Morning, fellow 'nauts. At least it’s morning here in Sweden.
So let’s make this thread about the kits that should’ve done well, on paper or just actually for real, but didn’t, and talk about why.
I’m gonna go first and start with the Akai MiniAK. When I first heard about this one, couple of years ago, I was like - okay, 37 keys. A VA engine that sounds pretty good. A drum track. And a sequencer. So I can make complete songs on this, and as a keyboard player, the compact format and the flexibility of this, if I don’t wanna go behemoth workstation, would seem stellar. But I also wondered, why the short production run? Why the short life span?
Then I found one. And played one. And yes, it was everything it said it would be. With a user interface so hostile and obtuse, that it almost sapped me of any will to live. But that was also it. Had a more clever approach been taken to how to operate this thing, I wonder if this synth maybe couldn’t have been a much bigger thing. A 37 key workstation for the compact musician who wants solid quality still.
Oh … there are many … just ask Google for “most underrated synths” and there is a list of hits like this one:
In my studio I have a Prosynth by Tom Oberheim, which was, AFAIK, the successor of the Matrix 1000. If one is tough enough to fight the absolute minimalistic user interface, this machine delivers 8 voices, multitimbrality, a couple of advanced modulation options, and sounds good.
Other example would be the Blofeld.
Or a synth like the Korg DW8000. After its release the great D-50 was released, which lasted to be the hero for about one year and then we got the Korg M1, which took over the place of the D-50 … Sometimes it’s just bad luck and timing …
E-Mu P2500 / Command Station.
poorly marketed pinnacle of ROMpler technology (at least of its era).
also, Novation Circuit Mono Station. i can’t understand why such a great machine is so unpopular.
well, Blofeld is actually popular (even with its well known issues) and very hard to beat by feature set per price.
or it just would not be in production for more than a decade.
as for me, i’m thinking about getting second Blofeld someday. better black, because i already have white.
So powerful even today. Crazy multi stage envelopes, pretty good filters and fx, good processing overall. This with an Elektron sequencer and a simpler UI would make an OT look like a volca sample.
Metasonix Assblaster
Such a a great name should never be forgotten.
Native Instruments Absynth
Still ahead of it’s time now. Samples, Granular, FM, Va, Wavetables, direct editing of oscs /wt’s with some really powerful tools, huge long MSEGS than you can attach lfos too at specific points, direct editing of lfos, envelope followers, uniqueish fx, ring mod, create you own waveshaping. All hobbled by a poor cheesy early 2000’s stylized interface. Granular cloud fx, so much stuff, this was NI at it’s peak imo.
Well, you may be right, but my impression was that in some forums love/hate discussions were going on and that the overall reputation appeared to bo much more negative than it was deserved.
IMO the last firmware updates got issues resolved. I love my little black box. So much power under the hood.
Casio FZ10m. Way ahead of its time. First sampler with a graphical display, several esoteric forms of synthesis to draw/generate your own waveforms. Thick sound. Really good digital filters for its time.
Roland VP9000. This new tech had the potential to eventually eliminate the need to multi-sample. Separate control over pitch, time, & formant. Too expensive, limited polyphony, etc. Roland gave up and used the ‘Variphrase’ name for groove samplers that were entirely different.
Yamaha FS1r. 8-op FM with formant sequencing and those lovely AN1x filters. Crystal-clear DACs. In a MU-series General MIDI rack.
TC Electronics Powercore 6000. What a mess. Windows drivers were horrendous, but once you got it working, you have more than half of the System 6000 for 1/16th the price.
Yamaha RS-7000, was abandoned fairly quickly by Yamaha and was a bit underpowered in the processor department, but had an incredible sequencer with lots of firsts, a decent rompler, sampling (which had some very good features) Unfortunately the audio editing took too long to do things like normalise and truncate on longer samples.
The documentation wasn’t the best, but they did make some pdf how to guides. I think had it been released in youtube times it would have been far more popular, I also think that around the time it was released most people were more excited about using a DAW.
The Virus killer that came too late. The technological breakthrough (fpga) that makes no real difference. The 2019 synth that’s full of 90s trance sounds presets.
Undoubtedly but it didn’t sell well or get much love whilst it was an available new. Still got mine, fully expanded, had since new, though I don’t use it anymore as I don’t have the space.
Arturia Drumbrute. On paper before release- totally exciting, then we heard it…
Such a pity.
Electribes. All.
So underated! Absolutely brilliant if you dig a bit and oh my god the EMX1 sounds amazing on a big sound system, it sounds massive! Also the new electribes have such potential, but dont seem to grab as much attention ( unless they do but its well hidden)
Roland Boutiques. Purists hate them. I think now though, lots of people are starting to appreciate them as real fine bits of kit, not just amusing toys.
