Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
Forum rules
READ: VSE Board-Wide Rules and Guidelines
READ: VSE Board-Wide Rules and Guidelines
- synthRodriguez
- Supporting Member!
- Posts: 374
- Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2009 11:46 pm
- Real name: Scott
- Gear: Moog - Roland - Yamaha
- Location: Western Ohio
Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
Simple. Who's the best? You get three votes.
Polling only allows ten slots, so if I left out your favorite, sorry. These guys have stood the test of time.
Left out stuff like the unaffordable Synclavier or more esoteric Gleeman. Just mainstream gear. Would have thrown in Clavia if I'd had another slot.
"The best" means different things to everyone so don't get hung up on that. They all shine in their own right.
Vote whatever's important to YOU. Feel free to spew forth why if you wish.
Picking "the best" and allowing three votes may seem counter-intuitive. For me, the first two are easy picks but I have to think hard about number three. I'll be interested to see who comes in third-place.
Polling only allows ten slots, so if I left out your favorite, sorry. These guys have stood the test of time.
Left out stuff like the unaffordable Synclavier or more esoteric Gleeman. Just mainstream gear. Would have thrown in Clavia if I'd had another slot.
"The best" means different things to everyone so don't get hung up on that. They all shine in their own right.
Vote whatever's important to YOU. Feel free to spew forth why if you wish.
Picking "the best" and allowing three votes may seem counter-intuitive. For me, the first two are easy picks but I have to think hard about number three. I'll be interested to see who comes in third-place.
- balma
- Synth Explorer
- Posts: 2851
- Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 3:52 pm
- Real name: Mauricio
- Gear: DSI Tempest/Prophet 08/Roland V-Synth/Ensoniq Fizmo/E-mu MP7-XL7/Electribe ESX1/Radias/Waldorf MicroQ
- Location: Costa Rica
Re: Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
Just a question:
Does abandoning the business around 30 years ago does not count as a disadvantage?
man, I don't know how to vote, I'm an ignorant slut or does not know the meaning of the word "loyalty" but a company can be my favorite, but if they change their ways like Roland, I would spit on their face and spread hate all over their products...
Does abandoning the business around 30 years ago does not count as a disadvantage?
man, I don't know how to vote, I'm an ignorant slut or does not know the meaning of the word "loyalty" but a company can be my favorite, but if they change their ways like Roland, I would spit on their face and spread hate all over their products...
His sex dungeons are rumored to hold hundreds of people in secret locations around the world.
https://soundcloud.com/balma
https://soundcloud.com/balma
- space6oy
- Moderator
- Posts: 5401
- Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 5:29 am
- Gear: vimpat, citalopram & vitamin D.
- Location: stuck in ohio.
- Contact:
Re: Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
might wanna put a time period on this scottrod... currently? pre-80's? all-time? 's pretty broad. if it's currently i would vote for any of those...
Re: Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
you need to add either
A. more companies
or
B. an other option
I thought I would add, that if you vote for roland you have to include their recent years (and products) in your vote....
Edit: I added a love heart cause I'm just that f**k' bad...
A. more companies
or
B. an other option
I thought I would add, that if you vote for roland you have to include their recent years (and products) in your vote....
Edit: I added a love heart cause I'm just that f**k' bad...
Come on Bennett.... Let's Party!
- balma
- Synth Explorer
- Posts: 2851
- Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 3:52 pm
- Real name: Mauricio
- Gear: DSI Tempest/Prophet 08/Roland V-Synth/Ensoniq Fizmo/E-mu MP7-XL7/Electribe ESX1/Radias/Waldorf MicroQ
- Location: Costa Rica
Re: Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
Yeahhhh I love:

Despite they didn't touch the VA market, they have the best samplers ever, also incredible romplers that can
blow you away with a good programmer behind them
I also does not see the latest companies that are giving a good name to high quality experimental synths. like Jomox, or Radikal, or even the well known ACCESS....
Is so hard to vote for a "label" since I don't care about labels, but about good quality units. I don't like the 180 turns from EMU and Roland, but I love my JP8080, and the command station has no replace on my setup.
Who knows? Maybe Moog will decide to go into the VST market and abandoning analog.... I bet that nobody in the 80ies,could predict the drastic change on EMU.....
And besides, you included a dead company like ARP. So, include Ensoniq too.
Ensoniq synths kick a*s.....

Despite they didn't touch the VA market, they have the best samplers ever, also incredible romplers that can
blow you away with a good programmer behind them
I also does not see the latest companies that are giving a good name to high quality experimental synths. like Jomox, or Radikal, or even the well known ACCESS....
Is so hard to vote for a "label" since I don't care about labels, but about good quality units. I don't like the 180 turns from EMU and Roland, but I love my JP8080, and the command station has no replace on my setup.
Who knows? Maybe Moog will decide to go into the VST market and abandoning analog.... I bet that nobody in the 80ies,could predict the drastic change on EMU.....
And besides, you included a dead company like ARP. So, include Ensoniq too.
Ensoniq synths kick a*s.....
His sex dungeons are rumored to hold hundreds of people in secret locations around the world.
https://soundcloud.com/balma
https://soundcloud.com/balma
- megamanx
- Senior Member
- Posts: 838
- Joined: Tue May 26, 2009 4:39 am
- Gear: nord lead2, roland sh101, yamaha cs5,mono/poly, sub37,Ms20, Chroma polaris,prodigy, esq-1, jx3p
- Band: Thieves & Co.
Re: Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
I can honestly say that I have bought more korg products than any other company. Probably because they make cool affordable usable products. That being said, I have also sold most of those korg products.
-
- Active Member
- Posts: 617
- Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:57 pm
- Gear: Micromoog, JX-3P, Minikorg 700, Z1
- Location: Québec - CANADA
- Contact:
Re: Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
I would not choose a company that produced one or two very great synths in a single category (like ARP or Moog) or a company that went downhill like Roland, even if they produced a lot of great models over the years.
For consistency, I would choose Korg. Maybe they did not came with the very best synths, but it's hard to find very bad models.. and they produced a lot of gear. And I still consider the Z1 the most versatile pure-synthesis-synth.
For consistency, I would choose Korg. Maybe they did not came with the very best synths, but it's hard to find very bad models.. and they produced a lot of gear. And I still consider the Z1 the most versatile pure-synthesis-synth.
Last edited by Scories on Sat Apr 03, 2010 2:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.
- space6oy
- Moderator
- Posts: 5401
- Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 5:29 am
- Gear: vimpat, citalopram & vitamin D.
- Location: stuck in ohio.
- Contact:
Re: Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
Scories wrote:but it's hard to find very bad models..

-
- Active Member
- Posts: 617
- Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:57 pm
- Gear: Micromoog, JX-3P, Minikorg 700, Z1
- Location: Québec - CANADA
- Contact:
Re: Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
I guess I'll have to say lol...
What's that ugly synth? How is that supposed to sound like ??
Looks like the military version of a Fizmo.

What's that ugly synth? How is that supposed to sound like ??
Looks like the military version of a Fizmo.
Last edited by Scories on Sat Apr 03, 2010 2:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- space6oy
- Moderator
- Posts: 5401
- Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 5:29 am
- Gear: vimpat, citalopram & vitamin D.
- Location: stuck in ohio.
- Contact:
Re: Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
retardedly ugly edition of the X50. think they cut the camo pretty quickly.
-
- Junior Member
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:39 pm
Re: Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
Anybody out there know exactly how this happened? Just out of curiosity I'd like to know who's idea this was and how it was pitched.space6oy wrote:Scories wrote:but it's hard to find very bad models..
What WERE they thinking?
- aphlux
- VSE Review Contributor
- Posts: 105
- Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2010 8:36 pm
- Real name: Jeremy
- Gear: Korg Radias/Access Virus C/
Moog Little Phatty/Korg TR Rack (combi)/Roland JP-8080/MS2000R/M3/Juno-106/MD SPS-1 UW MK2 - Band: Hobbyist
- Location: Killeen, TX
- Contact:
Re: Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
Heres what matrixsynth says:
"For a limited time Korg is making available a special camouflage version of the X50. Now add some cool style to your rig while you get the great sounds and features that only an X50 delivers. There are very few of these available in the US so act now to get this sure-to-be collector’s edition version."
"For a limited time Korg is making available a special camouflage version of the X50. Now add some cool style to your rig while you get the great sounds and features that only an X50 delivers. There are very few of these available in the US so act now to get this sure-to-be collector’s edition version."
- anoteoftruth
- Junior Member
- Posts: 112
- Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2010 8:05 am
- Real name: Steven
- Gear: Moog Little Phatty, Moog Voyager RME, Nord Lead Rack, Microkorg, Korg ER-1, Rocktron Banshee Talkbox, Ableton Live, Trigger Finger, GURU, SP-303
- Band: Mr.Marr
- Location: Edmonton, AB. Canada.
- Contact:
Re: Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
Quality over Quantity.
Moog is still my fave. I love Oberheim, Sequential/DSI... but for most of the rest.. their heyday was a long time ago, and I don't really feel like they kept a good thing going.
Seriously Korg? Sure they had some wicked synths back in the day... but when was the last good synth they came out with? I just can't help but think all their VA stuff sounds like crud, and all the digital rompling/workstation c**p is software in a cheap plastic box usually. Something I can imitate usually with software on my Mac.
I loved the MS series, and the Mono/Poly.. but seriously.. microkorg, er series, kaoss pads.. sure i fell into those traps too, but I can't help but feel like they are toys.
I wish to god Roland would pick up there socks and start re-producing their old gear again.
Moog is still my fave. I love Oberheim, Sequential/DSI... but for most of the rest.. their heyday was a long time ago, and I don't really feel like they kept a good thing going.
Seriously Korg? Sure they had some wicked synths back in the day... but when was the last good synth they came out with? I just can't help but think all their VA stuff sounds like crud, and all the digital rompling/workstation c**p is software in a cheap plastic box usually. Something I can imitate usually with software on my Mac.
I loved the MS series, and the Mono/Poly.. but seriously.. microkorg, er series, kaoss pads.. sure i fell into those traps too, but I can't help but feel like they are toys.
I wish to god Roland would pick up there socks and start re-producing their old gear again.
- Hybrid88
- Synth Explorer
- Posts: 2251
- Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:26 am
- Gear: V-Synth, and other stuff...
- Location: Australia
Re: Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
Yeah, Roland is still my fave but I would stop short of saying they should re-release all their old gear - it's all been very well done before. I just wish they would do more projects like the original V-Synth and actually make something that's new and cool and different to the competition. Why do they release stuff like the JunoD and SH-201 and say stuff like "superb synth sounds, imitates retro sounds from the likes of Jupiter-8 / Juno / SH-101 etc, etc." And calling their new series Juno's and SH's, just pathetic really. Roland really need to start making products for actual professionals again and stop f**k around with all this consumer orientated s**t.anoteoftruth wrote:...I wish to god Roland would pick up there socks and start re-producing their old gear again.

- braincandy
- Retired Moderator
- Posts: 940
- Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 7:35 pm
- Location: Dallas, Texas
Re: Poll: Who's the best synth manufacturer.
We've been over this a hundred times. Not going to happen.anoteoftruth wrote:I wish to god Roland would pick up there socks and start re-producing their old gear again.
Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster | Squier CV Duo-Sonic | e6400 Ultra | Blofeld | a bunch of effects