Which one? For the sake of theoretical questions …let’s assume you could have any synth…not just what you already own.
As somebody who owns no physical synths, I am very interested in what others say! I think for me on the software side, Helm has almost infinite possibilities/parameters and I would never run out of things to try.
To answer my own question… the Prophet Rev2. It is the synth I always gravitate towards and fits well in any mix. Plays well with other instrumentation.
I have no experience with other prophets but the Rev2 has never disappointed me so I have not bothered to look for another.
Maybe a Waldorf Quantum MK2? I don’t know, I’m not going to think about this too long. Never interacted with one, but I’d be aiming for something that’s flexible with deep sound design capabilities, and wavetables are mandatory. The sounds are good from what I’ve heard. Voice count is probably adequate. Excellent variety of filter options. They haven’t skimped on envelopes or lfo’s. Fatar keybed with polyphonic after touch (which I haven’t any experience with, but I’d need channel aftertouch for sure). Being a theoretical exercise I don’t have to worry about the price, lol.
I have never used Waldorf but I only hear good things.
Csound! Endless possibilities. I’ve been programming it for 25 years now, and it still manages to surprise me sometimes.
Among those I own, I’d go with my Yamaha MODX6 and would be happy for ever. Among all synths… hm, this is a tough one. I like too many! Perhaps, I’d still go for a workstation synth and probably the Roland Fantom 6. Note that I’d still prefer a workstation synth rather than my laptop with the best DAW with all the plugins in the world, even though a DAW is indispensable to produce music, while the hardware synth is not. I am here for the fun first, not the production necessarily.
My main board for years was a Yamaha MOX8 so I understand this choice. I only ended up selling it because I found myself simply using it as a midi controller…so I sold it and got a NI Komplete Kontrol S88.
Does the Erika Synths Black System iii count? It’s sold as one big alien monster…
Otherwise, the Twisted Electrons MEGAfm.
I have one of these already!
Those look sick. I haven’t delved much into patching but the black system iii looks like a ton of fun. Haven’t seen the MEGAfm. How would you describe it?
Well, the MEGAfm uses two Sega Genesis frequency modulation sound chips so, if you’ve ever played one of them you’ve got an idea of some of it’s capabilities and sounds. This brings it to a whole new level.
As you might imagine, finding working hardware from the early 90’s is not that easy so, these are a fairly rare item. I feel like I need to get a vault just for it. It’s definitely not seeing many, if any, live shows. It’ll be staying in my studio and be used for recording authentic chiptunes.
I’ve got an older version with the older, grittier chips. I haven’t played it actually as I’m still just getting set up. Tomorrow, or this weekend, I’ll have the rest I need. Really, it’s just a proper MIDI cable. Lol
The Black Systems iii looks sick. It’ll be a few years before I can afford that thing. Lol.
i’m not entirely sure about standalone synths, but a small DIY portable modular rig is just about right, i think. it’s just “one” synth, but i can repatch and reprogram depending on what i’m trying to get out of it
Modular feels like cheating but I get it. Having the custom setup tailors it to what you need.
that’s fair. it’s also easier for me to repair and modify my synth if i’m the one building it, which, chipocalypse-scale disruptions aside, makes the whole thing a little more future proof. and if this is the only synth i get, then i’d need to be able to repair it.
my rule for my own rack is that i have to solder at least part of every single module (and now that i’m set up for surface mount work, i’ll be able to build even more :3:3:3), and i’d think this would be the same
Access Virus b.
Versatility like that is what I’d aim for when selecting just one synth.
I have always admired the Virus. Good choice.
I’m new and no synth expert, but i’ve to say that the versatility i found in Behringer’s DeepMind12 pleases me
We have a DeepMind 6 and have it listed for sale. I just can’t get past menus. I would rather have stuff easy access. No complaints with sounds from it, though.
Yeah, i understand but the thing is that if you want to access more stuff than what’s on the front panel… you got to access menus and submenus… In the DeepMinds though there’s just the “edit” page of every section, it’s rather difficult to have to get past that, or the first page of the mod matrix
