Analog or Digital Polyphonic Synth Suggestions

[rajprods]

I know people are waiting for some type of Moog polyphonic keyboard or module, however, in the meantime, what are you using to create analog sounds? I'm looking for something with a warm analog sound with at least 8 to 16 voices that costs around $2,000 to $2,500 or less. Any suggestions? Nord, Access, Dave Smith, etc.? If so, which brand and model? Mainly looking for synth, pads, and string sounds in one unit if possible.

[Matt Friedman]

Ypu pretty much described the DSI Prophet 08. I've only played one in the shop, but it seems ideal for deep pads. And then there's the Roland JX-10, which is a 12-voice JX-8P. I have the latter, and I am continually amazed at how deep the sound is. For $2500, you could buy eight JX10s these days.

[rajprods]

Ypu pretty much described the DSI Prophet 08. I've only played one in the shop, but it seems ideal for deep pads. And then there's the Roland JX-10, which is a 12-voice JX-8P. I have the latter, and I am continually amazed at how deep the sound is. For $2500, you could buy eight JX10s these days.

I've never heard the JX-10. I'm sure it's pretty hard to find. I checked out the Prophet 08 the other day, and it sounded good. I didn't have a chance to check out how it sounds on pads. Did the Prophet 08 sound modern to you or like an old analog synth from the 80's? Thanks!

[gd]

I have a P08 and it can sound vintage or modern, it has no built in fx but is easily programmed. Another bd to consider would be a used Andromeda. One thing to note is that the P08 was never meant to be the "new P5" it can sound close but a retro P5 was not what it was designed for. If you could find an Omega 8 used it would be more than your budget but it is a very nice synth.

[Brian G]

The DSI Prophet 08 is a joy to play. Lot’s of great pads, leads, basses, anywhere from soft and subtle to in your face punchy. It’s fairly easy to program on the surface but like the Voyager you can dive in pretty deep with the modulation matrix and LFO’s. The Apregiator is very useful, the step sequencer and it’s four tracks pretty inspiring. What cool is each track can control something else, say one track doing pitch, the other track doing filter cut off... the other doing volume… very cool. I think it holds its own very well. I was just down playing my Prophet 08 with the Moogs, they all got along very well .
The Roland Sh201 and Juno’s are not bad at doing Analog, Korg also has a few. The Nord synths have always had in my opinion a nice analog sound with a digital edge them.

There are several vintage poly synths out there, and are fun to play and collect. The Jx8 and JX10 were nice synths but adjusting prams in real time can be a challenge since they only have a data slider. The old Juno’s(6, 60, 106) also for a once osc synth worked well . The 6 did not have preset memory or MIDI, the 60 had preset memory but no MIDI, the 106 has MIDI. Last I checked 106’s are pretty easy to find. The Chroma Polaris is a little under rated, it can do some very warm pads and punch basses. Old analogs though can be a expensive to maintain though.

[rajprods]

I have a P08 and it can sound vintage or modern, it has no built in fx but is easily programmed. Another bd to consider would be a used Andromeda. One thing to note is that the P08 was never meant to be the "new P5" it can sound close but a retro P5 was not what it was designed for. If you could find an Omega 8 used it would be more than your budget but it is a very nice synth.

I tested out the Prophet 08 last Saturday, and like I said before, it did sound good. One thing I noticed strange that I heard about was the "endless" pots.... they don't stop at a max point. Do you get used to this after a while? Haven't checked out the Andromeda. I'm sure an Omega 8 would be too expensive. Is this made by Studio Electronics?

[rajprods]

The DSI Prophet 08 is a joy to play. Lot’s of great pads, leads, basses, anywhere from soft and subtle to in your face punchy. It’s fairly easy to program on the surface but like the Voyager you can dive in pretty deep with the modulation matrix and LFO’s. The Apregiator is very useful, the step sequencer and it’s four tracks pretty inspiring. What cool is each track can control something else, say one track doing pitch, the other track doing filter cut off... the other doing volume… very cool. I think it holds its own very well. I was just down playing my Prophet 08 with the Moogs, they all got along very well .
The Roland Sh201 and Juno’s are not bad at doing Analog, Korg also has a few. The Nord synths have always had in my opinion a nice analog sound with a digital edge them.

There are several vintage poly synths out there, and are fun to play and collect. The Jx8 and JX10 were nice synths but adjusting prams in real time can be a challenge since they only have a data slider. The old Juno’s(6, 60, 106) also for a once osc synth worked well . The 6 did not have preset memory or MIDI, the 60 had preset memory but no MIDI, the 106 has MIDI. Last I checked 106’s are pretty easy to find. The Chroma Polaris is a little under rated, it can do some very warm pads and punch basses. Old analogs though can be a expensive to maintain though.

What do you think about the "endless" knobs in the Prophet 08? Is it annoying at all?

[rajprods]

The DSI Prophet 08 is a joy to play. Lot’s of great pads, leads, basses, anywhere from soft and subtle to in your face punchy. It’s fairly easy to program on the surface but like the Voyager you can dive in pretty deep with the modulation matrix and LFO’s. The Apregiator is very useful, the step sequencer and it’s four tracks pretty inspiring. What cool is each track can control something else, say one track doing pitch, the other track doing filter cut off... the other doing volume… very cool. I think it holds its own very well. I was just down playing my Prophet 08 with the Moogs, they all got along very well .
The Roland Sh201 and Juno’s are not bad at doing Analog, Korg also has a few. The Nord synths have always had in my opinion a nice analog sound with a digital edge them.

There are several vintage poly synths out there, and are fun to play and collect. The Jx8 and JX10 were nice synths but adjusting prams in real time can be a challenge since they only have a data slider. The old Juno’s(6, 60, 106) also for a once osc synth worked well . The 6 did not have preset memory or MIDI, the 60 had preset memory but no MIDI, the 106 has MIDI. Last I checked 106’s are pretty easy to find. The Chroma Polaris is a little under rated, it can do some very warm pads and punch basses. Old analogs though can be a expensive to maintain though.

When you say Nord, are you referring to something like the Nord 2X? If so, you don't it would be a good choice?

[Matt Friedman]

I've never heard the JX-10. I'm sure it's pretty hard to find. I checked out the Prophet 08 the other day, and it sounded good. I didn't have a chance to check out how it sounds on pads. Did the Prophet 08 sound modern to you or like an old analog synth from the 80's? Thanks!

Actually, they turn up on eBay and CL all the time. You just have to keep your eyes out. The down side of the JX series is the lack of real-time controls. That doesn't bother me too much because I don't really fiddle with pads -- and have no real desire to -- as I play. Actually programming is pretty simple, but its not a RT operation. I would have suggested the Akai AX60, but it's one VCO/voice and only 6 voices. It has a whole lot of RT controls, and that's what I use when I want to do the RT fiddling thing.

I'm not sure what you mean by "old or modern." I'd have to say both. I programmed a pretty convincing clone of the JX Soundtrack, so I guess it des the vintage analog thing pretty well. It aso allows for some pretty nice layering [so does the JX10, btw] and has some interesting arpeggiating and sequencing features. It won't give you that glassy-metallic sound you can get from an LA or PCM synth very easily, but that's not what it's about.

I would love a Prophet 08. It's an awesome instrument. But mid-80s analog polysynths are cool, too. There are a number of ways you can play this. Just know that there are many, may options.

You could also look for a used Alesis Andromeda. It might just squeak into you budget. I hear great things about it but I've never played one.

[rajprods]

I've never heard the JX-10. I'm sure it's pretty hard to find. I checked out the Prophet 08 the other day, and it sounded good. I didn't have a chance to check out how it sounds on pads. Did the Prophet 08 sound modern to you or like an old analog synth from the 80's? Thanks!

Actually, they turn up on eBay and CL all the time. You just have to keep your eyes out. The down side of the JX series is the lack of real-time controls. That doesn't bother me too much because I don't really fiddle with pads -- and have no real desire to -- as I play. Actually programming is pretty simple, but its not a RT operation. I would have suggested the Akai AX60, but it's one VCO/voice and only 6 voices. It has a whole lot of RT controls, and that's what I use when I want to do the RT fiddling thing.

I'm not sure what you mean by "old or modern." I'd have to say both. I programmed a pretty convincing clone of the JX Soundtrack, so I guess it des the vintage analog thing pretty well. It aso allows for some pretty nice layering [so does the JX10, btw] and has some interesting arpeggiating and sequencing features. It won't give you that glassy-metallic sound you can get from an LA or PCM synth very easily, but that's not what it's about.

I would love a Prophet 08. It's an awesome instrument. But mid-80s analog polysynths are cool, too. There are a number of ways you can play this. Just know that there are many, may options.

You could also look for a used Alesis Andromeda. It might just squeak into you budget. I hear great things about it but I've never played one.

Have you had any experience with the Nord Lead 2x? If so, what did you think about it?

[Matt Friedman]

I had a NL2X that belonged to a friend in my studio for a couple of weeks. I played it a fair bit and liked it a lot. It's a really well-designed and laid-out board. It is a great, bright, biting synth. It does not -- to my ears -- sound like an analog synth. I prefer analog polys for most pads, though. Otherwise I use my Fantom.

Just FYI, you can find a pretty good set of soun demos of the Roland MKS-70 [the rack version of the JX10] here: http://www.synthmania.com/mks-70_super_jx.htm

And I found a nice demo of the Prophet 08 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkuBWVBi3JM

[rajprods]

I had a NL2X that belonged to a friend in my studio for a couple of weeks. I played it a fair bit and liked it a lot. It's a really well-designed and laid-out board. It is a great, bright, biting synth. It does not -- to my ears -- sound like an analog synth. I prefer analog polys for most pads, though. Otherwise I use my Fantom.

Just FYI, you can find a pretty good set of soun demos of the Roland MKS-70 [the rack version of the JX10] here: http://www.synthmania.com/mks-70_super_jx.htm

And I found a nice demo of the Prophet 08 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkuBWVBi3JM

Thanks!

[Carey M]

If you could find an Omega 8 used it would be more than your budget but it is a very nice synth.

I tested out the Prophet 08 last Saturday, and like I said before, it did sound good. One thing I noticed strange that I heard about was the "endless" pots.... they don't stop at a max point. Do you get used to this after a while? Haven't checked out the Andromeda. I'm sure an Omega 8 would be too expensive. Is this made by Studio Electronics?

A typical used price for an used Studio Electronics Omega 8 is around 2900-3000 dollars. 6-voices are usually around 2500 dollars. From all the modern analogue polysynths it is my absolute favourite and I've played them all. Sunsyn is a close second.

A used Andromeda will probably fit into your budget. A great synth for pads and strings. As is the aforementioned MKS-70. I had JX-8P, and basically used it just for those soft and romantic pads

What type of music are you making?

- CM

[Brian G]

The endless knobs are pretty easy to get used to. the downside is you can't see at a glance where your settings are but it's workable. The worst thing is they are a little sensitive to touch, if you brush against them a bit too hard the params will change, but that is something else you get used to . When you move a knob the display shows the stored value and the new value. Sound wise it's great and those few things do not bother me. Your Playing May Vary Though.

[gd]

The endless knobs are pretty easy to get used to. the downside is you can't see at a glance where your settings are but it's workable. The worst thing is they are a little sensitive to touch, if you brush against them a bit too hard the params will change, but that is something else you get used to :). When you move a knob the display shows the stored value and the new value. Sound wise it's great and those few things do not bother me. Your Playing May Vary Though. :)

I totally agree, one thing I learned is that these knobs can be very very sensitive. For live or recording I make sure that I push the compare button (it locks whatever you set for parameters etc so that they won't change). This is impt for me as sometimes I can get a bit carried away and play aggressively (ie. hit the keys a little harder than normal but not pounding) and the parameters sometimes will all of a sudden just change now that gets annoying. Every synth has its quirks this is the one with the P08 that I had to find a good work around, once done not an issue.
The Andromeda is a monster, but I found that I spent so much time digging through menus to get the sound I really wanted - mine was stolen and I replaced it with a Voyager AE. The Andromeda has lots of built in fx, and as I stated previously the P08 has none. Running the P08 though a Vox Tonelab is one 'ell of a lot of fun, many here have great fx gear and would have even more fun than me. The endless pots are not an issue for me at all - and this analogue poly is very light! - for us old guys who used to cart B3's, Mellotrons, Wurlies , MiniD's, MemoryMoogs around this is a godsend - yours and your roadies backs will appreciate it.