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Next hardware synth?

sostenuto said:
Good to hear more Digitone positives ! Added one months ago, and expected challenges with Elektron workflow have definitely materilaized .... 😓
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I love the Elektron workflow! Especially with the Digitone, it makes FM synthesis so ridiculously easy and intuitive compared to traditional FM synths. Also love the Elektron plugins which allow me to use it within my DAW with automation + immediate recall – I basically get to use it like a software synth, best of both worlds! I'm excited to pick up the Digitakt II, the previous one can only do mono samples which was a dealbreaker for me. Anyway if you are finding challenges with the Digitone and haven't already check out the longer loopop tutorial/review on it, as well as this one – after those I was off to the races and haven't looked back!
 
Having been through a lot of buy-and-sell over the last year while building an ambitious startup, I've really had to take a hard look at what I really need and prioritize. I topped out at about 20 hardware synths back in 2022, and I'm down to my "never sell" list:

Prophet 5
Oberheim OB-X8
Roland Jupiter X, JD-800, D-50, System 8, JD-990, MKS-20
Yamaha TX816, DX7, DX7II, SY77
Korg Wavestation
Access Virus TI

...and honestly, I'm completely happy. My only regret is having to temporarily offload the Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave to help cover startup legal expenses; that thing is pure magic, and I'll be getting another one ASAP.

Other than that, the only other synth I want is a Melbourne Instruments Nina, and crazy as it sounds, desktop versions of the Prophet 5 and OB-X8 so I can have those as true stereo mega synths without losing polyphony. I'm also hoping Oberheim gives us a Matrix 12 reissue down the road... or a fully polyphonic Sequential Pro 3 with OB & Prophet filters ;)
 
the new PolyBrute looks great I love the desert color. I posted my original polybrute for sale last night, thinking I would be getting this. Now that I see the price. Maybe hold on and buy something else. Maybe one more PolyBrute 6 😅
 
£3,429 seems very reasonable to me - assuming the usual quality control and so on. I don't see myself buying on any time soon. Maybe in my next life. But the price seems fair to me in the context of the market. There's a lot to be said for cutting corners and features and selling at a lower price; but this isn't that sort of a synth.
 
Bee_Abney said:
£3,429 seems very reasonable to me - assuming the usual quality control and so on. I don't see myself buying on any time soon. Maybe in my next life. But the price seems fair to me in the context of the market. There's a lot to be said for cutting corners and features and selling at a lower price; but this isn't that sort of a synth.
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An OB-X8 is around £4,500 I believe.

While the Polybrute is not a synth for me, it is fairly priced given what it is and the market.
 
sostenuto said:
Topped off at UDO Super 6 DT or Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave (used Mint). Luv those DT versions !
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They both sound amazing. I can see that, while they use different forms of synthesis, that they can make similar sorts of sounds.

Shouldn't the question be: in what order to you buy these?
 
True, true .... and likely 3rd Wave as 'used' $$ offers decline. Adding hardware, means adding audio I/O, and Arturia - Audiofuse 16Rig is now priority item.
 
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Looks like list will be ~$1500 USD.



My guess is that, like the Take-5 has the heart of a new P5/10, the TEO-5 has the heart of an X8. They then take shortcuts and add a bunch of modulation and effects.

I don't know the X8 and don't have one (or want one), but I can say it doesn't sound as good raw in the videos as an OB-6. The filter, resonance, and noise are different and less "musical" to my ears. They sound very good, though! The OB-6 and X8 are sonic upgrades and modulation/effects downgrades. And you may need to upgrade your wallet or credit limit to get them!
 
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Well, after much research and second-guessing, I sold off a few things and bought the Prophet 10 on the latest sale. After playing it for a few days I will say that it's the nicest piece of furniture in my house. It's simply gorgeous. Everything about it feels luxurious. The keys, the knobs, the buttons, everything.

I debated about going for the Prophet 6 (great synth) and if I were a touring musician I would have, but this is going to live in a studio. Plus, I really wanted 61 keys. Had there been a 61-key Prophet 6 it would have been a harder choice.

I've got the single output plugged into a mono-in, stereo-out pedal board where it goes from mono pedals (pitch, phaser, flanger, OD, fuzz) into a Boss Dimension C which is then stereoized and goes into 2 Eventide H9s to stay in stereo for reverbs and delays, and stereo in to a mixer. I've also got mixer sends going out to a Strymon Bigsky and a Roland Re-201 tape echo. All that to say the sounds are extremely stereo and wide if I want them to be.

But, on its own, the sounds the Prophet 10 makes are just amazing. The factory presets do an incredible job of showing how many different types of sounds are possible from a fairly basic architecture. I feel like the entire thing is a sweet spot. I'm adding this to a Moog Grandmother, as well as a Mother 32, DFAM, Subharmonicon, a Behringer 2600, a Korg OpSix, and a Nord Modular G1. I feel like my bases are covered. The only thing I need now is a replacement midi controller and I'm hoping Arturia or Novation come out with a new 61 key model soon.
 
dijon said:
Well, after much research and second-guessing, I sold off a few things and bought the Prophet 10 on the latest sale. After playing it for a few days I will say that it's the nicest piece of furniture in my house. It's simply gorgeous. Everything about it feels luxurious. The keys, the knobs, the buttons, everything.

I debated about going for the Prophet 6 (great synth) and if I were a touring musician I would have, but this is going to live in a studio. Plus, I really wanted 61 keys. Had there been a 61-key Prophet 6 it would have been a harder choice.

I've got the single output plugged into a mono-in, stereo-out pedal board where it goes from mono pedals (pitch, phaser, flanger, OD, fuzz) into a Boss Dimension C which is then stereoized and goes into 2 Eventide H9s to stay in stereo for reverbs and delays, and stereo in to a mixer. I've also got mixer sends going out to a Strymon Bigsky and a Roland Re-201 tape echo. All that to say the sounds are extremely stereo and wide if I want them to be.

But, on its own, the sounds the Prophet 10 makes are just amazing. The factory presets do an incredible job of showing how many different types of sounds are possible from a fairly basic architecture. I feel like the entire thing is a sweet spot. I'm adding this to a Moog Grandmother, as well as a Mother 32, DFAM, Subharmonicon, a Behringer 2600, a Korg OpSix, and a Nord Modular G1. I feel like my bases are covered. The only thing I need now is a replacement midi controller and I'm hoping Arturia or Novation come out with a new 61 key model soon.
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That's a very nice set up with a range of sounds and styles.

I am leaving moving to stereo for the DAW. Time based effects beyond very short ones are the sorts of thing I want to control while mixing. Though the more important reasons are space and cost.
 
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