What's your favorite vintage synthesizer?

[fisherKing]

my brother had an Oberheim OBX; eight voices, 32 presets. the sound was HUGE (unfortunately, the synth itself was also physically huge). still... wish i'd taken it from him (he sold it, damn him!). he had a juno 60 too, which was really great. but the OBX was the best...

[mztk]

question: difference between JU-6 and JU-60, soundwise?
(or is it just a matter of ownership?:) )

[deastman]

I got to work with Stevie Wonders Synclavier for a stint and have to say, THAT is my favorite vintage synth.

Truly magnificent!

I've worked with a Synclavier "back in the day". I was sooo excited to get my hands on such a legendary instrument, and sooo disappointed when I realized that it wasn't all that special after all. Don't get me wrong- it had some interesting and unique innovations, but it wasn't all that I had built it up to be in my mind.

I think it depends on what sound-sets were loaded.

Stevie had some AWESOME sounds in his.

Some of the latter orchestral sounds Zappa used were outstanding.

I was thinking in terms of the high sample rate, resynthesis, sequencer, etc. Sample sets are all well and good, but I always found it far more interesting to record my own. I don't think too many of the Synclavier sounds attained the iconic status that the Fairilght sounds did.

[fisherKing]

question: difference between JU-6 and JU-60, soundwise?
(or is it just a matter of ownership?:) )

the 60 was the same synth, but with presets added...

[chk071]

Now that's what i call an improvement.

[PatchAdamz]

I got to work with Stevie Wonders Synclavier for a stint and have to say, THAT is my favorite vintage synth.

Truly magnificent!

I've worked with a Synclavier "back in the day". I was sooo excited to get my hands on such a legendary instrument, and sooo disappointed when I realized that it wasn't all that special after all. Don't get me wrong- it had some interesting and unique innovations, but it wasn't all that I had built it up to be in my mind.

I think it depends on what sound-sets were loaded.

Stevie had some AWESOME sounds in his.

Some of the latter orchestral sounds Zappa used were outstanding.

I was thinking in terms of the high sample rate, resynthesis, sequencer, etc. Sample sets are all well and good, but I always found it far more interesting to record my own. I don't think too many of the Synclavier sounds attained the iconic status that the Fairilght sounds did.

In terms of sample rate, re synthesis, sequencer, etc, the Synclavier was the more advanced machine.

The Synclavier was the first 16-bit digital sampling system with sample rates to go as high as 100 kHz (the Fairlight was initially only 24 kHz and 8 bit).

The Synclavier also offered FM/Additive synthesis, hard disc recording and a 32Track Memory Recorder.
It also offered Sample-to-Disk in 1982, with Sample-to-Memory and later option to sample sounds and edit them in computer memory.

In 1984 it offered Direct-to-Disk and the first commercial hard disk recording system.

It also had a MIDI interface, (yes MIDI), SMPTE timecode tracking, and a Digital Guitar Interface (thus Pat Methenys amazing guitar tone).

The Synclavier was an advanced system by any comparison at that time.

[fisherKing]

when i was a teenager, i interned at the tommy boy records studio...basically a room in tom silverman's apartment, with...a synclavier. they wanted me to learn it. i took home 10 pounds of manuals...and gave up, moving on to a roland 606 and a juno106.

amazing thing, the synclavier...but a major commitment to operate it..!

[V0RT3X]

I've never gotten to play anything really old as far as synthesizers go. However I did get to play with a Moog Voyager once and I absolutely loved it!

Based on my experience with all the TONS of vintage synthesizer VSTs I played with over the years I would probably go with the ARP2600.

I wish I had 100 million or so, cause id help get the ARP company back in business so we could see a re-make of the 2600 and odyssey.

[ghettosynth]

question: difference between JU-6 and JU-60, soundwise?
(or is it just a matter of ownership?:) )

the 60 was the same synth, but with presets added...

That's "almost" true. Adding presets to the Juno 6 meant digitizing the controls and storing the values. For the most part, the differences are truly minimal and are, for all intents and purposes, not detectable. One of the things that is distinctly different is the control of the HPF. On the 6 it is a slider that gives you fine control over the frequency. On the 60, it's a switch with four settings. This gives you three choices of frequency and off.

They are essentially the same, but, the 60 does have digitized controls which means limitations of stepping and slew rate for performance, which, for almost every use isn't detectable, but, if I were a purist, I would opt for the 6 over the 60.

The synth is so simple that presets aren't really all that valuable to someone that knows what they're doing.

In any case, they are both really fantastic and you can't go wrong with either.

[ghettosynth]

Here's something a little bit obscure, not really if you're into synths, but, not everyone has heard of them, and despite their simplicity, are a lot of fun.

What makes these so interesting is that they are inviting. Whenever people visit, if I have one of these out, they get played. If anyone plays them, then everyone has to have a go, and nobody seems to want to put them down. It's "Bawwoooooaaaasssss" for at least an hour.

I give you the "Star Electronics Synare"

[BERFAB]

Ensoniq ESQ 1

A couple of fellas from Compaq computer jumped ship to start Ensoniq as a synth and hearing aid company. The thing that set them apart was their commitment to taking all the cool technology of their time and putting it out at a price point that allowed the masses to join in the fun.

I was one of those masses.

Also jumped on their sample technology with an original Mirage rack and ASR10 rack.

Good times.

-B

[ghettosynth]

Ensoniq ESQ 1

A couple of fellas from Compaq computer jumped ship to start Ensoniq as a synth and hearing aid company. The thing that set them apart was their commitment to taking all the cool technology of their time and putting it out at a price point that allowed the masses to join in the fun.

I was one of those masses.

Also jumped on their sample technology with an original Mirage rack and ASR10 rack.

Good times.

-B

While it's true that they targeted "working musicians" and that they were innovative with respect to digital synth design, their technology only got them so far. The ESQ-1 oscillators, for example, were great for their time considering what people wanted out of synths, but, they pale in comparison to actual analog oscillators when you want an analog sound.

It's original retail price at $1395 was certainly better than the comparable Matrix 6 at $1595. The ESQ-1 had 8 voices instead of 6, so this was a feature that people really liked. The ESQ-1 also had a built in sequencer, so, from a purely feature perspective, it was a bargain.

But what really set it apart from comparable competition is the quality of the user interface. It, like the Matrix 12, (and interestingly, the Yamaha DX series), is on of the fastest synths to program owing to the innovative user interface.

Interestingly today, they are a bargain. I regularly turn them down for $100 or so. They aren't worth enough to deal with the hassle of flipping, I don't want the parts from them, and I have one. Interestingly, the one that I have has about the best feeling keyboard that I've ever had. It's my main controller and despite being almost 30 years old, still feels a lot better than some of my newer controllers that have become worn out. I'm looking at you Arturia!

[himalaya]

The ESQ-1 oscillators, for example, were great for their time considering what people wanted out of synths, but, they pale in comparison to actual analog oscillators when you want an analog sound.

Since these oscillators were digital, it would be weird to expect them to make the same sound as analog ones (despite the filter being analog).

[himalaya]

Also, the weird velocity sensitivity makes it a crappy master keyboard

Oh - mine's the MKS70 module with the programmer


Stephen

So is mine. Love it. Although I'm not to keen on the dual-tone nature. The sound though is *lush*.

[himalaya]

Sure, it's not as flash as some of the other suggestions here, but a) it was reasonably cheap, b) it sounds fuzzy and c) it's mine.

and was extensively used by Vangelis on the China album, so it deserves some prise.