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Official Hardware Synth Thread (compiled by DarkSword)
Hey. Now I like talking about synths, hardware and software but there have been a lot of posts about them recently so I've decided to take the liberty of finally compisiting a huge list for those of you interested in hardware. I've used a ton of keyboards so you can rely on my information. For those synths I havent used or owned, I'll always cross-reference the info with a couple sources to make sure and if it turns up that I dont know and cantr find the answer, I'll post a question mark and hope that one of you can fill me in  .
The prices are generally retail prices from ZZSounds but for the older synths or if I cant find the prices, I will search Ebay and/or Froogle and give an approximate price range.
[note: If you would like me to post a particular module (keyboard/rack/wahtever), please post a comment with either your own opinions on it or somehow asking me to review it . Thanks for helping.]
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Keyboards
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Access Virus TI
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Access has been cooking up great sounding synths since the late 90s dropping synths such as the Virus and the Indigo on us. Its hard to see how Access isnt in direct compitition with Roland and thier JP80x0 synths. The frosting on the cake will come as the Access Virus TI. This brand new keyboard is what many of us are waiting to get our hands on. I can't say much about it as I havent ever used one but they sound GREAT. Besides that, they look quite easy to program relying on the 'have a shitload of knobs to mess with' approach making it simple to program patches in realtime without digging through menus and menus of garbage. What can I say other than watch the amazing NAMM video of it and see what everyone is waiting for .
-Demos 1 (TI specific)
-Demos 2 (general Virus demos)
-Videos
-Official Page
-Price:$2560
-Voices: 80
-Osc: 3
-Unison: Yes! Hypersaw
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Clavia Nordlead III
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A long while ago, a small company bloomed as they released a synthesizer called the Nordlead. Since then, they have grown into a full company making shithords of money and laughing at the competition. They released the Nordlead III (3) in 2001 and they were an instant success. I cant say enough about this keyboards features to do the sound justice. It is a definant must if you want a trance synth. Just listen to the demos instead of reading my rambling .
-Demos (official)
-Demos (Vengence Sound Set)
-Official Page
-Price:$1800
-Voices: 5/24x5(w/ stack)
-Osc: 2
-Unison: Yes
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Korg OASYS
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If you have the funds, I'd highly recomend getting a Korg OASYS which is the new flagship keyboard from Korg. Many will rave about the Korg triton being a solid, badass keyboard and they are quite right which is why they put the Triton into this keyboard along with several other keyboards. Essentially, this is 4 keyboards all in one, according to thier site its only 3 but in a technical and timeline based view, its 4 keyboaqrds. Its a Wavestation, an pretty good organ (blah, who cares right?) and the best, an updated Karma with Karma 2.0 functionality. Of course, the 4th keyboard comes with the package of the new Karma because a Karma is in essence, a Korg Triton with some extra (extremely useful) functions. This keyboard will have you set for any and all synths that you can find all rolled up in one package. That unfortunately, makes it cost about as much as 3 synths too. Too sweeten the deal and make it all worth the money, expect to have a lot of knobs and sliders (with very nice led indicators) and a touch screen to interface with it.
-Demos
-Official Page
-Price:~$6500-$8500
-Voices: 172
-Osc: 172
-Unison: Yes
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Korg Karma
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Now, I've already mentioned the OASYS but those of you who dont feel the compelling urge to run out and drop 85 Ben Franklins (shudders), there is a great alternative, the Karma . The Karma is amazing when it comes to producing intricate and interesting leads/basses/pads/percussio/everything else. Its an entire workstation and is well worth the money you will drop for it. Firstly, you get a full fledged Korg Triton. The Triton is known as the king of keyboards and has been for quite some time. The presets are all top notch and when you add to it, the Karma functionality, you delve into a whole new realm of producing sound. In short, the Karma functionality allows advanced arpeggios to occur that not only create super intricate and intelligent patterns but also can morph through time giving chances at an endless groove. My dad created a blues guitar patch that included some ambient sounds and when he Karmalized the patch, it essentially made it so it was an infinite solo performance that would take a a very long time for it to ever repeat two patterns. As you can see, I have a great passion for the Karma and would highly recomend it to anyone wishing to compose edm. Oh, and pick up a copy of the Karma MW software editor. If you are OK with programming VSTs, you shouldnt need to spend much time in learning the software. One more thing to watch for is the the 6 Voice Moss Synth Board which will give you 6 voices and 2 oscillators for a more analog/subtractive synth feel.
-Demos
-Official Page
-Price:$1500
-Voices: 62(single)/31(double)
-Osc: 62
-Unison: No (but sort of)
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Oberheim Matrix 12
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Next, another keyboard but coming from Oberheim this time. There is the Oberheim (e)Xpander which is an excellent analog synth. Oberheim realized the greatness of it and said, why the fuck dont we cram two together? The Oberheim Matrix 12 came out of this idea and was quite successful. You get 12 voices and 2 oscillators which can make for some fatass unison sounds. This keyboard is pretty rugged too and c'mon, the green flourescent displays just look cooler than hell.
-Demos 1
-[[ LINK REMOVED ]]
[note: dont bother reading the guys page because a lot of it is not factual, just listen to the demos  ]
-Price:?
-Voices: 12
-Osc: 2
-Unison: Yes
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Roland JP8000
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Aw yes, the legendary Roland JP8000. This synth along with its heftier rack brother, brought back the idea of putting tons of knobs and sliders on the hardware so that patches could be easily edited in realtime. This great keyboard produces the trance sound of all trance sounds, the supersaw. The idea of the supersaw was new on the JP8000. It came as a unique feature that many synths (including the Virus series) still try to replicate. Without getting technical, a supersaw takes an oscillator and routes seven saws that are detunable and sends them out, combined with a second oscillator in unison mode, it will produce one of fatest sounds ever conceived. This synth is far from difficult to program with all of the available knobs and sliders at your leisure. If you are looking for an all around synth for trance music, this virtual analog synth will suit you just fine.
-Demos 1
-Demos 2 (Vengence Sound Set 1)
-Demos 3 (Vengence Sound Set 2)
-Demos 3 (Vengence Sound Set 3)
-Price:~$1200
-Voices: 8
-Osc: 2
-Unison: Yes! Supersaw
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Yamaha DX7
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No list of EDM synths could be complete without mentioning the ultimate bass synth, the Yamaha DX7. This was the first successful all digital synthesizer that came out. Gone were the days of analog when the DX7 rolled in. Time progressed and people wanted a more analog feel once again but that didn't stop people from wanting this phase modulation (better known as Digital FM) synth because of its ability to create great electric pianos, bells, and some of the thickest bass youll ever hear. Though, dont expect to be able to whip out the manual and create the next best trance sound in an afternoon if you have never programmed an FM synth before. The DX7 has had a dual reputation for sounding great but being a bitch to program worth while patches. This is a must have for those of you into using the great DX7 presets (DX7 presets for FM7) or are up for a great challenge in programming FM synths. Not recomended for beginners!
-Demos
-Price:~$100-$400
-Voices: 16
-Osc: 6 operators
-Unison: Yes (but occasionally fucks up)
More to be added!
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Racks
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EMU Morpheus
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One of the best racks you can buy is the EMU Morpheus Z-Plane. The downfall of the Morpheus came at its somewhat small LCD having to display a lot of variables. The morpheus is very good at creating EDM type sounds though. Its main feature comes at its extremely well programmed filters. There are 197 filters to choose from and not a single one will dissapoint. The reason for so many is its special feature that other synths only dream of having; Z-Plane filtering. In short, Z-Plane filters allow morphing of filters to get an almost never ending, never repeating sound making it one of the best synths you can buy to generate atmosphere in songs. Dont be mistaken though, it is highly useful at creating leads and basses as well. This one comes highly recomended.
-[[ LINK REMOVED ]]
-Official Page
-Price:~$350
-Voices: 32
-Osc: 6 per voice
-Unison: Yes
-Type: Rompler
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EMU Proteus 2000
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The Proteus 2000 is similar to the Morpheus but a lot of things were cut out to make it simpler for those users that didnt want to bother with programming the Morpheus (which is unfortunate). This would be an excellent synth for a beginner who has used VSTs before. From the Morpheus, on the Proteus 2000 upgrades the LCD as well as on panel knobs (4 knobs plus 3 shifts). Another major upgrade is the ability to buy and plug in expander cards to get more sounds. For purposes of more edm styled sounds, you might try finding Rob Papens Techno Synth Construction Yard X. The effects as well as the filters on the Proteus 2000 are top notch. You cant go wrong with this synth.
-Demos (sorry, still looking for the 2 mp3s, will find them soon though)
-Expansion Boards
-Official Page
-Price:~$150-$250
-Voices: 128
-Osc: 4
-Unison: No, but is possible w/ other methods
-Type: Rompler
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MIDI Controllers
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Behringer BCR2000
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The Behringer BCR2000 is a great addition to any studio. Whether you are big into using softsynths/effects or using hardware, Behringer will come to the rescue for your Rotary controlling needs. I've not had the chance to use this model but the one below (BCF2000) I have used and they are quite rugged. Many controllers are somewhat flimsy and shitty but this particular series happens to be able to take a lot of abuse without complaining. On this controller are 24 knobs in the main section plus an additional 8 knobs and 16 buttons across the top. The top buttons have the special feature of having 4 selectable scenes quadrupling those controllers to 32 knobs plus 64 buttons. This is a must have for any hardcore musician thats likes to have the feel and the look of a bunch of knob controllers.
-Official Page
-Price:$130
-Keys: --
-Buttons: 16 (64 w/ 4 scene switch)
-Knobs: 24 + 8 (8->32 w/ 4 scene switch)
-Sliders: --
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Behringer BCF2000
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The Behringer BCF2000 is a great addition to the BCR2000. Instead of knobs, you get motorized sliders. Now, I have yet to come up with a good use of the motorized sliders on such a small controller, but they do look cool . On this controller, you get 8 sliders, 8 knobs and 16 buttons. The 8 knobs and 16 buttons also have a 4 scenes quadrupling that to 32 knobs and 64 buttons. This is a must have for people into realtime editing of synths.
-Official Page
-Price:$200
-Keys: --
-Buttons: 16 (64 w/ 4 scene switch)
-Knobs: 24 + 8 (8->32 w/ 4 scene switch)
-Sliders: 16 (motorized)
More to be added!
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Monitors/Speakers/Headphones
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Mixers
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Computer Hardware
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Last edited by IDarkISwordI on Jun-27-2005 at 17:33
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