Underrated/overlooked synths

[BONES]

Maybe but its too expensive.

I haven't seen anyone mention Oddity 3 yet.

Probably because it's not a patch (pun intended) on Korg's ARP Odyssey. I've got both and I haven't used Oddity at all, whereas we use Odyssey a lot. I agree that there is something special about the ARP sound, somehow its a lot more than the sum of its parts - there's nothing really special about the oscillators or any of the filters they used over time but somehow it all works together amazingly well.

I'd actually like to see another take on the 2600. The Cherry Audio didn't do it for me and I haven't been tempted by Arturia.

Again, Korg's ARP 2600 is on another level. For my money it is the best sounding emulation of anything, ever. Adding a SEM style filter as an add-on was a stroke of genius. I've used it in a few songs and I'd use it a lot more if it wasn't such a PITA to work with. That said, if you stick to default routings it's not too bad. It's only when you start trying to be clever with it that it gets annoying.

[Echoes in the Attic]

Maybe but its too expensive.

I haven't seen anyone mention Oddity 3 yet.

Probably because it's not a patch (pun intended) on Korg's ARP Odyssey. I've got both and I haven't used Oddity at all, whereas we use Odyssey a lot. I agree that there is something special about the ARP sound, somehow its a lot more than the sum of its parts - there's nothing really special about the oscillators or any of the filters they used over time but somehow it all works together amazingly well.

I'd actually like to see another take on the 2600. The Cherry Audio didn't do it for me and I haven't been tempted by Arturia.

Again, Korg's ARP 2600 is on another level. For my money it is the best sounding emulation of anything, ever. Adding a SEM style filter as an add-on was a stroke of genius. I've used it in a few songs and I'd use it a lot more if it wasn't such a PITA to work with. That said, if you stick to default routings it's not too bad. It's only when you start trying to be clever with it that it gets annoying.

I barely use the Korg one because it’s a bit over the top with clutter and doesn’t have some nice things like trackpad scrolling, and while the sound quality is pretty good it seems like the presets are a bit inconsistent in volume and flipping through I find it often seems more quiet than it should be. None of this is a deal breaker I’ve just found myself not opening it much, but it’s good to get a reminder that some people really love it.

I do find myself instead gravitating to the Air Timewarp 2600 which I think sounds fantastic and quite bit simpler and more approachable.

[D-Fusion]

The great thing about the Korg Arp 2600 is that it can do a lot more than the standard Arp 2600 so it takes more time to learn what it can do.

[TotcProductions]

Again, Korg's ARP 2600 is on another level. For my money it is the best sounding emulation of anything, ever.

Agreed. 100%.

[BONES]

I do find myself instead gravitating to the Air Timewarp 2600 which I think sounds fantastic and quite bit simpler and more approachable.

Maybe but it doesn't have a SEM filter so it can't compete.

[IvyBirds]

I have the Korg Arp, and it's awesome. I do however like using it with Cherry Audio's Voltage Modular and/or VCV Rack to make my own 2600 inspired Synths and enhance its capabilities with different filters, envelopes, modulation sources, extra LFOs, all kinds of MIDI trickery etc

What's cool is you can host VCV rack and Korg Arp 2600 inside of Voltage Modular and create all kinds of wild and weird things. I have a giant touch screen monitor so it's also fun to use my finger to drag and plugin cables right in the screen

[Korg Supporter]

• Imaginando DRC - It's a really cool virtual analog synth that sounds vintage without sounding like anything vintage. The 4-Pole filter is like glowing milk, and the built-in FX are really good.

• E-Phonic Invader 2 - It's like DRC but sounds cleaner. Also CPU-friendly.

• Memorymoon Messiah (Windows Only) - Does more than just emulate a Prophet Rev 2. It can go into Synclavier and CZ territory with added ringmod, FM, and phase distortion capabilities! It also has a couple of extra modulators.

• Everything by Plogue - Wait until Black Friday to get their stuff for 50% off. I love OPS7, and C64 can be fully polyphonic (albeit with heavy CPU).

• NI Razor - Great for spectral stuff. Too bad it's abandoned.

• HY-Poly - The free version is worth it too (and now polyphonic). It can do subtractive, 2OP FM, vector, phase distortion, and the beta version has Karplus.

• Newfangled Audio Generate - The only distorted West Coast synth you need. The built-in FX sound so good and can be modulated. Unfortunately, it requires iLok. But getting it on sale with a student discount for $24 is a steal!

• OP-X Pro II/III - Don't be fooled by the name and GUI. It can mimic a wide range of synths! There are different adjustments for the filter, oscillators, and modulation.

• Audjoo Helix - It hasn't been updated for Windows since 2020, but it runs well. It is one of the best-sounding synths you can have for little CPU! Its waveshaping capabilities and filters still hold up today.

• Albino 3 Legend - Another oldie but goodie synth that sounds great with little CPU. It has great bells and pads!

• Renoise Redux - Really a sampler, but it has very flexible modulation and lets you add as many fx and filters as you like.

A couple of synths that I don't own but sound awesome are Loomer Aspect and DiscoDSP Corona.

To add to this, I don't think Icarus gets enough credit. Sure, Serum 2 is better for sampling and granular stuff (and why I bought Pigments), but Icarus has a sound of its own. To me, it sounds like a modern continuation of those Ensoniq and Waldorf synths. It sounds crisp, it can sound gritty, and it has a wide selection of filter and unison types. Not to mention, it does FM pretty damn well. I just wish it would have more mod slots. The CPU usage is good until you get heavy with the unison and newer filters. So it's still good to have something like Spire or Hive.

And Tone2's Gladiator is really cool for spectral stuff. It's almost like a modern Kawai K5000 minus the resynthesis and formant filter.