Hi there

First i'm not a beginner, but not educated either.
I've been producing for a decade using guitars and soft synths but never really learned theory although i have a good grasp on fundamentals and seem to manage enough to make good sounds by ear with a synth, at the moment i'm using pigments.

I am lurking at korg's synths a lot as well as the minifreak but i feel like there is something i want in each of them. The opsix seems so satisfying and capable of a lot without being bound to fm synthesis in case i need more variety. The minifreak seems to be a beast and jack of all trades. The minilogue xd has limitations but god some patches i've heard would fit good with my style of music (think Jungle, the band, and their latest two albums. Or Maribou state. Add some old school rock like joy division. That's my kind of sound but i want to feel modern still so i don't want to be stuck in a retro sound either).

I feel locked between these three. The hydrasynth explorer too but i feel like i would just get lost in there and end up making a lot of stuff that doesn't fit it's limited space in a soong, or if i did that would be taming a beast that wants to express itself in larger ways.
The argon and cobalt 8 are great candidates too.

I kind of know what i want but don't know what priorities to go for.

How would you choose ?

I'm not up to be a synthead who wants to explore the universe. I just want to feel cozy on a single planet that is retro and modern at the same time.

I feel like this post sounds so vague i don't know if it could spark any good answer. :/

 

What about a used KingKorg? Unfortunately it's discontinued. The KK is a powerful warm sounding machine, a versatile bread and butter workhorse, and it's very easy to use. Have a look at it as well.
If I had to choose one of your previous favorites, I would go for the Opsix.

 

Need to know a budget or spending ballpark to narrow down your choices. Not all synths are right for all tastes, so the right "first synth" for you could be literally anything.

My first synth was, of all things, a ***damn Chroma Polaris that was half-broken and found at a Goodwill for $40 and we didn't even know how to use it right. My point there is your first synth could be some weird deal for a somewhat rarer synthesizer in a weird shape that you're not even sure how the hell it managed to be in your county in the first place and having a specific model in mind may help avoid that scenario as well.

 

Behringer MonoPoly - Olschool but you'll sound more modern anyways

 

Skip the Hydrasynth. It is rather digital sounding, as well as it being not exactly user friendly in terms of building patches. It is pretty great for making pad sounds and other abstract sorts of patches; it is definitely not meat and potatoes. My comments are about the original desktop model, but i can't imagine the Explorer being radically different.

I have a bunch of more "complex" synths, but my favorite is my Moog Grandmother. Easily.

 

I don't agree with the idea that a "first synth" should be limited in architecture. Well-designed and straightforward to use, yes, but limited, no.

The problem we have these days is the latest generation of VSTis are generally more powerful than hardware synths, leaving people like me somewhat disappointed when we use hardware synths. My complaint about the Hydrasynth isn't that it's too complicated (it isn't), but that it is too limited - but that is something it shares with it's bretheren. The Argon and Cobolt 8 are in the same boat (well, they're more limited than the Hydrasynth).

If you do want a "limited" but still reasonably powerful *analog* synth, I'd look at the Sequential Take 5 or Trigon 6. I'd also choose the Minifreak over the Op-6, but I think FM synthesis is overrated in general. Korg did have something genuinely clever and original with Karma, but they dropped it for the recent generation of synths.

And I'd skip the limited monosynths, volcas and other toy-like synths. Synths like the Super-6, OB-6 are just meh for those of us who were too young or not even born during the 80s.

The only new hardware synth I really lust after these days is the Polybrute and maybe the Subsequent 37. But for those of us who grew up with softsynths (starting with Rebirth) and have limited space, hardware synths can be a hindrance rather than a boon.

(disclaimer: I have a M3/exb-radias, Blofeld and Hydrasynth, I've sold the others like the Virus TI, Alpha Juno, other romplers)

 

Last edited: Jun 24, 2023

The Hydrasynth is not that limited, especially if you use the Sigabort editor. It's probably my least favorite sounding modern synth I have. Im not going to say my first digital PCM synth (kawai k4) sounds better, let's be realistic. I never sell anything of mine, just used stuff i quickly sample and dump lol. I'm pretty sure I am not in any danger of having the Hydra in 30 years. No-one will.



There is also Hydramorph program, but I have not used it.

 

Last edited: Jun 24, 2023

I don't think anyone here can answer your question? I think you have to figure out for yourself what it is you are really looking for?

 

Synth1?

https://daichilab.sakura.ne.jp/softsynth/index.html

 

Yes, too many factors are involved. Most of us never find "one" that eliminates the need for all others. But if you do like using Software Synths, a pretty sure fire bet is a nice main controller keyboard. Even that can't be so easily narrowed down, but it can be much easier. What is your playing style, do you want a full 88 keys, do you want weighted/semi, maybe you prefer a Fatar keybed, etc, maybe you need a million different controller knobs, sliders, and maybe you don't. Maybe you don't want to give your entire desk surface to a gigantic 88 key.

And that's before the damn thing even makes it's own noises. I think when it comes to bang for buck, usefulness, sound, and price; the Novation Bass Station 2 may be pretty difficult to beat. It is also HW profiled in Omnisphere. But something 49 keys or bigger is really about the bare minimum if you intend to play with both hands ever.