What synth should I buy for funk and prog?

[Patatoseur]

Hi guys!

I need your help. I am looking to buy a new synth since my old one (Korg X3) simply just isn't good enough for me anymore... I need something that can dish out some good funk (think Jamiroquai) and good prog (think Marillion). So I need something that has good leads, pads and bass. I don't need anything closely related to a piano, clav, rhode sound since it is already covered by my Yamaha CP1. So I'm looking for something purely synth. Same goes for electronic instruments like trumpets, guitars, drums and such: I don't need it. A decent organ sound could be useful but will be a bonus.

Here is what is on my list so far:

King Korg
Nord Lead
DSI Prophet 12
Access Virus (TI-TI2-Polar-Snow, etc.)

Do these make sense? Which one should I take? Do you have any other suggestion (in about the same price range as those listed here)?

[yorgatron]

I find my Hohner Clavinet/Pianet Duo works well for both funk and prog.

[Patatoseur]

Thanks for the reply, but as I've written, I have that covered already by the CP1. It really is a synth I'm looking for.

[V301H]

Casio XW-P1 is a complex VA Synth with a separate Tonewheel Organ section.

[yorgatron]

Casio XW-P1 is a complex VA Synth with a separate Tonewheel Organ section.

just the kind of nonsense I would expect from someone who owns a RMI 300A.

[Patatoseur]

The XW-P1 looks good indeed. Am I wrong to assume it seems close to the King Korg?

[yorgatron]

it's actually really good, especially when you consider the price. I gig with mine all the time, and leave the vintage stuff at home where it's safe.

[meatballfulton]

Some flavor of MiniMoog would be my choice. The Model D was heavily used in 70s funk and prog, the Voyager is the modern version.

[Bitexion]

The classic late-prog setup was a polyphonic or hammond + minimoog/cs-15 type dual vco synth on top.
So you could play chord progressions while soloing or just hanging in the background as a blanket for the guitarist.

Early 70s prog setups were usually just a hammond + a solo synth simply because organs were the only polyphonic keyboards available.

[omvibes]

If you are looking for vintage sounds, classic leads and pads, I wouldn't look any further than the King Korg you have already mentioned. It has received mixed reviews, but in reality (I owned one for a while) it has a good broad palette of vintage sounds dialled in (plus a couple of extra packs available from the Korg website), is ultra-light and practical to carry around, not the greatest of keybeds, but everything else is great, and the sounds are pretty spot on. Yes, there are other better individual vintage-style modules (I have a Creamware minimax and pro 12 for Minimoog and Prophet 5 sounds respectively, which is why the King Korg went), but for a one-stop solution for vintage sounds (with added organ as well, and mellotron to a limited degree) the Kk is the best around at the moment imho, a real players' synth.

If you are looking for modern sounds, then a Virus TI (synth or module) is the industry standard at the monent, you can't go wrong with it really. Does cover vintage stuff, but it's not it's focus. Fantastic multi set-ups are possible, individual effects etc. Don't skimp by choosing a TI snow, go for the full module or synth, much more comprehensive to use.

Forget the Nord Lead and Prophet 12, and pretty much everything else, the King korg or the Virus are your best choices, depending on what exactly you need, again imo.

Another way to go might be getting an Ipad and loading up the numerous synths available through that medium, eg imini, isem, Galileo organ, Nave, Sunrizer etc. I have that set up as well, and it's good for playing individual sounds, although not great if you need multi-sound set ups or something complex.

[ppg_wavecomputer]

How can you do prog without a Mellotron?

Emu VIntage Keys, perhaps?

Stephen

[meatballfulton]

Of the synths you listed, I would take the Prophet.

[seamonkey]

I vote for the King Korg. I love mine, and I think it's a highly underated and overlooked synth.
Some of that I believe is due to the fact it came out when a bunch of other new gear was released at NAMM and it was overlooked, also I believe many were turned off by the silly name.
It is a deep synth but quite easy to come up with your own patches.
Some of the sounds and technology come from the Korg SV-1.

Mitch Sigman did a great review on the filter models used and they get pretty damn close to the real thing when compared.
If I had to compare it to any analog synth of the past it would be the Oberheim keyboards. You can get some big powerful sizzling pad sounds out of it. Of course I've never had an OB or any other Oberheim but I've heard enough demos and songs to kind of get a comparison.
It's FUN to play, a joy to program, and it looks sexy as h**l.

I got mine used when it was only 6 months old for only $850USD. Arrived looking new and still had that new synth smell. lol

My song Madness is posted in the Listening Lounge and is all Korg King Korg except for some Moog Voyager in the intro and a track playing bass in the background and Addictive Drums. The rest is King Korg, mostly my own patches with a couple of preset patches thrown in here and there.

[Bitexion]

That video made me want a .com modular system more than a King Korg

[seamonkey]

Had a dot.com for about a year, really enjoyed it.
Had the suitcase(portable) version almost filled, including the STG Soundlabs Post Lawsuit Arp 4072 Filter clone.http://stgsoundlabs.com/products/post_l ... ter_mu.htm
Loved the sound, but unfortunately I had a very small room for my studio at the time. Plus it had no wall as you walked from the kitchen to the living room area.
And all you could see were all these quarter inch jacks and cables sticking out all over the place.
So, it had to go bye bye.
Watching the vid and since you pointed it out, I miss that great dot.com modular sound. (Le Sigh).
But it did help me fund my Emulator II+HD