For the last few of years I have been craving the sound of polyphonic, analogue synthesizers. Although I’ve got a collection of aging monophonic (and one duophonic) beasts, I haven’t owned an analogue polyphonic slab since I had an Oberhiem Matrix-6. Before that, it was one of my first instruments, the Korg Poly-800. Both of these synths sound great, but I can’t forget the frustration I experienced with their lack of tactile potentiometers. Although I wish I still had it now, the membrane buttons on the Matrix-6 were especially annoying.
Recently I joined a trio name DGK (Jon Davis, Tim Glenn, and John Keston) that I think would benefit from a versatile polyphonic analogue instrument on top of my Rhodes electric piano. I have few rigs in mind (insert vintage Korg, Roland, or Akai), but I’m looking for a good knob to dollar ratio (more knobs and less dollars). What are your favorite poly-synths and why? Ever get rid of something you wish you hadn’t? Or have you been assimilated by the latest software synths?
Yamaha AN1x !
There are a multitude of analog modeling synths with plenty of knobs. That’s not really analog. But it’s hard to beat the Roland JP-8000 in a knob and sliders count.
I would suggest a Mellotron for it’s unique sound but I think it would crush your Rhodes if you try to put it on top. Also, it has a distinct lack of knobs.
I recently sold my Juno-106 but that or perhaps a Juno-60 would probably offer the best bang for buck ratio.
@tehk How does the AN1x compare to the Korg MS2000? I have an MS2K and love it, but it just misses the true analog warmth I get from my Pro-One and MaxiKorg.
Thanks, @epilektric! The Juno-60 and 106 are definitely on my short list, but I’m not interested in newer (late 90s+) modeling synths since I already own a Korg MS2000. What I’m after is all the character and flaws of a living analogue instrument.
I still have my original Juno 106 .. one of the last off the line. It’s had it’s share of wear and tear, but I keep it out of nostalgia now. I think it’s still my favorite, though I’d love to get my hands on some of the other classics. =)
Another vote for the Juno 60. Patch memory, stable tuning, plenty sliders, and that warm sound. Perfect pad for the Rhodes.
I think the Dave Smith Prophet 08 would be super because it’s new/reliable and readily available but if you’re after a vintage circuit then I would vote for an Oberheim OB-8 or OB-X (although really heavy machines).
I had a Juno-60 sitting comfortably on my Rhodes 73 for most of my band time. As to stable tuning – a few screws dropped out of the part where the pitchbender rests and the metal casing came loose. I “fixed” that with gaffa before a show. Needless to say, the pitch went wild on stage and the 2500 people in the audience where wondering what the hell we were doing up there. Worst.Gig.Of.My.Life.
So I learned the hard way its best to have a repair kit handy if you travel with vintage instruments. Or get a new thing like a Tetra that sounds worse but is not so much worry and considerably lighter
@Hainbach I agree. I toured a few years ago with a Rhodes and brought a small tools box along, with extra tines (low ones that could be cut shorter if necessary), solder, a soldering iron, tools, and a few other bits and pieces. Ironically the only thing that went wrong was forgetting a crucial power supply at the hotel before going on at the Montreal Jazz Festival! There was a happy ending through. My wife took off her heals and ran like the wind back to our hotel to retrieve it seconds before we went on. *phew*
@miditerranean Yeah, I’d love one of those monsters. Dave Smith, if you’re listening, I will review the crap out of it on ACB if you give me one! :P
I second the Juno-60. I have a lot of analog polys, and that one is my favorite!
@Tom Butcher What other polys do you have and how are they overshadowed by the 60?
I used to have a Sequential Circuits Prophet 600 that was very fun to tweak and had amazing sound but a bit sluggish envelopes. I think it was like $450 used plus it has MIDI (first ever). The prices went up for a while and I then sold that and upgraded to an Andromeda, but I do miss that old prophet. The prices may have come down a bit recently though.
I personally would go for the DSI Tetra, nice price, small and lots of analog gooeyness with sequencers galore.
I love the Jupiter 8.
Yeah the Jupiter 8 is a monster. Unfortunately they are hard to find and sell for 8K or more (USD).
Again not true analogue but for my money (about 500 worth) i like the Creamware Prodyssey. A polyphonic VA emulation of the Arp Odyssey with all of the same sliders. A fantastic range of sounds and as much tactile feedback as one can manage.
Regards,
Scott
Without question the Jupiter-6. I’m also a big fan of the Juno 60 and Polysix.
@Debukas Any particular reason you’d choose the Jupiter 6 over the Jupiter 8?
I second the Juno-60. I have a lot of analog polys, and that one is my favorite!
@John: The forgetting of specialist power supplies (especially for small mixers) is a common curse. All hail internal power supplies and bus power!
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Look into The JX series of roland
JX3P- JX8P are very analogue synths with dco’s and a lot of knobs, they are very underrated and sound as good as any juno, plus more versatile in my opinion
@Pigsnoot I really dig the sound of the JX8P, and if I could find one with a programmer I’d probably bite, although now I have an MKS-80 which trumps a lot of gear.
Juno 106 is easily the best all round analog poly as a ‘musical instrument’ from the 80s cheaper analogs. Yes even better than Jupiter 6 for the needs of a studio.
Runners up would be Polysix for sound (great sound) and JX-3P for personality. The 106 remains the best overall though. I’ve had all the Junos including 6/60 and while they are nice and a bit thicker/punchier at times they are also less workable in real music, very ‘samey’ and not as useful as the 106. 106 also has a much better feature set for real music production and poly portamento is a real bonus!
I like the 106, but find it pretty limited in comparison to beasts like the MKS-80 or DSI Tempest. Lately I have been investigating the Waldorf Blofeld virtual analog and wavetable synth. Although digital I think it might just be a sound designers dream. It has 25 voice polyphony and 16 part multi-tambral capability. Any thoughts?