The best sounding analog synth of all time?

[Big Mouth Strikes Again]

I own quite a few analog synths. However, my most expensive synths are a pair of Roland MKS-80s (a Rev 4 and a Rev 5). I would never pay $30,000 for a Jupiter 8, for instance. In fact, I wouldn't even buy a Moog One, a Sequential Prophet 10, or an Oberheim OB-X8. It's not just the price. None of these current flagship synths is available in a rack mount format. (The Prophet 10 is available in a bulky desktop module but not as a rack mount.)

I have said that any analog synth that I might buy in the future would need to be really special given all the mid-range DCO analog synths I own (e.g., Juno 60, Prophet REV2 module, Matrix-1000, MKS-70, MKS-50, MKS-30, MKS-7, Pulse 1, Pulse 2, etc.)

The analog synth I'm currently obsessing over is the Studio Electronics Omega 8. IMO, it sounds absolutely glorious. It's an 8 voice multitimbral rack mount (!) VCO analog synth with 2 oscillators plus sub per voice with variable pulse width plus PWM, 3 envelopes, 2 LFOs, up to 4 classic filter boards (2 standard) and an arpeggiator. It also includes an LCD display, full SysEx support, and a software editor/librarian.

What price perfection you ask? $6,349. And that's just the base model. The additional TB-303 and Arp 2600 filter boards cost $1,000 a piece. So that brings the total up to $8,349. Yikes!

But it does sound phenomenal to me. If it was a keyboard I wouldn't have room for it. But since it's a rack mount synth, I can slot it right into one of my equipment racks.

[vurt]

not bad if you like that sort of thing
seems like excessive polyphony for my needs

[HOTF]

I have said that any analog synth that I might buy in the future would need to be really special

How about a Analogue solutions colossus synth .

[cryophonik]

Omega/CODE 8 has been at the top of my wish list as well. I’ve been keeping an eye out for the right deal, just a matter of time…

[Big Mouth Strikes Again]

seems like excessive polyphony for my needs

Yeah, for $6,439, the Omega 8 really should have 16 voices minimum. Especially given the fact that it's multitimbral. By comparison, the going rate for a used Alesis Andromeda is just shy of $5,000. The Andromeda is 16 voice multitimbral with 2 filters and (lo-fi) effects. And it sounds really good, IMO.

I've always thought that 8 voice multitimbral synths like my Waldorf MicroWave are a little silly. I guess it's cool. But I have never used the Multi mode on my MicroWave in the 34 years that I've owned it.

[Stefken]

Some silly remarks. I have not more to give.

* For that money, i would not rely on a video but have a private session at the store with caviar and champagn to boot.
But Studio Electronics makes pretty good stuff. The video certainly kept my interest.

* I don t see why one would need eight 303 filters?

* Modular synths is a bit the filter i see everything with for the moment (one hammer, everything is a nail ...). But when i see it has 2 lfo's, my gut response is hmm if i want some extra lfo's in a modular i just insert them. Or have multiple lfo's interact into a complex modulation. 2 LFO's will typically lead you into the same territory as 10 million other presets but if that is fine with you, then it's all good.

[Big Mouth Strikes Again]

Some silly remarks. I have not more to give.

* For that money, i would not rely on a video but have a private session at the store with caviar and champagn to boot.
But Studio Electronics makes pretty good stuff. The video certainly kept my interest.

* I don t see why one would need eight 303 filters?

* Modular synths is a bit the filter i see everything with for the moment (one hammer, everything is a nail ...). But when i see it has 2 lfo's, my gut response is hmm if i want some extra lfo's in a modular i just insert them. Or have multiple lfo's interact into a complex modulation. 2 LFO's will typically lead you into the same territory as 10 million other presets but if that is fine with you, then it's all good.

I used to own a TB-303 that I bought new with a TR-606 drum machine. Although both items were intended for lounge acts, I always used mine for electronic music. They both sounded great.

So I would love to have a 303 filter in my Omega 8 for those squelchy Acid bass and lead lines. My Virus T12 keyboard sort of does this sound when I crank up the resonance and oscillator saturation. But it's much more digital sounding.

The TB-303 is also great for square wave sub bass-style patches. It's not super deep sounding. But it's very musical.

I have a 16 voice Sequential Prophet REV2 and a Dave Smith Mono Evolver Keyboard. Both instruments feature 4 LFOs. But I almost never use more than two per patch. I would much rather have additional envelopes than LFOs. Actually, the best of all worlds is 4 LFOs that can each be set to "one shot" mode. This way the LFOs can be used as simple attack/decay/release envelopes.

I also have a number of Roland vintage synths that include a single LFO. This seems pretty limiting at first. But these synths sound so good, it almost doesn't matter.

[vurt]

seems like excessive polyphony for my needs

Yeah, for $6,439, the Omega 8 really should have 16 voices minimum.

i only need one!

[Stefken]

I used to own a TB-303 that I bought new with a TR-606 drum machine. Although both items were intended for lounge acts, I always used mine for electronic music. They both sounded great.

So I would love to have a 303 filter in my Omega 8 for those squelchy Acid bass lines. The TB-303 is also great for square wave sub bass-style patches. It's not super deep sounding. But it's very musical.

I really love the TB-303. So i understand you want to get that sound in there.

The emphasis was on the number of instances : 8 instances !

TB-303 is a monosynth and always used as such. I can see you using a few channels for some sequences in parallel but never eight. I see you don t have to buy the board with 8 filters but can buy them separately. I guess like 2 or 3 TB-303 filters will do?

BTW. While TB-303 sounds are typically used in fast acid sequences, Carbon Based Lifeforms used it to great effect in ambient sequences. This might align pretty nicely with this machine.

[Shabdahbriah]

As it is, I'm quite content with what I have, keyboard wise. A Bass Station II, and a Sledge II (black), and I've been roll-my-own 'modular' focused/obsessed for the better part of a decade. That said...

The last 'analog' keyboard I was really (really) impressed with:

MFB Dominion 1.png

The most recent non-keyboard that intrigues me:

Syntrx II.png

[CoolColJ]

I owned an Omega 8, with 8 ARP and CS80 filters for a short period of time a long time ago.
I dunno, while it sounded thick, creamy and wide, I found it rather colourless and clean.
Very strange mixture indeed

The envelopes were pretty slow as well.

here is a demo of mine I did at the time



And a little 3 part multimode jam - bass and sequence driven by the freeware SEQ24 pattern sequencer.
While I played live over the top

[cryophonik]

Holy shynth, that sounds glorious! Funny, I’ve watched those videos more times than I can remember over the past 10 years or so and they reignite my GAS every time. I’m aware of the slow-ish envelopes on the CODE/Omega, but they’d be fine for the poly sounds I’d want/use it for. OTOH, the slow envelopes in the SE-1 really limited its potential, but they fixed that with the SE-1X Nova and SE-3X.

[audiouser720]

To me it’s Roland System 100

[Constructed Identity]

What about the Moog model 10

[pdxindy]

The best sounding analog synth of all time is Eurorack Modular.