Hardware synths that blew away your expectations

[bmanic]

Please please please do not mention the Hydrasynth. Please let me believe it's utter crap! Otherwise I might end up getting that AND the damn Waldorf M.

[cryophonik]

I have another possible contender. I just bought a Shruti XT and this thing is VERY cool! I actually expected it to be cool, but there's not a whole lot of great demo material out there to give me a complete idea of what I was getting into. This one was a custom build with the 4P and an additional stereo SVF (with two sets of outputs, one mono, one stereo) and the ability to configure them in parallel or series and assign output routings.

However, by the time I choose to try a synth, I generally have a pretty good idea what to expect...

I'm usually the same way, which is why the Pulse 2 really surprised me. Most of the demos I saw/heard, showed off the factory presets which are, by and large, pretty terrible. However, between the gems I did hear, the consistent comments about how awful and non-representative the factory presets were, and a couple of the demos that explored a little deeper, I felt confident that I knew what I was getting. But, I way underestimated how cool, deep, and diverse it is!

[cryophonik]

Otherwise I might end up getting that AND the damn Waldorf M.

I don't see how you have any other choice, honestly.

[Scotty]

M Audio Venom

I've been seriously tempted by this one.

I don't really get blown away as I tend to do a fair bit of research before I buy a new synth but the three that have impressed me the most and given me the most enjoyment have been the DeepMind 12D, Microfreak, and the Hydrasynth. I'd miss each of these if I had to part with any of them.

[_leras]

sheep 3 alchemists 1

alchemists. otherwise know as people with very small hands?

[vurt]

sheep 3 alchemists 1

alchemists. otherwise know as people with very small hands?

and sheep have none, your point?

[vurt]

also, tiny hands come in handy if you drop your keys down an air vent.

[justin3am]

M Audio Venom

I've been seriously tempted by this one.

I don't really get blown away as I tend to do a fair bit of research before I buy a new synth but the three that have impressed me the most and given me the most enjoyment have been the DeepMind 12D, Microfreak, and the Hydrasynth. I'd miss each of these if I had to part with any of them.

It's a pretty neat synth with unfortunately limited access to it's parameters from the front panel. You can control all of it's features via the editor. It was the first hardware synth for which I contributed factory patches. It was a really fun project and I just wish M-Audio could have done the other synths that Taiho and the team had in the works.

[justin3am]

I have another possible contender. I just bought a Shruti XT and this thing is VERY cool! I actually expected it to be cool, but there's not a whole lot of great demo material out there to give me a complete idea of what I was getting into. This one was a custom build with the 4P and an additional stereo SVF (with two sets of outputs, one mono, one stereo) and the ability to configure them in parallel or series and assign output routings.

Shruthi XTs are really cool. I love my Ambika (mine has SVF filters) and have occasionally considered building a Shruthi as well. Mutable synths are so well thought out. Deep but still easy to use. I kinda wish she would do another stand alone synth.

However, by the time I choose to try a synth, I generally have a pretty good idea what to expect...

I'm usually the same way, which is why the Pulse 2 really surprised me. Most of the demos I saw/heard, showed off the factory presets which are, by and large, pretty terrible. However, between the gems I did hear, the consistent comments about how awful and non-representative the factory presets were, and a couple of the demos that explored a little deeper, I felt confident that I knew what I was getting. But, I way underestimated how cool, deep, and diverse it is!

I had a similar experience with the Sequential Pro3. The demos didn't do much for me, so I didn't take the time to read the manual. A friend/coworker brought his to my house and that's when I realized how similar the Pro3 is to the Evolver, which I've always loved.

[Liero]

I think the Elektron Digitone is a _seriously_ underrated synth, probably because of it's form factor and specs on paper BUT it sounds totally different to any other FM synth. I urge anyone to try one out if your interest in FM has nothing to do with DX7 nostalgia but you want just a very good sounding, versatile synth. No other synth, software or hardware sounds like this thing.

[pdxindy]

I think the Elektron Digitone is a _seriously_ underrated synth, probably because of it's form factor and specs on paper BUT it sounds totally different to any other FM synth. I urge anyone to try one out if your interest in FM has nothing to do with DX7 nostalgia but you want just a very good sounding, versatile synth. No other synth, software or hardware sounds like this thing.

I bought the Digitone cause I was traveling and it seemed like a decent and small, self contained music box. I ended up liking it a lot more than I expected... so +1

[Constructed Identity]

I have to go into WAY BACK mode for this because of YOUTUBE.
Before the the iphone, before Reverb.com, before the Internet, you had to go into music stores to look at gear...
I had wanted a synthesizer since I was 13 but not the kind of cheap thing my mom could afford so when I was older with my own money I happened into a music store in/near downtown. The two kings of synths at the time were Roland and Yamaha. The Rolland (I can't remember the model) was probably hugely more popular than what I got- a W7. I got it because of buttons for each midi channel on the front, I thought that was a good idea. I didn't know much about midi at the time other than that it was what synthesizers used to communicate with each other. Well, I learned all about midi sequencing, and crafting my own presets on the workstation because most of the ones it came with were not very good - another reason they didn't sell!
Long story short, it was what I learned on. Everything from composition and midi arranging to sound design and sample manipulation. The Yamaha W7 will forever be the hardware that was the most beyond my expectations because I didn't know that much about it from the little bit of time spent with it in the music store.

[Effectsworks]

Virus TI

[Teezdalien]

Working with a Serge modular has completely changed the way I approach modular synths. I'd definitely put that in the mind blowing category.

I'm totally with you on this statement.. There aren't many synths that have made this much of an impression on me, I could say the sheer raw sonics of a decent Buchla system was eye opening, but for me the Serge is something else.. I've been using these modules for over five years now and still get surprised and blown away by the sounds these things put out.
I mean you can easily patch up basic voices and not really find anything out of the ordinary. But if you push the patch a little further, which the systems really invite and there are many ways to do so.. You often get incredible sounds that would be pretty hard to pull out of a computer imo..

[theorize]

Sound blaster