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Alan's List of Favorite Trance Hardware Synths

So, I've realized recently that I've owned A LOT of synthesizers in my day. Here is the complete list in chronological order: Novation A-Station, Access Virus Rack, JP-8000, Virus|Powercore, Nord Lead 1, Novation Supernova II, Access Virus B, Access Virus XL, Virus|Powercore (again), Access Virus Classic, Nord Lead 3 Rack, Access Virus TI, DSI Prophet '08, Nord Lead 3 Keyboard, Waldorf Blofeld, DSI Poly Evolver, Alesis A6 Andromeda, Poly Evolver Rack, Nord Lead 3 Rack (again), Virus TI2, Waldorf XT (Shadow), Moog Voyager RME, Waldorf Q, Waldorf Pulse, Studio Electronics ATC-1. Currently I own an Alesis Andromeda, NL3 Rack, Waldorf XT (Shadow), Waldorf Q.

It also occurred to me that some might like to know what I thought of each one... so here they all are in order of most to least favorite. Note that when deciding on the order, I considered the instruments sonic character, capabilities, usability, and typical eBay price.


1. Nord Lead 3 (audio demo)--Definitely the cleanest sounding virtual analog yet made. It's quite versatile sonically since its FM synthesis and ability to independently hard-sync each oscillator can make for some really awesome tech-trance sounds while its unison and stack capabilities make for FAT trance leads and basslines. The instrument's sound aside, with its LED knobs, it has the easiest and most intuitive interface I've ever used. Even using it in 4-part multi-timbrel mode is a breeze. If you can't afford a Nord Lead 3 or want something to use more as a classic analog, get a Nord Lead 2x. The original Leads are supposed to have a fatter analog sound and the 2x has lots of voices and 4-part multitimbrality. DO NOT bother with the Wave. It is monotimbrel, lacks the NL3's amazing LED interface, and has no unison/stack capabilities. Although the Wave does have the NL3's FM synthesis.


2. Alesis Andromeda (audio demo)-- Pure analog bliss. Just about everything a great analog synth should be is embodied within the Andromeda. It can sound like a Moog, an Oberheim, even a Jupiter 8. Its filters sound amazing and you get to choose between Oberheim 12db or Moog 24db. There are lots of neat little analog quirks with the Andromeda like different ways to overload the outputs to give it a very vintage character. The envelopes are a bit confusing sometimes but can sound punchy and snappy if used correctly. The multi-timbrel capabilities on the Andy are really nice, something that is certainly missing from the Prophet '08, but unless you want to hook up all 16 voices, only the two main outputs are useful for unison or polyphonic patches.

The interface may look quite daunting but it really isn't all that bad so long as you know the basics of subtractive synthesis to start. I think modulation confuses a lot of people, but once you understand how it's implimented, it's way more convenient than contant menu diving. Basically, there's a mod button for every source and you pick the destination on the LCD.

When you consider the requirement for modern (digital) innovations such as stable tuning, patch memory, and a full MIDI implementation, the only better poly analog is the Studio Electronics Omega (C.O.D.E.) 8. But be ready to afford the $3,000+ price tag. I paid 1/2 that for my pre-Numark Andromeda which has twice the voices. But the OSCs on the Omega are a bit more *natural* sounding. It's difficult to explain but it's as if they're much more their own entity rather than part of a whole which makes it feel more like an instrument. But even after hearing an A/B comparison of the Omega and the Andromeda, I'm keeping what I already have. The Andromeda is unfortunately plagued with reliability issues: voices going bad, not tuning, and the power supply breaking. If a voice goes bad, you can disable it in the software so it's not the end of the world, but If you can get a made-in-the-USA model, be sure to; they're more reliable. But the nice thing is that tons of these have been made so parts or a replacement won't be too hard to find and certainly easier than parts for a Jupiter 8 or Oberheim.


3. Waldorf Q-- The Q is a lot like having 16 Waldorf Pulses in one affordable box with a better interface, extra OSC types, more filters, and a sequencer. The two are VERY similar in sound with most of the difference lying in the Pulse's "character" which can be easily matched on the Q with a nice equalizer. I think of my Q as everything the original Virus wanted to be. Waldorf and Access were once in the same building in Germany, after all. Access was much more succesful but every synth dork (meet some) has quite a spot in their heart for Waldorf. The Q is as versatile as the original Access Virus but excels in a lot of areas the Virus fails. But the OSCs do suffer from a fair amount of phasing -- but when phasing is avoided, the instrument sounds great. The Q is unfortunately a bit rare these days but the MicroQ or even Waldorf's new Largo are great alternatives -- they, of course, are all not equal in sonic character.


4. Waldorf Pulse-- You get A LOT of sonic power for the money with the Pulse. That's the main reason it beats out the Moog. It has a few down-falls. It doesn't sound as "perfect" at times as it could. There's a pretty darn good amount of phasing on the OSCs, for example. And the filter doesn't "scream" as well as others. The interface may look a bit lacking, but it's a lot easier to program than you probably think. Vs the Moog, the Pulse sounds just as good (on most patches), but still very different. The Voyager sounds "smooth and "expensive" whereas the Pulse is "gritty and expensive". Like I said, the Pulse isn't as perfect as the Moog, but in most situations, it sounds just as good.

I'd recommend the Pulse especially to producers who use mostly or only VSTis and also to those who have never owned a real electronic instrument. Using the pulse for strong and "out of the box" sounds while backing it up with VSTis would make for a great starter studio. For $400, it's well worth grabbing. I sure wish I had known enough to buy this instead of the Virus Rack as my first real instrument!


5. Studio Electronics ATC-1-- Out of all the synthesizers I've owned, the ATC-1 perhaps felt the most like an instrument. Hardly any software, just buttons, a couple small red numbers flickering at about 40hz, and a big knob. I think it was the instrument's vintage sound and feel that made it like this. It's sound? Awesome. Snappy envelopes and extremely fat oscilators. It was especially cool how you can enable each osc type independently like on some modulars and the Andromeda. I had the ARP 2600 filter and it sounded VERY nice. I eventually sold the ATC-1 because I didn't like it more than my Andromeda enough to warrant the $500 I got for reselling. Mono synths bug the hell out of me but I'd still recommend it to anyone wanting a very vintage analog to back-up their VSTis.


6. Moog Voyager-- Every synth should do its job this well. This synth's job: sound like a Moog. Moogs have a very unique and vintage character that just didn't cut it for the edgy-ness I like in my music. The OSCs in particular are much smoother and sometimes too fat than I would like. But it is neat how perfectly the OSCs mesh on-top of each other. Not a single bit of phasing or other problems. My favorite parts of the Voyager were the filters and envelopes. The OSCs were my least favorite part. Step in, the Andromeda. It has similar envelopes and filters to the Moog but MUCH more modern sounding oscillators. I would have kept the Voyager if it had 4 or 8 voices. But $2,300 for one voice? I was expecting a lot more at that price.

quote:

Originally posted by hexadecimal The funny thing to me is how all the new kids are flocking to the Voyager after "deadmo4" showed off his elite preset using capabilities. That synth is really limited, and I doubt most of the people who are now flocking to them understand that the only reason it's around is because some old school analog purists want "that" sound. As someone who has been using and has owned most classic analog synths for 14+ years, I can tell you that most people, myself included, wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a good minimoog clone VST/AU, and a real mini anymore. I'd suggest that anyone looking at buying a voyager as their first analog synth, think long and hard about it, and consider buying something more flexible, like an Andromeda, instead. Other good alternatives as far as analog monosynths are pretty much all of the Studio Electronics synths. You could pick up a 4 voice Omega 8 for the price of a Voyager, and that's an incredible synth (and very expandable - up to 8 voices, and several filter types with drop in cards).

7. JP-80x0-- SUPERSAW!!!... Truly a classic and a genre defining instrument. It can hardly compete with most modern VAa, but nothing else has this instrument's unique character and charm. The main problem, for me at least, is that when you use this instrument in a tune, everyone knows because its character is so unique and its been heard so many times before (possibly more than any other). Current used prices for this are quite low; you get a lot for the money and because the interface is so easy to use, it's an excellent starter-synth.


8. Access Virus TI (audio demo)-- A versatile work-horse that's more software than synthesizer. If there was ever a bloated synthesizer, it's the Virus TI. There are so many features, most mediocre, that programming this even on the Virus|Control is intimidating. Access is trying to do an all-in-one package with the TI. It has every major type of synthesis and sound effect out there but doesn't do a particularly great job at any of them. Because of its ridiculous amount of features, there is tons of "menu-diving" so, of course, you're going to use the software editor which completely sucks the fun out of owning a physical instrument.


9. DSI Prophet '08 (audio demo)-- It does its job but only barely decent enough. There just isn't anything special going on. Versus the Andromeda, the Prophet sounds either as good or nowhere close. Same story with it versus the Nord Lead 3. Its lack of sonic quality is caused by the, dare I say, "cheap" Curtis ICs which give the instrument a very gritty tone. I've never played an original Prophet, but have heard numerous demos. Versus the original, the new '08 does seem to have a similar sound, but I believe it lacks the original's clean tone. From what I've read, the Prophet '08 didn't even have the "Prophet" name until late in its development whereas, for example, even before the Voyager's first schematic was drawn, it was intended to be a remake of the original Minimoog.


10. Waldorf Blofeld-- Alright, first off, this instrument sounded great and the concept is awesome: a combination of the MicroQ and MicroWave. #1 problem: the Blofeld's interface is useless and buggy. But apparently a VSTi editor is being developed by Waldorf and will be released sometime in 2009 (*rumors rumors*). But even if they do, I still won't be interested because it has only a single analog out. I didn't think that would bother me so much when I bought it ...


11. DSI Poly Evolver (audio demo)-- I originally bought this because it has stereo outputs for each voice and it seemed like, basically, a massive Prophet 5 combined with a Prophet VS. Not at all, unfortunately. My #1 complaint may just be nitpicking, but the cheap Curtis integrated circuits DSI chose have this problem [link] and it annoyed the piss out of me. It made the analog OSCs useless for any sort of plucked or bass sounds. The digital side of the synth would be better if you could morph between waveforms like on the original VS. Why not put that in? On a $2,400 instrument, the extra $200 will make it much more loved by fans.


11. Nord Lead 1-- Sounds pretty good.. but it was meant to be a 'modern' Prophet 5. The original Nord Lead is much cheaper than a poly analog and sounds pretty close to one, but I'd recommend skipping a step and going for a DSI Prophet '08 instead. Also, having only two digits for the display made the instrument "feel" cold and lifeless. I may be too accustomed to instant visual feedback.


12. Novation Supernova II-- To me, it sounds like a cheap VSTi (V-Station?). Unison sounds absolutely horrible and the OSCs are weak and have lots of phasing. On top of all this, a used unit is rare and expensive. The original Supernova goes for less than $500 and isn't very different from the II, but I'd rather spend that money on something else.


13. Novation A/K-Station-- Avoid at all costs - Novation's V-Station is nearly IDENTICAL to both of them and is 5x easier to use, cheaper, and just as awful sounding. I've heard the X-Station has some improvements over V/A/K-Station but I'd still recommend anything from Nord over this.

No comments or is everyone just too lazy to read all of that?

Nice post!

I currently have a JP8080, Nord Lead 3, Virus TI and JD800.

I will be adding a Q and Supernova soon.

The Nord always comes up with something good to put into tracks. As for the JP only being good for the supersaw, i'd disagree there.. with a bit of tweaking I've gotten some great basses pads and plucks out of it too.. and some nice fx sounds and leads with the feedback and ring options.

The jd800 well.. it's not really good for anything but I have it sitting there as a controller kybd.

I have mixed feelings about the TI... It never really seems to produce anything that I find highly useable.. and even with the latest os i still have a problem with held notes dropping, and thats not a polyphony problem because it happens on a single patch holding one note... I dunno .. and the oscillators always seem weak to me.

On that note, I see ur not that keen on the SNII.. I'm trying to decide if a SNI + expansion card is worth the money (found a really good deal on one).

4. JP-8000 (SUPERSAW!!!... but that's about it. The synth is kind of useless for anything else)



I have to disagree there, maybe you're not using it to it's full potential???

quote:

Originally posted by Ry Thomas 4. JP-8000 (SUPERSAW!!!... but that's about it. The synth is kind of useless for anything else) I have to disagree there, maybe you're not using it to it's full potential???

I found that it just isn't up to standards to create modern trance music. It's sound, unless you're using the supersaw, is very weak. The envelopes are not very tight or punchy, and the sound in general is very sonically limited. I would feel very restricted if I only had a JP8000.

quote:

Originally posted by johno27 On that note, I see ur not that keen on the SNII.. I'm trying to decide if a SNI + expansion card is worth the money (found a really good deal on one).

It's a pretty good synth. I'd rather have it than the JP8000 because of the SuperNova's variable unison. But don't expect something that sounds nearly as good as the Nord Lead 3 or Virus.

I'd like to add to my argument on the JP8000 that its lack of unison (not including the Supersaw OSC) really limits it... especially if you want to make any sounds to compete with the NL3, Virus, Prophet 08, etc...

JP8080 has unison. but imho it sounds weak like you said. i don't use it really for anything this days. even the supersaw sounds not state of the art. i prefer the hypersaw of the virus ti all time.

quote:

Originally posted by thecYrus JP8080 has unison.

It does? I don't remember this from the JP8000... is it variable? Meaning can you assign and detune 10 voices of the Square wave?

quote:

Similarly, the 10-voice polyphonic JP-8080 even sports a new Unison mode, which can combine all voices into one

Huh... sounds like I should have gotten a JP-8080 rather than a JP-8000. I don't think I'll bother getting a JP-8080 to test it out, though. As you said, its sound is very dated. Any modern VA can run circles around it.

I've had a lot of synths too... waldorf µQ, novation nova, yamaha an1x, roland sh32. I sold everything except the an1x for the virus TI. Since I discovered reason 4 and thor I'm seriously considering selling the virus as I haven't touched it ever since.

Now that 8080s are down to $200 I'm thinking of getting a second one...

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Shibby Now that 8080s are down to $200 I'm thinking of getting a second one...

Where are you seeing this? On eBay, they're not going for less than $500.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Shibby Now that 8080s are down to $200 I'm thinking of getting a second one...

with $200 you should better get massive or something similiar. the soundquality is far better.

JP is phat as hell, i havent heard any synth, especially software sounding so rich, especially on the lower notes.

agree that JP sound is great, its kinda warm anc crispy cold at the same time, and distortion and vocoder on JP8080 is also GREAT but the interface is just trash so I got rid of mine. im left with virus rack xl and waldorf microQ. not getting anything else for a long time.

Re: Alan's List of Favorite Trance Hardware Synths

quote:

Originally posted by alanzo So, I've realized recently that I've owned A LOT of VA hardware synthesizers in my day. Here is the complete list in chronological order: Novation A-Station, Access Virus Rack, JP-8000, Virus|Powercore, Nord Lead 1, Novation Supernova II, Access Virus B, Access Virus XL, Nord Lead 3, Access Virus Classic, Access Virus TI. It also occurred to me that some might like to know what I thought of each one... so here they all are in order of most to least favorite: 1. Access Virus series--TI is preferred, but from the B on up, they're all great 2. Nord Lead 3--Definitely the best sounding and the FM, Unison, and Stack capabilities are EPICLY awesome... but the Virus beats it out for virtual instrument integration and its wide range of sonic capabilities. 3. Novation Supernova II--It's a synth that many love to hate... i hated its cheap sound.. but it could still do some really nice plucks. 4. JP-8000--SUPERSAW!!!... but that's about it. The synth is kind of useless for anything else. Its lack of variable unison is VERY limiting. Note that the JP-8080 does have UNISON, more voices, and a distortion effect. If you must get one of the two, go with the JP8080... but I still think the sound of the JP80x0 is dated... any modern VA can run circles around it. 5. Nord Lead 1--Sounds pretty good.. but it has such a limited range of sounds it can make. 6. Novation A/K/X-Station--Avoid at all costs - Novation's V-Station sounds 100% IDENTICAL to all three of them and is 5x easier to use, cheaper, and just as awful sounding. I've posted samples of all of these instruments throughout this thread : http://www.audiopioneers.net/forum/showthread.php?t=641 What do I own right now and why? I only own an Access Virus TI. In nearly every way it's all you need. Absolutely the best synthesizer I've ever owned. It's so quick to use and it can emulate every synthesizer sound you've ever heard and sound great doing it. What's on my list for the future? I'd like to get a Nord Lead 3 again as well as dive into the world of "modern" analog synths. That is, digitally controlled analog oscillators... namely the Prophet 08 and Alesis Andromeda (all 50 hulking lbs of it). I think I'll wait on Moog to replace the Voyager. The upcoming Waldorf Stromberg looks pretty awesome, too. Any synths that I'm disappointed with? YES! The Nord Wave is a $3,000 disappointment. I'm sure it's WAV capabilities are great but they took out the BEST innovations of the Nord Lead 3... namely the Unison/Stack and the NL3's awesome knob interface. At least they kept the NL3's great FM synthesis but they completely ditched the Unison/Stack. It's as if they took the schematics for the NL2, threw in the WAV osc, grabbed the FM from the NL3 and replaced Unison with shitty onboard FX. Lame. Well, that's it... I would have put this only on my blog, but no one reads it.

Nice summary, alonzo. I'll throw out some of my thoughts here as well, but I won't bore you with all the synths I've owned since I started buying hardware synths back in the early 80s (yeah, I'm an old fart), just the recent ones. My current hardware lineup consists of:

1) Access Virus Polar TI � I heart it. Greatest synth I�ve ever owned.

2) Nord Rack 2X - very gritty; awesome synth.

3) Novation Supernova - great synth, but I just don't use it that much for some reason. I�ve got the SNI with 20 voices (i.e., not the expanded version).

4) Roland JV1080 - my indispensable workhorse for traditional sounds and it's maxed out with expansions (Sound FX, Dance, Techno, Orchestra I). But, it�s a bitch to program, so I pretty much just use it as a preset machine � fortunately, the presets all sound pretty good.

5) Alesis QS8.2 � 88 weighted keys - I primarily use this as a MIDI controller, but also when I just want to plunk around on a piano - it's actually my primary compositional tool when I first start a song.

I've also got a couple of old Roland modules (JV880 and U110) that I took on trade and I never used - they'll go on eBay someday soon.

About a year and a half ago I had 12 synths in my arsenal, including a few E-mu romplers (Orbit 3, XL7) and samplers, and some Novations (A-Station, X-Station), and a Virus Rack XL, but I finally decided to get rid of a bunch of them and replace them with the Polar � smartest move I ever made.

The Nord 2X is my second favorite. I just love the nasty and gritty sounds you can get out of the NLs. I�ve owned the NL1, NL2, and now the 2X, but I�ve never owned a NL3 (yet) or Wave. I�ve been considering buying a Nord 3 for a while now. There are a lot of features on the NL3 that look very interesting to me � particularly the improved screen, the LEDs on the knobs indicating the settings, the stack function, the arp, and the advanced FM capabilities � but, I�ve also heard that the NL3 lacks a lot of the sonic character of the earlier Leads. The Wave looked pretty intriguing to me when it was first announced, but like alanzo, I�ve become very underwhelmed by it since and I don�t see how the hell they can justify a nearly $3K street price for it.

I have to agree with alonzo regarding the JP8000/8080 � aside from �that� sound, they�ve always just sounded very bland to me compared to the competition. But, I have to disagree with him on the Novation A-Stations � I�ve owned two of them and they are pretty cool and powerful synths for not much money. Their biggest limitation was that annoying little 2-digit LED screen, which made programming a bit annoying.

Surprisingly, I�ve never owned a Waldorf, but my buddy has a Q (the blue keyboard version) and he left it at my house over a month ago. That thing is a beast � if I had the space for it, I don�t think I�d give it back to him.

Well, enough of my rambling. I think that my next move is going to be to buy a Nord 3 and keep both the 2X and 3 for a while until I decide which one I like best, then sell the other one and my Supernova and pick up a Dave Smith Prophet 08 Rack � that synth just looks/sounds sick! I think that a Polar TI, Prophet 08, Nord 2X or 3 and my JV1080 will keep me pretty happy for a long time

Who's used an Alesis Andromeda A6? My dream synth and I'd like to hear general thoughts on it.

Crossposted from the studio pics topic my answer would be: Beyer has.
Maybe you should PM him for more info .

quote:

Originally posted by Beyer We have to keep this thread alive.. I haven�t posted a pic yet, so here goes. I moved into a new house last year, and haven�t been able to get things organized properly. And the only acoustic treatment I have so far are two small bass traps in the front of the room, and large one in the back. I�m planning on doing some extensive work to this room later this year, so I�ll post a pic when I�ve done that. btw, sorry for the crap quality.. It�s taken with my mobile cam.

Re: Re: Alan's List of Favorite Trance Hardware Synths

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik Well, enough of my rambling. I think that my next move is going to be to buy a Nord 3 and keep both the 2X and 3 for a while until I decide which one I like best, then sell the other one and my Supernova and pick up a Dave Smith Prophet 08 Rack � that synth just looks/sounds sick! I think that a Polar TI, Prophet 08, Nord 2X or 3 and my JV1080 will keep me pretty happy for a long time

i had the nord rack 3 and its a beast, specialy with FM, but somehow the sound is abit "wet?" compared to 2x, 2x seems so rock solid. just stick with it.

Re: Re: Re: Alan's List of Favorite Trance Hardware Synths

quote:

Originally posted by palm i had the nord rack 3 and its a beast, specialy with FM, but somehow the sound is abit "wet?" compared to 2x, 2x seems so rock solid. just stick with it.

They're practically two different instruments. The NL2 is pretty cheap in comparison, so you might as well have both.

Nice posts. I'm pondering selling the Motif ES8 and replacing it with a TI Polar... good to know it received high marks here. I'm just sure I'm going to miss a full size keyboard (and I love how the keys feel), and the Motif has some piano, effects, guitars, arps, and bass sounds that I love. Messing around with the Polar at GC, though, I need some synths like that! And I can't afford it without offsetting some of the cost... The rest of the sounds on the Motif are too diverse, though - because it (obviously) wasn't made specifically for EDM producers.

quote:

Originally posted by Fledz Who's used an Alesis Andromeda A6? My dream synth and I'd like to hear general thoughts on it.

I didn't like it at all. It's impossible to program on it. The knobs are extremely sensitive responding to smallest movement which makes it impossible fine-tuning a parameter. I don't know if it's fixed in a OS or whether an editor is aviable to deal with it in the meantime?

quote:

Originally posted by Timothy I didn't like it at all. It's impossible to program on it. The knobs are extremely sensitive responding to smallest movement which makes it impossible fine-tuning a parameter. I don't know if it's fixed in a OS or whether an editor is aviable to deal with it in the meantime?

It's really hard to fine tune the settings, that's a definite drawback. I have been really annoyed by this, but it's one of those quirks that give this beast it's charm - if you will. I usually tweak by ear, not by eye - and most of the times I don't need to have an EXACT value, so a close setting usually does it.

There's no editor, as far as I know of that will make you be able to fine tune it via your computer, and as far as OS goes - there will never be an update I'm afraid.

It's got it's flaws, and problems - but in the end it's the sounds that matter the most imo. And I think it's got a beautiful tone. It can be what you want it to be.

I have only had mine for a few months, and haven't had the time to really dig into the capabilities yet. But it's vast, and complex. Yet, it's layout is quite intuitive I think.

Many people tend to compare it to the older analogs, like prophet and moog. But it's not fair imo, as it never was meant to be a new moog or a jupiter. It's got it's own sound, and either you like it or you don't. Some say it's not as "analog" sounding as a moog, but I just don't get that. It IS 100% analog signal path, and you don't buy a synth to get "analog" sound, you buy a synth for it's sound - may it be digital or analog. I heard demo samples from this, and saw pics of it, and just knew I had to have one.

I originally ordered a virus ti, but canceled at the last minute in favour of the andromeda. There is just something about it's sound that attracts me, making the ti sound pale in comparison IMO.

/rant

Access Virus TI makes me druel all over myself.

One day.. one day we will be together. =]

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