I want to buy either one that can do both bass and chords or 2 desktop synths to complement each other to record in my DAW. My budget is under $800 USD. It can have keys or not.

I mostly make House and Techno, but sometimes Synthpop, DnB and Breaks, to give you a general idea of what they will be used for. Gnarly fat, sometimes plonky classic basses, beautiful chords, plucks and pads, that kind of thing. Am I asking for too much?

Every time I search I get a long list of the usual stuffs from the big brands, but what about the lesser known small boutique companies that make desktop synths? So far the closest to what I seek would probably be those made by Dreadbox. From all of the demos I heard they sometimes sound big, fat and rich, but sometimes not so much and even terrible in many demos. I guess that is to be expected, but anyway I want to explore more options before I buy anything.

Can you suggest any interesting options for me?

 

Right now I think of the Hydrasynth desktop, versatile good sounding synth with great interface

 

B K2
B 2600
And ad some crave or other fun toy like a mini desk to mix & overdrive
like Xenyx X1204 USB or just analog

of course used is the best way, especially for a mixer
a lot of fun to be had

 

Sorry i actually overlooked that last part
imo, 800 for 2 indie/boutique, is rather tough, for the really interesting stuff.

i see 2 ways forward
a small, very specific modular rig
there you could exchange parts without big investments after
the initial investments, but the gear is REALLY interesting & unique!

then here are some i would suggest used
Jomox or Tanzbär for drums
ranges from 120-2k in price

synths
Beetlecrab (vector s.)
Pittsburgh Modular
Modal Electronics (maybe)Cobalt8M
dsi

 

Hardware
ASM Hydrasynth Desktop - 769 €

Korg - King Korg Neo - 799 €

Korg - microKORG Crystal - 447 €

Behringer Model 15 - 299 €

Software:
Air MUsic Tech - AIR Sub Factory : The Ultimate Bass Synth

 

Thanks for the suggestions! I should have mentioned that I am really only interested in analog synths, unless it is of the hybrid sorts or its gotta truly be something special that cant really be matched ITB. My budget is a little flexible, but I still have to buy a new interface and monitors (fxxxxxxing expensive! ), so I need to stay tight as possible with it.

Anyway, I am spending the day listening to demos and looking for the best prices I can find. It would be great too if any of these accepted crypto.

 

korg minilogue xd fits most of your mentioned criteria. Analog poly are often more than your budget, and for bass they are mostly monophonic.

 

I am still searching and demoing. While some of the big brands do have good new synths, the flagships are way too expensive and the cheap ones are kind of mehh. I was really hoping for something more unique, small boutique with dedicated purpose rather than all in one workstation thing. I did find one guy who will custom make a synth for me, but after discussing everything it was over $1,000. so I passed. Anyway, Dreadbox is the leader in my ears right now, but s I mentioned some things are holding me back, so the hunt continues

 

The only Dreadbox synth I have hands-on experience with is the Nymphes, and it is a great sounding little thing! You need add your own effects tho. The built-in reverb is okay sounding, but you are better off using your own pedals or plugins since you need to add drive, chorus, delay etc before the reverb anyways.

If you mostly do house and techno, then maybe the semi-modular Erebus/Hades bundle could be something? The Erebus is only paraphonic tho, so it won't cover your polyphonic needs. Otherwise you could go fully modular and start out with the Telepathy bundle. This way you can simply add only the modules you need later on, and mix and match modules and cases from different companies.