crevice
1
I recently got a Lyra 8 and it’s been the most fun I’ve had with a synth in a very long time. The dirty raw sound mixed with the unpredictable nature has taken me on some serious space adventures in my short time with it. Love it so much that I also have ordered a pulsar 23 as well.
So this got me thinking, what else is in this category of synths? Before you say “any synth can be dirty”, I understand that and I also understand I can just put a distortion pedal on most things and call it a day. But I’m also talking about the unique experience of the whole thing. Are there any other unique, creative/organic sounding synths like these? Synths that just have that amazing sense to take you for a ride and not the other way around?
4 Likes
Strega fits that category, I think.
5 Likes
The Norand Mono is a tour de force. It is some kind of next level amazing. If feels like there is a sentient music collaborator hiding inside the machine, effortlessly churning out wildly original, amazing sounding synth lines. I find myself completely awestruck at the incredible sounds coming out of it, wondering how it happened. It can get dirty, but it can sound sweet too. It seriously feels like it has a mind of its own.
10 Likes
Sidrax by Ciat Lonbarde is a special one.
6 Likes
crevice
7
All great recommendations so far - but the Strega seems to definitely hit a lot of the sweet spots I’m looking for and bonus for small size. The solar 50 looks amazing, but doesn’t seem easy to actually find and buy.
1 Like
plusn
8
Without owning one, I could imagine that Twisted Electrons MegaFM can be a dirty raw fun ride of a synth.
7 Likes
glia
9
i agree
having owned a tetrax and rollz five in the past i think almost all of pete blassers synths fit the profile OP is seeking
i’d also recommend simmons drum synths (mainly thinking of the SDS series)
3 Likes
jb
10
Is it just me or are people getting more and more sensual about how they describe synths
10 Likes
plusn
11
That’s the big change that’s happening. Age of Aquarius incoming…
6 Likes
No it is in your mind.
I reach for the resonance slider, my finger barely touching the tip, slowly but deliberately I push so that the precise amount of harmonics can be achieved, too much and the self oscillation would ruin the take, but not enough and the sing song harmonics won’t reach their full potential. Satisfied after a great take, I light a cigarette and bask in the blissful release.
35 Likes
jb
14
There’s a big market for that sort of writing
6 Likes
Imma call it 50 shades of resonance 
30 Likes
bwo
16
Now those are some hot knobs
5 Likes
Take your least favorite mixer and route a send back into a channel. Play with the gain structure until you get feedback, then start to play with the EQ and whatever else is onboard. Be mindful of the expected input levels and possible output levels so that you don’t blow up a nice mixer.
4 Likes
plusn
19
Oh wait…here’s a good raw dirty fun synth. A classic:
Buchla Music Easel
https://buchla.com/music-easel/
5 Likes
plusn
20
…or a Serge Modular System from Random Source.
https://randomsource.net/
Or that rawish British Vostok 2020 from Analogue Solutions…
2 Likes