What Synth has the most Mojo?

[Rokk]

I had Doepfer Dark Energy mk1 and sold it (BIIIIG mistake). Plenty of mojo, especially in PWM department. Best PWM I've ever heard. I want to get that thing back!
Yamaha SY1 also has some serious mojo. A funky machine
Recently I played Arturia Minibrute. Definitely lots of mojo there.

[max badwan]

I've been thinking about this for a while, and I've decided it all depends on the time frame you look at.
In the late 70's, it would have been the Prophet 5.
Early 80's, it would have been the DX 7.
Late 80's, the D 50.
Early 90's, the M 1.
Mid/late 90's, it was the Kawai K5000.
There's a gap between then and now, I know.
But if I had to be pinned down to one, as of today, it would be the Super JX. It's the one synth I own that I've never been tempted to sell. I still regularly use it, and when I do, I get lost in the sound.

[chimney chop]

have to disagree with you there Max.

it's more about a personal connection that borders on mystical.

those are all great synths but when you feel a deep resonance with an instrument it's something that defies explanation.

it's akin to love.

not about who's literally the best synth/man/woman in the world at any given time it's just that for whatever reason this particular________ speaks to you more than the rest.

you can try to quantify the pros and cons but in the end that kind of thinking just washes away.

[phesago]

I think ive pretty much loved every synth ive spent more than an hour with, with the exception of the ms20. Its was a great synth but for some reason i had an over all "meh" feeling. Every thing i patched with it, i needed more than 1 voice... And i cant afford a ps-xxxxx. So its not that i didnt like it...

Any who, to answer your question directly- the pro 1. Dayuuuuum. Too bad no memory :'(

[max badwan]

have to disagree with you there Max.

it's more about a personal connection that borders on mystical.

those are all great synths but when you feel a deep resonance with an instrument it's something that defies explanation.

it's akin to love.

not about who's literally the best synth/man/woman in the world at any given time it's just that for whatever reason this particular________ speaks to you more than the rest.

you can try to quantify the pros and cons but in the end that kind of thinking just washes away.

I've posted in response to original question:
"So...what synth that you have played have you just sort of "melded" with very quickly? What's been the most intuitive instrument that has given you a more-than-aesthetic experience, where you feel that the instrument is just an extension of yourself? "
and given a considered response. I'm not sure what there is to disagree with.
If you can read more into it than "I love my Super JX, but in the past I've really loved the others", I apologise if my written communication skills are sub par.

[Swayze]

Not sure what chimney's smokin, but you have every right to your own opinion. There are no right or wrong answers in a thread like this...

Personally, I'd have to go with my humble JX3P. It's pretty flexible for cheap 80's analog, has tons of character and certainly feels like an extension of myself.

It's already a great synth but I think I'll be treating it (and myself) to a Kiwi upgrade soon.

[max badwan]

Swayze, the Kiwi upgrade would make the 3P even more awesomer.
Having played synths for nearly forty years, I really considered my response, and limited it to synths I have owned, or had regular use of - honourable mentions should have gone to the following: Prophet T8, Oberheim Xpander, Yamaha TX 816, Ensoniq ESQ 1/SQ 80 and Emu Emax SE, all of which have passed through my hands, but the Super JX, in my case the MKS 70, is the one I've kept and used for over 25 years. I suspect that all bar one of my favourites is digital may be the source of chimneys' disagreement, but I'm of the vintage when digital WAS better.

[Swayze]

You've played some amazing synths in those 40 years Max. I'd love to get my hands on a Prophet 5 or T8, damn. But yeah, a kiwi-3p would be tits, just need to convince myself to install the mod without professional help and pray I don't kill the best synth friend I've ever had.

I think Chimney was really just suggesting you limit your response to the ONE synth you truly felt a connection with and hearing about all your other ex's was beside the point...but who cares? If YOU think they have mojo, that's all that matters.

[tomorrowstops]

damn it....answering this type of question always makes me regret things I've sold.

I've liked a lot of synths I've had, but the extra special ones are the Prophet 5 and Voyager OS. Most recently, I had the same feelings towards the CS50. All three are gone though.

The only girl that has stuck around (and will forever) is my Rhodes.

I'm still honeymooning with the modular, but its definitely caught my attention in the 'lost-in-it-for-hours' kinda way!

[moremagic]

something about setting mg 1 to a mid audio rate and cranking the res on the mono/poly always makes me feel at home. i rarely even play polyphonically, i mostly even ignore the keyboard and just turn knobs for hours.
running it through a delay or three is always fun and the moog lpf adds a warmth that is absent just plugging headphones straight into the back, but that closer connection feels so strong that ill often play it dry!

[zoomtheline]

There are two synths that I own that I instantly fell in love and felt a connection with. The Welson Syntex and the Teisco110f. They just have "something". I like (and some I love) all the synths I own and gotten rid of the stuff I was not fussed about.
But if I was working on something synthy I usually try and incorporate specific synths, i'll force myself to try and get use out of the JP4 but i'll always turn the two above on just incase and definitely for layering.

[computron]

For me on a personal level for a synth I own it's the Kawai SX240. The reasons are because to me it feels alive and because its sound inspired me to actually play play my synths.

good second runner up is the jx3p. I have a jx8p as well but there is just something special about the 3ps sound I use it a lot.

For a synth I never had but played once the Jupiter 4. The Arpp is mind blowing to my ears and soul

[iphoenix]

Now it would be my Prophet VS , followed closely by my JX10, & J6.
Special mention to the SH101 that I used to have (& wish I still had )for instant mojo.

[HideawayStudio]

Without a shadow of a doubt for me it has to be the classic Minimoog...

(especially the early discrete oscillator models)

Every time I fire my beast up (a 1976 model) it leaves an uncontrollable grin on my face.

It isn't just the sound (which is f'ing gorgeous!).. its the way the thing interacts with you at every level which is why I think so many people who have only heard them maybe don't quite get it. The discrete envelope generators are so primitive that they react in a very subtle way to playing style and after a while you learn how to use this to good effect. You can literally play the same notes over and over but depending on how you release them and key up the next the shape of the envelopes change with you.

The user interface is also a thing of beauty - so deceptively simple. Aside from the usual screaming leads and earth shattering bass I've produced some beautiful bell timbres with the model D.

[crystalmsc]

For me it's the MS-20m for almost anything, from leads, basses, percussive and fx. But for a pure - simple bass it's the Microcon 2, Hard Bass: Pulse+, DCO Polysynth: MKS-70, Hybrid: Evolver.