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Favourite HW monosynth?

pmountford

pmountford

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Having a lot of fun with a newly purchased Novation Summit. Got me thinking about what would compliment it. A monosynth? Matrixbrute, Quantum/Iridium? Prefer warmer sound, preset memory, no patch cables, plenty hands on controls.
 
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vitocorleone123

Senior Member
Pro3 SE looks and sounds great with an amazing interface - but maybe not as warm as you’d want. But, wow.

Studio Electronics Boomstar MKII gives you your choice of filters but also isn’t necessarily warm. Not sure about presets.

Vermona Quad would be amazing but is huge and no presets. Dreadbox would be a step down and also no presets (except Typhon).

Erica Synths DB-01 would be high on the list. If you can find a used Moog Siren I’d add that to the list.

Do you want to go more digital or more analog? Summit sits between.

if I had the space and money I’d buy the Pro3.
 
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pmountford

pmountford

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vitocorleone123 said:
if I had the space and money I’d buy the Pro3.
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Well I just have the space.... the rest is gear lust.

Thanks for the suggestions. Not heard of most of those. Prefer analog as really after a warmer sound and something that preferably works live (hence presets) hopefully to pair with string players. Still exploring Summit but it lacks on Arp/Sequencer side so looking for something that does rhythmical and/or bass. In an ideal world it would have sequencer for controlling external HW. Pro3 looks interesting and several mentioned on previous thread when originally looking for HW.
 
shponglefan

shponglefan

Collector of sample libraries
I'd probably go with a Moog, especially if you're looking for something to handle bass duties. The Moog Subsequent 37 seems to tick all the boxes in what you're looking for.
 
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vitocorleone123

Senior Member
shponglefan said:
I'd probably go with a Moog, especially if you're looking for something to handle bass duties. The Moog Subsequent 37 seems to tick all the boxes in what you're looking for.
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If you like how it sounds, the Pro3 is a FAR more capable synth, though, in terms of features. But, ultimately, it comes down to that: listening and seeing which one you like most and then deciding on what features you need/want.

If you just want a little analog monosynth desktop (no keys) to compliment the Summit, I think that one of the following would work great: SE-02, Typhon, DB01.
 
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pmountford

pmountford

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Thanks for your suggestions so far.

I do really like the sound of the Moog Sub 37 from the walkthroughs and demoes I've watched so far. It ticks a lot of boxes sound wise. The Pro 3 seems to have it all but I'm just not hearing great demos, or atleast the warmth from the Moog yet. Is that because the Pro 3 can do so much that any warmth isn't captured in the demoes I've watched so far? Tricky, because to me this Summit is plenty warm enough for me.
 
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vitocorleone123

Senior Member
The pro3 will not be as “warm”. But you can make adjustments to soften it, I’m sure. Sequential synths tend to be more bold (except for the Prophet 5/10 which are also warmer). The sub37 will have far fewer features and far less flexibility. Both sound great in general. Just depends on what you want to do with them.

The Summit + Pro3 = probably never need another synth as long as you have those. I’d personally end up with another mono if I got the sub37 (like the DB01, or the SE-02 I already have).

ideally you could safely play them in a store.
 
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pmountford

pmountford

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Yes, that Cat does sound good - and great value. If it wasn't leaving the studio it could be good, but I'm looking more for presets (for quick live patch setup), arp/sequencer and FX to be included too, ideally.
 
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pmountford

pmountford

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Just seen the Moog Sub 25 which is pretty similar to the Sub 37 but without the keys, no arp and less mod routing. Any thoughts?
 
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vitocorleone123

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If you want Moog, go Moog :grin:

Here's the ladder filter on the Pro3. It's not quite as harmonically rich, but close. But then you can always change to one of the other filters on the Moog and get those sequencer lanes going and... oh, wait, can't do either of those on the Moog.


Again, it just comes down to what speaks to you. The Pro3 is one of those synths I'll never have but will want for a long time. The Moogs all sound really good, but none of them have ever "spoken" to me like other synths have.

If you want to substitute a synth string for a Kontakt sample of a string, then a Moog might be the way to go. If you want to add synths that compliment and blend with orchestral, I suspect a Sequential or Roland (vintage) may work better - something a little more crisp with fewer harmonics (as I'd put it).
 
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pmountford

pmountford

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Florens said:
This one deserves to be more well known: Trax Retrowave
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Thanks for this. Sounds interesting. Maybe not for what I'm after for live use though.

In my case, both the Moog Sub 25 and Pro 3 currently 'speak' to me, although not sure whether wife will continue 'speaking' to me at this rate.. :eek:

Any synth news from NAMM 2021, other than the Korgs?
 
wst3

wst3

Lunatic - it's really that simple
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A lot of realy cool synthesizers mentioned!

Well I have a tendency towards lazy and cheap, so my favorites are two that I've owned for decades, an ARP 2600 and a Korg MS-20. Both have been reissued, but I've not played with the newer versions. I have heard good things about them.

In terms of something just a little more modern (as in still in production) I picked up two new synths in the last couple years...

The Roland SE-02 sounds wonderful. I am still struggling with programming it, the "user interface" could be a little clearer<G>. But it sounds beautiful! No regrets!

The Pittsburgh Modular Microvolt 3900 is a bit of a departure for me, and that was why I bought it. I had set out to build a modular synth, but something about this caught my ears. It is described as a "West Coast" style synthesizer, and it is a new world for me. Oddly enough, I find it a little easier to program than the SE-02. A little anyway.

Familiarity means that I still find the ARP 2600 and the Korg MS-20 easier to work with. Not sure I'd want to take either of them out of the studio though. The other two are ready for the road!
 
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