What synth should I buy for funk and prog?

[ian]

The linked video for the King Kong makes a good case for it, while it doesn't quite match up to the analog filters of yore it gets close and the versatility of having nineteen to chose from is pretty dang balls, given that you can probably scoop a KK for a grand or under. Purism vs. Flexibility. That said, the Moog reissues of late look great and for classic funk/prog Moog is it.

[Bitexion]

Yes, when you use the synth musically you're not as anal about the filter response being EXACTLY the same as the original, that stuff gets lost in chords and effects anyway. As he says in the video, it captures the "essence" of the synths it's trying to imitate, and that's enough.

It's extremely rare to have completely isolated filter sweeps in a song, and even rarer for people to sit down and compare the sweep's resonance to their moog modular from 1971..

[Patatoseur]

Thank you guys for you time and your help! I have been trying like crazy this week to get to try a King Korg but no store holds it... It it still very interesting to me but I would really like to try it first. I'm afraid that half the features revolve around piano and instruments that I don't need... Someone told me (and it seems to make sense) that it is like a cheaper Nord Stage 2, which is not really what I need.

Some of you guys mentioned that a Virus could be the way to go? I could get my hands on either a used Snow TI, a B or a C, all for less than 1000$. I would love to get something like a TI or TI2, but hey are really more expensive and I'm not sure I really need all of their features. The Snow and the C seem to be really good for both funk and prog (as well as other styles, of course). I'm wondering if getting a snow TI or a Virus C, maybe coupled with something not too expensive like a DSI Mopho could be the answer for about the same price as a King Korg.

[vladimotor]

For Funk - any synth For funk and prog i would look into Kurzweil or Nord. Kurz - great clavs, eps, strings, organs(depending on a model), thick sounding leads, etc... Nord - great synth stuff plus Nord's pitch stick is awesome for Funk.

[edfunction]

I'd take a look at the Prophet 6, should be able to handle everything synthy that you want. Not sure if it's available yet though...

[Patatoseur]

The Prophet 6 is unfortunately not available yet. But I will look for it. Anything like a Kurz or a Nord (stage, piano, electro) is really nice, but not very needed since my Yamaha CP1 already covers clava, piano and rhodes.

I'm really looking for a leads and pads synth. Anybody had any experience with a Virus C (or KC, as they are the same I think)?

The sounds don't necessarily need to be vintage, as long as they are well suited for prog, funk and fusion, it's fine by me!

[Patatoseur]

Other than the Virus C. Any thoughts on the nord lead? Many people told me to get them as a complementing synth and not as a standalone one. I see a lot of Nord Lead 2 or 2X go around 700$ or so, which is the same price as a Virus C. Are they worth it or are the newer models really worth the extra money?

[Cybercardinal]

I say get a Virus KC. A great synth for little money and easy to resell if you don't like it

[vladimotor]

You've got to try Virus, especially pre-TI. Nords just have a crispier nicer sound. Virus sound got better with TI series, pre-TI models sound muddy to me, i was quite disappointed when i tried KC and Indigo.

[gs]

For classic Funk and Prog, almost any VA (virtual analog) will do the job. I know a lot of people insist on "trying before buying"... but there's very little risk involved in snagging a used VA synth off eBay for like $400 to $600, and trying it out... if you don't like it, just sell it and move on. This is pretty much how I built my keyboard rig. Sure, if you're going to plop down $2500, you should try it first... agreed.

Suggested used VA synths you may want to try out: Korg MS-2000, Roland JP-8000, Alesis Ion, Yamaha AN1X, Nord Lead 1 or 2/2x.

[vladimotor]

Yeah, Yamaha AN1x is a great option too.

[knolan]

The linked video for the King Kong makes a good case for it, while it doesn't quite match up to the analog filters of yore it gets close and the versatility of having nineteen to chose from is pretty dang balls, given that you can probably scoop a KK for a grand or under. Purism vs. Flexibility. That said, the Moog reissues of late look great and for classic funk/prog Moog is it.

This might convert that good case for the King Kong into an excellent case (especially from 5 minuted in!!)

[ian]

I wrote King Kong ... Hahahaha.... Speaking of King Kong, this is how "safety" jazz makes me feel... .....just one man's opinion...but that Korg does sound pretty wicked. Not psyched on the digital reverb the whole band is running thru, I bet the korg sounds better without it.

[ned-ryarson]

Given that some synths are inherently better at producing certain sounds than others, should the question still not be more like "how do I programme vintage leads for funk?", for example, rather than "which synth has these sounds?" My answer to the original question is, there is an endless list of synthesisers capable of producing all the above sounds, if you know how to programme them. Be less concerned with source sounds and presets and more concerned with synthesis and programming.

[vicd]

^^ I'd half-guess that the OP rather aimed at spending his time on actually playing funk and prog, not on programming sounds for playing funk and prog.
At least that's what I hear from "I need something that can dish out some good funk and good prog".

... one probably won't ask F1 pilots to repair and tune their engines; and vice-versa - ask F1 mechanical engineers to drive their products and win races... different métiers, that's it.