Tom’s top five hardware synthesisers

Korg Volca FM

“I love FM synthesis. It’s so techno; so unnatural-sounding. I usually dial in a blend of detuned, out-of-tune tones… but eventually it spits out pure techy vibes!” www.korg.com

Access Virus TI2

“This epic VA synth is so versatile; it can do literally everything. It’s nicely integrated as a software plugin, which speaks to the hardware synth – but on the hardware side, you still have all the knobs that you need. It’s hands-on straight away.” www.virus.info

Korg Minilogue

“I bought this thinking I’d get some really nice pads out of it, but it has a really raw sound – surprisingly, I’ve actually got more lead sounds out of it. I like the step sequencer, as you can do all sorts of motion recording and hands-on automation with it.” www.korg.com

Waldorf Blowfield

“I found an editor for this called Blowfield [filthyfilterz.com] which connects via MIDI. You can jam with randomisation on every pattern at once; or groups, like just the oscillators or filters. I’m so happy with the sounds I get out of this thing!” www.waldorfmusic.com

Roland SH-01A

“It’s a good synth, but it’s not the best, to be honest. It does the typical sound. I used to have an SH-101 and I loved its sound and the depth it has, but I got pretty bored of it after a while.” www.roland.com