Our Top 5 Synthesizers

Synthesizers are a crucial part of modern music. Numerous musical styles wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for pioneers such as Bob Moog, Donald Buchla, Tom Oberheim and Dave Smith for laying the foundations in electronic sound productions in the 1960’s and 1970’s. To this day, most synthesizers still work according to their innovative principals. In the meantime, the options have grown wider than ever, with synthesizers for every requirement and budget. In this blog, we present the top five synthesizers from our range.

Moog Sub 37 Tribute Edition

The Moog Sub 37 carries a big name – and doesn’t make false promises. Although Bob Moog was no longer involved in its development, the sub 37 is among the best in the Moog traditon. This analog synthesizer has two oscillators, which can be monophonic or duophonic, and of course you’ll find the famous Moog Ladder filter on board, which is one of the most important patents in the history of synthesizers. The Sub 37 is equipped with a saturation stage called “Multidrive”, which produces a wonderfully warm, earthy sound. It also includes two very flexible, loopable envelopes and two LFOs to liven up the sound. With a sequencer/arpeggiator, the Sub 37 is also ideal for most modern, electronic styles.

Dave Smith Instruments Sequential Prophet-6

Dave Smith is one of the most prolific innovators in synthesizer history. In the late 1970’s, he and his company Sequential Circuits, developed the Prophet-5 which was one of the first polyphonic synthesizers with sound storage. The Prophet-5 shaped the sound of the early 1980’s like no other and became an analog legend. Although Sequential Circuits had to file for bankruptcy a few years later, it didn’t stop Dave Smith from enriching electronic music with more inventions. Together with Roland, he developed the MIDI standard, which is still used in almost all synthesizers, for which he received a Technical Grammy in 2013.

Dave Smith and his new company, Dave Smith Instruments, have contributed decisively to the renaissance of analog synthesizers for 15 years. Instruments such as the Mopho and the Poly Evolver have become modern classics. In 2015, he crowned his work with the Prophet-6, a contemporary reinterpretation of the Prophet 5. Furthermore the name Sequential was back, after Dave Smith re-obtained the trademark rights. The Prophet-6 is a noble, analog, polyphonic synthesizer that brings the classic Prophet sound into the new millennium, enriched with new facets.

Roland TB-03

And yet another reinterpretation of a classic: the Roland TB-03 is a virtual analog reissue of the TB-303 Bassline from 1982. This small synthesizer was actually meant as a bass accompaniment to a drum machine, which wasn’t the initial success. This all changed a few years later when electronic producers from Chicago discovered the inconspicuous TB-303 for themselves. Their hypnotic sequences have become a stylistic feature in Acid House and are an integral part of electronic music and several companies have since released copies of the TB-303 on to the market. Roland finally introduced this reissue, in the summer of 2016, which replicates the characteristics of the analog circuits using the proven ACB (analog circuit behavior) technology. Even the original’s unusual handling concept, which contributed to the emergence of the style sequences, was maintained.

Arturia MicroBrute

French company Arturia started as a manufacturer of high-quality software plug-ins, which emulated famous analog synthesizers on the computer. Subsequently, controller keyboards were added, which allowed the software synthesizers to be operated intuitively. Arturia surprised the synthesizer world, with the analog MiniBrute, the fact that a software company presented a completely analog synthesizer was remarkably favorable. The smaller MicroBrute followed suit not much later with an even more attractive price tag. Like the MiniBrute, it also has an analog oscillator that can produce a variety of sounds through a variety of wave shaping techniques, and a rare Steiner Parker filter that’s different from the well-known Moog or Oberheim-style filters. It also features a “BruteFactor”, a feedback loop that provides a very aggressive sound, and a small patch panel which allows for modulation connections using patch cables. The Arturia MicroBrute is small, compact and affordable- but is not to be underestimated!

Moog Mother-32 

In the newly awakened interest in analog synthesizers, modular systems have been in demand for many years. With the Mother-32, Moog introduced a synthesizer that is an ideal starting point, or addition to a modular system in Eurorack format. The Moog Mother-32 can be used as a desktop unit, but can also be installed in a Eurorack housing. The Mother-32 of course, as a true Moog synthesizer features the classic Ladder filter, with a high-pass filter installed in a Moog for the first time. This synthesizer can be combined with other modules in a variety of ways, thanks to its extensive plug-in field. And thus over the course of time, additional oscillators, envelopes or filters can easily be added. With its integrated step sequencer, the Mother-32 itself offers a switching center for a modular system. It’s an ideal entry for anyone interested in the world of modular synthesizers and is a great addition to any existing system!

Lawrence started playing the electric guitar because of his passion for rock music. Back in the day he played in a metal band, but now plays more for himself.

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