MS-20

This is the best sounding analog emulation available at the moment. Korg have really outdone themselves with the sound. It has a beautiful organic liquid smoothness even at it's grittiest and most ugly. I was skeptical of the hardware controller at first but it really does give the MS-20 a hands-on tactile feel that software alone can't match. It's not the most sonically versatile synth ever, but it does great basses & leads and simpler pads beautifully.

The software UI alone can be frustrating, with two views, one of which is way too small and one of which is so big that it requires a lot of unnecessary scrolling. This isn't such a big deal really, since you'll generally be using the controller to program it. CPU usage can be on the high side, but it's easily worth it for the sound quality.

It doesn't come with many presets, but it's easy enough to program that you'll be making your own right away. I hope Korg applies their analog modeling technology to a more flexible and versatile synth next time around but right now this is my go-to instrument.Read Review