The Top 11 Polyphonic Synths that you can buy NEW for Under $600 (2023)
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- čas přidán 26. 06. 2024
- In this video I go over what I consider to be the top 11 polyphonic synthesizers you can buy today NEW for under $600. To qualify, synths need to be polyphonic, with a keybed and controls - but I also included an extra three bonus synths that are modules, without keybeds, just because they are too good to leave out!
My video Top 10 Best Synths For Beginners: • Top 10 Best First Hard...
My video Top 11 Best Used Synths under $600: • The Top 11 Polyphonic ...
ASM Hydrasynth Explorer:
amzn.to/3DvHTeA
www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...
Arturia Microfreak:
amzn.to/3rICluH
www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...
Arturia Minifreak:
amzn.to/44VClpa
www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...
Behringer Deepmind 6:
amzn.to/3Yac4kN
www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...
Behringer Pro-800:
amzn.to/3O7OAID
Korg Minilogue:
amzn.to/3DvIQDF
www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...
Korg microKORG:
amzn.to/44FlVlm
www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...
Modal Cobalt5s:
amzn.to/44GMiY4
www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...
Novation MiniNova:
amzn.to/3Dupsqx
www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...
Roland JD-08:
amzn.to/3rLV6NT
www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...
Roland JD-Xi:
amzn.to/3O61NBL
www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...
Waldorf Blofeld Desktop:
amzn.to/473s6kF
www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...
Yamaha MX49:
amzn.to/476OkCj
www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...
Yamaha Reface CS:
amzn.to/450bTL9
www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...
My keyboard Z stand: amzn.to/3Ix5xuF
Z stand extra tier: amzn.to/3XtVpa6
My keyboard A frames: amzn.to/3YwAPav
My silver keyboard covers: amzn.to/40VySFx
My black keyboard covers: amzn.to/3Gt5oXz
0:00 Intro
2:47 Number 1
5:14 Number 2
6:07 Number 3
7:05 Number 4
10:10 Number 5
12:08 Number 6
14:25 Number 7
15:55 Number 8
17:52 Number 9
19:46 Number 10
21:15 Number 11
23:01 Module Explanation
23:41 Module 1
25:22 Module 2
26:17 Module 3
28:19 Synthy Lights
#Review #Synthesizer #New - Hudba
A couple corrections (thanks guys): The Korg Minilogue does not have a digital voice, that is the Minilogue XD that I was thinking of when I mentioned it. Also, the Deepmind 6 is not upgradable to 12 voices like I thought it might be.
Great video , you should specify that the korg is the minlogue XD , not minilogue witch has the extra osc (digital one)
@@ZozillaThaGreatwhich
@@ZozillaThaGreat he already did specify it.
Is the Yamaha mx 49 worth at 400 with stand?
7:37 I had to pay rent, sold my yahama CS1x regret selling it:(
Grabbed the hydrasynth explorer when sweetwater had it down to $499, probably the overall best music instrument purchase i've ever made
Oh man as an OG Hydrasynth owner you made a top tier choice.
The Blofeld isn't just a VA synth, it's a 3-oscillator VA/Wavetable/Rompler synth with 16-part multitimbrality, 3 LFOs, 4 EGs, 2 multimode filters, arpeggiator, User wavetables & samples and over 1000 preset sounds. The keyboard version (€777 / $854 in Europe) has Fatar keybed with aftertouch and internal power supply.
Blofeld is still one of the most powerful and deep synths in any price category.
Fantastic Video. I've been eyeing my first hardware synth so this is useful. Thanks.
Great video. Whatever you pick I think we can all agree that there's never been a better time to be a synth enthusiast.
Really enjoyed this, thank you 👍🏻
Great list Scott. I agree on all of these!
Quite inspiring, good job, Scott!
Thanks and all the best from Germany
Im so hsppy i found your channel , legit knowledge and no nonsense channel 😉👍
Great video as always. My synths have been neglected recently but now I will have to get busy again. It's alarming how much synths have gone up in price in the last couple of years but still amazing value.
Very nice to see the JD08 get some love it deserves. The CS too. I love its sound
Nice video. I love love loved the reface Cs, only issues I had was no mod wheel, sequencer was very basic and no patch storage - otherwise REALLY fun and capable synth, so versatile
Why would one need a mod wheel when practically every control can be moved by hand in real time? 99% of the time the mod wheel is assigned to LFO depth. There’s an LFO depth slider front and center.
Dude great list!
Thank you for your videos!👏🏻👏🏻 I would definitely add and recommend full analog 6 voice Dreadbox Nymphes!👋🏼👋🏼
The ASM Hydrasynth Explorer is amazing. I have it for 18 months and I love love love love it!!!!!!
Great video! I am thinking of buying the Explorer. Pro-800 at this price point is a must. I missed the Dreadbox Nymphes in your list. Huge analog sound. Btw...I love my Reface CS! So immediate.
I find the Deepmind very impressive, even without FX.
Very interesting video Scott, and I'm looking forward to your next one for the 2nd hand synths. 20 years old but I still think that the Korg Microkorg remainsl a great buy. Your prices seem to match what I would expect to pay in Pounds Sterling.
Great list! I'd consider the Dreadbox Nymphes a good suggestion too if a keyboard isn't a requirement.
Yep, I was waiting for that at end!
Good call. I'd rather have the nymphes than any of the other ones on this list.
absolutely, Nymphes is great affordable polyphonic analog synth
I really want one of these, and also a Hades!
Never tried it but i will start a new set up some day (had to sell everything for studying 6 years ago) the Nymphes will be part of it i had an erebus and the dreadbox sound is something else !!!
Im really surprised no one stumbled on to it but soon my friends. It will be a must have
Nice video Scott. A small correction, at #7 ( 14:25 ) you say and show a picture of a Korg Minilogue, but the features you describe afterwards is about the more advanced Korg Minilogue XD model. Also at #1 about the microfreak, it has an analog filter, so it's not a fully digital synth.
Indeed!
The Minilogue XD has the digital oscillator with the ability to load in different user-made oscillators and it costs $100 than the Minilogue. It's $649 which is over the limit. The picture you show and the links you provide are for the original Minilogue which is under $600, but the effects you describe and the additional digital oscillator features you're highlighting are not included in that instrument. I'm sure that your mistake was honest, but it could be very misleading to an inexperienced viewer.
I totally agree with you about the Behringer, it’s a fantastic machine
I liked and agreed with this video. Spot on with synths and prices. Out of all, I'm waiting right now for the Behringer Pro-800 to restock. Although I have found them used already between $325 to $375 USD that I've missed out on. Well worth the new price though.
When I was in Junior High School, '71, the music department created a synth lab class only music students could take. I vividly remember a modular 48 key that had the same ' soft touch/after touch you described on the Arturia @2:00 on CZcams. All I can remember is it was deep blue, and you had to use mini plug cords to get sounds 'Just like Keith and ELP'!
JD Xi! I bought one a couple years ago. Talk about bang for the buck❗️ All the classic Roland drum machines and uses the classic input of 16 buttons for programming. Onboard effects. I use it with a Arturia key lab midi keyboard because the keybed is inferior (too small for my sausage fingers). My only complaint is that you can’t use the autochord function with a separate keyboard. 😃
Very good! Regarding arrangers, in any case, usually they don't have physical controls and also, among them I think only the Korg PA series also qualifies as a synth as there, the sounds are fully editable like on a regular digital synth, but of course only via touchscreen, no physical controls.
According to my knowledge no other manufacturer has fully editable sounds.
-- Congratulations on almost 40,000 views! 😊👍🎹
My first synth, I bought during Covid, was a Behringer Odyssee for about $500, it's of course only 2-voice "paraphonic", but a nice piece to play with. About 1½ year ago I decided that I liked playing with synths (I'm actually Hammond organist, and played also a lot of piano and church organ, but started on arranger keyboards) and I bought the DeepMind 12, about $700 at the time. I think it's a nice analog synth for it's price, I totally agree that it's not the easiest, with a lot of stuff hidden in menus, that's why I decided also to buy the Juno-106 a couple of weeks ago...
Came expecting to see the Pro 800, thought I wouldn't see it because it was gonna be keys-only, happy to see it was mentioned anyway. I just got my hands on one and it's a great choice for the price. Lacks some of the depth of something like the Hydrasynth, obviously, but it's also much harder to make it sound bad, so to speak.
Great video! Well categories all the synth. I have a one question I am getting a Roland JDXa brand new for $1200 is it a worth buying? Thank you 🙏
Great Post
I have the Blofeld keyboard version which I picked up new for just a little over $600. And I have the Behringer Pro 800. I like them both, but of my under $600 list I'd put the *Dreadbox Nymphes* on the list ahead of the others, which I picked up new for about $400.
Just ordered a microfreak B-stock for a good price. Really excited to get it
Be sure to get the firmware update #5 ( like your phone, it means updating the software in the machine, just you have to pug it into your computer to load it in ).
Nice list.
A little late to the party, but I just wanted to say, I think it's amazing that after 16 years, the Blofeld is still relevant! I picked one up used for $300 a few years ago and it's saved me from spending money on several new synths. I find it usually can still do pretty much anything any modern synth can do, and it still sounds great doing it. The menu diving is a pain, but if you can get past that, the value is unbeatable. It does VA quite well, it has tons of wavetables, it can do some FM stuff, it can play samples if you get the SL license, it has two filters in series or parallel with 11 filter types, and the modulation options are immense. Such a powerhouse for the price, and the desktop module takes up barely any space!
One thing not mentioned about the Minifreak is that it comes with a software plugin that fully emulates the hardware, and can operate independently of it.
Sadly there is no option to upgrade the deepmind 6 with additional voices. If you can afford it, go with the 12 instead.
It's a great time for getting polysynths.
Recently the MicroFreak can import samples!
The Minilogue XDm module might squeeze in too.. (not sure of US price as I'm across the pond).
Create/save wave files on your computer, move them into the software for the MF, then plug in MF and move them in.
top vid..liked and subbed..
Very informative Fred(E)Rick🇦🇺👌🐸
Nice review. On the Deepmind the LFO & Envelope section is digital.
Hi Scott - thanks for this comprehensive list. I'm in the market for one of the 37 key synths for live performance to add color my band which has no keyboard player. I'm also interested in adding drum/percussion/rhythm to my duo. Of the Hydrasynth Explorer, the Arturia Minifreak, and the Novation Mininova, which one has the easiest live performance capabilities? I'm not skilled (yet) at creating sounds, but want to incorporate this into my live performances and want ease of selecting my patches/sounds while performing. Reading a bit about the Hydrasynth, I see it doesn't really do piano sounds. Does it have Midi & DAW capability. I'm a bass player and violin/fiddle player, piano player. Thank you!
If you don't mind menu diving the MC101 is a nice synth box for $500 bucks. It gives you 4 tracks of synths and it has a lot of Roland sounds in it. Tweaking, loading and saving patches could be better but workable.
Great list. You could get so much done by building a full synth setup of an Op-Six, Hydrasynth Explorer, Minifreak and a Pro-800 for about 2000eur if you shopped around. Especially if you have a spare tablet and audio interface for sampling, granular synthesis and processing. Korg needs to adjust their pricing to match the competition and bring the Op-six down to 599. Though you can get them on sale sometimes. Its a great synth, but they are charging too much. Given they are selling it as a plugin and the hardware is much more cheapo than the Hydraynth say.
I thank you for all the great videos, my one question would be, do you read all comments pasted on your videos?
I do! :)
I ordered (2) Pro800s one for each channel so that exceeds the limit about $800 but (2) are totally insane not sure anything can beat two of them together on L/R channels. I have the Iridium so I don't need that Waldorf. I don't normally get Roland so the Pro800 is perfect with a Meris Mercury X & dual Gamechanger LightPedal analog spring reverb units, one on each channel.
hello sir my name is supriadi from indonesia i have korg wavestation fell down from table..& when i press the power button the compare led light for a second & nothing appear on the screen. i have check the power supply is ok 12V & 5V is present..May be you know the problem to my synth...i have opened the mmain board klm1415 but confused where to check first.Thank you.
solid list. I would go Deep mind 12 over 6. you can find them under $600 used
I bought my Deepmind 12 for $575 used in mint condition. It included a brand new Gator TSA case, a dust cover and Juno 60, 106 and Jupiter 8 patches purchased and installed by the original owner. It sounds amazing to me. I would recommend getting one used for $600 or less.
I have the every synth that was in your list but the larger versions like the Modal 8 or the ASM Hydrasynth l, since I don’t like the small versions and Waldorf Blofeld is one of my most favorite synths every made. It’s amazing and I have the keyboard in white with light color wood panels and it’s just amazing and also the JD-08 is amazing but I disagree about the Deepmind. Deepmind is at least second from blofeld if not an equal competitor. If you dive in to the deepmind it will really become one of your favorite synths. I too did not like it that much in the beginning until I spent time on it.
Always love to see your vids, and this one feels like you snooped through my own collection and then explained why I got them :) That said, I gotta call out on recommending something you haven't actually tried (Pro 800). It's understandable, because the promised product at that price point is boggling. But until you've actually tied it, it's basing a recommendation entirely on expectations and me-first reports. That's simply another form of advertising -- and it may be entirely correct, but no substitute for actual experience.
I included the Pro 800 because I know three people personally who bought one and absolutely love it. Chatter online is also almost universally positive.
Glad you are focusing on the cost to acquire new gear by considering the affordability issue .
Too many reviewers focus on the equipment and gloss over the money issue as if we are all flushed with cash .
Balance the pros and cons of product review with the acquisition costs .
Love my Minifreak.
Great video Scott!
From your list under 600 USD list, I owned and sold the JD-Xi, the Mininova and the MX-49.
The JD-Xi because of the horrendous keybed and also because of the intensive menu diving and a fixed MIDI channel assignment.
I liked the Mininova a lot, but we need to use a DAW each time we want to go deeper in the configuration. Not for me.
Third, the MX-49, well… I bought it after selling the Moxf6 (which I regret, despite the complex structure). It is much easier to manage and it is capable of producing great sounds despite the needing a external editor in order to get the full potential.
Regrettably I had to sell it along with other stuff to finance a MODX.
The next possible purchase is the Hydra-synth explorer, but I’m still vacillating between an analogue poly, an analogue mono or a digital/hybrid…
Take care
Cheers
Hydrasynth is a monster!!
good list
Wow, you have really great hair man!
My Dreadbox Nymphes is far and away my favorite sub $600 poly synth. Analog too
I would definitely add the Modal Electronics Cobalt 5s--a stripped doen version of the Cobalt 8. I bought two of these for my aspiring synth neice and nephew. It has a great PC control app too.
Great list. I have 3 of these synths in my collection. I LOVE my Blofeld but the 25 note polyphony gets eaten up very quickly as you patches become more complex. The encoders can get glitchy. Worth using the Blofeld but be ready to reduced to 3-5 notes of polyphony.
So true, they shouldn't give it a polyphony amount if it decreases when more of the CPU is used. nonetheless a great synth with amazing sounds.
@@jondelange Many synthesizers have only 8 polyphony, what does this mean in practice?
Digital pianos have 128+ polyphony.
If we take some kind of modal cobalt8x, will it be possible to perform various works in the same way as on a digital piano or will there be some restrictions and synthesizers are not suitable for this?
Super 👌 👍
I just watched that video of the Pro-800 and the rep literally pronounced it the same way you did the first time on the SW site.
The MicroFreak (v5 firmware) is amazing (But laks sustain/expression pedal input).
really would like to hear some from each of these.....
I believe it's the Prophet Rev 2 that can be upgraded from 8 voice to 16, not the deepmind.
Blofeld is AMAZING. Paraphonic synth (but only 3-notes paraphony) is Uno Synth Pro - very nice and easy to use analog synth. Bery nice device in the 600$ price range.
there seems to be confusion (in general) about the microfreak polyphony. It has only one analog filter (so any filter sweep for example will be with the same filter; so it's hard to do that classic analog sound) BUT it relies on digital VCAs before the filter so the VCA and envelope part is polyphonic. there's also an analog VCA after the filter that will just help with the noise floor. So for sounds relying heavily on the oscillator it's basically polyphonic; for sounds relying a lot on filter dynamic it won't be.
the minilogue xd is the one with 3 osc.
Hey Scott love the video what about my favourite the Wavestate. Also the 27:24 Behringer pro-800 at £369
Wavestate is $700USD new....
I put pro-800 and deepmind12 samples inside my wavestate
@@GerenM63 cool mixing up the price in Dollars and pounds
@@chuckvicious I don’t have a deepmind but I have put samples from the Pro800 into the Wavestate
Here they are $700 - but I see this week that they are on sale at several places here in the US for under $600, so it would definitely qualify, at least this week!
I wish we could get a Jd800, but with its original hands on controls. I feel like I need tweezers with the Roland boutiques.
The first thing I look for in a synth is hands on controls. A synth like the wavestation is amazing, but I know I’m never going to menu dive that much.
Forgot to mention that the Roland JD-Xi has 128 polypony digital (2 x 64 poly digital sections) and 1 mono analog synth, Aaaand... it comes with a Mic, Phantom input, guitar effect input AND vocoder AND a simple autotune. Kind of insane, you'd use it as a sound module for that alone. For 500$ that's an insane value.
I used the digital sections and vocoder on it extensively. I found less use for the analog voice. When I say "sound module" I mean I used it as via MIDI rather than using its terrible keybed. Like you would a sound module that doesn't have a keybed.
You're describing the Minilogue XD.
I would add a shoutout for the 6 voice polyphonic analog Dreadbox Nymphes desktop module which just sounds incredible for around $499.
Funny :) Your studio is like the opposite of mine; of all the competitive choices in synths I choose "no" to all your choices and bought the competitor instead. I have 17 synths, one groove box, and one sampler, and I am 100% hardware (no computer) and choose the Zoom R24 SD recorder instead of the Tascam. The only synth we match on is the Gaia. We came close on the Fantom, but instead I choose to go with the FantomO6 and RD-2000 combination. Not that our choices are wrong in any way, just found it amusing that for every synth you bought I choose the other :)
I do actually also have a Fantom-06, it's my lightweight "live" board. :)
Hey....the Fantom is supposed to the road worthy synth construction. You don't have your own rodies then? :) Yea, I know, a synth in a soft case that weighs the same as a guitar. @@ScottsSynthStuff
Don't forget the Audiothingies Micromonsta (or 2)!
Good reviews, thanks! I think global inflation and supply issues have made prices go up.
I think JD-08 doesn't have drums, like it's big brother, it seems to be the only thing missing. I was considering it once because of the compact form factor and you can combine it with the k25m keyboard in one unit (I believe it will still be below $600).
Just got me a Hydrasynth explorer 37-key from sweetwater! 499.00
Thanks I going with the Yamaha.
It should last our band for years.
Behringer Deepmind 6 or Roland Gaia? Who wins?
awesome...have Jd-xi..is very cool..My main is guitar so the jack in the back was a cool idea..the one thing i would say is that the keyboard has great tone..has all the tools one needs to write/compose..glad you said it is not that tough..mine is stationary in studio...cat walks on it though..lol..before i saw this clip I ordered the Nova in store demo great price also has guitar jack..lol..i needed an arpeggiator with more..this looks like it might work...they say the sound id quite tweak able..??/anyway thanks for this.
I love the Microfreak. First synth I bought and I still have it. I know not everyone likes the keyboard but I prefer a keyboard that can easily be just a CV source which is how I often use it. I have a Hydrasynth Explorer for when I really need a real keyboard. I really love the Hydrasynth Explorer. My absolute favorite synth.
I really wish they would make a desktop version of the Minifreak. I want it but I really don't want the keyboard.
I actually would love a Microfreak with a larger touch keyboard. It's so much more expressive than a conventional keyboard, and much less expensive to make than a "traditional" keyboard with polyphonic aftertouch (or MPE functionality, for that matter).
Buy one and surgically remove the keybed like they used to do to the OG Minibrute. I don't see how they could shrink that wonderful panel of controls.
SH-4D should have been at the end IMHO, but I love the Blofeld inclusion
i have a jd 08 connected to jd xi and a wavestate with a yamaha 600
The Reface DX meets the criteria and is a fully editable FM synth engine with patch storage.
Felt like mentioning the Behringer Pro-800 here, as it's an eight-voice polysynth that recreates the infrastructure, tone, and functions of Sequential Circuits' Prophet-600 (little brother to the Prophet-5). All for a retail price of $400. Only thing you're going to be missing with this synth is onboard effects and an attatched keybed.
I talk about the Pro-800 in this video at 25:22
@@ScottsSynthStuff My bad, I missed that!
Yea, the Yamaha CS was on my list for a long time, but I was going to buy two of them and run them as left/right pair of varying stereo panning for a true stereo synth, and the ability to combine that single oscillator; for $600, 8 voices and without presets (hate presets), great. Then the 50% price increase and no way.
I agree, the price increase on them was ridiculous.
I got a DX and was going to add a CS as a sort of portable two-manual organ. Especially after I heard that Soundmondo can save and restore the CS settings as a patch, but the price - yeesh!
22:02 And it does a hell of a great job....
to call the blofeld a virtual analog is kinda wrong because it is more of a wavetable synth where you can get evolving sound already from the oscillators not only the boring pulse and saw waves.
The Beringer Pro 800 really is a nobrainer for a real analog synth. I just wish Beringer would include a selection between the buildin Filters which almost too perfect emulates the quirks of the 600 and the much better filter responce in the Prophet 5. That would make this module almost perfect for an almost redicolous cheap price.
Yeah that's fair. At their price though I'd honestly consider trying to mod one. I could see them becoming a modder's dream.
@@seedmole True. If not from Beringer it should be possible from a 3'rd party to mod the filters or simply put a new filter circuit with a switch into them. I don't know how much can be done by updating the firmware, as it is a real analog circuitry.
Behringer are working on a Prophet 5 clone, so I suppose they want to keep some features for that synth.
On wednesday Fred’s Lab will release the Kickstarter campaign for the amazing Manatee synth for also under 600$.
I'm interested in the vintage K2500rack sampler for 399.00. Even the Korg wave station ad for 399.00 or Korg M3r for 150.00. Roland D110 rack for 120.00. Kawai K1 for 150.00. Alesis S4 for 100.00.
I love my microkorg, I bought mine used.
I also have a yamaha reface, but mine's the cp.
i love my sh-4d. you get 4 polyphonic synths and a drum machine in one box.
Dank pods featured the 4th synth in a video. That’s why it went up
Why no Behringer deep mind? Would you mind telling me what you think of the behringer mono poly, deep mind and poly 6 and why make keyboards so similar ?
You obviously didn't watch the entire video, because the DeepMind IS on my list! The DeepMind is a very capable synth, at a great price. The MonoPoly is a remake of the Korg MonoPoly, so pretty much a completely different synth than the DeepMind.
Let us know bout the pro vs cause it sounds warm and affordable compared to $600 hardware?$
Let me check if the prices are the same over here in Sweden
Yamaha needs to upgrade the Reface Series!!!
Korg Wavestate 👍🏻
My bad you are correct indeed
deepminds also have a very complex mod matrix