Best hardware synth on Reddit
282 reviews from r/synthesizers, r/edmproduction, r/dnbproduction and 9 more subreddits
282 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Korg
4.3
(50)
"It has been incredibly intuitive to get started."
"As many have, I’d also recommend the Minilogue XD by Korg as a first hardware synth."
"From the ones listed, absolutely get the Minilogue XD."
"Korg Kronos"
"Definitely a Minilogue XD."
"My arp odyssey"
"Opsix with its Randomize button, you don't even need to turn the knobs"
"Minilogue (not XD) or Prologue has been an absolute gem of a machine."
"Wavestate or Modwave .... perfect for that and movies."
"Modern digital synths like the Opsix of Hydrasynth are hard to beat"
#2
Arturia
4.2
(31)
"Who doesn’t want an Arturia Polybrute 12 or Moog One?"
"Got a minifreak last year and I don't regret it."
"MiniFreak all the way."
"Polybrute would be my suggestion after all of the everything in its place challenges it was the best sounding to me."
"I’d get a polybrute."
"I strongly recommend the MS-20 / Microfreak combo."
"The arturia minibrute is for sub bass. No one ever gives it love."
"ΜFreak."
"The microbrute was my first synth and I still love it."
"Minifreak. Tons of depth without being overly complex."
#3
Sequential
4.9
(23)
"But you said you want a poly, so Sequential Take 5 is my vote, it really does just sound great."
"Prophet rev2"
"Current version of the Prophet 10."
"My prophet 10 because it covers a lot of ground and is simple to use."
"Personally I like the Prophet Rev2."
"I have a take 5 and its great for high energy boss fight type music."
"Check Luke Neptune's Funk & disco patch bank for the Rev2."
"I’m really surprised you can’t find great leads with the Rev 2."
"I ended up going with the Prophet Rev2!"
"Prophet rev2, hands down. it's insanely versatile."
#4
Novation
4.3
(24)
"Novation Peak or Summit: wide palette and hard to make sound bad."
"If you have the cash or can find a good one used, Bass Station II all the way."
"Bass station ii for that use."
"Bass Station 2"
"I know you said analog, but consider the Novation Summit. It’s a hybrid synth with digital 'Oxford' oscillators."
"Novation ultranova is a really amazing synth for the price."
"If you’re for an analog type of synth, look at the Novation Peak or Summit."
"It’s really nice layed out and has a lot of modulation options."
"Probably the Novation Peak"
"It would be my Novation Summit."
#5
Moog
4.6
(21)
"I use the moog minitaur and it sounds great"
"Moog Minitaur always takes me straight to electro land:)"
"Moog matriarch dark, it's the only synth I think I ever will need..."
"Moog Subsequent 37."
"DFAM - beats, melody and drones that are fun and simple to dial in."
"Model D can make some great NES sounds with the square or triangle oscillators."
"Get a Moog"
"For me it was the Moog Model D, but since that's about $9,000 in my money I settled on the Boog."
"Moog Mother 32 is pretty awesome"
"No budget limit: moog one."
#6
Roland
4.1
(21)
"Jx3p easily"
"Fantom 7 EX. There’s just so much goddamn stuff in there."
"Roland System-8 is a beast."
"I got a Roland System 8 recently and fuckin' love it."
"FWIW my go-to is the Roland SE-02."
"Roland V-SYNTH"
"I’d look into Roland se02 if a mono is ok"
"SE-02? SH-01A/MS-1? Monologue? Bass station II?"
"I would consider my Roland System-8 to be completely adequate."
"I instantly thought of Roland JV-1080 / JD-990."
#7
Elektron
4.5
(17)
"Analog 4"
"Honest to god I'd be content with anything Elektron."
"Analog 4"
"Digitone. No question"
"All the synths you listed are great but I'd recommend the DN if it's supposed to be your main or only tool for experimental music."
"Get the syntakt lol. it's analogue / digital / fm, can do melodic, generative, experimental ..."
"I would recommend a digital synth OR just sampling the bass notes."
"The way you can fade in/out FM over time and use LFOs to modulate other stuff to make even weirder sounds its unparalleled in my opinion."
"Analog Four"
"I got Digitone for my first synth and to pair it with my SP404."
#8
Behringer
4.1
(17)
"For affordable, I always recommend the Behringer Deepmind 12. It can do so much for the price."
"Bass - behri model d"
"It's 8 note polyphonic, with presets you can mess around with, and figure stuff out with."
"The behringer neutron would add a lot to the mother 32"
"If you want analog I'd go for something like the Deepmind"
"Bass station 2, behringer model d, or any moog monosynth"
"The behringer Poly D is an analog polyphonic that is based on Moog Model D at around $600"
"Otherwise I’d say the Behringer neutron!"
"I have a Behringer DeepMind12 which is great for deeper sounds"
"Behringer Poly D"
#9
Access
4.5
(13)
"Virus Ti, hands down"
"The access virus is pretty beast."
"Really classic tone."
"I've got the virus ti, that thing is a beast and was well worth the price."
"That thing is a beast and was well worth the price."
"Any hardware synth that uses a saw wave. Two off the top of my head are the Nord Leads and Access Virus."
"Access virus."
"Virus TI"
"I have a virus ti snow which is my absolute favourite."
"Virus Ti2 comes to mind."
#10
Waldorf
4.5
(12)
"If you have the budget can do everything you want and is that sweet spot between vst and having all the knobs at the ready."
"Waldorf Iridium/Quantum. The only synth that can basically do anything."
"Waldorf Quantum"
"Waldorf Quantum/Iridium can become your new best friend"
"Waldorf Quantum/Iridium can become your new best friend."
"For harsh digital the blofeld is awesome."
"Waldorf Blofeld is nice."
"Look *very* closely at the new Waldorf Quantum."
"Waldorf Blofeld Module can pull off some juno sounds."
"The blofeld is totally perfect for this kind of stuff."
#11
Dreadbox
4.5
(8)
"Dreadbox typhon"
"Dreadbox Typhon is terrific if you want analog!"
"Dreadbox Typhon. It has time based FX and granular built in and a 13 lane mod bus."
"Tight? Dreadbox Typhon"
"Dreadbox Typhon would suit but why not use a nice bass sample on one of the digitakt tracks?"
"I couldn't recommend the Dreadbox Typhon highly enough for this."
"I think Deadbox Typhon is a cool option if you want a small analog monosynth."
"The Dreadbox Typhon sounds great."
#12
ASM
4.9
(7)
"Probably the single most complete synth engine you might want to have as an entry user, but at the same time it's crazy, and I mean CRAZY fun to fiddle with."
"Hydrasynth"
"Hydrasynth is another great option."
"I love synths and my Hydrasynth is my favorite piece of gear for a lot of reasons."
"I think the hydrasynth explorer is the way to go!"
"Any of the Hydrasynth series synthesizers can do this."
"ASM Hydrasynth"
#13
Teenage Engineering
4.3
(4)
"Get an OP-1. Multiple synth engines, samplers, space for drum sets, sequencers, and 4-track converter."
"OP-1f. I never liked fat, beefy sounds."
"Portable: op1."
"I've gotten a lot of mileage out of an old OP-1."
#14
Nord
4.0
(4)
"Nord Wave 2"
"The two that spring to mind in the new category are the Nord Wave 2 and the Access Virus TI."
"Something like a Nord Wave 2 could possibly give you a similar amount of flexibility."
"Nord Wave 2"
#15
Hydrasynth
4.3
(3)
"Hydrasynth. Can kick out some seriously punchy sounds."
"Hydrasynth"
"Has no one mentioned the Hydrasynth yet?"
#16
Yamaha
4.3
(3)
"Might I suggest a Yamaha Montage? It integrates perfectly with a DAW like Cubase, acts as audio and midi interface and delivers all the sounds you mentioned and some more."
"Yamaha Montage m8x"
"Yamaha montage"
#17
Make Noise
4.0
(3)
"A used make noise 0-coast is a pretty good pick."
"I like the 0-Coast. It has a rich tone, but no patch memory."
"0-Coast and Strega fit this description."
#18
Lyra
4.0
(3)
"Lyra 8 might be a good one?"
"Lyra 8."
"You can get some really aggressive sounds out of it by cranking the sharpness and playing with it’s distortion."
#19
Akai
4.0
(3)
"You get a classic sampler/sequencer and synths."
"MPC Live for two out of three."
"Maybe something small like an Akai MPK mini (~$80)."
#20
Yamaha VL70m
5.0
(2)
"The ideal would be an old used Yamaha VL70m module if you can find one."
"The VL70m is the perfect mate for WX7."
#21
EMS
5.0
(2)
"Synthi AKS"
"EMS Synthi or VCS-3"
#22
Alesis
4.0
(2)
"I have an Alesis Ion I'd let go for that."
"The alesis ion should be on your list if you want a decent vocodor packaged with a great synthesis engine."
#23
Dominion
5.0
(1)
"Dominion 1"
#24
Kurzweil
5.0
(1)
"Kurzweil K2661"
#25
Serum
4.0
(1)
"I think the strength of Serum is it's versatility, there are so many things you can do with it."
#26
Bass Synth
4.0
(1)
"There's cheap and solid bass synths that can add whole dimensions to your act."
#27
Colossus
4.0
(1)
"I might make do with a Colossus Double."
#28
Mono Synth
4.0
(1)
"A good mono synth is a very reliable choice; road wear and tear is a thing."
#29
MFB
4.0
(1)
"My MFB Tanzbar has two kick drums which you can adjust pitch and decay on."
#30
Craft
3.0
(1)
"I would say Craft Synth 2, but I had one that died on me."
#31
Software
2.0
(1)
"Honestly software samplers are just so much better than anything you can find in hardware."
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