In this episode of PIano Shack, Woody reveals his top 5 favorite synths of all time! Featuring Woody's identical twin brother, Wally. Facebook: www. woodypianoshack
It still sounds like nothing else, the materials are far superior to what is used now a days I had a little Jam with a friend owning a Kronos, I had my M1 with was connected to an Arturia Beat Step Pro! Kronos destroyed me on the realistic sounds, and that was it. When we started with futuristic sounds, pads and weird effects I felt like Zeus's lightning was brightening in my bare palms. Moreover the way the M1 cut into the mix is UNIQUE. Best ever made workstation for me. I have many synths and keys but that Korg is forever plugged to my mixer, because nothing cut the mix like the M1!
@@mmtech3874 Still have my M1 and still play it the most. I got the Juno 106 with the presets which I feel makes a easier to use all around better synth than the Juno 6 choosen here. I also have a DX7 II FD. Love some of those classic sounds like E pianos, and organs.
@@subwaygaragemusic That's awesome. Because I have the IID with modified added factory disk drive it is now a IIFD. I usually have a blues bank loaded in and keep the factory bank on my cartridge. The blues bank came from the music store I bought it from. The sales guy was a great keyboardist for a blues band. He let me copy all of his disks. I must have 6 of them with 8-12 banks each. I use one called Drawbars. Sounds Like a hammond B3 and can use the slider to add more toned down version or more of a screamer version depending where I move the slider data entry control. Also the modulation wheel adds the leslie. Pretty cool. Best B3 sound there was until B3 emulators started coming out.
i just bought a M1 for 100 bucks, damn i love this thing but my list looks like that: 1. Korg Triton 2. Yamaha DX7 3. Korg M1 4. Roland SH 201 5. Roland D 10/50
These are my favorites and I have had and still have some of these, 1 Roland D50, 2 Yamaha DX7, 3 Korg Wavestation, 4 Korg M1, 5 Roland JD 800. I still have the D50 also a D10, Korg Wavestation, Yamaha CS2x and a Korg O3W/r
great video as usual. I am an old guy and when the Yamaha DX7 came out it was amazing. So cheap, many alternatives to create sounds and so easy to recreate acoustic instruments and analog synths. It was an easy and affordable instrument to the working musicians. After that, for another reasons, the Korg M1 was amazing too but it was expensive.
Just purchased a Juno 106. To my ears this thing never needs to apologise it just sounds amazing. When I listen to boutique or plugins I find myself trying to qualify why it really sounds not too bad !
I actually agree on the D10. I used it multi-timbrally with a MMT-8 sequencer, which opened a new world of composing possibilities. The best synths are those that make you do the best music.
The great things is that are SO many wonderful synths out there, so everybody's Top 5 is going to be different. But... you definitely need to have more synths in your life Woody!
Top 5 synth I've owned... 5 Roland Juno 6, 4 Novation Supernova, 3 Access Virus, 2 ARP Omni 2 (sort of a synth), 1 Nord Lead 3. Pity they all sounded rubbish when I played them 😂
1. Korg Minilogue XD - Workflow, performance, build, aesthetics, & sound A+. Sequencer limited. 2. Korg EMX - Aesthetics second to none! Build, sound, workflow, performance A+ True classic. 3. Vintage Gold MicroKorg - Great aesthetic design - Only 700 made for US distribution. Polyphonic digital analogue for lovely sound design. 4. Roland Groovebox 909 - Crappy build but spectacular in every way + sampling capabilities. 5. Dedicated to all the gear I’ve loved before: Roland XP (HIGHLY underrated), Yamaha SY 85 (my first), SP-202 (my first sampler), Roland SH-32 (diamond in the rough), Medusa (what a short, strange trip it was).
godzilla12332 I agree on that one the sounds were big, fat and bellowing. Only bit I struggled with was the architecture, very steep learning curve. Extremely underrated machine.
It's a fantastic synth in it's own right, but it should never have been labeled as a Jupiter...... Roland were cashing in on an iconic name to sell more units. Apart from the colour scheme it has nothing in common with the original. I just wish they had called it a Saturn instead perhaps... Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those "analogue purists", far from it, I'm a huge fan of digital synths and actually prefer them, But the original Jupiter was a big fat (now legendary) analogue polysynth whereas the 80 is not.
Gary Wright I think it still has a lot of the ideas from the Jupiter. But your right it's not that similar at all (it's analog simulation is pretty good but that's besides that point of the what the Jupiter 8 was mainly used for )
Yup I got the D-10 as my second synth when I was 12 years old I think. I still have it, but having a hard time still powering it on, sometimes fidgeting with the power adapter it would still power on, I think the power thing inside broke. I never got to figure out the advanced features of it though just using the basic sounds and recording my compositions through my sequencer app was all I was doing with it.
that's what it did best, i don't remember doing much deep editing, just splits and layers. but it was brilliant at the time for sequencing. hope yours lives to play another day.
Great video. Hearing you play the intro to electric dreams on the Juno6 takes me way back....the amount of times I tried to recreate that intro myself back in the 80's on my PSS35(or whatever it was) using vibes and strings....well, great memories :)
My top five of all time: 1. Korg Volca Keys 2. Korg Volca Keys 3. Korg Volca Keys 4. Korg Volca Keys 5. Korg Volca Keys Yeah, it's a bit of a joke, but after the monotribe, these are really the synthesizers that helped me get into synths and I carry a pair of them with a volca beats and a keystep in my everywhere set-up. All runs on powerbanks too.
The synths that made me go "Wow" when I first heard them in a shop (though not necessarily the best ever and I'm including soft synths): 1. Roland D50 2. Korg Prophecy 3. Omnisphere 4. SCI Pro-One (and also U-He Pro-1) 5 Roland JP8080 (both 2 & 5 were stolen from me in a burglary - a dark day)
Great video, I really enjoyed it (I loved the editing/corrections you did) I only have the VST korg collection and the ones that come in Logic BUT Im madly in love with the Arp Odyssey, its a FUN keyboard, though it can get out of control terribly fast.
My synth right of passage has been: Roland Juno 6, Yamaha DX7, Crumar Bit 99, Roland Jupiter 6, Roland S50, General Music Gem??, Nord Modular G2, Kurzweil PC3X, Dave Smith Pro 2, Studiologic Sledge, Korg Electribe 2 Sampler, Moog Mother 32, Arturia DrumBrute, Arturia MatrixBrute
Fabulous list Woody! Loved the Juno 6 back in the day :) My top 5 synths: 1. Korg 01w/fd (never to be beaten in my world) 2. Roland Juno 6 4. Korg Triton Classic 4. Roland D-50 5. Korg DW 6000
My top 5 (and own all of these): 1. Roland JV-80/880 - suited for almost anything and still holds its own against much newer romplers. I have two 880's. 2. Roland D-50/550 - never owned one but worked with them for years. Now have a D-05 with the same unmistakable signature. 3. Tie Between Roland alphaJuno-1 and a Juno-106 - alphaJuno-1 was my first real synth 31 years ago, and I use it to this day. 4. Yamaha FS1R - hands down the best FM synth ever made, and probably one of the most underrated. 5. Korg Wavestation - any flavor. Fantastic film-scoring synth. I have an SR.
I wanted a D50 for a long time and was about to buy one when the D70 came out and I went with that... I wish I still had it, it was awesome. I also loved my Korg O1W which I sold pretty quickly because I got a Mac with Logic 1.0 and it was so much easier to use than a workstation keyboard.
I have not owned a lot of synths but can judge some by their software versions or just having heard them. I do own a TG77 which is my number one favorite. Love the Korg Wavestation, the Casio CZ line, Ensoniq ESQ-1, and of course the Prophet 5. I love all synths though! So many great ones to choose from.
I loved my M1 and DX7S. The 01w fd had some fantastic sounds. The Korg Trinity I had for 13 years was a great workhorse. I recently got a Kronos which I am still getting my head around is amazing. I put all the DX7S sounds into it so its like I got that keyboard back again. The amount and type of sounds it produces is amazing. Definitely my favourite one now. Ask me again in 13 years.
I started with a Technics KN2000 and then a Korg X3. Then sold the KN2000 to buy a Nord Stage 76 which is my personal favorite. Then I found an old Korg M1 of which I mostly enjoyed replacing the battery and restoring the factory presets. Then I sold the M1 and Nord Stage to buy a Roland digital drum kit... Haven't played any keys for 10 years now. Became a gigging drummer instead but I still have the X3... Keep it up Woody!
wow, number one was such a surprise!!) i'm making songs with the vst version of that synth at the moment and seeing it here brought a smile on my face, very unexpected choice indeed!)) and i actually guessed number two for some reason as well! so overall i like your list, hehe..
Woody, I agree....saw this when it first came out, don't know why I didn't comment then. I learned on the MS-20, my first two purchases (new, I'm that old) were the Pro One and the Juno 60; still have them... of all my gear (won't even try to list, it's a disease), the Juno is the most intuitive machine I've ever run across, and the sound! I'll probably be buried with them. Love your videos.
Great video Woody. I love the Juno 6 too. Great job on your top 5. My favorites are the Jupiter 8, Juno 106, Juno 60, JX-3P, and Juno 60. Keep up the great videos. Take care and have a wonderful day. Sam.
Of the ones I've owned, these were the best regarded and used most for my music: Yamaha TX81z, Chroma Polaris, Korg PS3100, Ensoniq SQR+, Kawai K5000. Personal list. In terms of programming, getting good results with effort.
I couldn’t broach my top five favorite synthesizer models among the ones that I’ve owned. I’ve enjoyed each of them for something different and how they all complement each other. If I have to choose five, I’ll choose all of them.
The D10 was also my first synth and I have fond memories creating lots of sounds on it, using an editor on the Atari STe. It was quite precursory at the time. Some of my patches actually got published in Keyboard magazine. These were the days...
I own only two hardware synths: Novation X-Station 61 - bought it as midi controller, but i has also pretty nice 3osc VA module Korg X5D-R - has decent piano and strings, and some candy sounds from 90s Also played with some softsynths: NI FM7, B4; Arturia Jupiter-8
My top 5 synths I owned (between -85 and -95) are: 1. Roland D50 2. Yamaha SY-77 3. Korg M1 4 Ensoniq ESQ-1 (becuase of the great internal sequencer) 5. Casio CZ-5000 (my first ever synth)
very sympathetic musician, always feel well entertained. Well, this is my personal best of list of owned synths: #1 Access Virus A, TI2 #2 Yamaha AN1X #3 VERMONA Mono Lancet5 #4 Pioneer ! Toraiz-AS1 (one Prophet 6 Voice) #5 Korg Wavestation
Top 5 as of today(no particular order since I can't choose) Yamaha DX7, Nord Stage 3, Casio CZ-3000, Korg microKORG, Behringer Poly D. As fun as the M1 is, it's very niche at this point. I only used a few sounds from it. I've played a Juno once in a store, but it was really beat up and not quite working right. The interface felt okay, but I got the feeling a lot of the Juno love is hype.
I'm thinking about the JX-3P or Juno 60 for my first synth. Also do you remember the grey colored ' Roland ck 100 CUBE ' Speaker/amp ? Been offered a pair ..any good ?
Not bad choices at all! I have the raw oscillators of the Juno 6 (or was it a 60? I can't recall) sampled in my A5000, and I loved using them with the A5000's filters and effects, making sort of a sample-based VA synth of it... Well, my top 5 synths from what I've owned are the following (from the 5th to the 1st place): Roland D-10, E-Mu Classic Keys, Yamaha SY99, Oberheim Matrix 1000 and the Nord Modular G2X. The list would be quite different if I'd include synths I've played, but were not mine, and most likely include the Yamaha SK-30, the Minimoog Model D and the Roland D-50.
wow, still have that modular? you able to program it on modern pcs? you know at the time i didn't know anything about juno oscillators, filters etc relative to any other synths, i was just a kid. it didn't matter at all, i was a super proud to have a synthesizer in the house and I knew how to use it. fond memories :) you like the emu classic keys? the model d is on my dream list.
No, I don't have it, unfortunately :( Programming it should be possible on modern PCs (and Macs) since there was an update in 2013 to the editor software. I hope I will be able to get my hands at least on a G2 Engine someday. The E-Mu Classic Keys is an interesting (and cheap) little sample playback module. I liked the organ sounds (that's why I bought it) and used it a lot when gigging, before switching to Apple's MainStage and the B3 simulator which came with Logic.
Funny, you listed exactly the same few reasons why at the time I decided on a (in my case) Roland D110 rack instead of a D50 or 550, namely multitimbrality, cheapness & the drums. I figured I could always put it through a good chorus to sort of compensate. Later it became academic as, though I never got a 50 or 550 I eventually got a V synth XT rack. Btw I guessed the Juno 6, esp when u said 1982. It was my first synth too. I owned 2 at different times but now have a 106 with Kiwi.
Very intresting to listen to your reasons of your personal favourites list. So glad the wavestation and the DX 7 made it in there. Thanks for the reminder on the history of the Clavia Nord lead it was a golden age for VAs at the time with very feirce compoletition . The like of Access , Novation, Yamaha and of course Clavia all released some beasts. I still remember trips to turnkey in London early 2000s and lusting over these .
hi adamski, yeah the history of clavia and the nord lead is a topic well worth covering on the channel, if only I can find a NL1. the golden age of VAs as you say.
These are personal favorites for various reasons. Also listing songs made with some of them. 5. Fairlight CMI - never owned one, played one once. It's capabilities for it's time speak for itself. Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart 4. Moog - not any specific model in particular, just the influence Moog had on music. ELP - Luck Man 3. Korg Wavestation - have the A/D and SR versions. Nothing like them since. Genesis - Hold on My Heart (and many others) 2. Korg 01W - my gigging synth for many years. Never failed me and always had enough variety of sounds to cover most styles. 1. Magnus Chord Organ - ok, I realize its not a synth, but it is my #1 because it was the first instrument I ever played (I must have been around 5 yrs old). It got me into music and 45 years later, I have a room full of instruments and still have the Magnus. BTW, it still works! A few honorable mentions: Korg Microstation - unbelievable sounds in a small package with on-board sequencer. It's become my go to for practice sessions and for it's sheer portability while still having a big sound. Yamaha DX series - defines the 80's music sound.
The Wave Station SR is one of the top four (can't decide the fifth) in my studio. The other three are a Minimoog Model D, Korg Arp Odyssey and Roland Juno-60...#5 could be my Oberheim Matrix 1000 or Korg TR Rack :)
My top synths of all time in no particular order:- 1. Roland SH101 bought in 1984 my first synth. sold in 1991 for £30! Why did I do that? 2. Yamaha SY85 still have to this day. It’s the sequencer and additional sample sounds you can upload. 3. Korg Radias still have to this day. Great sounds and vocoder plus great editing of sounds. 4. Roland D50. Still have to this day. Great lush padding sounds. 5. Korg poly 800. My first polyphonic synth. Sold in the late 80’s
Nice selection of nostalgic synths Woody. To hear/obtain some original sounds I fancied owning the D-50 over the DX-7 ( which I could still possibly obtain ? ) but apart from their age, price and internal electronics, I'm presently at the thought stage, considering Roland's Boutique range with their D-05. I got into the Boutique series after purchasing their TR-09 to compare against Korg's Volca Beats, but ended up with the Korg Volca Sample, which for many reviewers, the Sample is the better option over the Beats? Have you had the chance to try out the new D-05, if so, what is your opinion? To-date I have Juno D LE, SH-201, Korg Micro, and Novations X- station 25 and their Mininova with Matt Jessop's Numanova sound patch, which to my ears is as near to the original sound without owning a Moog? Only issue I have with the micro keyboards is their small size, so I'm also considering a suitable keyboard controller with 49+ keys. EDIT: Doh!......Just found your review on the D-05. Many thanks
I've got a D-20 that has been in it's box in a closet for the past 25 years (bought it used and at the time it smelled so badly of cigarettes I couldn't stand it.) Pulled it out the other day and plugged it in, still works. The smell has finally faded.
I started with the Roland Juno 6 back in 1982 - brilliant first synth. Followed by DX-9 for a few years, Then the incredible D-20 which was a game changer as great workstation. Recently upgraded to Roland FA-06 - great sounds but still trying to work out how to use properly.
Love that the JUNO-6 is No.1 on your list. It's also my favourite. The Juno-6 was the first analogue synth I purchased with my own money. It's the keyboard on which I learned synthesis and, together with my TR-707, it's still the centerpiece of my studio. Over the years it's been joined by a Juno-60, 106 and alpha JUNO-1 but it's still the first keyboard I rescue if the studio caught fire. My Top Five List: 1. Roland Juno-6 2. Realistic MG-1 3. Roland SH-2000 4. Univox Mini-Korg 5. Novation Bass Station Most Coveted Synths: 1. Korg 770 2. Roland VP-330 3. Roland SH-5 (or SH-7) 4. Roland ProMars 5. MiniMoog Model-D
These are some great mentions, Woody. It should be observed that Roland has a great track record going back to its founding In the immediate post-War years. Not only that but they bought the rights to the Rhodes piano. It would come as no surprise to me if some or all of their synths had a general midi for an EP. Korg pulled off a coup of its own when it bought the rights to ARP and revived the 2600 and the Odyssey. During the 80s the Yamaha dx7 did combat with the Fairlight CMI in terms of appearances on platinum selling pop/dance tunes. I know that Whitney Houston and Kenny Loggins were typical of the names that benefitted from it. The Nords are pricey but excellent boards made in Scandinavia. Beyond that, I don't know much about them. Great video!
I have an Akai miniak that is a little hard to control but the sound is nice, I like the filters there and that you can put a guitar in it and get a fun sound. I'm considering a north lead 2x.
Kawaii K1 (my first professional synth), Korg M1 (my band mate had 1 and when he bought it, it rocked out world), Roland D-50 (fond memories of pop songs made with that keyboard), Roland MT-32 (my 1st professional anything and got me into sequencing along with Cakewalk), Lync LN-4 (technically not a synth, but my first and favorite keytar), and of course the DX-7 even though to this day, I've never owned one. But I do have a Yamaha MX61 which has a remarkable facimile of the electric pianos from the DX.
Ah, a nice trip down Memory Lane. I have a Yamaha CS1x which I purchased in 1999. It is such a nice keyboard and one I don't want to part with any time soon.
My personal favourite is my silver Yamaha EX5. I don't think there's anything on the market, even 20 years after it came out, that has the breadth of sounds that this synth has: S&S, virtual analogue, virtual acoustic and the unique FDSP. Flawed in many ways (45 minutes to load 64 MB from hard disc isn't really acceptable), but what a synth.
@@keyboardbw I used to have an EX5R before I got the EX5. It's marginally easier to carry, but it's a very big box (also depth-wise), almost entirely empty, and it kinda misses the directness of an instrument with keys.
