Ranking all the synthesisers I've ever owned

[@audioartisan]

Besides the great list of synths you featured, I just had to comment on your demo's ...I really like your style. Especially the EX5 Demo. It sounds like a New Age/Jazz Fusion, and sounds very inspiring. Thank you for sharing :)

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you very much! :)

[@CaidicusProductions]

Aw man, I just LOVE videos like this! Thanks for making this, what a treat.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks! :)

[@thefumigator]

Reface DX FTW! Mine is on its way, hopefully next week!

[@mr_floydst]

Nice, congrats!

[@lundsweden]

Hey Floyd, this list was a lot of fun to watch! My personal top 5 Hardware: 5) Kawai K5000W, 4) Oberheim Matrix 1000, 3) Behringer Model D, 2) Roland Juno 106, 1) Roland Alpha Juno 1. My top 5 VSTs are: 5) TAL UNO-LX (Juno 60 emulator) 4) Softtube's Model 84 (Juno 106 emulator) 3) TAL J-8 (Roland Jupiter 8 emulator) 2) Decent Sampler (free!) and all the wonderful free sample packs on Pianobook! 1) SWAM Trumpet (Physically modelled).

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for sharing! Some good choices there.

[@Gezira]

An interesting selection, different from the usal tropes. Good job, thank you.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching!

[@snuppssynthchannel]

Great video by the way, i love hearing your thoughts on the different synths that you have owned through the years. Introduced me to some rack units that i was not familiar with.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks. I found I forgot to include the PSS-480 in that list. That was a surprisingly synthy beginners' keyboard and I remember getting some cool sounds out of it by mashing the buttons withour any clue. But I think it's for the better no recording or video of that made it. ;-)

[@조원준-h3f]

I'm enjoying the informative video. Can you tell me how you put the peak on the keyboard rack? It's hard to find that fits the peak

[@mr_floydst]

Hi, thanks for watching. I bought an extension for keyboard stands www.amazon.de/gp/product/B000V7C4MY and two aluminum stripes www.amazon.de/gp/product/B07C51FKJ3, and a metal saw and some silicon tape www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0772LZW5K Wrap the silicon tape around the extension's arms. Place the aluminum stripes over them, bend into shape and saw off the excess. Put the PEAK onto it so it's rubber lean against the upper aluminum stripe so it doesn't slide sideways or downwards.

[@조원준-h3f]

@@mr_floydst thank you so much 😊!!

[@coyotesynth]

Hi, reface DX: the feedback on any operator can also be done on the MOD7 FM Synthesis of the Kronos. Thanks for the video!

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for the info! You're the 5th person now who suggests I should take a look at the Kronos. I will definitely do that. :-)

[@kiko1935]

I love videos like this! It's always cool to hear people's perspectives on synths they bought when they were younger and why they decided to sell etc. I've had a handful but I think the one I connected with the most was the Roland JX-3P w PG-200. It's just a funky weird analog poly. The synth I liked the least is probably the Deepmind 12, although not a bad synth I just didn't enjoy programming nor was I wowed by the sound.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching & commenting! I'm quite happy with my current setup, but I'd like a small portable FM synth. Rumour has it AKAI is planning to add one to their MPCs, that's be perfect. :)

[@kiwictor3752]

Yeah, the Yamaha EX5 is a beautiful beast... thx!

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! Glad you agree.

[@snuppssynthchannel]

On the TG-33. Many of the factory patches are bad, but to me it has the same beautiful tone and lo-fi aesthetic as the SY77/SY99. It has plenty of charm and an instantly recognizable sound, and i was always a big fan of vector synthesis. :)

[@mr_floydst]

Hi! As I said in the vid, I propably would evaluate the TG-33 differently if I had one today. But back in '94, I had no interest in developing my own sounds (and no knowledge) and the internet was still years away. :-)

[@infesticon]

@@mr_floydst Thank christ for the internet and the help using things. I'd stand no chance with the Roland mc303 without the net.

[@dougmg8272]

Great feature as always! It would be interesting to see if any recent acquisitions changed the list.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for your input - yes, I could do an update video...

[@DJDigitalJosh]

Great List!

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks! :)

[@pcuimac]

My favorite Synth is Roland V-Synth with Jamals Analog patch bank. I also love my Kawai K5000 S and R.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! I only know the V-Synth by name, got to look it up now. Kawai K5000 seems like an excellent choice. :)

[@lundsweden]

2nd vote for the K5000! A great but deep synth!

[@hendrikboser8238]

I really like that Technics, Peak is mindblowing! Amazing comparison showing clear the differences between some interesting synthesizers from a younger to modern time period.

[@mr_floydst]

Glad you liked it! Around 1997, synths got really good. And then VSTs took over.

[@hendrikboser8238]

@@mr_floydst I guess the 90`s have been some kind of a digital wild west and have just been the wannabees of what is possible today.

[@Roboami]

Very interesting list and I trust your judgement! I've learned a lot on my EX5R because of your videos and I thank you for that. It's very different from all my other synths which are mostly vintage and analog. Some rich guy was moving out and selling a LOT of stuff so I got a Korg DS-8 + Yamaha EX5R for... 20$. I couldn't pass that!!

[@mr_floydst]

Wow, that's quite the deal. Wouldn't say no to that offer. :-) On a sidenote, there are alternatives to the EX5 (many people are pointing me at the Korg Kronos atm, and one of the older MOTIFs with all the expansion cards can do a lot of things the EX5 can do). But those are really expensive machines.

[@J4Z666]

SY22 was beautiful keyboard, you would have kept it as a midi keyboard I feel. I kept mine and like you say the sounds were a bit naff but connect it to a TG500 or the Roland (JD800 module) who's name escapes my memory you would have been happy. Gave up all of my synths in 2003 just dipping the toes again - Yikes this is going to get expensive.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for your feedback! I think I didn't like the 12bit sound of this synth, plus at that time, I had no clue how to create sounds. I'd like to revisit this machine one day to see what I missed.

[@gernrene]

Great list! Low ranking for the OP1 and I would never sell a novation circuit, it is such a fun travel synth. And it seems as if your collection is missing a microfreak ;) Again, thanks for another great video!

[@mr_floydst]

Glad you liked it! Circuit is great but once you want to start creating actual songs with a slightly more complex structure, there may be better options. The ARQ-96 e.g. has a song mode and 16 midi channels for external gear. OP-1 is great, but when I had one, they had this very annoying bug which caused any tape loops to "click" (no crossfading on the samples). I heard they fixed that one in the meantime. And the microfreak doesn't seem to add anything to my current setup (correct me if I'm wrong). :-) Best regards!

[@gernrene]

@@mr_floydst the microfreak has crazy sounds, many possibilities. Nothing high-end, but combined woth the great UI, it is amazong for the price. I can't find an arq for 99 EUR anymore, otherwise I would have a look at it. The fun about the circuit is its built-in speaker and that you can run it on batteries. To me, it is the best mobile device. The OP1 is a collectors item, I totally agree with your ranking.

[@Tolognabullets]

Seconding the microfreak as a worthy addition to any rig. It's so flexible but nothing else really sounds like it, and if you work with audio in the daw the poly aftertouch adds so much interest to a recording! Not as useful it it's being primarily sequenced but even with my sequencer heavy rig I'll probably still keep mine forever.

[@XavierRadix]

Impressive list of gear you've owned throughout the years! It's funny that you didn't enjoy the TG-33 that much. I've always really liked those early SY/TG models with the Vector synthesis.

[@mr_floydst]

Perhaps I would enjoy it more today, but in '94 I bought it second hand without a manual and the internet was still years away. So I was stuck with the presets. :)

[@mudsh4rk]

@@mr_floydst They're pretty easy and fast to work on once you get over the initial hurdle of some weird interface choice (even saving an edited patch is confusing at first - you have to exit edit mode before you can save anything, THEN hit save, THEN hit page right THEN hit yes, and none of that is obvious from the display or panel). But after a couple hours to come to grips with the UI it's all pretty internally consistent and jumping around tweaking by ear gets quick and fun. Just like the DX series and a lot of other Yamaha stuff. Definitely worth revisiting, although maybe less so since the prices blew up.

[@fuckcensorship69]

@@mudsh4rk seems like korg is designed by musicians....yamaha seems like it's designed by an engineer who a musician is writing letters to

[@ThePCxbox]

Now that its been a year and the honeymoon phase is up, where does the gamechanger motorsynth lie? I noticed that you used it in your most recent video so its gotta have some kind of charm you enjoy hehe Im looking for something weird to pair with my poly D (a grossly underrated synth for its price btw) and then i might go into FM territory after that (thank you for showing off the reface btw, i was looking into the digitone but the reface gave me something to consider).

[@mr_floydst]

Hi, thanks for watching! Well, I really like the Motor Synth. To say it "sounds good" would be stretching it, obviously, so the fun is to make it "sound good" anyway. But I fully expected that when supporting that project. I use it frequently and it's in a lot of my music videos (e.g. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHjNhmWqndJ4lbc) . It's best with a pedal that can add something to the sound (e.g. shimmer). Watching the discs spin is oddly satisfying.

[@ThePCxbox]

@@mr_floydst Of course, thats why we buy synths isnt it? If I wanted I could make all the sounds I needed in serum and gladiator but thats not why we buy synths ;) How would you rate its lead functionalities post FX? Ive seen a good demo someone made where it sounded like a NIN arp but i feel like if you pushed it you could get something nice and colorful, and lush even. EDIT: Heres the arp (time stamped) if you're looking for ideas to maybe bring her to the front in a track you make, all this guy used was valhalla reverb! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jamUmnyqf7Jsi8k

[@mr_floydst]

@@ThePCxbox By it's very design it's made for "screaming" sounds. And lead sounds will sound really nice if used in monophonic mode. There's always a bit of glide due to the mechanical nature of the "oscillators" which lends itself to lead sounds really well.

[@oldschoolmotocross5385]

You need the mighty Montage in your life.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! I think you're right :-) Only two problems with that: 1) space - my synth rack is pretty cramped and 2) funds - I'd need to sell almost anything I own at the moment to get the current one. ;-) At the moment, this channel is just too small to receive instruments for review.

[@vegsozoltan5283]

Great video, the EX5 is an all time favourite of mine too, along with the SY99 (I'm surprised you don't have a SY77/99, the most interesting FM is in there). I bought the EX5 in 1998, then sold it after 10 years of use in a moment of rage when I got fed up with the slow speed of the SCSI. Then I bought one again 5 years ago because I really missed it: of course the various expansions and the jaz and zip drives were now very expensive to get again. This is my (timeline) list: I got my first organ when I was 3 in 1977, a small Bonetmpi. The second instrument was a Bontempi too with chord buttons. And after that almost just Yamahas: - PS30 - PS55 - PSR70 - PSR-SQ16 - PSR6300 - SHS10 - Casio CZ1000 - DX7 - SY77 - Kawai K1 - Kawai K4r - SY99 - Roland S760 - EX5 - MOX6 - TG77 - MODX6 - TG500 - MODX7 - RM50 (Casio VL and PT toys, Yamaha, Korg, Roland, Casio digital pianos, Novation SL mkII for the SY's special sysex controlling, CME UF80 master kyb.)

[@mr_floydst]

That's quite the history line there! :-) I'll some day try to get my hands on an SY99 or 77. Instead of ZIP drives, you can use a SCSI2SD adapter. The newest one comes with a USB port, too, so you can easily transfer your samples from your PC/Mac.

[@vegsozoltan5283]

@@mr_floydst Yes, I saw your video about the SCSI2SD but in my country hard to order and I have already a system (with an WinXP machine for the SCSI chain).

[@Iwtbaf]

I love your videos!

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks!

[@dovepaige]

This must have been before you got the 1010music BlackBox

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! I think you're right. I'd like to revisit the Blackbox now, see the improvements they made. I bought it too early. :)

[@dovepaige]

@@mr_floydst another one you should check out is the Roland MC 101, it has become one of my favorites, especially with the most recent update, a very versatile device

[@knockoutcustoms7477]

I've got a Yamaha an200...... amazing sound

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! Glad you agree. It's a great synth. If only that "first note doesn't get played when changing patterns" bug wasn't...

[@neonpop80]

Im impressed Reface DX got up so high. I have that and the CS and adore them

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! For me, the DX strikes the right balance between simplicity of the UI and sound shaping capabilities, and 8 voices is enough for light piano playing. :)

[@meinemudda3095]

I am so glad i found this channel You tested really weird products I like that

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you. Yes, I have a soft spot for quirky stuff. :-)

[@Iwtbaf]

I don’t know if it was this video but someone had a detailed comment on how the CS works do you know where that comment went? Thank you for all you do I love your videos!

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for your kind words! I think you are looking for this (the pinned comment) kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5OTf6mknLOXaNE

[@Iwtbaf]

Floyd Steinberg thank you so much that’s exactly it saw I wasn’t subscribed so I went ahead and fixed that 😉

[@ambientoccluser]

Another satisfied owner of yamaha ex5, although I have rack version. Only thing I regret I didn't have means to buy it when it was brand new, and I had much more time and eager to work on my music. Anyway, I do have it all the way from the 2000 and it's still capable and versatile thing.

[@mr_floydst]

This came out at a point in life where we had more time, but less money. ;-)

[@gydur]

I have a Summit...how can u rank a Peak lower than EX 5???

[@gydur]

I m curious, cuz I m looking for an EX 5

[@mr_floydst]

It's my personal taste, which might not necessarily be yours. ;-) But to answer your question: I find myself using the EX5 more often because it's my main keyboard, I need to turn it on to play my synths. Which of course often leads my to just staying on the EX5 anyway. Also, it does a lot more things than the PEAK, from a usable polyphony (128) to all the different synth engines, effects, filters and stuff.

[@thehowlingterror]

Agree with your comment regarding paying £99 for unlocking the samples on the Blofeld. It's not a new synth by any stretch. Great vid. Thanks for sharing.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching!

[@doctorzingo]

I agree on the merits of the EX5. It's the only synth I've reacquired. After having traded my EX5R for a JD800 about 10 years ago (strange days) I realized I missed it and got an EX5 proper a couple of years back. To me, it's the last in the line of great Yamaha synths with model numbers.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! I agree, it was a great Yamaha Synth (with the focus on the synthesis part). The first Motifs shared a similar philosophy, but they removed more and more sound engines over the years. Now, all that's left is AWM and FM-X.

[@GertBoers]

I would never sell my Peak. Nor my Hydrasynth. Both are tied on first place for me, but because of the keyboard, I use the Hydra more. So, maybe with a slight edge, the Hydra wins. Plus, I can control my Peak with poly aftertouch! Win-win! I am also rediscovering my 88 key Motif XF, now I know more about synthesis / synthesizers. A lot makes more sense now. One big downer is that it sometimes crashes and hangs. I have to power off an power on, which takes a considerable amount of time. (If I understood correctly, I'm not the only one suffering from this defect.)

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching and commenting, Gert. The Hydrasynth looks really interesting. Saw BoBeat's video on that. And I really thought about buying a used MOTIF, but the ES6 (because of the plugin cards).

[@gossamyr]

One of the things I appreciate about your videos is that you are a real human being who is a synth enthusiast. Makes me appreciate my love of synths because I'm not alone. I'm surprised you didn't give the Alesis Ion a go, imo, it is comparable to the blofeld, even if slightly limited in some respects. They put that engine in the alesis micron and akai rebranded miniak. I find the Ultranova very useable as the synth you take somewhere(gigs/jams/etc). I also am very happy Peak owner, and my ex5 is still kinda broken, I can't sell it though, idk why. ps I find myself a little excited about the waldorf Iridium, the way I felt about the Peak when heard about it. What do you think?

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for your kind words! Well, I always loved synths, but I also just started researching the topic some years ago (before I just went to local stores, chatted to the folks hanging out there and tried the new stuff - that's how I ended up buying some stuff that wasn't really suited for my needs). I'll need to look up the ION (think I saw some videos previously). The new Waldorf synths look great and sound great, but at the moment, I'm happy with my hardware setup. One (hybrid) analog synth, one FM synth and one workstation. For me, the most interesting machines this year are the Motor synth (because that's a pretty nerdy approach to building a synth - and their latest video show that thing can be used musically) and the Expressive E Osmose (because that synth does something really new which and expands the idea of what a synth keyboard can do). Best regards!

[@spotlight-kyd]

I had both a Blofeld (module) and an Alesis Ion as well as an Akai Miniak. I sold the Blofeld, because the firmware was full of bugs (this was in 2010), but it sounded great. If you dig into Wavetables, the sonic possibilities are very extensive (I now have a Waldorf Microwave XTk for that). But I didn't keep the Ion or the Miniak either, since, while they have a similarly capable and complex synth engine, it was just not as easy to get great sounds out of them and the oscillators don't have as much variety. Also the effects are weak and the preset organisation and MIDI implementation are weird. I also still have an AN1x, which sounds at least as good as a Blofeld (but different) and way better than the Ion/Miniak. All IMHO, of course. And today's VA technology is leaps ahead of all these synths.

[@mr_floydst]

@@spotlight-kyd Thanks for summarizing that. I agree, there are a lot of smartphone apps which blow hardware VA synths out of the water, plus they tend to have a superiour user interface (on the software level). Well, even the WebAudio API built into todays Web browsers is far more powerful than most VA hardware synths (more on that in an upcoming video). But having a real instrument in front of me makes me happier than fiddling on a smartphone or PC, and I know nostalgia plays a big role in that, but that's the way it is. :-)

[@_P_M_]

Nice video. Great esthetics and music too. Interesting to see the EX5 still tops your list. Mine is my main board. So well built. I've never dug into programming it, as I find the UI to be pretty complicated. I wish I could find some EP's to load into it.

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you! The UI has a lot of hidden features, so to speak. :-) Compared to other 90s synths, it's quite good. But as I said, the Blofeld has the best menu-driven user interface which explains most of the things with diagrams and graphics. (The EX5 does that for the envelopes only).

[@snuppssynthchannel]

I can relate with the top 1 synth, for me it ties with the Kawai K5000s out of all the synths i have owned.

[@mr_floydst]

Yes. Heard that one on your channel, that's a powerful and great sounding synth for sure.

[@tiffanzsolti]

Where would be the Roland JD-08 on a list update?

[@mr_floydst]

Somewhere in the upper third, I'd say. Perhaps I should make an update video ;)

[@teddym2808]

4:35 I have no idea what that control is, subtitles get it wrong, I have listened to it 100 times and done various google searches and can't find it. What is it?

[@mr_floydst]

Hi, thanks for watching! It's the KORG NanoKontrol 2.

[@teddym2808]

@@mr_floydst Thanks so much!

[@teddym2808]

@@mr_floydst By the way - Do you mean like a PC stick that plugs straight into the monitor and has a usb out for an audio interface, and it can become like a PC hardware box synthesizer for VST plugins that way? Any suggestions which PC stick? I was looking at buying a little minisforum amd PC to use with my arturia minifuse (spare interface, I use UA Apollo on my Mac), to slave via midi like a real hardware synth to play all the old 32 bit plugins and Windows only synth plugins I can't use on Mac, like Superwave for example, but a stick might be cheaper and less space!

[@Sui778]

All synths are good for a certain something. It's just a matter of determining what the strengths are. I'd rather have choices rather than a single perceived be all/end all workstation - sooner or later you will find yourself wishing for something. Not big on groove boxes - I know a lot of folks like these but they simply are just too limiting for my methods of creating music; nor am I a fan of these so-called pocket synths (the I/O leaves a LOT to be desired). But I suppose we all have to pick our poison. I also have the Reface CS, Blofeld and the Venom. Still use them all frequently. The Venom in particular I find to be quite interesting - despite the keyboard bed, which is notably unresponsive (makes it pretty bad as a main MIDI controller) - but used as a sound module it is fantastic. In reference to the method of saving patches from a Reface CS - you don't have to use sound mondo. It also can be done on CTRLR (and without all the BS of having to classify them and all that other nonsense sound mondo wants a user to specify when saving). I much prefer storing sounds locally, anyway.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts! Agree with your points. I really liked the Blofeld, some times think about getting another one.

[@Sui778]

@@mr_floydst I just have the desktop version - it's not different from the keyboard really - same exact controls I believe. It's part of a much bigger system - I drive 24 synths with three MIDI patchbays and a central sequencer and MIDI controller.

[@dvamateur]

I used to have an EX5, but I sold it... I am planning to buy CS6x, instead. My favorite synthesizers right now are Roland D-50 and Yamaha V50.

[@mr_floydst]

Good choice! If I remember correctly, the CS6x has expansion slots for Yamaha's VL and AN cards, so it should be better than the EX5, minus the FDSP part and the sampler, that is.

[@dvamateur]

@@mr_floydst Yes, 2 expansion slots. There are also a DX, PF (piano), and PC (drums) boards.

[@serhiymarchenko8361]

CS6x was precursor to MOTIF (same sound synthesis parameters), but definitely has EX5 sound. I think they both based on the same platform - SWP20/B Yamaha chip) and share big part of wave ROM (compare wave lists). And it is very good controller. 2 PLG slots is plus. Also, presets are surprisingly nice and fun (made by European Yamaha team). Sampling is a joke - very limited.

[@serhiymarchenko8361]

… but I have to say PLG integration is much worse than EX5 “integrated” design. Unless for using presets (switching presets is slow BTW, at least on VL and AN cards) and editing via computer editor you can’t do much. It sounds very nice though.

[@dvamateur]

@@serhiymarchenko8361 I haven't bought the CS6x. I got the Motif ES Rack with the PLG VL card. Well, it doesn't really matter. If I can't play scales well enough, no instrument is going to make any difference.

[@maarzt]

Hi Floyd. watched this awhile ago and currently have a peak on back order. I know you love it and others say they do too. Ive noticed that not too much is happening on facebook groups you tube regarding this synth. Doesnt seem to show up in alot of jams and the like. Clearly its a "great synth" but Im wondering if its not sparking people's creativity as much as other things? ARe there gotchas? I am excited for it but really want it to be as fantastic as you, and other noteable synth tubers say it is. (my gear includes a Digitone, Digitakt, A4, Typhon, monostation and ARgon8. I feel that the Peak will compliment all that and be fun in its own right) Thanks for your input!

[@mr_floydst]

Hi! Thanks for reaching out. The PEAK is superb. Thing is, you'll always use it alongside other synths as it can play only one patch a time. I think not much is happening on social media because it's not in the "I'll just buy this with my spare change" price category as e.g. the Behringer and Volca hardware. And it has no sequencer, unlike the elektron synths. It's built for coming up with fantastic sounds in the blink of an eye, and at that, it's wonderful.

[@maarzt]

@@mr_floydst yes the mono-timbral quandry! I have plenty of sequencing capacity in my gear and am excited for the raw synthesizing potential of the peak. Since I wrote this alot of people have chimed in on the FB group praising the peak.

[@fredericpariset1246]

I do agree with you for thé EX5 I bought 1 EX5R full options Fès years ago I have made some changes adding a SCSI2SD card and change the floppy disc to USB stick reader Recently I bought a second One on even better condition I love them so much I don’t think I will sell them this Synth is a killer Fred

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! That's nice. They used to be quite cheap 4 years ago, I got mine for 350 credits. Prices did certainly rise since then.

[@fredericpariset1246]

Floyd Steinberg Yes I bought mines around 300€ and 350€ I have added the SCSI2SD for around 100€ including the SD but I have now almost 5000 sounds onboard with instant access so it was with doing it (here is the tutorial I have made sorry it is in French) saxfred.1ere-page.fr/2017/09/12/microsd-scsi-ex5rex5/ Thanks for all your interesting video Take care Fred

[@christianssonicspaces494]

Great Video!!! I was thinking the same and already started last year to work out a (personal) ranking system similar to Doug DeMuro's car ranking. But for me it turned out to be too time consuming. But I think I will make at least a video why I sold a synth.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! This one was really time consuming, too, and I "uhm-err"ed my way through it. But looks like it's somewhat enjoyable. Looking forward to that video you're planning, will definitely watch that!

[@eide97]

I think too that yamaha ex5/ex7 are so underrated! In my opinion, they are way better than any motif.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching!

[@SeverityOne]

Just one question if you don't mind. You mention the (Roland) R-8 in your video. But presumably you left it out because it's a drum machine and not a synth. How do you find it? It's been on my maybe-I-should-check-it-out list for a while.

[@mr_floydst]

Hi, thanks for watching! If I mentioned an R8, I was most likely talking about the ZOOM R8, a multitrack recorder with a built in drum computer. I never used the Roland R-8, but it certainly will deliver that special "end of the 80s" sound you're presumably looking for. ;)

[@SeverityOne]

@@mr_floydst Thanks for clearing that up. Whether I like that 80s sound enough to sacrifice 1U of rack space and eight or so inputs: probably not. And I already have a good German product in the shape of the Jomox AirBase 99 anyway. 🙂 Thanks for the clarification!

[@i-synth5687]

I only own one synth that’s on your list, the Korg Prophecy, I also own a Korg N-5 which I believe is a later variant of Korg X5D but the N-5 has few knobs for tweaking. I was disappoint to find a Babylon Zoo preset on it from their hit “Spaceman”. It’s the first sound you hear in the intro.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! Why are you disappointed, though :) I know some more songs which use the Korg Prophecy presets (listen to the Pet Shop Boys "Discotheca" and other mid-90s chart dance music). A lot of famous musicians are preset users, in fact, browsing the Roland D-50 will put a smile on your face. Sometimes I have the faintest suspicion those musicians care more about melody and chords and lyrics than synth programming... ;-)

[@i-synth5687]

@@mr_floydst I’d like to think the professionals put the work in and create their own sounds, I’m naive I guess. The sound of Babylon Zoo when they broke was the sound in my head, it clicked with me, it’s my own shame, that it was a preset. Lol.

[@i-synth5687]

@@mr_floydst that’s something I’ll never do, use a D-50 preset, if I can’t create some suitable deep, dark, reverberating sounds, I’ll probably sell it. Having said that, the prophecy would probably be the synth for those kinds of sounds, but I want to push the D-50, take it out of its comfort zone.

[@i-synth5687]

@@mr_floydst I think it was the prodigy that I heard use a sample off a future music CD. I only recognized it, because I’d used in on one of my arrangements called, Digitalus Baby. My mate still sings it back too me, just for laughs........ Digitalus Baby, was a technoid baby from the future.... lol. One day, in the distant future, I may finish it!

[@oblongtom]

@@mr_floydst yup if the imaginations there who cares if its an obvious sound or not? Definitely not music fans including ...me!

[@bobsbiggestfan6281]

Exactly what I needed but not exactly what my wallet needed.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching. :-)

[@LanthanOIde]

Nice comparison! I'll admit, doing sounddesign on the Blofeld is a bit of an acquired taste. But it's worth it. :D And yeah, the reface series in great. My CP has definitely become the piece of gear I use the most. I always have some charged batteries in there, and with the push of one button it's ready to jam wherever and whenever I want. ;)

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! The Blofeld is a bit underappreciated, perhaps, but your channel and Millolab's a doing their share to redeem it. :)

[@2112jonr]

@@mr_floydst Have to admit, that was the only point I found myself disagreeing with you on, having had a Blofeld for 3+ years. Love the sounds it can make, but I find it a real faff to tweak ! Otherwise, excellent video, thank you :-)

[@HFqTV]

I agree with the EX5 is a super machine I have the EX5r which I have completely upgraded thanks to your help ... I would like to still have the digital output board EXDGO1 but it is difficult to get ... and unfortunately the rack version has not the ribon contoller and the 3 mode well but the sounds are powerful and beautiful

[@mr_floydst]

Yes, that board is a rare item. I got the multiple analog output board instead, so you can route some of the tracks through external effects (which is more important to me).

[@HFqTV]

@@mr_floydst yes sometimes I have already wished that I could just order it from Yamaha like a spare part ^ .- .... if you happen to find someone who has this digital output boart then think of me ...

[@SeverityOne]

Given that my first synth was a Yamaha AN1x, and his second a Yamaha EX5R which I sold in order to buy an EX5S, it's rather nice to have this confirmed by a semi-random guy on KZbin. 🙂 So yes, of course I agree. 😀

[@mr_floydst]

Random guy on the internet approves of this comment to his random video. ;-)

[@SeverityOne]

@@mr_floydst Yeah, I was being a bit cheeky. I just don't want to come across as one of those people who want somebody else to tell them that they're right. ...but it's still nice that you told me that I'm right. 😃

[@mikehunty20]

Please do a top 30 DAW's. I am switching from cakewalk (free) (windows) to Audio Evolution on Android. Windows is too difficult to keep updated. Android updates are great. Never used a MAC.

[@mr_floydst]

Noted. But I'm not really a DAW user atm - used Cubase from the Atari days on, and got into Reaper some time ago (that's one lean mean DAW :-) ) FL Studio mobile is a nice, no- shullbit - DAW. And that's all I know at the moment....

[@pcuimac]

The Mac OS X has been by far the best OS so because it's 100% object oriented and built on top of POSIX UNIX. I just don't like the direction Apple is going with it. They are taking the user on a leash now and are trying to make it into a big iPhone it seems. The hardware is surely not the best you can get for the money, but sadly the OS is bound(aged) to the hardware.

[@mikehunty20]

Good to see you drum, very you, not machine

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks. It was pretty bad, but I think the sound was ok ;-)

[@spotlight-kyd]

I fully agree with you that the Reface DX sounds fantastic. IMHO it's the best sounding FM synth there is. Better even than the Montage/MODX FM-X engine (if simpler). It is such a pity that is hampered by its small keyboard, the lack of a modwheel or other controllers and the limited number of presets. And that you can't load a whole bank of presets into it at once via MIDI annoys me to no end.

[@mr_floydst]

I can understand why you're saying that, but for me, the small form factor is a plus (it's so nice to toss it into a suitcase/bag and play anywhere). And, some of the sound parameters can only changed by SysEx. That's unfortunate.

[@2112jonr]

I love the Blofeld too, but to describe it as having the best interface....... I find it a great synth engine, superb sounds, but really faffy to use, but that's just my opinion. Selecting any function is several button presses before a knob turn. There's a lack of directness about its control interface, unless you have to be fortunate enough to have previously selected the row of controls that you wish to edit ! But to focus on one single negative would be really unfair, as this was a great review which must have taken quite some time to put together. Thank you! Really enjoyed watching it, and it was good to see the Digitone up in the top three - it's a vastly underestimated and un-demo'd synth, with some great capabilities. Likewise the Novation Peak, that has so many direct controls, it's a joy to use. Excellent sounds too, agree it's a future classic and one of the best synthesisers of all time - engineered very well too.

[@mr_floydst]

Hey, thanks for watching and for your detailed feedback! I think we're on the same side here - I missed the direct interface on the Blofeld, and it has way too little buttons and knobs. But the software user interface does a great job at telling you a) what you are editing and b) the value you just entered. It's really nice to look at with all it's graphs and tables and the black and white display does look sharp, too.

[@Val_Cla]

Very nice video ! it's nice to see your views on all these synths :D I'd like to make a video like this, but it would be much quicker than yours hahaha

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching. I'm always buying and selling stuff. Perhaps I should do a follow-up video: "How to buy and sell synths while making a small profit". :)

[@makiszeg5745]

great content!after synthstrom Deluge my secont favourite is the yamaha EX 7 ☺

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you! The Deluge does look very interesting. But this year, two other very interesting synths (Motorsynth and Expressive E) are making it to the market (I hope), and my budget is limited :)

[@martinkifmann6177]

I 100% agree to the EX5! You missed another fantastic machine: The Alesis fusion - it has individual Pitch EGs for EACH OPERATOR in it`s FM Engine ! No other machine has this. Get one :-)

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! That's an interesting synth for sure. One day... :-)

[@shadowhenge7118]

That piano from ODST... Wow... Random thing to hear someone cover.

[@mr_floydst]

I'm a big HALO fan. :) If you'd like to try, the sheet notes are here: rampancy.net/blog/HaloDragon/05/11/2009/Where_One_Road_Ends

had a tg33, I liked it, sold it and buyed a sy22 PURE JOY it's a strange synth but realy nice!

[@mr_floydst]

Maybe, some day I'll buy one and try to create my own patches. :)

[@xp50player]

Have you ever tried a Kronos?

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! No, I didn't, but some people pointed out to me that this is the "modern day EX5". I should really try to get my fingers on one somewhere...

[@claytonlevibrown]

engima vibes, good stuff.

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you very much! Enigma (Michael Cretu) made some great music back in the day. ;-)

[@wavfreak]

Quite flattery position you gave to the Venom. I have one and although unique sounding, i find the op-1(wich i have acess to) a much rather well design and implemented sound engine. That said, i have acess to a Ex5r and i agree it´s a great synth, a bit underpowered for what it offers, but still a great machine(too bad the unavailability of vl editing onboard). Overall i agree with your ranking. p.s. I bought a Wavestation back then and sell it, bought it again and sold it. Allways loved it but only quite recently i descovered why i kept buying/selling, the operation system is a mess. It´s just not made to a non professional programmer.

[@wavfreak]

By th way, since you are interested in sound synthesis , have heard about organelle by critter & guitari?

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! This video reflects my personal taste. The OP-1 is a great synth to have, but at the time I had it, they hadn't figured out how to do the tape loops correctly, so you had crackles and pops everytime the tape looped. I heard they patched that out a long time ago.

[@mr_floydst]

I thought about buying an orgnalle many times. But I'm not sure it's the thing I enjoy working with (plus it seems you can do a lot of that on a raspberry pi if you're willing to compile and install the software yourself).

[@wavfreak]

@@mr_floydst it's a puredata hardware implementaton, sort of... so you can use that pen pc you use to run vst and other stuff.

[@wavfreak]

@@mr_floydst I also do not feel at home with the OP-1, sounds good though.

[@bermudasq]

Great video. I love my EX-5. Centerpiece of my home studio. Played on it for a couple hours last night. If it broke, I would buy another before any other modern synth. Main downside for me is the poor piano patches, but VSTs fill that gap.

[@mr_floydst]

Same for me. I just found out about the pattern track in the song sequencer. Will need to do a video on that...

[@i-synth5687]

Melancholy music as some synths go away and cry......

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! Yep, I'm not much of a dancer and my music rarely passes the 120BPM mark ;) I think the synths found a loving new home, though. Best regards!

[@Songwirer]

I have owned and played many synths, analog monophonic, analog polyphonic, digital of all brands and colours... I wouln't sell my Yamaha EX5, it's got a warmth and weight to each sound that even latter generations (Motifs) haven't been able to match. In digital synthesis, this is it for me

[@mr_floydst]

Well said! The bottom end of the EX5's sound is really powerful. You can create sub basses that really shake the room / the neighbourhood :)

[@MaximKorobov]

Try Korg Z1 - it will be your number 0 of all time :P

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for your suggestion! I only learned some months ago the Z1 is a thing. Looks really interesting. Also, Korg Kronos is on my bucketlist. (It's a PC basically, but hey, a workstation with 9 synth engines. Can't so no to that). ;-)

[@MaximKorobov]

@@mr_floydst Same here. Kronos looks good, but: 1. 6 years without update - possible new version coming soon. 2. KORG Collection 2 (with Triton) and Gadget 2 cheaper, have more power and faster.

[@danl9407]

Jeesus man, you had all the rubbish ones…😂😂😂

[@mr_floydst]

I'm not going to argue. :-)