I'm looking to buy an old analog synth to supplement my Nord

[stropko]

I have a Nord Electro 2, and I'm looking for something to reproduce those old synth sounds. I need some sort of polyphony (though 4 voices should be fine). I think the Korg Mono/Poly looks like a good choice..what do you think?

[JMP]

If you want polyphony forget the Mono/poly, it's too restrictive in that department but is h**l of a mono and so gives good bass/leads.

If you wanting to play pads, four voices are too few as the release will only cut out when you change chords. Six is an absolute minimum, eight preferable.

Maybe more specific in 'those old synth sounds' you're looking for. Also, whats your budget? This will narrow down your options dramatically.

[stropko]

I'm trying to stay on the cheap side...under 700 dollars. Old synth sounds from 70's music...like when I was thinking that I was thinking old Who songs with synth (Won't Get Fooled Again, Baba O'Reilly), old Floyd, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake and Palmer (you may have to look them up), etc. There may be nothing available, but I thought I'd check.

[OriginalJambo]

The Mono/Poly is awesome. It isn't really fully polyphonic, but the "poly" mode does have its uses.

It does have a great filter, musical sync and cross modulation and despite what some people may say about weak oscillators it has more than enough balls for an analogue mono IMO. It's also rather flexible and considering what SH-101s are going for it's a steal if you can find one for $700.

However if you need poly in the traditional sense the Mono/Poly definitely falls short.

[Z]

If your budget is $700, your choices for "good" polyphonic analog synths will be limited. When I say good, I mean 2 oscillators per voice for unison detuning and cross modulation.

The Prophet 600 would probably be your best (and only dual osc poly) choice for $700 and under. A buddy of mine (OMNI26 here on VSE) has one for sale and is bringing it to my furniture shop tomorrow so I can photograph it with my studio lights.

My first "real" synth was an Akai AX-60 back in the late 80's. It's a single osc poly, but has a lot of geat features like keyboard splits & arpeggiator. Many here on VSE complain that that the filter is too harsh and agressive. I have recommended this synth numerous times here on VSE and I have had many nostalgic feelings when doing so (had to sell it mid 90's when money was low). AX-60's sell for $300 - $400 these days.

Another good started analog poly is the Roland Juno 106. It's also a single osc poly, but has a very intuitive layout and great for learning basic subtractive synthesis. Because of certain sounds these synths generate that are popular in dance music, the JU-106's fetch a bit more: $400 - $600.

Other budget analog polys include SCI's MultiTrack and SixTrack. Roland JX-3P, JX-8P & JX-10 offer dual DCO's.

If you can scrape together another $500, you might be ale to score a Roland Jupiter 6. Highly overshadowed by its big brother, Jupiter 8, the JP-6 has a lot of bang for the buck and features the JP-8 lack such as a multi-mode filter, multiple waveform selection for oscillators that go to 32' (16' on JP-8), SOLO UNISON MODE with detune knob and basic MIDI (but can be brought into 21st Century with Synthcom's Europa upgrade).

Best of luck!

[SynthiChris]

I dont know how much it is but any VCS3 would work well, EMS Synthi A and EMS VCS3, and the Synthi E

[Z]

I'm trying to stay on the cheap side...under 700 dollars.

I dont know how much it is but any VCS3 would work well, EMS Synthi A and EMS VCS3, and the Synthi E

Tell me where to get any of those EMS synths for under $700 and I'll take a dozen!

[stropko]

After careful consideration I figure I can spend a little more. Let's say 1000-1200. Also, I think six voice polyphony (I think that's the technical term...what I mean by that is being able to play six keys at the same time) will suffice. Does that broaden it up?

[Joey]

After careful consideration I figure I can spend a little more. Let's say 1000-1200. Also, I think six voice polyphony (I think that's the technical term...what I mean by that is being able to play six keys at the same time) will suffice. Does that broaden it up?

if you can stretch it even more i'd say get a prophet 08 module for 1500

but for 1200 youre not likely to find much with two oscs outside of a prophet 600, or roland JX, which are great synths in themselves, and they will save you A LOT of cash.

[crystalmsc]

six voice polyphony

the JX8P got six voices, the JX10/MKS-70 would allow six fingers with two oscs each, for way less than the budget. you can even get a nice electric piano sound using 12 voices of the later.

[JSRockit]

I dont know how much it is but any VCS3 would work well, EMS Synthi A and EMS VCS3, and the Synthi E

Only about 10 times his budget...

[shaft9000]

Korg Polysix
Sequential Prophet 600
Roland Juno 6, 60
MKS 50, 70 (rackmount)
JX3-P, JX-8P, JX-10

i list the Polysix 1st because it is the closest to a 70's poly. Unfortunately a fully working 70's poly is going to be HUGE and much more expensive. The 80's synths use more IC's so are lighter, smaller and (arguably) more reliable.

all of the above are great for various apps. research and decide which one appeals to you, then hunt it down!

[Taxidermy]

Prophet six trak comes to mind.

[Ian S]

Another one to consider, if you don't mind not having knobs, is the Korg DW-8000, which you can pick up very cheaply. OK, so the oscillators aren't strictly analogue, using sampled waveforms, but the rest of it's analogue, and it was good enough for Keith Emerson...