The Top 20 Synths of All Time!

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PLEASE NOTE: THIS POST IS A WORK IN PROGRESS! CHECK BACK FOR AN UPDATED VERSION.


From SonicState's YouTube channel:

"It started as a discussion in the office that turned into an argument down the pub and has now become a full blown mission to find the Top 20 Greatest Synths of all time."

Earlier this year (2008), SonicState.com did a really entertaining video series called "The Top 20 Greatest Synths of All Time ... EVER!" The discussion in the office led to SonicState asking people to vote on their site and on YouTube for what they considered the greatest synth of all time. Then they compiled the results, interviewed a number of synth luminaries (primarily The Cure's Roger O'Donnell, Portishead's Ade Utley, and Goldfrapp's Will Gregory), and chose an odd and somewhat hilarious host to lead us down this musical memory lane.

Take a look at our snapshot of the results, then take the jump on over to SonicState.com for the videos via our link at the end of the post.

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Moog MiniMoog
Analog Subtractive Monophonic Synthesizer

ARP Odyssey
Analog Subtractive Duophonic Synthesizer

Sequential Circuits Prophet 5
Analog Subtractive Polyphonic Synthesizer

Notable users:

Squeeze (and Roxy Music), Kraftwerk, Radiohead (especially on "Everything in its Right Place"), Public Image Ltd., Duran Duran, No Doubt, Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel, Gary Numan, Thomas Dolby, New Order, The Doobie Brothers on the album Minute for string pads on the song "What a Fool Believes", Annie Lennox on Medusa, The Prodigy, INXS, The Cars, Split Enz, Phil Collins, Soft Cell, Japan, David Bowie, Icehouse (e.g. the pads on "Great Southern Land"), Hall & Oates, the Pat Metheny Group, Philip Glass, A-ha, Jean Michel Jarre, Steely Dan, Bryan Adams, Chris de Burgh, Thompson Twins, Rick Wakeman, Nena, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (especially on their albums Dazzle Ships and Junk Culture), Genesis, Kitaro, Level 42, Eurythmics, Pet Shop Boys, John Carpenter, Men Without Hats in almost all of their albums. One of its best remembered appearances is probably in "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes.






Yamaha DX-7
Digital FM Polyphonic Synthesizer

Korg M1
Digital Subtractive Polyphonic Synthesizer/Workstation

Roland D-50
Sample-Based & Digital Subtractive Polyphonic Synthesizer

The hugely popular Roland D-50 combined sample playback for the attack of the sound with digital oscillators that created the sustained sound with synthesis.






Korg MS-20
Semi-Modular Analog Monophonic Synthesizer

Roland JV-1080
Sample-Based Polyphonic Synthesizer/Sound Module

Access Virus
Digital Subtractive Polyphonic Synthesizer

ARP 2600
Semi-Modular Analog Monophonic Synthesizer

Notable users:

808 State, Tangerine Dream, David Bowie, Cat Stevens, Chemical Brothers on "Dig Your Own Hole", Vince Clarke, The Tubes,, Meat Beat Manifesto, Depeche Mode, Elemental, Brian Eno, The Who, Deep Purple, Herbie Hancock, Jean Michel Jarre, Lords of Acid, Joy Division, Kool and the Gang, Kraftwerk, John Lennon, Steve Levine, Tortoise, Nine Inch Nails, Nitzer Ebb, Mike Oldfield, Orbital, Steve Roach, The Shamen, Skinny Puppy, Ultravox, Frank Zappa, Underworld, The Tubes, Wilco on "Spiders (Kidsmoke)", Edgar Winter on "Frankenstein", Stevie Wonder, Weather Report (one for each hand), Marilyn Manson

Oberheim OB8
Analog Subtractive Polyphonic Synthesizer

Roland Juno 60
Analog Subtractive Polyphonic Synthesizer

The Mellotron
Tape-Based Polyphonic Sample Player

Yamaha CS-80
Analog Subtractive Polyphonic Synthesizer

Roland Jupiter 8
Analog Subtractive Polyphonic Synthesizer

E-mu Proteus 1
Digital Rackmount Polyphonic Sample Playback Module

Clavia Nord Lead
Digital Polyphonic Subtractive Synth

http://www.discodsp.com/discovery/
$99






EMS VCS3 (the Putney)
Analog Semi-Modular Monophonic Synthesizer

Brian Eno, The Who, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Aphex Twin, Jean Michel Jarre, Chemical Brothers







Roland SH-101
Analog Subtractive Monophonic Synthesizer

The grooviest little Japanese monosynth made the most of it's single oscillator, but it's step sequencing just fell short of the mid 80's MIDI revolution. It was adopted by the ACID fraternity, guest appearing on a raft of early Techno & Rave outings as a soundalike TB303.





Eminent/ARP Solina
Analog String Machine

Eminent, an organ manufacturer from the Netherlands, designed the first Solina. Their thought was that they could sell them as an add-on for their organs and thus expand the user's sound set to include sounds like horn and trumpet, but those sounds were not only unconvincing but were nearly unusable in any context. So why did the Solina add-on become such a hit, I hear your brain asking me? It was the STRINGS! They sounded something like a string sections of an orchestra mixed with a little synth pad which only served to add to the full, luscious sound.

I guarantee that you've heard the Solina many, many times, possibly even mistaking it for a real string section. Think back to all the disco songs of the 70's: do you remember an orchestral sound on many of those songs? Well in most cases there was not a real orchestra there to record their records with, especially in the early days of disco when it was a truly new, underground style. Instead, these groups simply bought a Solina and, voila! Instant orchestra!

Watch SonicState.com's
Top 20 Greatest Synths of All Time ... EVER!