A Brief Synth Comparison - Novation Peak / Roland JD-XA / Behringer DeepMind / Model D 

To my ears - model d is the most musical of them. It has a satisfying mellowness especially pronounced on the last note of the sequence and sounds the most confident overall. Thanks, Tim!

Though this video is ages old, the Model D still sounds so organic and warm.

Find your videos very informative and interesting. Many thanks Tim you inspire me.

Eat that breakfast Tim ! Love your care and respect for sound vision and music . Best vids ive seen for a long while Keep it up Tim

the most elegant synthesizer comparison on youtube.

I have a PEAK and it is my favorite synth, so easy to get a good sound and I love the controls layout. Love it so much, that in going to order the Summit soon! Great video!

thanks for the interesting video! It is great to hear all those synths compared ! Peak and Model D sound like I experienced myself. The Deepmind sounds fatter in other videos. Sounds like it needs more osc drift or more detune or more vca compression in your comparison

I liked the peak and still dream of owning one. So that makes me biased. But what a nice test result. The track turns out to be really cool and it shows how the synths would behave in a mix. Thank you. I like when you are serious :)

I watched a lot of video"s of the Behringer Deepmind 12d and Behringer is on point with this synth..price wise,.a lot of Bang For The Buck.

Incredibly useful comparison!

AGAIN! It feels like every day Mr. Shoebridge lures me in with a synthesizer, and then before I know it the video is over and I realize I have been in some serene, foggy trance since like 2 minutes in.

On the Peak a little filter overdrive gets you to the Mini sound when working with the filter.

Sehr souverän präsentiert und interessant und spannend umgesetzt ! Thnxx:-)

Interesting look at the new synths (apart from JDXA), Makes me remember how I'm repelled by screens and digital parameters, I like to twist knobs and find sweet spots manually.

A very clear comparison. Thank you!

A) MODEL D the warmest, clearly (pure analog signal and output, being even a real mono, so well ) !!! I can truly hear the texture , sort of crispy vibration upon the sound ( EVEN IN A RU-vid VIDEO ), B) while PEAK is more defined and kind of "perfect" . It doesn't sound too special but definitelly warm enough to be a DCO synth . I wouldn't count the rest. Not even in the same range of value. C) Roland design is even "WTH , really ?" I wouldn't even put it in my studio just for that ; and it sounds kind of aggressive to me. D) While the Depp MInd is too much of a closed project. Sterile and is too much of an ideal pre-configured box for an ideal kind of sound which I don't need. .... cheers and thank you a lot for this nice video Tim .

This video reminds me of a Look Around You. Please take that as a massive compliment....

model D really shined here, very liquid

I know we're all told analog is the best but frankly I'm really liking how the Peak sounds. It just seems to sit better in a mix. I was going to buy the Model D but I prefer the sound of the Peak.

Thank you for the very descriptive video .Automation wise I have found it difficult to midi out cc messages with the JD XA . It was good that you used FL Studio .Are the other synths more compatible with midi cc ?

Keep it up with your Pro Videos, Thank You

Whoa... first...all of the synths sounded very very close... and I LOVE the outgoing tune!

Great presentation. Much appreciated. For this type of patch I always try to include a triangle wave on one of the oscillators. You've arrived at the same result by using the saw/triangle waves on the D. However none of the other synths are using triangles on any oscillators. I feel this creates a misrepresentation. Would be nice to have heard an all saw comparison across all synths. The D sounds obviously better but uses an unfair advantage.

I’d keep the Peak. Which one did you go for in the end?

great!!!the model d sounds the best but between the other poly what is the best in sound?? been thinking on getting a deepmind 6, do you think it sounds like a VSTI?

Impossible to say if one is better. My favourite may be the peak, ‘cause it offers a lot in minimum space. dm12 may shines with its fx and routing but , its oscillators are strange. Roland is a good compromise now with its price drop but it’s too large and big for me and i’m not sure that roland will add new features

Pure class - thanks man - helped me choose

Dude, do you have a bunch of "Behringer Model D" in the back rack to make it polyphonic? If so, that is so cool! How many do you use at the same time? Thanks!

Did you use the moog style ladder filter on the JDXA?

Definitely liked the Peak the best. I wonder if the timbres could’ve been closer. Things like oscillator volume, cutoff point, resonance amount, envelope time, intensity and curve all have to be carefully calibrated.

Deepmind 12 is fascinating

I have to say, to my ears the Model D sounded best here - really interesting - was not expecting this as the other synths are all more complex and powerful - Behringer clearly did their homework! Good luck with your decision - I got rid of synths back in the day - MG1 (which I recently re-acquired), Prophet 5 and Mini Moog - how I know regret those decisions!

Thanks for the brief comparison. I liked the sound of model d the most, but I’m currently looking for a poly!

The Model D sounds great. Can't imagine having to stare at red glowing LEDs on glossy black of the JDXA, I have a JDXi that I can't wait to be rid of. The Novation Peak sounds great for a VA synth, but the menu diving puts me off, I'll stick to my Nord 2x rack which sounds pretty nice. Extreme menu diving on the DeepMind, even though it's probably a very capable synth. I think you should look at keeping your multiple Behringer Model Ds and get hold of a Nord Lead Rack (2x or 4) for polyphonic VA goodness :)

I'm thinking of perhaps getting the Peak. But I already have a MiniNova. So I'm wondering if I would be getting the same sounds in a different box? Or is the Peak a completely different beast? Judging by the price, it should be many times better! Can anyone shed any light on this?

nice bit of music at the end man. That beat sounds really good with the melodies. very cool vibe.

At least in the video, you left different shape amounts for each oscillator in the Peak. Was that on purpose? I kind of hear a two octaves sound from the peak.

Liked the saw on the Model D the best

If you really can’t decide which one to sell put more than one up for sale. The one that sells first is the one. I have seen people do this with motorcycles which they would rather keep but have to sell one. Four go up for sale but with the intention of only selling one. Which is the first one that somebody actually wants.

I Don't know if I missed it in the video if you are keeping all but one or letting them all go but one? At the 6 minute mark where you play them in a cycle I don't notice a lot of difference when I look away and just listen it gives me the impression of walking around a speaker box. I once had a friend play matching patches on two synths I owned and I marked on paper which I thought was which. Less than half my answers were correct so I let the more expensive one go. If it's about the interfaces, you clearly seem unhappy with the DeepMind and it seems like the Roland was sort of tedious to use? Why keep an instrument that frustrates you unless the sound is exceptional? Good luck with your decision.

The beat part was the percussion over there. Sounded Like an age of empires 2 sountrack

at 6m and 40s the attack of the last note is similar between Peak and Deepmind in treble, as its similar in warm between ModelD and JDXA. As you might expect, the ModelD is the warmest overall of the four, but to my ears, in terms of analog sound, the most pleasing sequence would be, first ModelD, then Roland, then Deepmind, and finally Peak. The latter, like the Summit, use a technology that tries to fool us, because they are hiding "harmonics" through the architecture of the equipment, so that only good audible frequencies come out. But the noise is still in the air, and we don't hear it. In parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, these "harmonics" are called dirty electricity. Since we're talking about sound waves, the names change, but the interpretation is the same: (invisible/inaudible) pollution. ModelD is the only root VCO. The rest keep the DCOs. The Roland SE-02 is said to follow the same minimoog architecture, which I highly doubt is as pure analog as they preach.

Model D sounds so great. Just don't know if in the end it isn't too much hassle with tuning problems and so on. Really don't want to open up the synth twice a year to fix the octaves or something.... Does anyone have first hand experience?

Great Demo very Well Done, JD-XA was my Fave, Filters seems to have more personality, Peak was Punchy, the D sounded a little Dull (filterwise) totally not impressed, also I don't miss equipment going out of tune, didn't like it in the 80's don't like it now) but all of them sound better then the Deepmind which was sounding not bad (just poorly made).

Been searching ur channel. Love ur vids but can't find anything on the deepmind? Does it suck?

I'd choose the Novation Peak.

The model D sounds fucking gorgeous, but I’m surprised at how good the Peak sounds. You’d think it would be weak cause digital. But no it sounds pretty good.

very cool

I’d keep the DM12 and Peak. The JD-XA sounds harsh here, but you could have also used the digital oscillators rather than analog. And routed them through digital or analog filters. Either way, I like synths with crazy modulation capabilities and effects, so DM12 or Peak for me. The DM would only sell for like $400 anyway, might as well keep it. I love mine.

Hello.. I remember that you had a great demo of the ensoniq esq1.. I cannot find it anymore in your channel. Have you deleted it?

Hey it’s probably too late for advice now, but anyone else looking to do this, the best advice I was ever given was actually out of a book. If you think of it, does it spark joy? If not, get rid of it. If you are annoyed by using it or it seems tedious or maybe the sound is good but not exactly what you want sell it for a fair price. At least you’ll still be getting use from it because now you can use the money you made for something else that will spark joy. Haha

I love the way you take everything very seriously. Do you eat your breakfast in a very serious manner too?

Interesting comparison. Novation and DM sound very similar in timbre (make them equal in R/L distribution and most tones are near identical). Model-D has all the big warmth (and disappears in the 'song' though) whereas JD-XA sounds like having some Chorus or Phaser added which, hearing it 'naked', sounds a bit diffuse, but nicely fits into the style of the incoming spheric pads. Thus said, Model-D is apart: it's pure - just controls, no menu-diving. Like riding a good old motorcyle: no traction control, no riding-modes, no adaptive suspension, no quick-shift ... just wheels, engine, brakes, handlebars

I recognize the drum pattern from Stylus RMX cos I have used it too heh

Which one did you part company with Tim?

From this raw comparision (in youtube quality) of one simple patch is actually my least favourite one JD-XA. In this particual patch I feel its draw between Peak and DM. And model D is at its own level, but gotta consider its different architecture and style (mono). Personally im feel like I "need" :) both model D and Peak, but im still kinda itchy about it getting too much out of tune all the time, it seems weird for new machine (I dont mind that small analog drifting ofc, thats actually good thing for me). My 40years old CS-15d is tuned rock solid for months and tune knob doesnt need to be touched at all.

Nice track.

Which synth did you keep?

novation peak is so damn clean....

Model D and Peak Edge Model D I want Both!

I think Nick Rhodes from D.D brought out 5 JD-xa 's on their latest Paper Gods tour

Great synth info, but I find the lack of any true black in your videos disturbing.

4 Model D in the background .. and you said you can't use it for most of what you do? lol

ive still got my jdxa after all these years since buying when they first came out . some of its wonderful , some of its not but I have found nothing that quite matches it . rolands last real classic synth . kind of a weird choice of peak and jdxa , they both do so much there is no point limiting them to basic analog pads and arps

I don't envy you having to choose which one of those synths to get rid of. Judging by what you have said I'm thinking that the Deepmind 12 is going to go walkie's very soon. It's a great synth which has the most voices but as you said it's a little alien to you and it's not very conformist like the other synths.

I would judge peak on the wave tables, all the saws are for all practical purposes the same

Which one do you still have?

That model D just sounds so good! I just can’t bring myself to purchase one. If it only it were more stable.

So... which ones did you let go?

i'd ditch the jd-xa on visual aesthetics alone! (but also sound)

So did that mean you choice the JD-XA?;)

my guess is you got rid of the deepmind or the roland.

Deepmind sounds richer than the others

the idea that analog is better is becoming less and less true as the chips get better. People need to be ready to accept that digital will pass Analog more and more. It already has today but I'd say other circuits like filters or effects are better off analog for now.

i used to wonder JDXA and others soundwise. I have it and not happy with its sound in sharpnesswise. It sounds like a man talking with a full nose. I wish it would be a brighter, edgy, sharper sound. Thanks for the video.

Peak sounds best to me (besides the D). The Model D's envelopes are less snappy, and always sounds like it has a tiny tiny bit of portamento on. I think you could mimic the D even closer if you take those parameters into account.

Deepmind and Peak sounds kinda similiar to me

D sounds best, and surprisingly i liked the sound of the Roland (but its the ugliest one for sure:D

This guy looks like Phil Oakey

Behringer model D best osc)

If space is of concern, sell the largest space taker and keep the smaller footprint synths! Because for this patch, they are only subtly different in effect. I'd keep the Novation and JD-XA and sell the larger Deep mind keyboard keeping your Model D which you need for your 4 Model D set up anyways.

i like the Peak less

DeepMind wins. You should get the DM desktop as well and do a key split.

Very interesting video and well done overall, Tim though you need to look more interesting and involved, some of your own personality needs to come through, it could of been an android doing this and I am sure you are more interesting than that, please don’t take this as a dig, I just feel it would help, no need to be like the over the top nutters. Just somewhere in the middle.

Model Ds kill them all, but next is Roland to my ear ;)

Model D wins :D

pronounce “Behringer” as BEAR-in-juhr

Analog subtractive synthesis is boring, all sounds the same. FM and digital sounds better and has infinitely more Sonic possibilities. That's right.. I said it.

Peak is best. If you like Moog warmth...get a Moog Grandmother...