BEST OF THE REST
Dave Smith Instruments Prophet Rev2 from £1,439
In the decade since it was first released, DSI’s Prophet 08 has remained consistently popular with producers and touring musicians alike thanks to its broad sound engine and flexible feature set. This follow-up tweaks the formula without messing with the original’s appeal, adding a vastly improved modulation system, beefed-up effects and a far more playable keyboard. Even more exciting is the new 16-voice version, which is capable of ridiculously epic multitimbral sequences and complex sound layering.
Roland System-8 £1,080
The System-8 takes the analogue-aping ACB technology and plug-out capabilities of the System-1 and packs it into a mammoth, eight-voice poly. As with its sibling, the System-8 combines a solid built-in analogue modelling sound engine with the ability to load in impressive recreations of classic Roland synths (it ships with versions of the Jupiter-8 and Juno-106). With the capability to layer and split sounds, this adds up to a flexible synth combining vintage sounds with a very modern approach.
Dreadbox Abyss £960
This four-voice poly from Athenian brand Dreadbox is undoubtedly the most traditional of all the synths on this list. It foregoes modern conveniences like preset recall, USB connectivity or CC parameter control in favour of a classic hands-on analogue approach. Fortunately that vintage feel also stretches to its sound, which is oozing in old-school grit and warmth. Then there’s the stellar effects section, offering analogue delay, reverb and chorus that are, for our money, some of the most inspiring analogue processors out there.
Elektron Analog Four Mk2 £1,279
Version two of Elektron’s Analog Four maintains some limitation compared to other polysynths at this price point, namely its limited amount of voices. Still, the refined and improved engine sounds fantastic and is capable of a broad range of sounds. What’s more, it’s an excellent synth for connectivity, with two analogue inputs, multiple CV/gate options and MIDI I/O, all alongside tight USB DAW connectivity via Elektron’s excellent Overbridge application. In all it’s a fantastic blend of classic analogue style and modern tricks.
Behringer DeepMind 12 £899
Behringer have spent so much time over the past year teasing various synth clones that it’s easy to forget that they actually released their own original poly in 2017. The DeepMind might have started life on the drawing board as a Juno-106 clone, but the finished article is something all of its own, built around an impressive mix of analogue and digital elements rounded off with a generous offering of quality effect emulations.