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Bravo......I have one......love it.......but why don't we have soda water fountain ...........cheers

These videos are so dope, thank you Scott! I have a question, I know you’ve done videos on the summit, do you know if the summit has a favorites bank or a 8x8 patch selector? It’s hard to buy any synth that doesn’t have a patch selector button group to chang programs

A decent selection. Although I think the JD-Xi is a plasticky fingerprint magnet and a menu-diving nightmare it's very powerful (but my least favorite of the recommendations). A shame about the $700 limit because for $800 I'd unreservedly recommend a used Studiologic Sledge 2.0

Agree on the Roland JD-XI. I have this synth and i like the possibilities that it offers for the price but just hate the user interface.

Hi! Inspired by your videos about Cobalt 8 I decided to buy one. It is used and have firmare version 1.2. I agree with you about issues found in earlier versions so i decided to instal V2. But i can`t find any Modal electronic support on the internet. Is there some usefull link that works today, in 2024. Need help. Thank you. Syncererly Vlatko

I bought an SH-4D as a beginner synth. The fact it can play 4 synth parts plus a rhythm part and has an basic sequencer drew me over the line. Since than I added a polyend play as a sequencer….that combo is just fantastic for the music i make.

I miss the old Scott....I miss the long hair 😮‍💨

Kinda weird to see the Microkorg on the list since it really only becomes more usable with a software programmer, as the quasi-menu diving on the thing itself is not really the kind of direct access you would want from a synth. But since this models is now being phased out by Korg after over 20(!) years (i think it came out in 2002), i'd say get one while you can. Remember, it uses the same virtual analog architecture as the MS2000, which still holds up amazingly well even today. The Arturia Minifreak is definitely a no-brainer and really deserves to be on this list, as it gives the beginner the most bangs for the bucks. Just as the orignal Microfreak that costs even less but sadly has absolutely ZERO internal effects. Depending on what you need (actual keyboard or internal effects) i would say the Minifreak and the Microfreak both should be on the list.

Recommending System 8 and refusing to consider FM synths is strange. Opsix can easily do your "oscillators through a filter" subtractive stuff. Actually if one owns Ableton Standard or higher one of the best learning synths that they already have is Ableton's Operator.

I totally disagree with a couple of your suggestions, and that's why I'm giving you a like and subscribe. Most people don't have any unique takes and just regurgitate the same synths. I like that you had an authentic opinion.

Nice video. Things have moved on a bit from this thankfully. I supported the company from the very beginning and sad to see how they have gone. I have a 002 and 008 in my studio area, both with FX cards. These are classics for sure, but even these were not really supported and the updates stopped. Mark.

Hi, thank you for this interesting video. I have an issue with my Roland D-10 which is similar but not identical to one you described, maybe you can help me. The issue is that the lowest 8 keys only play once and then become non responsive. The sound is at minimum velocity no matter how hard I play, and keeps sustaining until reboot or until I run out of polyphony playing other keys. Sometimes, the problem will fix itself after a while that the synth is powered on. I opened the thing up today and ran some continuity tests with my multimeter, I seem to have found nothing wrong with the wires or keyboard itself. I cleaned up the cable sockets with contact cleaner spray, but to no avail. Do you have any ideas about this at all? The only thing I can think of is that the gate array IC chip that does the key scanning has gone bananas, in which case I am screwed. But I would think such a failure would affect the entire keyboard? Any help will be greatly appreciated. P.s. a few years ago this synth had this problem, I played keyboard very little at the time so I didn't care. Then somehow it magically fixed itself and kept working for years until a couple of days ago. Weird...

Your title is wrong. It should say 'this is my top 12'. It's clearly not the top 12 in general.

I like it when you do these reviews. I wonder if you would ever do a review of some of the newer Korg synths like the King Korg Neo?

What are your thoughts on the Juno-X? I am going for the Juno sound(s) but am still wondering if I should just get a System 8 or a 106.

I need a simple, real vco, "beading" sweetspot poly. ....I have a Hydra and a Virus. The last thing I need is another virtual analog. Your continual extoling of Modal and the Cobalt8 has me gassing anyways though, dang it. Maybe I'll just pass on a fancier poly, and get a Pro-800, so I can afford a Cobalt8 too. hmmmm....

how do you unbox and never touch the keys / make a sound? Seems strange.

I like your choices except for the Monopoly. I think the Monopoly is a terrible beginner synth. The panel layout is awful, and since it only has one filter, it isn’t really polyphonic. I have been recommending the Casio CT-S500 and CT-S1000. Although these are home keyboards that are primarily sample based, they have filters that you can change the cutoff and resonance. You can change the envelopes, and you have a nice assortment of effects. You even have portamento. It has bluetooth midi so it makes a nice keyboard controller especially for the iPad. Running Kong’s Monopoly software in the iPad gives you a better monopoly than the Behringer hardware unit. The software version is fully polyphonic and has hundreds of presets. The CTS-500 has a street price of 380, it covers a lot of bases.

Hello Scott. I have a question about AWM2 elements in the new Montage. The manual says "AMW2: 128 Elements (max.)". The question is, each part can use up to 128 elements, or the AWM2 engine's limit is 128 elements, and these elements can be shared on one or more parts? With more simple words, can we have, for example, a 4-part performance with 32 elements per part (total 128 elements) or we can have a 4-part performance with up to 128 elements per part (total 512 elements/performance)? Thanks for any answer.🙂

Спасибо!Проблемы с синхронизацией MIDI бывают и при подключении к Cakewalk

JD-Xi is not hard to find used for $250 which is pretty good

Does the DAW just automatically send the clock out or do I have to set it up that way? Is the Hydrasynth getting its sync from the MIDI cable or from USB?

Thanks 🙏

I have noticed that most of your synths you own are not actually real analog synths like Oberheim, Deckard's, Moog Etc. etc. I was wondering whether you like the real deals or too much to mess with. For the first time ever I bought both the new OB-X8m and Deckard's and once I did have a Moog, forgot I had that one. There's something special about the real thing and I'm sure you've had those at some point. It's actually a blessing that we can now buy these and they aren't $30K.

pad 7 is really good

Hey Scott, great video! I really appreciate the way you explain gear with their strengths and weaknesses. It's very helpful to budding synthesists like myself. Cheers, from Australia 🤙

I know it's not new release but still relative cheap . . but as as the story goes start at the beginning as with early pocket programmable synths like the tiny Casio VL tone 'toy' . . even on own but through effects get weird sounds ambient background atmospheric which I think are synths strengths rather than the cacophony of every sound possible played in sequence . . same reason why I like 3 & 2 & 1 , raised action slide guitar . . too many strings muddies the waters

Man they released it in a bad state I only found out about all these problems today a few days after buying it. Only issues I've noticed is my Peak and Summit changing each others settings and if I change preset on one it changes on the other I've put it down to user error and disabled them interacting with one another in Peak settings CC/NRPN and Bank/Patch REC+Tran to disabled.

The hydrasynth has a great keybed but Roland doesn’t mess around with their keys. My 88 key full weight Roland has the best keybed I’ve ever played on

The menu and sound creation seems so straightforward on this beast!

Can't get Korg Kross 2 for about $700 discounted? (MSRP has been raised to $930, but standard 20% off brings it under $750, and can always negotiate...) Powerful, great sounds and capabilities (basically like M3/Triton with full-size 61 keys, batterey powered, only 8 pounds, some knobs, 120 polyphony/16-multi/7 fx units/134 algos/2 filters per voice, big mod matrix, full sampling, 16 pads, arp, many performance features, wide variety of sounds etc., etc.) Looks like GAIA 2 MSRP is also $900, discounted to $700, just Korg has MSRP/MAP policy preventing dealers advertising discounts?

Scott , this was fantastic , I hope you expand this to different price points , I know it has a lot of personal perspective , but who cares I loved it !!!

For a true beginner, consider your goal and budget. If you are trying to learn synthesis or just be a twiddler, get a synth with a lot of knobs/sliders so everything is WYSIWYG. Budget wise, you'll get more bang for the buck if you buy something used, considering most new synth prices have skyrocketed. If your goal is to learn how to play, buy a cheap 88 key digital piano and take lessons. Using Scott's picks as inspiration, I would go with a used DeepMind12 or Hydrasynth Explorer. I would avoid the JD-Xi. My personal pick for price range, knobs, sound would be a used Studiologic Black Sledge-- all knobs, bi-timbral, wavetables, high quality 5 octave keyboard, aftertouch....

Because the Gaia is out of production, and I just bought a Gaia2 this week, I (like you) searched for the best beginner synth again, and what would I recommend. My conditions are similar: 1) Must be polyphonic, 8 voice minimum. 2) Must have full sized keys. 3) Must have all the subtractive physical controls. Eight voices mean chord options for both hands simultaneously. Full sized keys mean an organist or pianist can play comfortably and a new keyboardist can learn on a standard size. All the physical controls are really the only way to begin to learn subtractive. I teach subtractive synthesis and most people cannot learn with a menu, just as 99% of the people I know don't understand computers. Most people are not capable of having that file cabinet (file hierarchy) in their head. IF it ain't in front of them, they're lost. Sooooooo, my recommendation is: The Behringer MS-1 + one MIDI cable + The Roland Boutique JX-08 = $620.00. Here you have best of analog and digital, mono and poly. Both together is a fantastic combination of 20 voices digital and a big mono monaural. The Boutique has an audio in so you can connect headphones to the Boutique and hear both synths, and then use the Boutique to record directly to your computer over USB MIDI and/or audio. What the two sound like layered I don't know, but I'll bet it is interesting.

Great work ! Thinking of building one for studio one .

This video kept showing up in my YT list, I was going to click "not interested" and then noticed it was new, I thought it was your old one :) . I like your channel because we think alike, we are not analog snobs and use whatever synth does the best job for task at hand. I just bought a Gaia2 because it is so rare, been using the Gaia for 13 years, it is my favorite digital poly. The original Gaia was my favorite not because it sounded better than anything else, but because it was lighting fast to design patches with gigantic chord changes or fast keyboard play with medium release. I have a Fantom, but I use the Gaia because the Fantom needs a menu and about 5x to 10x the time to sound design. So I rank the Gaia as favorite simply because I use more than any other digital poly. Sound design should be fun not frustrating work, that is why it was a no brainer to buy the Gaia2. While the Gaia2 has nothing in common with the Gaia, both will complement each other, I will probably use the Gaia as a stereo enhancer to the Gaia2 since I can pan oscillators in the Gaia and can't in the Gaia2.

Bad choices.knob per function studiologic sledge

So if we have the Gaia 2 … I don’t know if the price is below 700$ i clearly would add the Korg Modwave which is also a wavetable synth like the Gaia but the synth engine is more powerful. Same with the Opsix. But I don’t know if they are below the $700 limit.

Shout out for the Roland Boutique JU06A. Great synth if you want to learn how to program a synthesizer. Very hands on.

While not a popular opinion, I would suggest adding an MPC One+ to the list (sub US $700). Ok, the "keybed" is a set of velocity sensitive pads, but it has onboard plug-ins for synthesis and fx as well as sample playback, sampling and sequencing and is a great hub when you add further hard or soft synths to your collection. They won't suit everyone but it provides multiple options when producing music, they're very accessible and can be great fun.

Can you refill the 8gr CO2 cylinder?

I’d argue real beginners don’t have a dedicated studio or workspace established. I would start a beginner with a module and an affordable MIDI keyboard. Less investment and less space in some cases. Particularly if the beginner is buying used. Less potential failure points (keys and wheels). For the beginner, front end investment probably will be a factor so the least upfront investment, the better. Otherwise, the list isn’t bad.

Love this video

No Moog, Sequential or Oberheim ‘anything’??

I recently had to buy three synths for beginners as gifts.. Two of the recipiens were very young people, so I chose the Cobalt5s, which is hugely capable and has very nice sounding internal sounds. One was for an older, more experienced musicisn, so he got a Hydrasynth Explorer. All of the recipients loved their new synths, and I think that these were good choices for the skill level of the recipients.

Thanks so much for this video, just my rant, I hate it when modern digital synths are not 16 part multi timbral

As an owner of both the Roland JD-Xi (my first polyphonic synth), and the Korg Microkorg S.... All the review videos I Saw of the Hydrasynth Explorer said it was very portable and compact, so I was expecting it to weigh less, but between those 3 it's my biggest 37 key synth lol

Get rid of the cheap foam pads and install or supply full 3M Anti-Slip to keep it premium., IMO. I still like every video, Scott. Well Created.

Wouldn't buy a Gaia 2 even for $200.

My old singer gave me his before he passed. I have the Original Juno 106. I don't use it I guess it's just for collecting for now! I got a newer Yamaha Keyboard as well as a Yamaha Digital Grand so I can use the Softube version that they have of the Juno. Its been fun hearing some old school tones.