Affordable monosynth for strong lead and solo sounds

[andyysplash]

I'm in the middle of purchasing a new rig consisting of an Electro 5D 61 and Arturia Keylab88 and am looking for some synthy goodness to go along with them. Currently I own a Yamaha SY77 with a malfunctioning pitch wheel and that lovely FS keybed.

It'll be a shame to part with such a good feeling synth but I'm looking at selling it and putting the money into a more portable and useable mono (or low-poly) synth. Second-hand isn't an issue and currently I'm looking at a Slim/Little Phatty as one possibility (there are some great deals on Ebay) or an Arturia Minibrute. The MB is only 25-key though and 32 or 37 would be much nicer.

I was wondering what options there were at around £300, but definitely no more than £500. Something I can program phat, punchy and/or screaming sounds suitable for leads and solos with. I'll probably run it through some delay, tube drive and phaser pedals.

[maxpiano]

Presuming you want a Real Analog and not a Virtual one, what about a used Mopho Keyboard or Mopho SE?

[andyysplash]

Yeah, real analogue.

The Mopho looks promising, but if the pots aren't endless it'll make tweaking a nightmare when you change patch

[maxpiano]

Yeah, real analogue.

The Mopho looks promising, but if the pots aren't endless it'll make tweaking a nightmare when you change patch

I have owned a Mopho Keyboard for some time, I have to say that live tweaking is not limited by the type of knobs (actually there is a mix of pots end endless encoders), rather it could be by the fact that each knob may have multiple actions (e.g. 4 ADSR pots and you select via a switch which EG you are modifying, filter Cutoff and Resonance are 1:1 instead), compared to other synths where you have 1 pot = 1 fixed parameter, such as the Moog Sub37 (but we are at a different price tag here).

However I recommend you try it yourself as anyone of us may have different needs or "feeling" with each synth (also reading the manual and/or some detailed reviews made by magazines such as Keyboard Magazine may help you get more details on what it can and cannot do)

[andyysplash]

However I recommend you try it yourself as anyone of us may have different needs or "feeling" with each synth (also reading the manul and/or some detailed reviews made by magazines such as Keyboard Magazine may help you get more details on what it can and cannot do)

I'm more of a player than knob-twiddler, but filter sweeps, envelope control and basic modulations are what I'm looking for

[Marlowes]

Hej!

I just quickly browsed through all your comments ... but how about a
Nord Lead 2X
... you can run that in mono mode, and it's hard to find anything
that beats the "bang for a buck" factor like a used Lead 2/2X!
And is as easy to work with. And you will love all the 49 keys.

Go for it!

/Vänligen
Michael in Scania

[andyysplash]

how about a
Nord Lead 2X

Hmmn, tempting - I'm a bit of a sucker for Nord hardware as-is (nearly went for a Stage 2 88 and it took the massive cost savings of the NE5 + Keylab88 to convince me )

Pros:
- Many synthesis options onboard
- Stone modwheel
- 49-key
- Can use it for poly patches (supersaw, strings etc.)
- Good price

Cons:
- Not 'true' analogue
- No aftertouch (I've had severe GAS for a Lead 3 for some time now)
- It'll need a dedicated stand - the Minibrute would fit on the right of my Keylab and most 31-key synths would just squeeze on there as well

If the price is right I'll consider

[analogika]

A second-hand Korg ARP Odyssey could be worth considering. Sounds great, very versatile - maybe TOO versatile if you only have simple programming needs, all front panel stuff to twiddle, no menus, duophonic (not full two voice though), and they're a huge amount of fun.

Cons are - not full-sized keys. They're not mini-keys as many people wrongly describe them, they're 85% of full size - which is about the same as a harpsichord, so perfectly playable although not ideal. External power supply.

The sound is more middly than Moog and not as fat, but for cutting screaming leads, you can't beat it. Think Ultravox.

Did I mention that they're lots and lots of fun?

[analogika]

Oh yeah. I love my Odyssey reissue. Fun little beast.

[andyysplash]

Cons are - not full-sized keys. They're not mini-keys as many people wrongly describe them, they're 85% of full size - which is about the same as a harpsichord, so perfectly playable although not ideal.

Same keys as the MS-20 mini, right? Played one of them and found the keys usable but really not too comfortable or 'proper' feeling. I guess a midi board would be the answer to that but that's getting more expensive and at this point I could just do the same with a Minibrute.

Seems like a great synth though