Synths and You (the collection of opinions)

[JJQ]

My first visit here in years

1) The synth that made you want to play music:

TB-303

2) Your first synth:

Juno-6

3) The synth that has surprised you most:

Like above, the Minimoog Model-D. It's so addictive.

4) The synth that has disappointed you most:

Never get dissapointed

5) The synth you love most:

Roland Jupiter-8

6) The synth you've gigged with the most:

Havent gigged enough to say.

7) THE synth you really would like to own:

EMS Synthi

8) Your newest synth:

Alpha Juno 2

9) The next synth you are going to buy:

Dont know. GAS all over...

10) The synth with the best filter:

Minimoog

11) Favorite synth manufacturer:

Roland (old stuff)

[jxalex]

[quote="Jabberwalky"]Questions:
1) The synth that made you want to play music:
All of them, even the samples. However I began with piano, accordion and then with trackers

2) Your first synth:
Kawai K4 for a once
ROland MKS-50 then

3) The synth that has surprised you most:
Yamaha FM-synthesis DX7, DX7mkII series !!! However the every crappy PC soundcard had FM synthesis chip, it is nothing if comparing to DX7 synth itself.

4) The synth that has disappointed you most:
Roland Juno-G, Roland Jupiter-80,
Roland Integra-7

5) The synth you love most:
Roland Jupiter MKS-80

6) The synth you've gigged with the most:
Have not gigged so many times. Just once with Korg X5DR and Yamaha AN1x

7) THE synth you really would like to own:
CMI Fairlight

8) Your newest synth:
Yamaha TX81z

9) The next synth you are going to buy:

just bought??

10) The synth with the best filter:
All of them...?

11) Favorite synth manufacturer:
Roland and Sequential Circuits for analog synthesizers.
Yamaha for FM synthesis
Korg for PCM ROM sounds.

[oneofthegooddays]

1) The synth that made you want to play music:
--------------

2) Your first synth:
Yamaha AN1X

3) The synth that has surprised you most:
Yamaha AN1X

4) The synth that has disappointed you most:
Yamaha AN200

5) The synth you love most:
Tie between AN1X and Waldorf Microwave XT

6) The synth you've gigged with the most:
-------------

7) THE synth you really would like to own:
---------------
8) Your newest synth:
Waldorf Blofeld KB

9) The next synth you are going to buy:
Vermona Perfourmer MkII or some modular

10) The synth with the best filter:
----------------

11) Favorite synth manufacturer:
Waldorf

[spookyman]

1) The synth that made you want to play music:
It was not a synth, but the acoustic piano.

2) Your first synth:
Roland D-50 in the end of the 80's.

3) The synth that has surprised you most:
MFB Dominion I

4) The synth that has disappointed you most:
Roland Jupiter 6

5) The synth you love most:
Oberheim OBX

6) The synth you've gigged with the most:
Roland Juno 60 (with a good case...)

7) THE synth you really would like to own:
Yamaha CS-80

8) Your newest synth:
DSI Prophet 6

9) The next synth you are going to buy:
None.

10) The synth with the best filter:
MFB Dominion 1 and ARP 2600

11) Favorite synth manufacturer:
Oberheim

[moodorf]

1) The synth that made you want to play music:

Uhm, FruityLoops 3 was the first thing that got me into composing. It's like the gateway drug to composing, look out!

2) Your first synth:

Roland Juno 106. A voice chip died almost immediately, but I didn't care, I was so happy with it.

3) The synth that has surprised you most:

Probably my little phatty, the filter is just unreal and the sound is so powerful. It never "Got old" or less impressive in the 8 years I've had it....it needs to be fixed though

4) The synth that has disappointed you most:

I never bought one, but when I finally got the chance to play the MiniMoog Voyager I remember it not living up to the hype in my head. It sounded great and everything, but I don't know why I expected it to be more than a couple little phatties stack on top of one another (figuratively speaking) I think my expectations were too high.

The most disappointing synth I've owned was an Cyclone-analogic TT-303 I bought last year. I actually thought I would be ok with the limitations of what is essentially the TB303's interface with some tweaks, because I had enjoyed Propellerhead's Rebirth. I was wrong, man did I not like it and I had a bad time using that interface on a hardware synth. It would be fair to say that all of this isn't Cyclone Analogic's fault since they're just trying to be as faithful to the real thing as possible.


5) The synth you love most:

My little Phatty or my Prophet 08, I miss my Juno 106 though

6) The synth you've gigged with the most:

I've never gigged

7) THE synth you really would like to own:

I'd say it's a toss up between a Minimoog, PPG wave, Roland SH-101, Hartman Neuron, and the new Oberheim Two Voice KB

8) Your newest synth:

Ensoniq SQ80, got it for free, sort of....it's a long story.

9) The next synth you are going to buy:

I was thinking about getting a modern $1k VCO analog Monosynth to replace my LP if it really is shot, something simple but powerful and maybe semi-modular like the "new" Oberheim SEM Pro.

10) The synth with the best filter:

I could answer this in a thousand ways, but I'll just leave it at "I'm still lookin for it, baby "

11) Favorite synth manufacturer:

Used to be moog until I realized how expensive their customer service is. On the other hand, I recently had to send a circuitboard with a broken knob to Dave Smith Instruments and they were flipping awesome and reasonable compared to moog. So based purely upon how well they treat their customers, I'd say DSI.

[SquareWave]

Questions:
1) The synth that made you want to play music: Moog modular. Listening to what Carlos could do with it and marveling at Keith Emerson’s wall of death…

2) Your first synth: Korg DW8000. Lots of people like this synth, but I never got on with it… My second synth, was the Roland D-50, which is the one I really loved, and for me, makes it my first real synth...

3) The synth that has surprised you most: Roland MT-32. The first time I heard it, I couldn’t believe the sounds that came out of it…

4) The synth that has disappointed you most: Roland D-110. I was thinking it would be an upgraded MT-32 or a single rack D-50. Lame sound and interface!

5) The synth you love most: Lately, the Access Virus Ti-2 has been my favorite. Such a well made instrument, the keys are the finest I have ever felt, and the sounds that come out of it… Brilliant!

6) The synth you've gigged with the most: I am a bass player, never gigged with a synth.

7) THE synth you really would like to own: Oberheim Two Voice Pro, in black. I really want one, but I just don’t have the space for it right now…

8) Your newest synth: Arturia Matrixbrute just arrived!

9) The next synth you are going to buy: Probably a SEM Pro because I want the Oberheim sound, but I can’t accommodate a Two Voice. I have been thinking about a DSI OB-6, but I really want that true SEM authenticity and the CV capability...

10) The synth with the best filter: Well, really you cant go wrong with a Moog. Then again, the Steiner-Parker is all kinds of dirty – in a good way! Not to mention the SEM... Seriously, there is no best, they are just different...

11) Favorite synth manufacturer: DSI is doing so many good things these days. Collaboration is rare, but it seems to be their strength…

[elsongs]

1) The synth that made you want to play music:
It wasn't one synth, but watching Nick Rhodes play synths in early Duran Duran music videos made me think, "Man that is so cool. I want to play synthesizers!" All of my siblings and I took piano lessons, but I was the only one who really wanted to take them.

2) Your first synth:
Yamaha DX7 (Mk I), Christmas 1985.

3) The synth that has surprised you most:
Ensoniq ESQ-1. I never owned one, but I played in a band in the late '80s-early '90s where I also played some gear owned by the lead singer's manager, the ESQ-1 being one of them. Was surprised at the analog sounds it had and how it could do both digital and analog sounds.

4) The synth that has disappointed you most:
Roland U-220. The sounds were okay but the MIDI latency response got on my nerves. Honorable Mention: Casio CZ-101. Bought it as a bass synth mostly, but I never liked how the sound re-triggers every time a parameter is changed while holding down notes.

5) The synth you love most:
DX7. Sentimental reasons.

6) The synth you've gigged with the most:
Dunno if it qualifies as a synth, but it's my Nord Electro 2. My main keyboard for the past 12 years.

7) THE synth you really would like to own:
Roland Jupiter-8.

8) Your newest synth:
Roland TB-03.

9) The next synth you are going to buy:
Dunno, but the DSI Rev2 has caught my attention.

10) The synth with the best filter:
Minimoog.

11) Favorite synth manufacturer:
Tie: Roland/Yamaha.

[atlantida]

1) The synth that made you want to play music:
All the analog stuff I've seen in the magazines in the eighties, especially Jupi 8.

2) Your first synth:
Roland D50

3) The synth that has surprised you most:
Yammy AN1X, a poor man's Jupi 6, lol. I just laughed at the hype and I thought I had to try it and indeed, it's one of the sweetest synths out there for that money. Love the small mod strip too.

4) The synth that has disappointed you most:
Roland V-XT. I've tested that in the local shop many times but after I bought it I thought it sounded extremely "plastic", I just couldn't believe it, my Motif rack sounded more natural than the V-XT. (The D50 part of it was great though)

5) The synth you love most:
I couldn't afford the vintage Jupi line so I keep my humble AN1X.

6) The synth you've gigged with the most:
---

7) THE synth you really would like to own:
Maybe a Jupi 8.

8) Your newest synth:
---

9) The next synth you are going to buy:
I stopped buying synths after testing a lot of them, with the excellent VSTs you don't need so many.

10) The synth with the best filter:
The Moogs? Or the Jupi 8 of course.

11) Favorite synth manufacturer:
I think it's Yammy. Earlier I liked Roland.

[Mesmerised]

1) The synth that made you want to play music:

Only partly a synth: I had always dreamed about the Fairlight CMI which to my teenage thoughts was THE deam machine that did all these wonderful sound I heard from Depeche Mode, Howard Jones, Art of Noise and Yello. I only learned later how few of these sounds really came from the Fairlight and the fact that they sounded so great involved A LOT of genius audio mixing ability... But one of the first things I had was a Yamaha VSS-30, the mini sampler and it was a lot of fun!

2) Your first synth:

I wouldn't count the Yamaha Keyboards - my first real Synth was the D-10 and I loved it.

3) The synth that has surprised you most:

Probably was the MS-20. So much fun and so many strange sound this thing can make albeit not looking like something much.

4) The synth that has disappointed you most:

The Korg 03r/w. A nightmare to edit, faulty SysEx implementation, Phase problems, general bad quality of sound that is pretty much hidden by lots of FX, a real pretender.
On the other hand there's the Virus TI which replaced my loved Virus b. Only massive problems and crashes when it came out, clock-sync and latency problems until the end. I loved the Virus once, but I really don't want to touch it anymore. (must be conditioning: I remember the screeching "Satan Saw" when it crashed while going full output volume. A panicking cat exploding in your lap can add to the experience and leaves you behind bleeding not only out of the ears...)

5) The synth you love most:

That'll be the Minimoog - it just puts a smile on my face each time I hear it. Of course I also very much like my DIY-Modular based on MFOS-Stuff. (Kudos to the late Ray Wilson!)

6) The synth you've gigged with the most:

Haven't been gigging much but at the time it was the Juno-106.

7) THE synth you really would like to own:

Probably the Oberheim OB-Xa since I'm cured a bit of my Moog IIIc lust after having built my own DYI modular.

8) Your newest synth:

A DIY Arp 2600 clone, the TTSH. Completed with DIY 1601 sequencer clone (Thanks, Kipling!)

9) The next synth you are going to buy:

Thinking about the Behringer DM12... That thing sounds lush and nice.

10) The synth with the best filter:

MI Ambika SMRII edition. (I'd have said Minimoog, but I don't want to be too boring...)

11) Favorite synth manufacturer:

Mutable Instruments
I'd really go for their modules if I'll ever fall to the Eurocrack addiction. But I'm avoiding that route - I know why...

[MeneerJansen]

What a nice topic for my first post!

1) The synth that made you want to play music:
VCS3 (on Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side Of The Moon' - "On the run").

2) Your first synth:
Virtual: Minimoog, physical: Korg Monotron Delay (well, I don't count that a real synth), Korg Volca Keys.

3) The synth that has surprised you most:
Minimoog (70's Funk, Fred Wesley & The JB's "Blow your head" featuring James Brown on Minimoog (link))

4) The synth that has disappointed you most:
Yamaha DX-7 (I'm old enough to have consciously lived in the eighties, unfortunately; I was growing up as a teenager then; hated music from "my time" until I (re)discovered everything seventies).

5) The synth you love most:
Minimoog

6) The synth you've gigged with the most:
None I'm afraid...

7) THE synth you really would like to own:
Minimoog or a Moog Sub Phatty which is almost a Minimoog, be it for approx 900 Euro.

8) Your newest synth:
Korg Monologue

9) The next synth you are going to buy:
One w/ a 24 dB filter!

10) The synth with the best filter:
Minimoog

11) Favorite synth manufacturer:
Moog


P.S. I do not actually own some of the synth that I love or hate. I don't own nor have I ever owned a Minimoog or a DX-7.

[MOS-FET]

1) The synth that made you want to play music: Oberheim OB-X so many great songs!

2) Your first synth: Yamaha DX 11 cause it was cheap and I was too young to have any funds of any significance.

3) The synth that has surprised you most: Chroma Polaris - It sounds really fantastic and different (in a good way)

4) The synth that has disappointed you most: Yamaha DX 7ii - sounded good when I played one in the late 80's, but I got one in 2014 and it didn't make me feel the same as it did in the 80's.

5) The synth you love most: Jupiter 6 - it doesn't sound as good as my Andromeda and some of my others but, it is more fun to play with and program.

6) The synth you've gigged with the most: Korg M1 - only cause I gigged more in the early 90's and that was the mainstay of that time.

7) THE synth you really would like to own: Sequential Prophet VS

8) Your newest synth: My latest purchase is a Roland D50. My newest as in Production date would be my Modal Electronics 008

9) The next synth you are going to buy: FutureSonus Parva - I'm adventuring into desktops.

10) The synth with the best filter: The synth with the best sounding filter that I have owned is either the OB-Xa or the Sub 37. But I really like the DOTCOM filters, the Andromedas and the Modal 008 multi filters as well.

11) Favorite synth manufacturer: I've owned more Rolands than any other manufacturer, but I prefer the Dave Smith/Sequential.

[rhino]

I seem to remember this (or similar) before, so don't expect any burst of insight.



) The synth that made you want to play music:
Played piano and organ since a kid, but it was SOB that got the synth gassing in me.

2) Your first synth:
Ensoniq SQ-80

3) The synth that has surprised you most:
The SQ-80. even after 30 years, I still find new surprises.

4) The synth that has disappointed you most:
Roland SH-201. c**p toy.

5) The synth you love most:
Next to the SQ80, the Ensoniq TS-12, then Yamaha SY99

6) The synth you've gigged with the most:
Alesis Quadrasynth

7) THE synth you really would like to own:
Working DK Synergy (got the Kaypro II ready!)

8) Your newest synth:
The last NEW synth i bought was the Alesis QS
The last used synth was a Korg Poly-61

9) The next synth you are going to buy:
No way to tell untill I find it!

10) The synth with the best filter:
The filter is just one small part of a synth, not a big thing. The Kurzweill digital filters have some cool features.
11) Favorite synth manufacturer:
Don't have one, but I give Korg credit for bringing back the ARP line

[raycastile]

1) The synth that made you want to play music: I didn't know what it was at the time, but the sounds of the Yamaha CS-80 made me say "I want to do that!" The Prophet 5 was also influential.

2) Your first synth: Yamaha DX21, unless you count the Casio VL-Tone.

3) The synth that has surprised you most: Novation MoroderNova.

4) The synth that has disappointed you most: DX21

5) The synth you love most: If you mean synths that I actually own, the Yamaha CS-60. Though I also love my old D50 and M1 that I've had since college.

6) The synth you've gigged with the most: I've never gigged.

7) THE synth you really would like to own: Yamaha CS-80, of course. A Prophet 5 rev. 2 would be nice. So would a Jupiter 8. I don't think any of those are coming my way anytime soon.

8) Your newest synth: The last one I bought was the CS-60. The newest one in terms of release date is the Yamaha Reface CP.

9) The next synth you are going to buy: If I ever have any money again...It depends if I buy another vintage synth or a modern one. I'm very interested in the Dave Smith REV2. Also interested in the P6. Something by Dave Smith is very likely. If I buy a vintage synth...I'm very interested in the Roland Juno 6/60. I really like the Roland RS-505 string machine.

10) The synth with the best filter: The Yamaha CS-50/60/80.

11) Favorite synth manufacturer: Roland. I have a D50 and an XP-30. I used to own a Roland multitrack recorder and a Roland mixer. I'd love to own a Jupiter and a Juno, plus a Roland string machine.

[mis psiquicios y yo]

All right, here's me:

1) The synth that made you want to play music: Not exactly a synth, a sampler, Emu II played by depeche mode

2) Your first synth: proper synth a Korg 707, my father also bought me a SQD-1. I was very happy with that combo

3) The synth that has surprised you most: Yamaha DX9, bought it for nothing, and made some awesome sounds

4) The synth that has disappointed you most: non of them, i always find pleassure discovering synths

5) The synth you love most: Moog Source

6) The synth you've gigged with the most: Ensoniq SQ 80

7) THE synth you really would like to own: EMS Synthi AKS, there's no other like that

8) Your newest synth: OP-1 teenage engineering

9) The next synth you are going to buy: Maybe a Korg monologue but, I'm hot for the Elektron Digitak too, so who knows

10) The synth with the best filter: From what I have own, the Moog Sonic VI.

11) Favorite synth manufacturer: Korg (because is so vast)

[knolan]

1) The synth that made you want to play music:
OBXA and CS40M

2) Your first synth:
CASIO CT1000P

3) The synth that has surprised you most:
OASYS

4) The synth that has disappointed you most:
Nord Lead 2 (because of it's awful program saving and selection process only - I still don't get it! (love the sound though).

5) The synth you love most:
CS40M / Juno106 / MonoPoly / SY77 / JD800 / CS80 - all equally. They'll be cremated with me one day

6) The synth you've gigged with the most:
MonoPoly

7) THE synth you really would like to own:
OBXA / Matrix 12 / Fairlight CMI / Emulator 2 / PPG 2.3 / Waldorf Wave / Model 15 / System 55 / Jupiter 8 - all equally - sorry - can't split them

8) Your newest synth:
Minimoog Model D (New)

9) The next synth you are going to buy:
Moog Sub37 and Arturia MatrixBrute

10) The synth with the best filter:
Minimoog

11) Favorite synth manufacturer:
Yamaha