Name some underrated/hated synths that you like

[Kenneth]

Whish I hadn´t turned down a Welson Syntex (not Synthex) 10 years ago just because it looked so damned ugly. As if italian design just concentrated on cars and bikes. And it still does look ugly, but the sound!

I don't think it's ugly at all. Just looks like a 70's preset synthesizer. Nothing wrong with that look!

[Mooger5]

It´s the controls under the keyboard that don´t do it for me. Sh-1000, 700S, JP4, Syntorchestra. All great sounding, but never liked organtops because of it. Other than form following function and people not liking it for the ergonomics, the rest is a personal matter.

[Mooger5]

The Steelphon S900 seems to share something with the Syntex regarding the oscillators. Square and saw waves at 32, 16, 8 and 4 scales at the same time. Sounds like octave dividers derived from organ technology. It´s probably what gives them character, along with the filters.



Edit - correct video link

[philip]

sq-80&ds-8

Both very underated and both - fantastic

[zoomtheline]

The Steelphon S900 seems to share something with the Syntex regarding the oscillators. Square and saw waves at 32, 16, 8 and 4 scales at the same time. Sounds like octave dividers derived from organ technology. It´s probably what gives them character, along with the filters.



Edit - correct video link

Exactly, and Apparently it's DCO too. I did wonder because the osc's are stable as a house.

[Mooger5]

I´m not sure about DCOs in these two synths.They´re mid-seventies. I think it´s VCOs and logic ICs for dividers. Though this doesn´t explain the tuning stability. I think we can trace the type of architecture back to the Davolisint , early in the decade. Others such as the Jen SX-1000 and the Siel Mono have somekind of DCO but came out a few years later.
I´ve been searching for schematics and got no luck.

[zoomtheline]

Would be nice to see. James at synth repair had a couple of minutes with it and told me that is was DCO so I dunno now really. The guy who did the mod in vid I posted ^^^ said that it has a moog style ladder filter too, must admit, the filter is cool but mine does not sound that moogish.

[cornutt]

Kawai K5/K5m. I've had a K5m for several years and I''m still digging into it. Yeah, you need to read the manual closely to figure out what all that stuff on the display is, and getting your head wrapped around additive synthesis takes some time. But it'll crank out timbres that no analog or VA ever thought of. Failed backlights can be replaced without too much fuss.

E-mu Morpheus. Tends to get lumped in with the romplers, but it's much more than that. Using the "mixer" function of my DAW and its ability to be programmed to have the sliders send sysex, I built a sort of programmer for it, which helps a lot.

[antilles]

[*]Roland SH-101: I believe the common hater critique is "plasticy, overrated and simplistic".

I think the SH-101 IS overrated. It's a nice synth, but for some reason it seems to be much more popular than the SH-09 for example and the secondhand prices are ridiculous.

[blavatsky]

not a synth, but if you have a lot of space to spare i've seen some decent Hammond and Yamaha Electone organs go for real cheap

[Micke]

I´m not sure about DCOs in these two synths.They´re mid-seventies. I think it´s VCOs and logic ICs for dividers. Though this doesn´t explain the tuning stability. I think we can trace the type of architecture back to the Davolisint , early in the decade. Others such as the Jen SX-1000 and the Siel Mono have somekind of DCO but came out a few years later.
I´ve been searching for schematics and got no luck.

Yes, the Welson syntex and Steelphon S900 are probably too early for having digitally controlled oscillators. The Crumar DS-1 & DS-2 were among
the first commercial synths with DCO's and they appeared in 1978.

EDIT: The rare PPG 1020 and PPG 1003 Sonic Carrier - both from 1976/77 -appear to have been the first synths with DCO's. The latter may
have been the world's first programmable synth as well. However, very few units were sold.

[gs]

Although I don't own one anymore, I always felt the Korg DSS-1 was one of the most underrated synths out there. It's way more synth than sampler, it has fantastically warm analog filters, the unison mode is a monster, you can use the sampling engine to put any waveform in there you want.... if only it had portamento, an arpeggiator and some controls on the surface it would be one of the best polysynths of all time.

[adekoyote]

Roland MC808. My first piece of gear. I started using it with the computer...and by understanding the synth engines working metaphor I am able to quickly grasp other operating systems by Roland.

People hate it because the only way you can use it to its maximum potential is to hook it up with a computer.

Once hooked up to the computer, there is a huge engine that needs to be learnt...and it is not easy...its something that you get used to.

Lately I have been getting deeper and deeper into making huge sounding patching, complete with modulation matrix and routing. When you open a stock patch it is quite apparent that only one or two tones are used throughout the patch...and if you start to resample and use those samples into the patches, some really nice stuff can happen.

I also use my Rs7000 to do the sequencing...mainly due to the realtime midi effects and the additional dynamics it gives to the sound in regards to velocity, note length and midi delays, etc.

Its not easy, though...and it does not happen as fast as I would like. But I like it for what it is once it is used to its fullest potential.

[rust404]

Hi all, new recruit, first post n all so I hope you dont mind me diving in with my love/hate relationship with the Waldorf Blofeld Keys. I just cant bring myself to let go of it, although sometimes I could hapilly play it with a sledgehammer. It pretty much features in the majority of my tracks. As a sound crafting tool it's deep, very deep. Most critisism has been leveled at its buggy os, but with updates it has become less temperamental. It has its own crazy character with mental filters that sometimes decide to do their own thing but I like that in a way. Its nice feeling keyboard helps and I could lose a whole afternoon tinkering with it.
For the price I deffo think it's well underrated.

[dude163]

what about Nord Micromodulars?