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…looking to buy my first analogue synth in about a decade (since my ex-studio partner flogged my JP-8000 behind my back).

Don’t want to go crazy high-end… feel something like the Novation Peak would be perfect, but it seems a little much to spend when there are so many great options at the lower price point these days. Based on sounds/flexibility, current front-runner is the Minilogue XD- considering the module version as I have a decent 49-key midi keyboard and value my studio space. Seems crazy-good value at £450.

Any thoughts about/experience with these?

    Unbroken1 no but I 100% want a JP8000 (or the rack version), for being ‘the’ synth when I started producing. like I want a dx7 for just being a dx7. Commiserations.

      …tell me about it 🙁 Still, I’m sure Behringer will knock-up a clone before long

      Unbroken1 do you need/want keys? sequencer? poly/mono? looking for something for percussion, bass, leads & pads, a bit of everything? and what’s your budget?

      i’ve only heard good things about the peak, but haven’t used it myself. the minilogue seems to be a good entry level synth, but again haven’t used it myself.

          303abuser …leads/pads, generally melodic elements but a bit of everything I guess, poly preferably. Budget not a major issue, I mean, I don’t have an infinite amount of cash, but would be prepared to wait if, say a £900 synth was worth investing-in over a £450 one (+ another toy).

          hugopal …really? I’m quite surprised, most of the reviews I’ve watched have commented on how phat it sounds. This fella is a fan and I generally find him to be pretty spot-on:

                hugopal at that price point, i think it’s to be expected. the drumbrute is the same, but you’re going to process everything anyways. that’s why i asked a few questions too, there maybe better options, the a4 mki being the first that comes to mind. you can get a used one at a reasonable cost and it does everything from percussion to heavy pads and chords.

                  Unbroken1 most of the reviews I’ve watched have commented on how phat it sounds. This fella is a fan and I generally find him to be pretty spot-on:

                  and I have a quick check of the review and again to my ears it sounds thin/whiny/metallic/nasal. Same impression when noodling with it at a music store a while back. You may like the sound character though.

                      Unbroken1 ok that helps. the xd maybe sounds better than the original too, that’s likely. again you’re probably going to process it more anyways if it’s in a studio and not live.

                      i’m really partial to the elektron gear. you won’t find anything more versatile and the build quality is really good. check out the a4. it’s not the most “lush” sounding for pads, but that’s what a good reverb is for and the sequencer is worth the price alone.

                      if you don’t mind semi modular, i love the sounds of the moog stuff (subharmonicon and mother 32). they might be a bit techno, depends i guess on the sound you’re aiming for.

                      at the top of your price range, the peak is supposed to be really good and i like the prophet rev 2 desktop (8 voices should suffice). moog grandmother is in that range too.

                      below that, the deepmind maybe a good option. i know it’s behringer, but the reviews have been mostly positive (maybe some fan issues early on, but i’m not sure if that’s still a thing). roland se02 is worth checking out along with the other boutique models.

                      for me it comes down to two things: how it sounds and how it fits my workflow. the elektrons machines will never leave my studio and i’ll probably pick up more at some point. my ms20 mini sounds awesome and i can spend hours with it, but i really struggle to get it to sit in a mix so i’m likely going to sell it. just takes too much effort.

                      hope that helps a little. please ask if you have more questions too, i could talk about this stuff all day lol.

                          hugopal …fair enough, you’ve played it, I haven’t. Maybe it’s because it seems to have a higher percentage of the type of sounds I’m after in its presets than some of the options, and the arps/sequencer look really versatile and fun.

                          303abuser …I know how there are real devotees of the Elektron gear and hear so many positive comments on here and elsewhere, but I’ll be honest, it all feels a bit like learning ANOTHER way of working, and I think a common factor in the kit that interests me is that a lot of the manipulation happens via the knobs on the front (certainly a lot of people say that about the Peak), and I don’t get that impression with the A4 etc.

                          Lusted after a Sub 37 for ages, but I do find some of those options a little less versatile (and yes, techno!) for my purposes. Went through a phase of wanting the Deepmind 12D, you can pick them up on eBay for crazy cheap and they seem incredible value for money, but watched loads of tutorials, and was ultimately put-off by the amount of menu deep-diving.

                                Unbroken1 menu diving can be an issue, there’s a bit of it with the a4. the elektron learning curve is as much hype as anything else, it’s really not that bad, but that’s your call. if you want one function per knob, it probably isn’t for you.

                                the moog stuff has got my attention. if i can sell a few things, the dfam is probably my next purchase. best thing to do really is find a shop where you can spends some time trying out different synths and see what clicks. although that was probably easier pre covid.

                                    just a little shameless self promotion here. i’m getting this K102 project off the ground and need to rebuild a following. if you like my other stuff and want more techno leaning dub music, you can follow pascal and in the usual places. we’ll have tons of new music out very soon and we greatly appreciate the support (feel free to share with other people you know too). 🙂

                                    https://k102.bandcamp.com/
                                    https://soundcloud.com/k102techno

                                    …amazing production again, can really hear details in the frequencies/textures around the perc/low-end. Sounding terrific on the big speakers.

                                      Unbroken1 thanks, that’s what i want to hear. pascal is really good at keeping me from making tracks too dense and cluttered, i’m really looking forward to seeing what we can come up with.

                                        Re production in general: absolute kick in the nuts when you don’t really know what you are doing and you know the only remedy is to spend more time poking yourself in the eye.

                                          Amps it’s a constant learning curve, there’s no way around it. i’m 5 years in, 3 years of real effort, and the last year i’ve worked my ass off. now i feel like i’ve learned the rules about how to start making music and can start to be creative by breaking them. in april i thought i had it, by september i had writer’s block and felt completely useless, and the last 2-3 weeks i feel like i’m back in a flow state. i couldn’t begin to tell you what the difference is.

                                          the best advice i can give based on what i’ve gone through is to finish as many tracks as you can and get as much feedback from knowledgeable people as you can (that’s the tough one). finish everything you start. even if it sucks, finish it. get in the habit of finishing records because it’s a muscle you need to exercise, everything else is secondary until you really know what you’re doing.

                                          • Amps replied to this.

                                              …very interesting FB studio livestream with Nico from Kollektiv Turmstrasse (why did I not know he did these?)

                                              Raved about the versatility of the Novation Peak… might have swung it for me!

                                                303abuser Yeah, it’s beyond painful. Currently little point in me trying to finish anything, I can barely get the keys in the car, let alone start the engine.

                                                    Amps it’ll take you forever to finish something at the beginning and it’ll probably not be very good, but that’s ok. you’ll learn techniques along the way that you need. if you only focus on sound design, get really good at it, what happens when you try to arrange a track? the answer is you’ll be starting again. then you master that and you have to learn how to mix, so you start again.

                                                    trust me, finish everything, even if it’s complete shit.

                                                      Unbroken1 everything i’ve seen regarding the peak has been pretty cool. watching demo videos is a horrible idea, makes you want to buy everything when you watch someone who really knows what they’re doing.