# Cheap good analog synth to beef me up?



## SBK (Jun 16, 2019)

I am looking for an analog synth to beef up my productions since I got none analog synths.

I am between Arturia MicroBrute OR Korg Monogue

What do you think out of these two?

I am leaning towards Arturia's
I know Arturia's have filter that can control other sources too and its also very nice saturation in it too, but it has no preset manager to save! While Monologue has preset saving. but which one is fatter and more capable of? 

Is there another one anyone recommends for low budget?

Thanks!


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## j_kranz (Jun 16, 2019)

I don't think you'd go wrong either way... but be aware that the Arturia's are not known for longevity (you can google for some horror stories). I'd also throw the Mother-32 into the ring for just a little more $ if it's fatness that you're after.


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## Prockamanisc (Jun 16, 2019)

What about a Behringer Model D? Same price, no presets, but definitely beef. I played one the other day and was really taken aback by how good it sounded. I'd heard some demos on Youtube that convinced me, and some demos that turned me off. The real thing definitely convinced me.


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## chimuelo (Jun 17, 2019)

SE-02 is what I settled for.
I need 3 Oscillators, I also want a powerful Melody maker as well as Bass.
Preset and MIDI Automation is also a must.

The recent editor and SE-02 HPF Extender are additional reasons.
Not the cheapest, but neither am I.


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## Vin (Jun 17, 2019)

Behringer Neutron. Fantastic sound at any price & more versatile than Monologue and MicroBrute.


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## SBK (Jun 17, 2019)

Thanks guys! Its very important to see a good demo of the synths because some demos might not the best style for your liking. Sometimes the quality and the patches make me think its a bad synth, for ex. Neutron Behringer, I am not sure I feel its really fat sounding, but maybe it was just the demo?


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## oks2024 (Jun 17, 2019)

For a bit more than the monologue or the microbrute, you could also look at the Korg MS-20 mini. It's supposed to be very close to the original one, so you should find a lot of videos and documentation, the patch bay allow you to go crazy in term of sound design.

Between the two synths you mentionned I would personally go for the Monologue, mainly because it has more features, two oscillators, and the filter seems to be quite nice.


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## Jeremy Gillam (Jun 17, 2019)

Vin said:


> Behringer Neutron. Fantastic sound at any price & more versatile than Monologue and MicroBrute.


I have one of these and love it.


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## whinecellar (Jun 17, 2019)

Might be bigger and more than you want to spend, but the Korg Minilogue has become an absolute favorite for me - it reminded me of how fun and immediate an analog synth can be. It not only sounds great, it makes a nice high-quality-feeling control surface for all your virtual stuff as well (hello Omnisphere!) - and the 3/4 size keys actually feel really good!


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## SBK (Jun 17, 2019)

I grabbed a Neutron! This thing rocks! :D :D :D Even if it has no preset manager


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## AllanH (Jun 18, 2019)

chimuelo said:


> SE-02 is what I settled for.
> ....


Same here. It's a beast


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## Saxer (Jun 19, 2019)

I've got the SE-02 and the Arturia MiniBrute (as well as some non-analogs). The SE-02 is for fat and the MiniBrute for creaking. The brute factor knob on the MiniBrute does a lot of special crisp distortion. Very different to the filter feedback of the SE-02 which sounds more oily (if that makes sense).
The Arturias (Micro- and Minibrute) don't save patches and you have to record everything as audio. But it's more inviting to experiment. The knobs of the SE-02 are very tini and it has a delay. I tend to tweak the SE-02 more to get a usable patch (like a plugin) while the MiniBrute is in steady edit mode.


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## EvilDragon (Jun 19, 2019)

Vin said:


> Fantastic sound at any price & more versatile than Monologue



Except doesn't have that very cool sequencer which can also sequence parameter changes that Monologue has. Depends what you need, I'd say. 


I would say that SE-02 is an excellent choice, if you can deal with small and fiddly knobs.


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## Saxer (Jun 19, 2019)

Another pro of the SE-02 is the CC midi out of the knobs and faders. You can use it as a hardware programmer for Omnisphere.


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## J-M (Jun 19, 2019)

whinecellar said:


> Might be bigger and more than you want to spend, but the Korg Minilogue has become an absolute favorite for me - it reminded me of how fun and immediate an analog synth can be. It not only sounds great, it makes a nice high-quality-feeling control surface for all your virtual stuff as well (hello Omnisphere!) - and the 3/4 size keys actually feel really good!



Was going to buy it, I really liked the sounds and looks, but the small keys just ruined it for me. :D


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## AllanH (Jun 19, 2019)

I know you're looking for gear, but it worth considering Diva and Repro from u-he even though they are software synths. To me, they project an analog sound and they integrate a lot easier into my DAW.


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## chimuelo (Jun 19, 2019)

Saxer said:


> Another pro of the SE-02 is the CC midi out of the knobs and faders. You can use it as a hardware programmer for Omnisphere.



Most folks don’t use it in this way, and few use external controllers for automation.

As an owner if 2 original SE-1Xs it’s nothing like the original which has Oscillators with multiple audio sources instead of this or that waveform, you can use all waveforms at once. But that’s why it’s number 2.

I never touch my SE-02. It’s hidden underneath my FX Holder where automated modules are stashed. An HX-3 Hammond/122 Leslie FPGA module is also stashed and automated.


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## whinecellar (Jun 19, 2019)

MrLinssi said:


> Was going to buy it, I really liked the sounds and looks, but the small keys just ruined it for me. :D



I get it. Not a fan of mini keys myself, but the Minilogue is somewhere between “mini” and full size - a nice compromise for a portable controller - 3 octaves in the space of 2, and it actually feels good - not cheap plastic like everything else in that bracket, and it has good velocity response. All in all, it feels like an actual instrument and not a crappy “backpack controller.” And the knobs are killer too - makes it a joy to control software. Just my $.02!


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## SBK (Jun 19, 2019)

monophonic synth done
Now I am into a polyphonic analog, a cheap one!
Any ideas? :D


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## oks2024 (Jun 19, 2019)

You can look at the Korg minilogue or Deepmind 12.
Or Prophet Rev2, but it's no longer cheap.


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## chimuelo (Jun 19, 2019)

Waldorf Blofeld is an amazing little tabletop synth.
I packed mine with custom wavetables and samples and have to say although it’s Digital I’m getting thick ass motion.
There’s one patch called Synthline that’s carefully layered and one note sounds like a nice string section, but one low range note and 3 or 4 voices above is amazingly powerful.
I’ve already got a Solaris and an Oberheim OBX so thought I’d try something I could use to get my Waldorf RackMount style sounds. Two different animals but the little Blofeld is sweet. Especially if you get one used for 3-400 bucks like I did.


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