[Deathtank]

The Korgs, The Rolands? any other woth taking a look?
thx!

[OverCoat]

It's either this or the Fairlight CMI, which is fucking unattainable so I'm going with my ESQ1.

Hey wait a sec favorites thread

[zircon]

Please be more specific. Start with:

* Hardware or software synth, or both?
* Purely synthesized only, sampled sounds, or both?
* By "best" do you mean most realistic, best value, most sounds, "best" for a certain genre?

[GeckoYamori]

There is really no "best" in the world of synthesizers. Sure, there are those that are widely acclaimed and used, but that's a different thing. The synthesizer doesn't get better than its user.

[The Vagrance]

As far as synths go, there's many different shapes and sizes for many different songs and styles. Assuming you're talking hardware, you're going to have quite a few choices Here's a (general) look at them:

Cheap, yet powerful synths:
~$400
Alesis Micron - I personally own this and I love it to death. Its extremely powerful for its size (a heck of a deal at $400) and very portable. My main complaints are the oscillator wave-types suck (only 3, but ability to waveshape), and the effects aren't that great. The sound on it is fantastic though, very easy to get thick sounding patches. Also worth checking out: Alesis Ion (essentially the same synth but with more knobs and no step sequencer).
Korg Microkorg - I've played around with this, and its pretty nice as well. The mini-keys might be a turn-off though, and the Micron is more powerful, but the vocoder on it trumps the Micron's and the presets are a bit more practical than the Micron. The sound on it is nice, a bit more mechanical than the Micron but it still has some warmth to it. Also worth checking out: Korg MS2000 (essentially the same synth only it has a step sequencer)
Novation K-Station/Xiosynth - Essentially the same thing, this thing packs a punch as it has both the MIDI controller functions that Novation has nailed but it doubles as a synth. The sound is nice and has that distinct Novation flavour to it's sound (which is really kinda digital and cold sounding), its great for trance. Unfortunately its cold-ness disappoints a lot of people, but I personally love that Novation sound. Also worth checking out: Novation Nova (very similar synths and similarly prices, although the Nova is a bit better sounding and more powerful)

Mid-range synths
~700
Access Virus B/Classic - The Virus B and classic are the exact same model, and if you're lucky you can nab a Virus C for around this much. The Virus is basically the big-daddy as far as synths go these days, its fairly basic in its set-up with a pretty deep modulation matrix, but the real beauty comes in its effects. The virus also produces really fat, heavy sounds, its great for leads, subs, whatever. The only downside is its not as warm as some other synths around this price range, like the Nord Lead
Nord Lead 2X/1 - This thing is as close to analog as virtual analog gets. It has a thick, warm sound, even thicker than the virus. It doesn't have the best effects processors and out-of-the-box its not that outstanding but resampled and run through effects its outstanding. Basically, between this and the Virus there is no wrong choice, you just need to play with them yourself.
Novation Supernova - This is the granddaddy of Novation synths. Digital sounding but very wicked sounds come out of this thing, its perfect for trance type stuff.

Higher priced synths
~$1200
Access Virus C - This is essentially the same as B with a bit more polyphony IIRC and a Moog styled filter. If you can get it its nice but the B is essentially the same thing.
Clavia Nord Lead 3 - A very nice synth, quite a step up from 3, but its still very similar to it.
Korg RADIAS - I've played with this thing and it is VERY very nice. Warm, expressive sounds, ranging from absolutely dirty nasty grimey techno stuff all the way up to soulful electro-styled stabs. Definately worth checking out, absolutely wicked synth.

High-priced powerful "fuck off" synths
~$2500
Access Virus TI - Oh man this thing is wicked. From wavetable synthesis to the absolutely amazing hypersaw this thing is massive sounding for all sorts of situations. Also, the best part is when you link it up into your sequencer it acts like a VSTi instrument, only its all running on the Virus's internal CPU meaning it doesn't take up any of your computer's processing power. This is an amazing synth.
[U}Clavia Nord Modular G2[/u] - Imagine the Nord Lead with its amazingly thick and warm sound, you got that picture in your head? Ok, good. Now imagine it being totally modular, routing oscillators into filters into LFO's into another Oscillator into another LFO into another filter into whatever else you want. Now you see why the Nord Modular G2 is so good.

Grandaddy fully-analog behemoths
~$3500
Alesis Andromeda - This thing is incredibly hard to track down, even just audio demos of it, but I've heard it and its *amazing*. It looks almost like it was stolen from aliens and it sounds like pure analog goodness. If you have a spare $3500 lying around this is a good choice.
Moog Minimoog - This is the synth that started it all, if you have the chance to in person, play with it, then fall in love with it, then look at the price tag and realize you'll probably never be able to afford it. But if you can, this is a no-brainer.

However, before you buy a synth, play with it. Each synth has its own characteristics, its own features and flaws, and it all comes down to you, the user. Don't buy anything based off of just what I've said, but go and actually try out synths for yourself, compare specs, and make an informed decision. Once you buy the synth, learn it inside and out so you can use it to your full potential. Remember, a synthesizer isn't just a toy, its an investment.

[Erich2483]

Hello. Sorry to ask the same stupid question as the person before, but I would like to know the answer to it. I'm a novice at this. I've been doing music for a long time, but I want to start doing electronic music. Sort of a Euro/Electronic/Modern/Clean sound. And maybe some tekno. Given that I want to do this genre, what would be the best keyboard? I want as many possible sounds/samples, for around $1000. What do you think?

On a side note, any recommendations for computer software? I'm looking at Propellorhead and Fruityloops at the moment. How about other drum/looping software? Sorry to be a bother. Thanks to anyone who responds. Your advice is much appreciated.

[Legion303]

Tandy. You could pick one up for $15 at Radio Shack.

-steve

[Hy Bound]

You guys are forgetting the Korg OASYS. 8 Grand and prolly the last hardware synth I would ever want. I was able to play around with it at the Guitar Center superstore out here when they first had it. That thing is SEXY! I even had it for a desktop background for a lil while. But I'd have to say, my Novation X-Station is really good for creating your own presets, even if it does overwrite the original presets. That thing is sexy as well. But if you want software synths; Reaktor is the best, most unlimited synth ever. And its cheap and filled with tons of FX, synths, beatboxes, sound generators and everything else you could ever want. If you have a computer-based workstation, hands down Reaktor is the best synth ever made.

[zircon]

For $1000, get the plugin Nexus (~$300), Zebra 2 (~$200), and Colossus (~$400). Nexus is a ROMpler, like a hardware keyboard, but oriented towards modern dance sounds. Very high quality stuff. Zebra 2 is a powerful modular synthesizer that is regularly updated and was recently voted in Computer Music magazine to be the #1 softsynt hever. Colossus is a 30gb collection of basically all kinds of instruments, from orchestral sounds, to ethnic stuff, drumkits, pads, and everything in between.

Alternatively you could try to get Komplete 5, by Native Instruments, a set of about a dozen plugins and sample libraries; at least 60gb worth of stuff, all the power you could ever want. But it's really daunting as any ONE of the plugins you get could take awhile to really master.

[anonymous hippopotamus]

Originally Posted by The Vagrance

Moog Minimoog

ugh i want one of these so bad... they're so sexy

:'(