Best hardware synth on Reddit

272 reviews from r/synthesizers, r/dnbproduction, r/windsynth and 9 more subreddits

272 reviews from

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By Brand

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Korg

4.3

(44)

"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"

"You gotta have an ARP Odyssey or a Minimoog."

"Hard to go past the Kronos with 9 synth engines + full workstation features."

"KORG Monologue (simply brilliant for basslines)."

"I currently have my eyes on a Korg Minilogue XD."

"Korg wavestation EX"

"MS-20 Mini. It is the perfect synth for learning how synthesizers generally work."

Arturia

4.2

(25)

"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."

"The microbrute was my first synth and I still love it."

"Minifreak. Tons of depth without being overly complex."

"Arturia Minifreak is great as well, it has a ton of engines and also can do samples."

"Micro/minifreak"

Roland

4.2

(25)

"I just bought a Roland Ax Edge keytar, and it is FULL of great lead sounds."

"Damn fine sound coming out of it."

"Jupiter-X."

"Roland System-8 is a beast."

"I got a Roland System 8 recently and fuckin' love it."

"Any of the Roland boutique synths are good."

"I’d look into Roland se02 if a mono is ok"

"I would consider my Roland System-8 to be completely adequate."

"Desktop synth: JP8080 for the Jp8000."

"SH-101"

Novation

4.3

(21)

"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 Circuit and Elektron Digitone are excellent for this."

"Novation ultranova is a really amazing synth for the price."

"Novation Peak can get into really interesting territory."

"But i recommend bass station or anything monosynth for focus on bass and single note melodies"

"Novation Bass Station 2."

Sequential

4.9

(17)

"Personally I like the Prophet Rev2."

"I have a take 5 and its great for high energy boss fight type music."

"I ended up going with the Prophet Rev2!"

"Prophet rev2, hands down. it's insanely versatile."

"Polybrute or Summit"

"My prophet rev 2 is a favorite."

"I think the Polybrute, the Rev2 or the Prophet 6."

"The P6 is the last one I’d let go."

"I got a rev 2 and it give you a shit ton of options"

"I second the prophet 08 I have the original one and it really does cover almost every base"

Moog

4.5

(17)

"Moog Minitaur always takes me straight to electro land:)"

"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"

"Money not an issue: Moog One."

"I really really love the Moog DFAM."

"I’d stick with the sub 37. It can do most of the sounds you’d want out of an analog synth for techno."

"Model D can make some great NES sounds"

"The Moogs are not bad, but you really need to invest heavily into them patchwise."

Behringer

4.0

(17)

"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"

"Virus TI, or neutron by behringer are pretty good for basses."

"Behringer Pro one does the electro bass really really well."

"I tend to agree with the people suggesting the ARP clone."

Elektron

4.4

(11)

"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."

"Digitone Keys."

"Get the syntakt lol. it's analogue / digital / fm, can do melodic, generative, experimental ..."

"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."

"If you like happy accidents the Digitone is definitely a good choice."

"The Digitakt is excellent."

"Kinda weird nobody is mentioning the Elektron Analog 4."

"The new Elektron FM box can be huge for techno, both live and in the studio."

"Rytm"

"Elektron Analog Four or Korg ESX1."

Waldorf

4.3

(10)

"Waldorf Quantum/Iridium can become your new best friend"

"Waldorf Quantum/Iridium can become your new best friend."

"The best synth ever made is the microwave XT from Waldorf."

"Waldorf Pulse."

"Look *very* closely at the new Waldorf Quantum."

"The Digitone is my favorite synth for sound design."

"Waldorf Blofeld Module can pull off some juno sounds."

"The blofeld is totally perfect for this kind of stuff."

"Get a Blofeld. It has 16 parts, which will allow you to sequence 16 different patches at once."

"How about a Waldorf Blofeld? Nice and versatile synth on a budget."

#10

Access

4.4

(9)

"A virus ti2 hits all the marks."

"The access virus is pretty beast."

"I've got the virus ti, 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."

"I have a virus ti snow which is my absolute favourite."

"Virus Ti2 comes to mind."

"Virus!"

"Virus + Octatrack"

"Just save the extra money and buy a Virus Ti Snow."

#11

Dreadbox

4.7

(6)

"Dreadbox Typhon is terrific if you want analog!"

"Dreadbox Nymphes is incredible. One of the best sounding synths."

"Dreadbox Typhon. It has time based FX and granular built in and a 13 lane mod bus."

"Tight? Dreadbox Typhon"

"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."

#12

Nord

4.4

(5)

"A Nord Lead A1 will do the trick on solid, light, and durable."

"Any hardware synth that uses a saw wave. Two off the top of my head are the Nord Leads and Access Virus."

"The two that spring to mind in the new category are the Nord Wave 2 and the Access Virus TI."

"Nord Drum"

"Nord Wave 2"

#13

Hydrasynth

4.3

(4)

"Hydrasynth. Can kick out some seriously punchy sounds."

"I have the Hydrasynth Explorer and it’s really powerful."

"Hydrasynth"

"Has no one mentioned the Hydrasynth yet?"

#14

Teenage Engineering

4.3

(3)

"Get an OP-1. Multiple synth engines, samplers, space for drum sets, sequencers, and 4-track converter."

"I use the OP-Z to sequence chords, it has 4 note polyphony per step and the internal synths are pretty decent."

"I've gotten a lot of mileage out of an old OP-1."

#15

Alesis

4.3

(3)

"Andromeda hands down for sound design."

"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."

#16

Yamaha

4.0

3.0

(1)

"Recently, just brought the Pro-800. The limited presets are not much usable."

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