can do it better.
Sounds to me what you are describing might be better matched with a physical modeling synthesis approach.
Physical modeling can often be easier to approach for sound design, of the sort of sounds you are seeking, because you already conceptually know the various models that you can apply to sound design, and so you more naturally can move around in that sound universe.
In software synths here are three examples. I’ve linked with sound example videos, that give a taste for sound design with each. Kaivo, Chromaphone, and Plasmonic.
More of a challenge is to find polyphonic physical modeling hardware, but if you gel with the sound, and how you approach sound design, then that’s a place to begin. You can focus the question to finding a physical modeling synth you like.
maybe I’m just too heavy handed!
Yup absolutely… the synth market in Sweden is littered with level headed people selling gear
Keep going back to the Waldorf Blofeld. Great keybed. Great sounds. Great price.
You can sell DN but you might need to change your name into outoftheboxymusic then. Choices choices