Top Ten Most Underrated Synths

SQ80 is the tits, but I sold mine, it was flaky. Plus it's HUGE. Sounds nice though if you don't mind a little cheese. The weird ringmod/AM is where it's at.

Also SQ8L is such a good emulation I don't feel the need to get another.

AN1X

Pulse

Monomachine

Octave Cat/Kitten

Matrix 6

  On 9/28/2012 at 1:54 AM, soundwave said:

Octave Cat/Kitten

Soundwave, your list is most not underrated at all! The Octave Cat/Kitten is the most non underrated in your list and go for mega bucks whenever they surface, mostly due to that tasty SSM 2040 filter.

Also the the Matrix 6 is well known to be amazing, DCOs yes, but still lusted after, it's *the* poly sound right now due to Com Truise etc.

The Monomachine, still a nice piece, all over Autechre's last few albums along with it's Machinedrum sibling.

I never clicked with the AN1X, I had one on an extended loan (for my JP8000) and I never managed to coax nice sounds out of it.

And lastly the Pulse, I assume you're talking about the Waldorf Pulse, it's actually the one value for money analogue thing on your list (the AN1X and Monomachine being non-analogue anyway), yeah it's definitely worth checking out.

Bought a Jx-3p this morning from a synth tech. I had one years ago and regretably sold it. So glad to have it back.

  On 9/30/2012 at 4:08 AM, scones to die for said:

Bought a Jx-3p this morning from a synth tech. I had one years ago and regretably sold it. So glad to have it back.

How do you feel about programming it sans PG-200/300?

Smooth-sailing or tedious?

I'm telling you man, stop doubting the programming. it's really nothing. It took me about half an hour to figure out everything, and now I can make patches ridiculously quickly (simple ones within about 30 secs, complex ones within a couple of minutes)

Also, even though you're only dealing with a slider, it's still loads more fun than making VST patches.

  On 9/30/2012 at 4:27 AM, ganus said:

I'm telling you man, stop doubting the programming. it's really nothing. It took me about half an hour to figure out everything, and now I can make patches ridiculously quickly (simple ones within about 30 secs, complex ones within a couple of minutes)

Also, even though you're only dealing with a slider, it's still loads more fun than making VST patches.

I totally believe you.

I'm just scratching my scalp down to the bone trying to figure why the PG's fetch such silly money on eBay....

Laziness?

  On 9/30/2012 at 4:27 AM, ganus said:

even though you're only dealing with a slider, it's still loads more fun than making VST patches.

yeah. sounds better, too. :)

  On 9/30/2012 at 5:15 AM, LimpyLoo said:

 

I'm just scratching my scalp down to the bone trying to figure why the PG's fetch such silly money on eBay....

 

it's a bizarre phenomenon. they're almost as much as the synths themselves.

I guess it's just cos they're deemed/seen as collectors items/collectable/rare/vintage, etc. etc.

I don't even like the PG-200. the knobs are way too slippy for me. no grip whatsoever.

I replaced mine with rubbery ones, then later sold the unit on.

i saw a jx3p sold locally with the pg200 for the 400 dollar range. i didn't have the money

My Poly-800 is underrated.

  On 9/30/2012 at 2:13 PM, sirch said:

  On 9/30/2012 at 4:27 AM, ganus said:

even though you're only dealing with a slider, it's still loads more fun than making VST patches.

 

yeah. sounds better, too. :)

 

  On 9/30/2012 at 5:15 AM, LimpyLoo said:

I'm just scratching my scalp down to the bone trying to figure why the PG's fetch such silly money on eBay....

 

 

it's a bizarre phenomenon. they're almost as much as the synths themselves.

I guess it's just cos they're deemed/seen as collectors items/collectable/rare/vintage, etc. etc.

I don't even like the PG-200. the knobs are way too slippy for me. no grip whatsoever.

I replaced mine with rubbery ones, then later sold the unit on.

I can't even believe how much the mod grip from my SH-101 is worth.

It's a little hunk of plastic with a wheel on it and I've seen blue ones push $200. Craziness.

  On 9/30/2012 at 4:27 AM, ganus said:

I'm telling you man, stop doubting the programming. it's really nothing. It took me about half an hour to figure out everything, and now I can make patches ridiculously quickly (simple ones within about 30 secs, complex ones within a couple of minutes)

Also, even though you're only dealing with a slider, it's still loads more fun than making VST patches.

I don't doubt that for a second. Not that you can't do amazing things with software but I challenge anyone in all of EKT for whom, were money no object and unlimited space in one's studio available, VSTs would even remain an option if they had access to all the gear they wanted. I mean the best damn emulator is still an emulator. Same thing goes for video games.

  On 9/30/2012 at 4:16 AM, LimpyLoo said:

  On 9/30/2012 at 4:08 AM, scones to die for said:

Bought a Jx-3p this morning from a synth tech. I had one years ago and regretably sold it. So glad to have it back.

 

How do you feel about programming it sans PG-200/300?

 

Smooth-sailing or tedious?

Smooth sailing.

Funny enough I already had a (non-working) PG-200 that I got it when I bought a GR-700, which it also works with. I'm getting it fixed right now.

Just a note - from what I understand you can't run midi and edit with the pg-200 simultaneously without doing a mod. Kind of a drag.

You can however run midi and tweak parameters with the editing slider, and there is no stepping that I'm aware of (unlike some colosally more expensive Roland synths *cough* mks-80 *cough*).

my own personal list

Yamaha DX200 (probably the weakest on the list, but the only 'groove box' step sequencer fm synth yamaha made)

Roland JD-800

Korg Oasys PCI

Kawai K5000

Yamaha VL1

Kurzweil K2600

the older i get the more i appreciate these sort of abandoned highly innovative digital synths that in a large part haven't really been carried over conceptually into the modern era.

  On 10/1/2012 at 6:26 AM, vproc said:

  On 9/30/2012 at 4:27 AM, ganus said:

I'm telling you man, stop doubting the programming. it's really nothing. It took me about half an hour to figure out everything, and now I can make patches ridiculously quickly (simple ones within about 30 secs, complex ones within a couple of minutes)

Also, even though you're only dealing with a slider, it's still loads more fun than making VST patches.

I don't doubt that for a second. Not that you can't do amazing things with software but I challenge anyone in all of EKT for whom, were money no object and unlimited space in one's studio available, VSTs would even remain an option if they had access to all the gear they wanted. I mean the best damn emulator is still an emulator. Same thing goes for video games.

QFT!

  On 10/2/2012 at 1:28 AM, Awepittance said:

my own personal list

 

Yamaha DX200 (probably the weakest on the list, but the only 'groove box' step sequencer fm synth yamaha made)

Roland JD-800

Korg Oasys PCI

Kawai K5000

Yamaha VL1

Kurzweil K2600

 

the older i get the more i appreciate these sort of abandoned highly innovative digital synths that in a large part haven't really been carried over conceptually into the modern era.

Yeah totally.

Alot of now-popular synths (and other gear) would have fallen into obscurity if some notable hadn't used it to make a masterpiece. For instance, I remember people getting excited about Alesis 3630 compressors because of Daft Punk. If they had used another compressor, people would probably worship that one.

And I can think of a dozen similar examples.

I think the reality is, you can squeeze beautiful music out of almost any gear.

And if you can't...

  On 10/1/2012 at 6:16 PM, scones to die for said:

  On 9/30/2012 at 4:16 AM, LimpyLoo said:

  On 9/30/2012 at 4:08 AM, scones to die for said:

Bought a Jx-3p this morning from a synth tech. I had one years ago and regretably sold it. So glad to have it back.

 

How do you feel about programming it sans PG-200/300?

 

Smooth-sailing or tedious?

Smooth sailing.

 

Funny enough I already had a (non-working) PG-200 that I got it when I bought a GR-700, which it also works with. I'm getting it fixed right now.

 

Just a note - from what I understand you can't run midi and edit with the pg-200 simultaneously without doing a mod. Kind of a drag.

 

You can however run midi and tweak parameters with the editing slider, and there is no stepping that I'm aware of (unlike some colosally more expensive Roland synths *cough* mks-80 *cough*).

It seems like an editor would be a reasonably simple week end project for any DIY minded person. Doepfer even sells a controller board which would work perfectly. If it had midi through then it would solve the midi issue as well...

An ex-roommate of mine had a mks-80. Bitch never even took it out of the closet. LOL. She really had no idea what to do with it. `But fuck that synth is amazing sounding. Makes everything else I've ever used sound like a toy.

ya generally I'd say there is more experimentation in the VST realm, but it's still not that much. The free ones generally tend to be more interesting a lot of times than the big expensive fancy ones.

  On 10/2/2012 at 1:28 AM, Awepittance said:

my own personal list

 

Yamaha DX200 (probably the weakest on the list, but the only 'groove box' step sequencer fm synth yamaha made)

Roland JD-800

Korg Oasys PCI

Kawai K5000

Yamaha VL1

Kurzweil K2600

 

the older i get the more i appreciate these sort of abandoned highly innovative digital synths that in a large part haven't really been carried over conceptually into the modern era.

How do you rate the wavestation? After all these years that one still sounds amazing to me.

Also, care to share any more on the jd800? That one always looked so fucking shit to me but I'd take it more seriously coming from you.

Oh, ps, I mention the wavestation bc to my ears it resembles the k5000

  On 10/5/2012 at 12:48 AM, Alcofribas said:

  On 10/2/2012 at 1:28 AM, Awepittance said:

my own personal list

 

Yamaha DX200 (probably the weakest on the list, but the only 'groove box' step sequencer fm synth yamaha made)

Roland JD-800

Korg Oasys PCI

Kawai K5000

Yamaha VL1

Kurzweil K2600

 

the older i get the more i appreciate these sort of abandoned highly innovative digital synths that in a large part haven't really been carried over conceptually into the modern era.

 

How do you rate the wavestation? After all these years that one still sounds amazing to me.

 

Also, care to share any more on the jd800? That one always looked so fucking shit to me but I'd take it more seriously coming from you.

i'd love to try out the wavestation, never played with one. I'm also curious about Yamahas vector synthesizer which is supposed to sound similar. The JD800 is the only synth from the 'digital' era which has an ample amount of sliders and knobs. Imagine a mid level Yamaha FM synth powerhouse, with some stock samples (including older roland drums) which has a full interface of hands on control (something yamaha never actually did). I highly recommend it if you like digital sounding synths, for anything resembling a classic bread and butter analog sound it would be terrible. The Jd990 is the rack mount version of it but it kind of defeats the purpose even though it is technically more advanced.

the sound of the jd800 is not mind blowing, but there really has never been anything like it before or since, extremely unique device. As far as a hands on 'on the fly' digital synthesizer for jamming, spacey music and noise making nothing comes close. Even on the coolest yamaha synths, the lack of interface makes it hard to improvise on one without having a handful of go-to patches

  On 10/2/2012 at 10:07 AM, slightlydrybeans said:

  On 10/1/2012 at 6:16 PM, scones to die for said:

  On 9/30/2012 at 4:16 AM, LimpyLoo said:

  On 9/30/2012 at 4:08 AM, scones to die for said:

Bought a Jx-3p this morning from a synth tech. I had one years ago and regretably sold it. So glad to have it back.

 

How do you feel about programming it sans PG-200/300?

 

Smooth-sailing or tedious?

Smooth sailing.

 

Funny enough I already had a (non-working) PG-200 that I got it when I bought a GR-700, which it also works with. I'm getting it fixed right now.

 

Just a note - from what I understand you can't run midi and edit with the pg-200 simultaneously without doing a mod. Kind of a drag.

 

You can however run midi and tweak parameters with the editing slider, and there is no stepping that I'm aware of (unlike some colosally more expensive Roland synths *cough* mks-80 *cough*).

 

It seems like an editor would be a reasonably simple week end project for any DIY minded person. Doepfer even sells a controller board which would work perfectly. If it had midi through then it would solve the midi issue as well...

 

An ex-roommate of mine had a mks-80. Bitch never even took it out of the closet. LOL. She really had no idea what to do with it. `But fuck that synth is amazing sounding. Makes everything else I've ever used sound like a toy.

Mks-80 is my favorite synth - I use it on everything. Luckily I got it on a trade way back when and found an mpg-80 later for pretty cheap as well. The stepping is hardly a problem considering all of its features and it's sound.

ya that thing is a hoss.