poly-analog-$500...

  • Thread starter Thread starter EVT
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EVT

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Hi everybody,
Just wondering what polyphonic analog synth you all would buy if your budget was $500.00?
evt
 
I was wondering how members would respond. I know everybody has their reasons to choose, but I was interested in seeing if some of the responses overlapped.
I need it for live performance. Basic sounds with touch sensitivity. Piano/electric piano/organ/strings... some lead synth sounds. Something simple for live use that sounds nice and feels good. At least 61 keys would be good.
thanks
evt
 
bsr2002 said:
I've used both the Poly6 and the and the Akai AX series, both are great but also check into the PROPHET 5 from Sequencial Circuits.
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I have a Prophet 5 and they are greater than great... but you're not going to find one remotely working for 500 bucks. Maybe 1500 bucks, but not 500... not nowadays.
 
Cloneboy Studio said:
I have a Prophet 5 and they are greater than great... but you're not going to find one remotely working for 500 bucks. Maybe 1500 bucks, but not 500... not nowadays.
Click to expand...

Man, that's pretty cool!!! I only played on one at the music store when they first came out. Wish I had one now.
 
Prophet 5's are like a vintage car... they need work, attention, maintenance and you can't take them out of the garage often. Mine spends most of its time under a tarp in my studio, and I only turn it on when I'm writing/recording except to power it on weekly to make sure no problems have developed.

In short nowadays they are a collector's synth. Definately not something you use to commute to work day in and day out. Great synth, but getting older and not any more reliable. Heck, spare parts are starting to run out on them!

That being said the Prophet 5 is the center of my musical gear love--I think I may be the biggest P5 geek on the planet actually. It took me 5 years to locate and afford one a mint condition, MIDI'd version. I've had it for 5 years now too. :)
 
Nice. I had a chance to buy a Prophet over the summer for a little under a grand, but it needed A LOT of work. Still Searching!!!
 
For $500 or less, you could probably score a Yamaha An1x, Roland JP8000, or a couple of Oberheim Matrix 6rs/1000s off eBay. Any of these would be good.

Going this route, I have snagged the following:

Roland JX-10 w/PG800
2 Oberheim Matrix6rs
Roland MKS70
Yamaha An1x
3 Ensoniq ESQ-ms
Ensoniq SQ80
Korg DW8000

Although I use a Prophet 10 as the basis for my analog setup, any of these can give you some great analog sounds for relatively little $$.
 
Thanks for all the replies!
You all have givven me a lot of synths to add to my with list!
evt
 
Atterion said:
Nice. I had a chance to buy a Prophet over the summer for a little under a grand, but it needed A LOT of work. Still Searching!!!
Click to expand...

Repairs and parts probably would have cost you another 1-2 thousand dollars... IF it could be repaired that is.
 
Your right, big bucks!!! It was fixable for sure, but I just don't have the need to spend that kind of money for something in such shape, I'll just wait it out. Eventually I'll get one. The same guy has offered me a Novation SuperNova II (61 key with voice expansion) for $800, and I've been considering it seriously. It is a fat synth, with plenty of good emulation (A bit effect heavy though).
 
Yeah I know. But hey the price is right. And it is still a venerable machine by all acounts, especially at that price-point. Well, I have about 2 more weeks before the tax money comes back to me, I'm on the hunt!!!
 
I've got an old akai vx-90, its really good for classic analogy sounds, although when playing big chords with a 1-osc patch it sounds a bit weedy and cheap, but still real analog cheap! I recorded some chords for a track recently and applied some mad reaktor fx and it sounds yummy!!
 
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