Ay up, mate.
Your thread is almost the same as mine:
http://www.vintagesynth.com/forum/viewt ... 19&t=63088
Except you are including digital synths in your search, and this gives you loads more options than what I found. Although if you want a sound like the Dark Energy then you will have to stick to analogue (especially to avoid menus and multi-function knobs), and as you can see from my thread there are not many options.
I would recommend you ditch one parameter in your search, namely that it has to be a rack/desktop. This way you get to choose among some truly great analogue polysynths which are all one-knob-per-function and in unison mode are capable of sounding just like your Dark Energy (more powerful even), and in poly mode are capable of all the lushness you'll ever need.
My top two would be the Sequential Circuits Prophet-600 and the Korg Polysix. No menus, no multi-function stuff...just loads of knobs that do exactly what they say they do.
The Prophet already has midi, the Polysix can be retro-fitted. Apart from the size both synths perfectly match your description. Be aware of the following issues before paying your money:
- Prophet: ask the seller to confirm all the buttons work (to save patches etc).
- Polysix: ask the seller to confirm if the original battery has been replaced.
- both synths: ask for a basic audio demo to satisfy you that both sound ok.
I may hunt for a Prophet myself, at the moment I have two Polysixes. If you are interested in how I make them sound, see here (except tracks 7 & 9 which are Virus KB):
http://dholl.bandcamp.com/album/seeds
