4000$ on synth's

[murphythecat87]

I have 4000$ to put on synthesizer, i have all the vst possible, and a blofeld.
I would like to have some analog gears, but a virus c would be interesting too
so far, im looking at the omega 4 voice, witch would take all my money away. with that kind of money,i could buy a matrix-1000, prophet 5, juno 60, and a virus c.
What do you slutz recommend? One BIG analog synth, or a couple of them? I'm lost here.

[peglegjoe857]

Definitely a couple of synths.

I would say one REALLY nice POLY machine for between 1000-2500:Oberheim Xpander, Jupiter 6, Jupiter 4, Prophet 5, one of the Oberheim OB's, Andromeda, Korg Trident etc..

One really big sounding mono for less than 1000: Arp Odyssey, SH-101, SH-2, Moog Prodigy, Moog Source, Korg Monopoly, Yamaha CS-15, SC Pro-one, Oberheim SEM, SE-1X, or even a cheaper one like the Moog MG-1 (which I love!).

And a couple more cheaper Poly's machines to fill out the rest of the sounds you might need: Roland Juno's, Roland MKS's, Roland JX's, Yamaha DX's/TX's, Oberheim Matrix-1000, Korg Poly's, Akai AX's, Kawai SX's, Siel DK's..

I would suggest a nice vintage sampler that has loads of character and is cheap... my first suggestions would be the Akai S-900/950 and E-Mu Emax I which can both be had for around 200.

Nice outboard is of course of prime importance. 4000$... lot of options, lot of hard decisions. But I would go with one big nice Poly, one big nice Mono, one ultra cheap vintage Sampler, and the rest to fill in the gaps.

Of course depending on the kind of music you make, suggestions get pushed around a bit.

Originally Posted by murphythecat87

I have 4000$ toput on synthesizer, i have all the vst possible, and a blofeld.
I would like to have someanalog gears, but a virus cwould be interesting too
so far, im looking at the omega 4 voice, witch would take all my money away. with that kind ofmoney,i could buy a matrix-1000, prophet 5, juno 60, and a virus c.
What do you slutz recommend? One BIG analog synth, or a couple of them? I'm lost here.

[murphythecat87]

psy-trance and idm mostly

[peglegjoe857]

Then I would say for the nice poly a more complex poly like an Xpander, Jupiter 6, MKS-80, or Andromeda.. For the Mono a funky/bouncy/cutting mono like the Arp Odyssey, SH-101, SH-2, or CS-15, And maybe with the cheaper machines something warmer like a Polysix.

But yes, definitely squeeze a sampler in there for some more options. An Emax does great Mellotron-type sample based sounds because it's a really gritty machine with extremely warm filters (ssm). It can do great string, pad, and generally lots of kinds of melodic-sample based sounds. And of course you can dump some drums into it and make them bump like a mother ****er.

Originally Posted by murphythecat87

psy-trance and idm mostly

[SovietSpaceChild]

It all depends on if you want to go used or new...If you're getting new gear, $4000 can get you an Andromeda as well as a Virus TI Snow. If you're going used, you can get either the A6 or the Omega, and then another synth on top of that. If you're REALLY lucky, you might be able to get both a used A6 and Omega 4 within your budget.

EDIT:

For your style of music, I would probably recommend the Andromeda and a solid outboard FX unit such as an Eventide h7000, or above. A Roland Space Echo is another FX unit to look into...that thing just screams "AFX".

[GYang]

One SE Omega will bring you years of satisfaction.
Lot more than old synths.
Try DSI Polyevolver Rack (you can find it for 1500 I believe) + Andromeda or Xpander, if you need versatility.

[Don Solaris]

Originally Posted by murphythecat87

psy-trance and idm mostly

-> MKS-80 & JD-990

Period.

[Don Solaris]

+ = Approved

[SovietSpaceChild]

Originally Posted by Don Solaris

+ = Approved

Are these really worth the asking price? They used to be a good value, but lately the price has jumped to levels where it makes a purchase hard to justify...

[Don Solaris]

Originally Posted by SovietSpaceChild

Are these really worth the asking price? They used to be a good value, but lately the price has jumped to levels where it makes a purchase hard to justify...

MKS-80 + MPG could be found in 1.8-1.9k range. Which is CHEAP given there are 16 VCOs inside.

JD-990 + Vintage card could be found in 400 range. In fact that's exactly how much i gave for it 3 years ago. I don't think price changed much. Dirt cheap, given it sounds twice as better than a Triton.

[sctt_stone]

Uh. Wher do you think you will find a Prophet 5 for less than 3,000? I do not think you coud buy all 4 of those with 4 grand. If I were you I would go for the Omega 4. I often think of selling my Prophet 5 too buy one.

Originally Posted by murphythecat87

I have 4000$ to put on synthesizer, i have all the vst possible, and a blofeld.
I would like to have some analog gears, but a virus c would be interesting too
so far, im looking at the omega 4 voice, witch would take all my money away. with that kind of money,i could buy a matrix-1000, prophet 5, juno 60, and a virus c.
What do you slutz recommend? One BIG analog synth, or a couple of them? I'm lost here.

[peglegjoe857]

About the Omega. I understand the interest. Discreet. Moog+OB filters. Other filter options. Flexible mod/routing.

but an andro has more features, bigger polyphony, and is half the price. same JP-6, MKS-80, and Xpander.

sure they are IC based machines and that's a major setback for some.. but you don't hear anybody complaining about Prophet 5's and their SSM's/CEM's, MKS-80's and their CEM's and Roland IR chips, Oberheim's and their CEM's etc.

I mean... maybe some people do complain, but for the kind of music this guy is making I think bigger, warmer, glutton..etc. doesn't quite fit.

and I think that it's important to have all bases covered first... and then shell out for a big doller machine.

[murphythecat87]

I'm kind of lost here, the 4000$ is the only money i can put for 3-4 years, until i get my degree. Would i be more satisfied with an se-1x and a andromeda for example, or the omega going to give me both? It's just that everyone seems to have a different opinion about this lol, and i dont know who to believe, all i know, is that neither the andromeda, the prophet 5 or the omega,i can not try them, since i dont know anyone with those synth.

[peglegjoe857]

simple answer. yes, they are worth it.

THOUGH I am personally a little afraid of the later rev. that share IC's with the JX's... VERY different sound to a CEM VCO and an IR3109 based filter. I don't know what kind of ENV gen the later MKS-80 rev is packing, but the software env. in my JP-6 are VERY punchy... and as they say, the MKS-80 early rev IS a JP-6.. with the bass boost circuit, veloc, but sans the Multi-mode filter.

Small footprint in the studio, very portable, big bass, 8 voice poly, veloc. Yes, the MKS-80 is VERY MUCH worth it. And you should get one BEFORE THEY GET EVEN MORE PRICE!

I got my JP-6 for 900 half a year ago.. now they DON'T go for this cheap... pretty much ever... I just got lucky browsing craigs. But I was willing to pay up to 1400 at the time and they still go for around that much.

So again... YES the MKS-80 is WORTH EVERY PENNY. And they are probably worth more!

And if you want to cut costs you could get the MKS-80 without the MPG- programmer and just get a Kenton Control Freak to program it... I got mine for 80 bucks! That's tiny compared to how much the MPG goes for.


And I MUST repeat this one more time.... SAMPLERS! Sorry... I am a big sampler nut and couldn't imagine my studio without my 4 samplers.

Originally Posted by SovietSpaceChild

Are these really worth the asking price? They used to be a good value, but lately the price has jumped to levels where it makes a purchase hard to justify...

[peglegjoe857]

The Omega will give you NEITHER. They are all different machines. You will be VERY happy any route you take... but know that if it happens that you aren't happy... when you buy vintage, it always sells for as much as it was had for... for me, it has often been more!

But when you buy brand new, it always drops in value. So if you bought an SE-1X used and an Andro used... and then don't like them (which i DOUBT will happen) you will be able to sell them and get something else. With the Omega, you money gets smaller if you decide you want to sell.


And just as mentioned before, with an MKS-80 I frankly think they will only go UP in price... Go vintage!

Originally Posted by murphythecat87

I'm kind of lost here, the 4000$ is the only money i can put for 3-4 years, until i get my degree. Would i be more satisfied with an se-1x and a andromeda for example, or the omega going to give me both? It's just that everyone seems to have a different opinion about this lol, and i dont know who to believe, all i know, is that neither the andromeda, the prophet 5 or the omega,i can not try them, since i dont know anyone with those synth.

[ignatius]

re: the mks-8- + mpg-80.

i had the combo for a long time. the MKS-80 is a great sounding synth (i liked it a lot) but the mpg-80 controller is a POS. the faders are small and the resolution sucks. you don't know where your parameters are at when you change patches. so you're flying blind a bit. i found the mpg-80 largely useless and annoying.

if someone gave me $4K for synths i'd get some combination of what's below:

waldorf microwave XT ($550)
future retro XS ($1300)
elektron monomachine MKII ($1400)

then you'd still have cash leftover to get a juno or virus C

just my 2 cents. i'd say if you are set on getting an analog poly go for the andromeda or a jupiter 6 and then add the europa midi upgrade

[murphythecat87]

why not an omega, about the a6, ive read some bad comments, but as for the omega, everyone one seems to say that its the best poly analog available, damn,i guess ill have to be my own judge.
so you would recommend the andromeda just as much as the omega?

[ignatius]

Originally Posted by murphythecat87

why not an omega, about the a6, ive read some bad comments, but as for the omega, everyone one seems to say that its the best poly analog available, damn,i guess ill have to be my own judge.
so you would recommend the andromeda just as much as the omega?

do you need an actual keyboard? if so then that kind of narrows your choices.

they're both great and i'm sure you'd be happy either way.

[murphythecat87]

no i dont mine if its only a rack

i only dont want to regret my choice,as subjective as it can be!

[Odey]

Originally Posted by murphythecat87

why not an omega, about the a6, ive read some bad comments, but as for the omega, everyone one seems to say that its the best poly analog available, damn,i guess ill have to be my own judge.
so you would recommend the andromeda just as much as the omega?

Aren't they very different prices?

There is alot of love around here for the Andy. As has been pointed out, if you pick up some of these synths second hand, then you can spend a few months with them and if they aren't your thing then sell it and buy the next one.

I own and like the Andy alot, its a very versatile synth, sounds great. I am sure that I would like the omega's as well but they are much more expensive and don't pop up second hand very often.

[peglegjoe857]

I wouldn't say that it's the best analog poly available! From what I have heard, it has a pretty clean-modern sound to it... I have spent some time with the SE-1x and it DEFINITELY has a "modern" moog type sound.. But just as I prefer the tone of a Rhodes MK I to the new Rhodes's they are cranking out, I prefer machines with more of a vintage tone.

Not that I wouldn't love having one, I would!

But I would MUCH rather have an Xpander and 2 grand in the bank than an Omega... mos def! I would of course buy a few more piece!

Yes, you are going to have to ultimately use yours ears.

But my point about having several amazing machines... you can swap them out if you don't like one. You get an MKS-80, like it but want something different.. you can flip it and get your money back, buy something different.

And Omega won't get you your money back... definitely a lot.. but basically if you score an Omega, you will be stuck with it.. so you had better be DAMN SURE you are going to want to keep it!


One thing to say about versatility. Sure, the Omega may very well be more versatile than most synthesizers... but not more than two. If you had an Andromeda and an MKS-80 (and with even 3 grand, you could!) your tonal palette will be MUCH larger than with just an Omega.

Originally Posted by murphythecat87

why not an omega, about the a6, ive read some bad comments, but as for the omega, everyone one seems to say that its the best poly analog available, damn,i guess ill have to be my own judge.
so you would recommend the andromeda just as much as the omega?

[SovietSpaceChild]

Originally Posted by murphythecat87

why not an omega, about the a6, ive read some bad comments, but as for the omega, everyone one seems to say that its the best poly analog available, damn,i guess ill have to be my own judge.
so you would recommend the andromeda just as much as the omega?

I have both an Omega and an A6. Soundwise, they are pretty different. While the Andromeda has a very wet and "saturated" sound right out of the box, the Omega is a lot more "raw" sounding. That's not to say that there isn't some overlap between the two units, but there are definitely niches that each one excels at.

I find that most of the negative comments that I see about the Andromeda are from users who either have no idea how to program the thing and/or those who expect it to be something that it is not. I would expect these very same people to say much the same about the Omega had they purchased one of those instead.

Again, I would like to reiterate my suggestion that you spend your $4000 on an Andromeda and an outboard FX unit, specifically an Eventide H7000 or better. In your case, I'm ignoring issues relating to timbre, as they are strictly a matter a taste, and recommending the Andromeda over the Omega simply because the Andromeda is more programmable. You will have a wider palette of sounds at your disposal, which will come in pretty handy for both of the genres that you've mentioned. The A6 has no problems doing face-ripping supersaw leads, nor does it have any problems with producing some very warm pads and thick basses. As you grow as a musician, and branch out to other genres, you will be able to take the Andromeda in even more directions, many of which are unforeseen to you now.

The FX unit will come in handy for giving your sound more depth, and a more "professional" sheen. I'm not sure how much experience you have with music production, but the FX you use to treat your synths are every bit as important, if not more so, than the synths you push through them. I'm specifically recommending Eventide because their units are, in my opinion, the ultimate in compromise between sound quality and programability.

[murphythecat87]

okay,but the eventide is 4000$ and the andromeda, i dont seem to see one anywhere. An eventide dsp 4000 then? or eclipse? I think i will go with the andromeda, just hoping i wont regret it, bvut its true, is i dont like the omega, ill have to lose money. But i have a little ensoniq dp/4...

[SovietSpaceChild]

Originally Posted by murphythecat87

okay,but the eventide is 4000$ and the andromeda, i dont seem to see one anywhere. An eventide dsp 4000 then? or eclipse? I think i will go with the andromeda, just hoping i wont regret it, bvut its true, is i dont like the omega, ill have to lose money. But i have a little ensoniq dp/4...

You can get an Eventide H7000 for under $2000 on ebay. There have even been some Eventide Orville units on Ebay for under 2k, you just have to be vigilant. I wouldn't really recommend getting an Eclipse, as they pretty much leave you stuck with a predefined set of presets that sometimes get updated as part of an OS upgrade. The higher end Eventides, from the 4000 and up, let you create your own FX patches.

[peglegjoe857]

If you DO regret buying the Andro (which you wont!) you will DEFINITELY be able to get your money back when you flip it!

That's the beauty of the used market! You don't have to make a decision, commit to it, and lose out if the decision is wrong. With the used market, the only wrong decision is buying something for MORE than it goes for... OR selling it for LESS than it sells for... those are the only bad decisions...

And it's great because you can sample all the machines out there and even make some money in the process. I ALMOST ALWAYS get things for less than the normally go for and ALMOST ALWAYS sell them for more!

I have been through almost every 80's vintage synth that goes for less than 600... Juno's, Alpha Junos, JX's, Korg Poly series, Akai AX, Kawai SX.. all of them. You should consider doing this!

One thing I like to do (being the sampler devotee that I am!) Is buy vintage drum machines for cheap, sample the shit out of them, and sell them for more than I paid. Doubled my money on an EMU Drumlator a few months ago and tripled my Money on a Roland 707 around the same time.

The vintage market is great if you keep your eyes open and stay patient!

Originally Posted by murphythecat87

okay,but the eventide is 4000$ and the andromeda, i dont seem to see one anywhere. An eventide dsp 4000 then? or eclipse? I think i will go with the andromeda, just hoping i wont regret it, bvut its true, is i dont like the omega, ill have to lose money. But i have a little ensoniq dp/4...

[dylankf]

i wish i had 4000 bucks to spend on synths.

[peglegjoe857]

AH one last thing... and forgive that I talk so MUCH! I can't keep my mouth shut!

Effects. Yes, the eventide and lexicon stuff is fantastic. But I would like to stress that I good set of pre-amps is just as important... don't know your outboard situation.

I use the DP-4 as well and love it. I don't feel the need to spend the dough on an Eventide with my DP-4 and Lexicon LXP-5. There are some amazing cheap units out there.. you already have one of them!

The thing to consider is both your process and your sonic needs. If you don't use too many effects but use a shit ton of different synth sounds, I would say to go with more synthesizers than effects.

A nice compressor can be had for cheap (dbx's) and some nice pre-amps/EQ with a nice mixer.

I personally go for effects with that ugly digital character... the old Alesis Midiverbs, quadraverbs, microverbs, roland SRV, Korg DRV's, yamaha R and REV... I LOOOOOVE the DOD range.. and Ibanez make a few pretty cool analog effects racks.

What I mean is there are TONS of options that are extremely cheap and several of them may suit your needs.

[peglegjoe857]

you should do a clinical study!

The last one I did I made 2600 and I bought my Roland Jupiter 6 with it.

Originally Posted by dylankf

i wish i had 4000 bucks to spend on synths.

[ignatius]

Originally Posted by SovietSpaceChild

You can get an Eventide H7000 for under $2000 on ebay. There have even been some Eventide Orville units on Ebay for under 2k, you just have to be vigilant. I wouldn't really recommend getting an Eclipse, as they pretty much leave you stuck with a predefined set of presets that sometimes get updated as part of an OS upgrade. The higher end Eventides, from the 4000 and up, let you create your own FX patches.

in the eclipse you can take different algos and combine them pretty easily. so yourre not really "stuck" with the presets.

the eclipse is a great unit.. i like all the eventides. from the oldschool to the new ones.. they are all great and are worth having. the H3000's are great as well. a classic.

[murphythecat87]

i have the dp/4 and the quadraverb... and i will buy the fireface 400 in about a month... then theres the synth problem... i'm thinking more and more about the andromeda after everything you've said, an andromeda is around 2000$? then i should look for a good monosynth, or a good eventide??