Look into Fourm from sequential and a nord lead a1, can recommend both!
minifreak is awesome, but its filter is wack - it has absolutely zero character if you’re looking for something with a rich core analog sound
i’ve almost sold my xd for similar reasons that you presented, but there’s just nothing quite like it in that price range
maybe give it some time, see what sinevibes has to offer in terms of expanding your xd’s capabilities in the meantime
Save a bit more money and get a Novation Peak, you should be able to get one for £650-£750 and it hits all of your criteria.
I tried a few addons for the XD, but it didn’t really do it for me. There’s one called fusion which adds a 24dB filter, but I just found it confusing to use. If the XD had a 24dB filter, I probably wouldn’t think about selling it.
The Peak looks amazing, but from searching eBay they seem to sell for £850-£900 which is quite a way out of budget unfortunately.
If you dont like the minilogue you should change it for something else!
Most of the alternatives have been mentioned here, but keep in mind all of them have downsides in one way or another compared to the minilogue (either no keyboard, not analog, worse ui or something else). They might suit you better, but it could also turn out to be a case of the grass looking greener on the other side.
Under £500 ???
I’d be amazed .
Blofeld, but loads of menu diving. But you get a lot of synth for the price and it’s multi timbral. As someone else said the Cobalt is a great little synth.
Most of the contenders within these paramaters and budget have been shouted but I’ll make the case for a used Digitone I here. Seeing them around £320 and it’s still a wonderful synth. Spend the remainder on a MIDI controller or nice fx unit if so inclined.
Waldorf Protein? It’s a little menu-y, but it’s comfortably below the budget and a cool synth with a lot features
If you don’t mind all-digital: The Korg Opsix is more versatile than its FM label would suggest, since it has selectable waveforms, multiple filter types, good FX etc. (I have a Mk. I keyboard.)
PRO 800, got one for 150€, great machine but no saw LFO… just add FX!
What’s your verdict on the sequencer? I was looking into Opsix because I thought sharp FM might complement the Syntakt sound well, and in a way that I can program a sequence directly on Opsix, let it run, tweak the knobs in the process…
How about SH-01a? No triangle wave, but other than that fits your requirements and one of the most analog sounding digital synths I’ve heard (probably more analog than some real analogs
A bit small controls for live jamming, but perfectly fine for programming.
Or even S-1, which also has fx and you can draw your own waveforms.
Opsix sequencer is pretty basic. 16 steps, polyphonic, saved with the FM patch.
Fm I would go for korg opsix
Wavetable for modwave both can be found new for 500 euro
An old Digitone could be nice.
Not that much of menu diving, but some menu switching for sure, though.
But it is very capable, if you take the time to learn it.
It is basic compared to something like Elektron, but still very usable and can do more than the “specifications” suggest. Another vote for Opsix from me in FM realm, I like it more than Digitone (OG) for pure synthesis power/sound. I sold both, but will very likely rebuy Opsix in module form in the future (plugin is great for programming, but operator mixer on hardware rocks for jamming).
Yeah I was thinking of this. In fact any VA from this golden era of VA are cheap now, polyphonic, no menu diving and sound dated but still good.
I think of Nord Lead 2x, Novation Supernova, Access Virus… it’s easy to find it under 500.
Modal Electronics Cobalt or Argon
ASM Hydrasynth Explorer