Recommend me a simple synth. . .

[RichF]

 

Epic win.

 

ZepFuzz, glad to hear you liked the microKORG. Reading your review, I was wondering if you also knew about our R3. Did they have it at the store where you were?

 

It sounds like you're after a synth with emphasis on sound quality, and ease of use, and full-size keys are important. I'd say those are 3 of the most important design elements of the R3, so I think it's my duty to recommend you keep it to your radar.

 

It's the same sound engine as the microKORG XL (and RADIAS), with a few more goodies than the XL. The control knobs each have a display to tell you what you're controlling, and they're freely assignable. The editor/librarian is also really user-friendly. It's a little more expensive than the XL, but not much. http://www.korg.com/r3 has the usual info, and sound examples which I hope adequately cover the variety of onboard sounds.

 

As for sine wave, you be the judge, but here's a nice little purity test for any modeling synth... Find a simple sine sound (on the R3, "700s lead" is a good one), turn down the effects (knob 4), bump up the octave a few times, and squeal a dog-whistle note with the pitch bend wheel. Hear any aliasing?

[Lhms3737]

Although it doesn't have the "knobby" interface and no effects (give it a bit of reverb and chorus, maybe from cheap pedals), I think Roland Alpha Junos are a steal for genuine analogue sound. It depends if you want to tweak live, or just hate using a PC / MAC, but they have really good software editors and once the sounds you want are saved...I particularly like the Juno 2. Mine was easy to service and has a nice keybed with aftertouch.

 

Also, I second the suggestions of the An1x, as it is a steal and sounds fabulous, but again, the software editor helps...

[Roald]

try a Novation K-Station or KS: loads of knobs, nice mooglike sound, very cheap