[POWERSPHERE]

So, there has to be some Analog synth nerds in this shit, right? I see there's people making music, but it seems most of you all fucks with the computers, but does anyone have a soft spot for analog magic? I've been collecting for a bunch of years and have amassed a collection I treasure. I think the whole problem with modern synthesiser manufacturers, including Moog these days, is that they over spec their machines when the true character of classics is a few simple basics, some lateral thinking & great componentry built into a sturdy & good looking case. These are some of my favorites I have, but not my actual photos as they're all in storage, and i'm missing them.

Minimoog (1970)

I picked mine up off a music message board. Dude thought it was broken, but it's just an old machine that needed love. 3 Oscillator monster, LFO control off the 3rd Osc, Noise modulation, this thing started the portable synth market. Nothing sounds better than this synth. Nothing.

Micromoog (1975)

An amazing 'simple' version of the minimoog, with only a single oscillator that can fake a second. Amazing modulation options, super easy to use and massively powerful. And the touch strip is the best fun ever.

Moog Satellite (1974)

Made as a preset based analog for sitting atop organs, this thing is very ignored, but a great example of analog sounds without having to explore. I love this thing for it's simple, subtle yet lovely 'moog sound'.

Korg MS20 / MS10 (1978)

A science experiment in a portable synth with modular capabilities. Huge synth, brutal filters. The MS10 is a single Osc version of the 20s 2 Oscillators, but the 10 trumps it with sound purity & brutality, where the 20s strength is in its flexibility. It's 'External Signal Processor' fuelled the 90s with Aphex Twin not being able to live without it, and is one of the most powerful & awesome features of any synth to date

Oberheim Matrix 1000 (1987)

Sure, it won't win any style awards, but it's a preset rack analog synth that many have slept on, but is an absolute beautiful monster. 6 voices of Vangelis like magic.

Roland Space Echo 201 (1973)

Noisy, musical, wonderful. These makers of crusty delay are one of the cooler sound correctors a digital musician could own. De-computerises computer recording, and has the best delay on earth.

Roland SH-101 (1983)

Looks like a toy, sounds like a beast and is the easiest analog synth to use ever. The Minimoog will teach you synthesis in the most basic fashion, but this will teach you how to freak out in the easiest way. And has batteries, which is how I killed mine......

Roland 808 (1980)

The birth of hip hop. Run DMC, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, everyone in the birth of hip hop used this beast. Awesome sequencer, perfect sounds. Ultimate classic.

Linn LM1 (1980)

The sound of Prince, and the birth of the 80s pop sound. This is to electro pop what the 808 was to hip hop. What can be said, a drum machine made with the specs dreams are made of. No one would ever spec out a drum machine like this these days, but thank god for Roger Linn. And DAT SNARE!! Mmmm....

That'll do for now, might get to the 909, DMX, EMS, Juno, Moog Modulars etc etc later.

[archnemesis]

Unfortunately I don't have the required space for a large analog Moog system, but I did however pick up a Korg DS-10+ this week. I hope it's useful for something.

[Alucrid]

Do the write up for the juno. I wish I had an ms10 and juno...

[Xal-Shoota]

I love how these things are getting ported to IPad...I snagged the ms20 and moot so far for it. They live on!

[Alucrid]

I love how these things are getting ported to IPad...I snagged the ms20 and moot so far for it. They live on!

They're called analog synths for a reason.

[acheron_xl]

I'm officially jealous. Sweet, sweet collection.

[Miroku]

I have an Access Virus Ti
I know, its not "real"

Thinking about some new Dave Smith instruments at some point as well as his drum machine he made with roger linn, the Tempest.

[teruterubozu]

I lost all my 80s gear.

I had Zoom half-rack effects
M1 keyboard
DX-7 keyboard
Alesis Quadraverb
Alesis Reverb II
Alesis Compressor
Fostex reel-to-reel 8 track
TASCAM 4-track
Roland human rhythm composer
Roland Dr. Rhythm
etc.


This thread makes me sad

[swordfishtrombones]

I'd never heard of the Linn before, but it sounds so familiar (judging from the few youtube clips I could find).

Speaking of old school drums, I've always wondered what the famous Digital Underground clap/snare was (for instance in this example). Anyone?

[Farooq]

They're called analog synths for a reason.

LOL.

I laughed hard, when I read his post.

[Death Dealer]

I'd love to own a Jupiter 8.

[teruterubozu]

I'd never heard of the Linn before, but it sounds so familiar (judging from the few youtube clips I could find). Speaking of old school drums, I've always wondered what the famous Digital Underground clap/snare was (for instance in this example). Anyone?

808 Clap with effects.

[tanuki]

Shame all this shit is so expensive. I'd love to own a Jupiter 8, Prophet 5 or even a Minimoog Voyager, but almost everything is wallet raping. Kudos to the likes of Dave Smith for keeping analog gear relatively affordable. Although even a Prophet 08 or Tempest is still fairly pricey. Still, I suspect all the new gear will keep its value well.

In the process of acquiring a Juno 60 though. :)

[swordfishtrombones]

808 Clap with effects.

Sure? I've heard claims that it is a sample of Parliament's Theme from black hole which predates the 808. The 808 with some distortion is pretty close, however. I guess it's just a multilayered snare. It remains one of my all time favorite sounds, together with the 808s that kick off Massive Attack's Protection.

[POWERSPHERE]

I have an Access Virus Ti I know, its not "real" Thinking about some new Dave Smith instruments at some point as well as his drum machine he made with roger linn, the Tempest.

Robert Ashley has a Tempest. Would love to mess with one!!

I also love old samplers, but the SP 1200 doesn't really fit into this thread and I don't own one. One day this, an Emu Emax, akai 900 and an MPC 60 shall be mine.

[LayLa]

I'd never heard of the Linn before, but it sounds so familiar (judging from the few youtube clips I could find).

Prince used the Linn a lot during the 80s, that pitched down handclap was one of his signature sounds.

my brother is a musician/producer and has the most ridiculous analog synth/drum machine collection - i'm so jealous!

[POWERSPHERE]

Prince used the Linn a lot during the 80s, that pitched down handclap was one of his signature sounds. my brother is a musician/producer and has the most ridiculous analog synth/drum machine collection - i'm so jealous!

Prince and his Linn Drum are the best pairing of man and machine ever!!

[POWERSPHERE]

Shame all this shit is so expensive. I'd love to own a Jupiter 8, Prophet 5 or even a Minimoog Voyager, but almost everything is wallet raping. Kudos to the likes of Dave Smith for keeping analog gear relatively affordable. Although even a Prophet 08 or Tempest is still fairly pricey. Still, I suspect all the new gear will keep its value well. In the process of acquiring a Juno 60 though. :)

Slow steps. And good work on the Juno 60, best of the Juno bunch!

[Cerebral Assassin]

An analogue synth thread & no mention of the 303? Poor show OP, poor show.

[Outdoor Miner]

Sweet thread!

I'm saving up for a Dave Smith Instruments meself. Yeah yeah I know they are not "real" or "vintage" analogs but I prefer an analog sound with conveniences of modern day tech. :D

Still deciding between a Mono Evolver Keyboard or whether to save up more for a Prophet 08.

There are a good number of companies making analog synths today that are of tremendous quality.

Doepfer
Macbeth Studio Systems
Studio Electronics
Vermona

Too bad the big boys like Korg and Roland choose to ignore this market. At least Korg are throwing us a bone with the Monotron/Monotribe series.

[POWERSPHERE]

Sweet thread! I'm saving up for a Dave Smith Instruments meself. Yeah yeah I know they are not "real" or "vintage" analogs but I prefer an analog sound with conveniences of modern day tech. :D Still deciding between a Mono Evolver Keyboard or whether to save up more for a Prophet 08. There are a good number of companies making analog synths today that are of tremendous quality. Doepfer Macbeth Studio Systems Studio Electronics Vermona Too bad the big boys like Korg and Roland choose to ignore this market. At least Korg are throwing us a bone with the Monotron/Monotribe series.

Dave Smiths synths are real analogs for sure! Great machines. I don't line too much accurate control though, I like the machine to impart its own wisdom into the situation which pushes me away from modern analogs. The new minimoog voyagers just aren't fun.

As far as new synths go, I want a Tom Oberheim SEM with Midi / CV controls!

I'd LOVE to start a doepher system or a synthesizers.com. Esp now Moog are making modules again! But a modular is a long way off.

I've got some friends who were in a huge band who have crazy synth collections, and they've got a bunch of Vermona stuff. Pretty machines!

[Fusebox]

Fucking hell, nice collection Powersphere!

All I have is the Dave Smith Tetra and a Monotron and will probably get a Slim Phatty soon.

[Xal-Shoota]

They're called analog synths for a reason.

Yeah -_- I get that.... You know what I meant though!

[LayLa]

Bob Moogs birthday on the 23rd of May, looks like Google have a little something prepared to celebrate!
http://www.google.co.jp/

[Type422]

Real nice collection! Would love to own some analog synths. But university is eating up too much money right now and my flat is not the biggest one. Have to play around with some analog VSTs. I know it's not nearly the same, but there are some great and even free ones like Mini Mogue for example.

[PigSpeakers]

I wish I had the funds for one analog synth, but aren't they kind of hard to take care of? Like, keeping in tune and such. That was always the idea I got from them.

I don't have any analogs, but I do have a crap-ton of old 80s casios and yamahas using PCM and FM and things like that. Most of them are simply the cheap sort of home keyboards families might have, but the way they made them back then as opposed to today's similar products makes them have this really awesome vintage sound that I like.

Also, are any of these analogs equipped with MIDI?

[POWERSPHERE]

I wish I had the funds for one analog synth, but aren't they kind of hard to take care of? Like, keeping in tune and such. That was always the idea I got from them.

Well yes and no. I've never had to service any of my synths, the most temperamental is the minimoog, and that just needs to be warmed up for 10 minutes before it's stable. The mod wheel freaks out the modulation mix, but that's kind of nice. I think half of the thing about old analogs is that they end up having some form of character that builds throughout their life and makes them a unique thing. Like my Space Echo, it sounds totally different to my friends, way crustier, but I like mine way more. Put it this way, my Minimoog turned 40 this year, I think that's pretty damn reliable.

I don't have any analogs, but I do have a crap-ton of old 80s casios and yamahas using PCM and FM and things like that. Most of them are simply the cheap sort of home keyboards families might have, but the way they made them back then as opposed to today's similar products makes them have this really awesome vintage sound that I like. Also, are any of these analogs equipped with MIDI?

Yamaha & Casio made some crackers in their day! The Casio SK1 & variants are fantastic little samplers, really crusty and weird. I'm kind of lusting after a CS series Yamaha





But it's one synth a year at the most.

[Fusebox]

Bob Moogs birthday on the 23rd of May, looks like Google have a little something prepared to celebrate! http://www.google.co.jp/

We have that on the Aus page too, it's terrific! I've been playing it all morning at work lol.

Here's the synths I have at the moment, only the Moog Minitaur, DSI Tetra and Korg Monotribe are analogue, although the Shruthi-1 and Oto biscuit both have analog filters.

[POWERSPHERE]

Hows the minataur? Cool little box!

[Nappuccino]

What's a good (and preferably cheap) starter synth?

[Cuban Legend]

those analog synths remind me of this song OH YESS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q6HyVZsWDc

[Jroderton]

Dat Micromoog.

[Fusebox]

Hows the minataur? Cool little box!

FAT. And with one-knob-per-function it's really quick to dial in an awesome bass sound.

[Etrian Oddity]

I came to this thread specifically because I had to bring up www.google.com on Gaf. XD

[archnemesis]

Is there a way to play it with your keyboard?

Edit: It's apparently mapped to the number keys. There is a lot of lag when it comes to altering the sound, but otherwise it's pretty neat.

[Fusebox]

What's a good (and preferably cheap) starter synth?

What's your idea of cheap and what genre of music do you want to make with it? I'm assuming you don't have existing MIDI controller so will recommend a few that come with keys and are easy to program.

In the analog realm I think the DSI Mopho keyboard and the Moog Little Phatty are both terrific starter synths with great sound.

If you wanted to go virtual analog then the Roland Gaia and Novation Ultranova are both good places to start.

[Baby Milo]

I came to this thread specifically because I had to bring up www.google.com on Gaf. XD

LOL i figured this thread was made or bumped for that reason

[bomma_man]

Damn wish I didn't have such crippling lethargy, I'd love to learn how to use one of these things

[Ty4on]

Synth thread on Gaf and it's a bunch of lucky people with classic analog synths :(

Want to buy my first synth, but in my price range it'll have to be something digital (want a polyphonic synth). Anyone with a JD800? Looks like a beautiful synth with quite a lot of features, lacks an arpeggiator though. It might be cheap enough for me, even DX7s are kinda rare here.

Damn wish I didn't have such crippling lethargy, I'd love to learn how to use one of these things

It's super easy and you can pick up cheap virtual analog synths for iOS and probably also Android. Just search for subtractive synthesis.

[Nappuccino]

What's your idea of cheap and what genre of music do you want to make with it? I'm assuming you don't have existing MIDI controller so will recommend a few that come with keys and are easy to program. In the analog realm I think the DSI Mopho keyboard and the Moog Little Phatty are both terrific starter synths with great sound. If you wanted to go virtual analog then the Roland Gaia and Novation Ultranova are both good places to start.

2-300 dollars?

I'm mainly thinking of something to compliment my guitar work by adding some atmosphere or bass-like lines. And/or make stuff along the lines of menomena.

i.e. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7mZ45QSOXc

or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ5yfKk63m8

or LCD Soundstystem for that matter.

I'm trying to think of other artists I listen to regularly that use synths...

[POWERSPHERE]

2-300 dollars? I'm mainly thinking of something to compliment my guitar work by adding some atmosphere or bass-like lines. And/or make stuff along the lines of menomena. i.e. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7mZ45QSOXc or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ5yfKk63m8 or LCD Soundstystem for that matter. I'm trying to think of other artists I listen to regularly that use synths...

Its hard these days to get synths for that cheap, but if you want an analog synth that really sounds analog, but you can't mess with the knobs, the Oberheim Matrix 1000 is a BEAST. Polyphonic madness. You can find a Yamaha CS15 for around that price, and they're great monosynths.

[codhand]

+

love this

[FnordChan]

I have it on good authority from Sir Mix-A-Lot that the 808 kick drum makes the girlies get dumb. Awwwww, yeah.

FnordChan

[chaostrophy]

I have a DSI Evolver, so that's at least part real analog. I would like a pure analog with more direct control over the sound though...thinking about a Spectral Audio Neptune, heard great things about those.

[btkadams]

i've been a poor student for years, so the only actual synthesizer i've ever bought is a microkorg (it's dope!), but i suppose it's not actually analog. i'd love to start a collection soon though! finally done school so i can look at saving for things like this.

[Nappuccino]

Its hard these days to get synths for that cheap, but if you want an analog synth that really sounds analog, but you can't mess with the knobs, the Oberheim Matrix 1000 is a BEAST. Polyphonic madness. You can find a Yamaha CS15 for around that price, and they're great monosynths.

Thanks for the suggestions

Out of curiosity, what kind of prices would i be looking at for most decent/quality synths (analog or digital).

Besides the few mentioned here so far, I wouldn't know where to start looking.

[Fusebox]

Thanks for the suggestions Out of curiosity, what kind of prices would i be looking at for most decent/quality synths (analog or digital). Besides the few mentioned here so far, I wouldn't know where to start looking.

Do you need keys and lots of knobs to twiddle, or are you more interested in the sounds it can make and you intend to do most of the sequencing and automation from your DAW?

Dave Smith Mopho is an awesome analog synth module for around $400 if you don't need keys and knobs.

[parrotbeak]

Bob Moogs birthday on the 23rd of May, looks like Google have a little something prepared to celebrate! http://www.google.co.jp/

Just saw this today on the US google. It's cool, you can record little snippets and play them back.

[SystemShock2]

i've been a poor student for years, so the only actual synthesizer i've ever bought is a microkorg (it's dope!), but i suppose it's not actually analog. i'd love to start a collection soon though! finally done school so i can look at saving for things like this.

I'm in the same boat but with the Alesis Micron. Once I get some money though, a fuckin' nice synth is gonna be one of the first things I buy. The Micron's cool, but editing patches is a real hassle cuz you edit every option with like, 3 different knobs. I've created some cool shit, but I need something a bit more functional. I am infinitely jealous of the OP.

[chaostrophy]

I'm in the same boat but with the Alesis Micron. Once I get some money though, a fuckin' nice synth is gonna be one of the first things I buy. The Micron's cool, but editing patches is a real hassle cuz you edit every option with like, 3 different knobs. I've created some cool shit, but I need something a bit more functional. I am infinitely jealous of the OP.

I have an Alesis Ion: same synth engine as the Micron (virtual analog) but with a nice knobby interface:



Love it. I think my favorite thing about it is the wide range of filter types- makes it amazingly versatile.