Better precision possible with a fixed lfo designer set to 1, depth to tune…
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What about a Behringer TD-3 (supposedly a clone of the epic Roland 303).
The sounds are pretty stunning and its very affordable.
@atlaspark I have to admit, I had an OP-1, loved it, fell out of love, sold it, and I regret nothing. It was such a master of none with a frustrating workflow that I would rather use something more limited but more fun (Which happened to be the Model:Samples for me). I just need a good sequencer I guess.
The OP-1 is a great machine but its inability to stay fun past the first few minutes of writing kills it for me.
So, in the context of adding a synth to my OT, as I don’t need the OP’1 tape or sampler, I think I can get a better synth, or save money, most likely both.
@sezare56 Ah, I had never heard of this one. Thanks for sharing the tip!
I know it’s off-topic, but let me put a link to a more detailed explanation here just in case someone else stumbles upon this thread and needs to learn how to do it 
@Matthewsavant the Blofeld looks like a great option, especially because of its features for the price. However, I would indeed like something smaller, as I’m mostly looking for something for when I’m not using my main synth, when travelling.
Edits: merged posts to make the thread more readable.
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Stick with samples if you want simplicity. After all the effort importing and slicing you may as well get the sounds you want straight off.
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I’ve never used a Micromonsta, but I built a P6 (the DIY-only original version of the Micromonsta) and even that sounds great. To my ear it has a bit of an Alpha Juno character to it, although I haven’t gotte t use an Alpha Juno that much so I could be off badse with that comparison.
The Micromonsta is probably excellent.
If you’re interested in FM the Sonicware Liven XFM is really nice for the (low) price, and the sequencer is pretty Elektron-like, so it makes a good pair with the Octatrack. I’ve got the 8bit Warps myself (also really nice sounding and more unique, but the architecture is a lot simpler than the XFM and it’s monotimbral (the XFM is 4 part) but a friend of mine has the XFM so I’ve had some time with that, too. They’re both really nice sounding and priced very well, but if I was going to chose one to be a companion to the OT I think the XFM would be more useful. I didn’t get to mess with the full editing mode, but it’s about the most intuitive way to edit 4op FM I’ve ever seen, at least on paper.
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Sorry, hadn’t read full extent 
comment deleted…but yeah…still seem ideal! And have seen the fireball below the £300 mark on occasion now, not bad!
Also deleted. The Fireball seems more available used than the Lemondrop.
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Used price presumably ? Best new price I see is about £330 right now.
I found it too screechy for the application I purchased it for. Maybe I’m naive, but to me analog should cover punchy bass sounds, I could only finesse pads and strings out of minilogue xd, sounds for which I tend to prefer digital synths in general.
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i got a lot of mileage out of the Modal Craft Synth 2.0. Small, cheap, DIN MIDI, great sounds, especially basses and house/techno chord stabs. Super portable. Not the easiest to edit though, i just go through the presets and twist knobs until i get something like what i want
I’ll second the earlier recommendation for the Modal Craft (monosynth, $159 new) or Skulpt (4-voice polysynth, $219 new). Craft is a wavetable synth, Skulpt is a virtual analog. Both them can run on USB or battery power, and both of them have a free companion app (Mac, PC, iOS, or Android) that lets you do detailed editing, load and save presets, etc.
Juno had them at £290ish a couple weeks ago.
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OP-1 is good choice
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Dreadbox Typhon. Great fx, with input, great little analogue synth. Had this combo with me on holidays, great fun. Runs on the USB adapter you have with you anyway…
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I felt this with the OP-1. These days, I want to plant gardens that can mutate along with my tastes and moods, and I’m only interested in tools that play nice with that.
To that end, if you want something a little bigger with polyphony that’s a modulation monster, tons of fun, sounds great and unique, and is the most bang for buck this side of the A4 mkI, I can vouch without hesitation for the Hydrasynth Explorer. I can get lost patching in it like nothing else, maybe moreso than eurorack.
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Those two are fantastic, I hope I can get an A4 mkI someday, but I think I would need bigger pockets if I want to travel with them 
The Vermona Mono Lancet is great with the OT. I don’t have one at the minute but have had 2 and often think of getting another one. If I have to start traveling often again I definitely will. Really great sounding synth that’s simple enough I don’t get lost in sound design so it’s easy to actually write tunes. Make a sound quick, record a loop of it in the OT, rinse and repeat. Fun fun fun!
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Sure, and thats what I do when I know exactly what I need. But it can take a long long time to find the actual “sounds you want” sometimes, which is why people like myself love these tiny little creative synths.
Also I tend to sit down with these synths between making tracks and build up a sample library off my vinyl, Yt browsing and then just crafting patch ideas. It’s a great way to get ideas for the next tune and build up a library of unique sounds that fit your own style.
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That’s exactly how I see it too. Hence why I don’t want to get another big synth. I would just like to find a tiny, travel-friendly box that allows me to craft that one perfect pluck or that new, surprising sound that gets me inspired, even when I’m away from home. Even though said sound ends up being a sample in the end.
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This is an awful time to say it, but M8 pretty much ticks all your boxes (minus the affordability one, arguably, although its value is absurd) with additional features for days. It’s deeper than the Octatrack itself in many ways. The supply chain is getting in its way at the moment, but I recommend jumping on the preorder the next time it’s available. There’s absolutely nothing like it for on-the-road jams - it’s a dream machine.
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