What’s a good, solid, analog synth/expander to get for minimal wave that’s in the $1000-1500 range in the “new” department that comes with MIDI? Anyone have any opinions?
Leipzig? Telemark? Dark Energy? Vermona Perfourmer? Dave Smith Mono Evolver? Or something else?
Really can’t go wrong with anything dave smith. Especially that mono evolver keyboard. Can get one used for around $700. 2 analog oscillators, 2 digital waveform oscillators (straight from the old prophet vs), 2 signal paths, step sequencer, 2 signal paths, lots of modulation options. Awesome! Also, poly evolver for even more.
I like the simplicity of the SEMs. Really elegant. Too bad the patch panel version doesn’t also have MIDI though. It’s sort of weird to have to choose between the two.
And it looks like the Analogue Solutions Semblance and the Telemark are sort of in the same spirit as the SEM, but those both come with MIDI. I wonder what those are like in terms of build and sound.
Yeah it is a strange compromise with the SEM, but I guess it comes down to cost.
I’d probably just go for the patch panel version and use a MIDI/CV converter. If you don’t have a converter, you could get both the SEM and a Kenton Pro Solo MK II from Audiomidi for about the same price as a Telemark.
But yes, the Telemark is intriguing as well. It does look like a big patchable SEM. Never heard one myself.
Have you looked into the FutureRetro XS? MIDI, patchable. Again, I haven’t heard one in person but I understand they can be quite aggressive.
I’ve heard the demos of the telemark and it sounds very good plus you get a couple extra features that the SEM doesn’t have like white noise. But, I’ve heard the physical quality (outside and inside) is questionable…
The XS is supposed to be really cool. Like a sturdy, new, semi-modular Pro One!
I wonder if the Telemark build quality complaint was just an exaggeration. It looks pretty tough. Not to say that it isn’t possible for a tough-looking piece of equipment to have some weak spots, like the MAQ 16/3 that I just got ... the MIDI jack isn’t firmly secured and gives a little, every time I plug the cable in. Pretty crappy, compared to the rest of the box. Every other button and knob on it is fine.
My tastes are constantly changing on this front, but in terms of build quality balanced against sound and flexibility against price and aesthetics, I think the Moog Little Phatty is an excellent choice.
Does anyone think it’s possible to get a decent old analog synth for that price? $1000-1500? I mean realistically, without waiting for years for one to pop up magically cheap out of nowhere.
Or is it a waste of time and I should just get a new piece of equipment.
I see a Korg Poly-800 on eBay right now for $500. Would that be dumb?
Don’t give up on a vintage synth search! There’s plenty in that price range and under to get some cool stuff. But, the poly 800 is ehh on sound in my opinion and hard to program. Bad user interface.
If you’re looking for poly 800 kind of things there are much better sounding/easier synths out there for not a lot of bucks like: akai ax-80/60, korg poly 61, roland jx3p.
mono synths: korg monopoly and ms-10, roland sh series, yamaha cs series.
Of course the new synths that have come up are not bad at all either.
Hmm. Yeah, some part of me prefers something older even if it’s not as “powerful” as these new virtual ones.
But I’m just not sure about what quality I’ll get if I shell out a lot on something old. Apart from obvious stuff not working, I feel like I won’t be sure if what I get sounds like what it’s supposed to. Do older synths degrade gradually, or is it obvious most of time? Does the sound ever dull slowly, etc.
I figure if anything goes wrong, I’ll need a few hundred bucks as a buffer for repairs no? Or are there certain models that are less prone to degrading?
if you’re looking for something to compliment your radias, and are not planning on gigging frequently, i would probably suggest getting something vintage. you might not get the modulation capabilities and interfacing conveniences you’ll get out of newer gear, but you will likely get more character out of the synth.
greydomain’s suggestions are great. if you’re looking for polysynths, you can also add the juno 60, and polysix, although they aren’t budget synths these days, they should be well under 1k. oh! and i disagree on the poly800 - i find it to be a lovely synth! very charismatic, in a errr….steve martin kind of way? 500 is a ridiculous price for one, though - you shouldn’t have to pay much more than 150-200 or so (unless it’s the awesome-looking but rare reverse-keys model).
oh, and i’ve found roland synths to be generally quite durable and reliable.
Hey, I just picked up a Poly-800 today for $100 and I started playing with it. It seems to work ok, but the volume is low (normal?) and it sounds super dull, like as if the “treble” is really low. Lacking in brightness. Is that normal? I don’t think I’ve ever heard what an old synth sounds like.
Do you guys know if there’s such a thing as a factory reset? Haha. Some of the patches sound better than others, but maybe they’re just programmed better. I’m still reading through the manual.
And I’m still on the lookout for something better… I’m seeing a PolySix and Mono/Poly for sale too. Mono/Ploy seems to cost a lot more though. $850 for the PolySix in ‘good condition’ and over $1000 for the Mono/Poly.
nice! 100 is a good price. if i recall, the volume is a bit low on the synth, and it might not sound super bright next to newer synths, although i find it has a very chirpy character.
the poly 800 has a data cassette to load the factory presets. you should be able to find a wav of the cassette online - i’ll look around and see if i can find it. you can also probably pick up the cassette dirt cheap on ebay if you have some pressing need to possess it.
850 seems quite high for a polysix, but prices have shot up for a lot of these things in the last year. if you do get a polysix, make sure the battery issue has been attended to. 900-1000 is somewhat normal for a monopoly, i think, these days.
Thanks for the info. Yeah I figured out how to select the the other patches on the Poly-800 and some of the other ones sound brighter, so I think the first one was maybe just not programmed as well.
The tape export is literally audio? Hahaha no way! How does it import it? I have to look that up.
Yeah, I read a few articles about the battery issues with the Polysix. Really sucks. You think $850 is high? For a 5-star rating on vintagesynth.com, that doesn’t seem bad at all. I’m seeing them go as high as $1100 in other places. The Mono/Poly gets even higher—like up in the $1500s+. Like that expensive eBay seller in Japan who has all the nice ones, including an MS-20.
