revolutionary synth

[Bob]

What synth was the most revolutionary in its design, sound and features? Which synth stood or will stand the test of time being used way past a normal synths lifetime? The Kurzweil K250? K2000? The Korg M1? or Triton? The Roland Juno106? Which would you choose as the synth that was the most ahead of its time?

[michaelhoddy]

From that list, I'd have to pick the M1. It was the first affordable sample-playback design that found widespread market acceptance, and it also solidified the concept of the workstation (sound generation, sequencer, and effects all under one roof). It's flexibility also probably made it accepted across more musical genres than any prior synth or sampler, save maybe the DX7.

Speaking of the DX7, I'd have to pick it as being the most overall influential on the direction and success of the synth market.

[Bob]

plus, the M1 was on so many recording in the early 90's. The DX7 is another good one. Where would we be without FM synthesis!

PS: You don't have to pick from this list, these were just synths that came to mind.

[jlacasel]

Let's see, decisions, decisions...

The Kurzweil K2000, with its V.A.S.T. architecture comes to mind. For a future nominee, I vote for the Korg KARMA. This keyboard reinvented the notion of an arpeggiator. It's so far ahead of it's time that it will be years before the full potential is tapped.

Though it wasn't one of my favorites, the Yamaha DX7 almost single-handedly revolutionized the synth market. By sheer volume of units sold, it steered the industry toward digital control instead of analog (of course, we're reversing that trend now).

The MiniMoog freed us from literally having to change patches (i.e. "patch cords). That was very significant, and the board continues to be popular today.

Guess this is more of a "Hall of Fame" than a single champion list.

[Ducksqueeze]

I don’t think that there could be a single synth that could be considered the most influential. I’ll give my list though

Moog. Freedom of the patch bay
ARP affordable alternative to the Moog
Yamaha DX7. versitle digital synth. Wasn’t it also one of the first to incorporate midi?
Ensoniq Mirage First affordable commercial sampler
Rolland D50 ?
Korg M1
Korg Wavestation ?


The really new synths are cool, but nothing as revolutionary as the these classics!! I think the next classic thing will be some kind of physical modeling soft synth? Who knows?

Duchsqueeze

[Roland]

For revolutionary, I'd have to say the Moog Modulars first.
The first hardwired synths that allowed us to move beyond modulars would qualify. I believe that would mean the MiniMoog, which is still much coveted today.
I think that the Prophet VS which subsequently evolved into the Wavestation was/is revolutionary. Vector synthesis is pretty cool!
The DX-7 for ushering in the knobless, digital synth and for its use of FM synthesis.
The Ensoniq Mirage for its amazingly affordable sampling technology
The PPG and Waldorf Wave which spawned the Microwave, Microwave XT and Q series synths for its use of wavetable synthesis
Kawai for their amazing additive synth, the K-5000S or W following in the footsteps of an older very cool additive synth, the OSC OSCar.

They would all be on my short list for revolutionary.

The new revolutionary looks like it may be the Hartmann Neuron. I think Kyma is revolutionary, but it's more of a computer thing than a synth and hasn't become mainstream enough to touch as many player/programmers as it needs to yet.

[Roland]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the mother of revolutionary synths that is still much coveted and used today, the Hammond B-3. Love those 91 tonewheels generating those wonderful sine wave harmonics.

[Bob]

what about the Karma with its "karma" feature? Revolutionary? something that will become a standard or reversed engineered by other company's or will it be ignored and forgotten?

any other revolutionary or influential synths?

[atma]

i think max / msp for mac or Reaktor (to a lesser degree) for PC are pretty revolutionary. some of the things you can do with max/msp are just unfathomable. these kind of free-form modular programs allow you think up anything you want and then build it yourself virtually, this is surely the future of synthesis

[Roland]

I think the jury is still out on Karma. It seems like more of a natural evolution of the groovebox and auto arranger (i and PA series for Korg, G series for Roland, General Music SK series, etc., etc.) concept to me than something revolutionary. It's certainly amazing, musical, inspirational and very cool. It kept me up all night playing the first night I had mine. I don't think it qualifies as revolutionary though.

As for the modular software, I think the Nord Modular was revolutionary in connecting hardware and software long before most of the soft synths came into being. Reaktor is wonderful, as are VAZ Modular, Infinity and other modular type softsynths.

[NaiMcInt]

Oh boy... revolutionary, eh? I'd have to say that that really depends on your definition of revolutionary. If it's popularity.. then the release of the Rhodes and Wurli and B3 were pretty darned HUGE. And later Roland made a HUGE presense with their JV and XP series stuff. But as far as synthesis technology stuff goes... The Roland JD, Korg M1, all Moog, Yamaha DX7. To me though, the most influential in music were all of the electromechanicals. Rhodes, Wurli, B3, Clavs, Mellowtron (where it was actually picked up) (and of course all analog stuff - but thats not electro). And as far as the future's concerned... The hartmann Neuron!!!! definitely. WAY BEYOND. There ya go

Ian

[Lambo]

I'd have to say the revolutionary keyboards were:
ARP 2600
Moog (all)
DX7
Prophet V
Roland Jupiter 10
Korg MI
Fender Rhodes
Hammond B3 w/Leslie


:banana:

[Will22]

Great topic. Ahh the memories. I agree with them all except the Casio CT 670. Nothing about that board makes me think revolutionary. The Karma is a debate all in itself. I could see both sides of the coin on that one.

Will

[Ender]

Revolutionary? I guess as far as broad genre defining/bending synths go I'd have to side with the Moog camp. Arp was a good alternative there with the Odysee and the 2600, and of course Oberheim had it's own thing going. But for me, and I'm going to get some one with this one, the revolutionary synth I look to wasn't even meant for what it's become. Love it or hate it the TB-303 spawned an entire set of sub-cultures, and genres unto itself. From disco infused house music to liquid trance and beyond. That one is revolutionary to me for it's cultural impact. (hey now, ACID refers to the 303's sound... ;) )

As far as technologically (beyond the philosophical connotations of the word 'techno') I'll say that the computer based modulars are the most revolutionary. It's like having peices of sonic clay that can be shaped whichever way you want. Max/Msp, Reaktor, the hybrid hardware/software synths like the VariOS system from Roland and Nord's modulars are all systems that will define, or refine the way people create music. Those can span the entire sub set of electronica genres, and more very likely. I look forward to using those tools and seeing where they take me.

[SteveFortner]

Kurzweil K-2000: Not just for VAST architecture, but for the fact that any ROM- or RAM-based sample could be used as the basis for a program taking full advantage of VAST. Also, for its generally object-oriented approach to everything.

Korg Wavestation A/D: Combined two killer digital technologies in one product: the wavetable scanning of the PPG, and the vector synthesis of the Prophet VS. These were both high-end, esoteric instruments, too, and the Wavestation made both technologies accessible to the masses.

Korg Z-1: So much more than a VA, it was the first modelling-based instrument that was really playable by the average gigging keyboardist.

Alesis Andromeda A6: This is what would have happened if the DX7 and M1 never did, and we all still lived in a world where "analog synthesizer" was redundant.

[DLN]

My pick:

Yamaha DX7 - first really expressive synthesizer with unprecedented timbral variation. So much character. Extremely flexible to edit - for those who coudl and wanted to grasp the principles of FM synthesis (an editing nightmare for others...).

Korg M1 - the first high-quality do-it-all workstation. As one famous session player said after the M1 came out, 'if I' could take only one keyboard to a gig, it would be the M1". Covers all the bases.

Kurzweil K2000 - >15 years ahead of its time, with its variable architecture and extremely powerful processing capabilities. What other synth today offers sampling, rompling, virtual analog, additive, waveshaping, even FM, ...and combinations of all those, right out of the box.