The Korg M1 when it came out though sounded like nothing else - and it was a full workstation - loved that keyboard

i sold my Juno 106 and regret it every day.

My top five synthesizers are: 1. Krog M1 2. Yamaha DX7 3. Roland D-50 4. Mini Moog 5. Krog Wavestation EX Just got my paws on a M1😊

I love how you present the list with so much enthusiasm

Once again, thanks for posting this video! .

great video as usual. I am an old guy and when the Yamaha DX7 came out it was amazing. So cheap, many alternatives to create sounds and so easy to recreate acoustic instruments and analog synths. It was an easy and affordable instrument to the working musicians. After that, for another reasons, the Korg M1 was amazing too but it was expensive.

Just purchased a Juno 106. To my ears this thing never needs to apologise it just sounds amazing. When I listen to boutique or plugins I find myself trying to qualify why it really sounds not too bad !

I actually agree on the D10. I used it multi-timbrally with a MMT-8 sequencer, which opened a new world of composing possibilities. The best synths are those that make you do the best music.

1) Matrixbrute 2) Novation mininova 3) Clavia Nord Lead 4) Roland Sh-5 5) & all modular synthesizers :)

1. Access Virus TI 2. Access Virus C 3. Novation Ultranova 4. Roland Juno-60 5. Roland JP-8000/8080

These are my favorites and I have had and still have some of these, 1 Roland D50, 2 Yamaha DX7, 3 Korg Wavestation, 4 Korg M1, 5 Roland JD 800. I still have the D50 also a D10, Korg Wavestation, Yamaha CS2x and a Korg O3W/r

I still have my MT32 and CZ1000. 😉

You are amazing, Woody! Congratulations for your videos quality!

1. Korg Minilogue XD - Workflow, performance, build, aesthetics, & sound A+. Sequencer limited. 2. Korg EMX - Aesthetics second to none! Build, sound, workflow, performance A+ True classic. 3. Vintage Gold MicroKorg - Great aesthetic design - Only 700 made for US distribution. Polyphonic digital analogue for lovely sound design. 4. Roland Groovebox 909 - Crappy build but spectacular in every way + sampling capabilities. 5. Dedicated to all the gear I’ve loved before: Roland XP (HIGHLY underrated), Yamaha SY 85 (my first), SP-202 (my first sampler), Roland SH-32 (diamond in the rough), Medusa (what a short, strange trip it was).

Hey, the CZ series got mentioned in a video about top 5 synths. Possibly the first time in history since most people don't even know they exist.

My god This guy always looks so well it’s unbelievable!!!

Hey woody what is your favorite Synthsizer?

Top 5 synth I've owned... 5 Roland Juno 6, 4 Novation Supernova, 3 Access Virus, 2 ARP Omni 2 (sort of a synth), 1 Nord Lead 3. Pity they all sounded rubbish when I played them 😂

My Top5: 1. Roland Juno-106 2. Yamaha DX7 3. Casio CZ-101 4. Ensoniq SQ-80 4. Roland D-50

Great video. Hearing you play the intro to electric dreams on the Juno6 takes me way back....the amount of times I tried to recreate that intro myself back in the 80's on my PSS35(or whatever it was) using vibes and strings....well, great memories :)

Nice list Woody, thank you for sharing. I almost forgot about the Juno 06, interesting choice for the top slot.

The synths that made me go "Wow" when I first heard them in a shop (though not necessarily the best ever and I'm including soft synths): 1. Roland D50 2. Korg Prophecy 3. Omnisphere 4. SCI Pro-One (and also U-He Pro-1) 5 Roland JP8080 (both 2 & 5 were stolen from me in a burglary - a dark day)

Interesting list you have, great video!

The D10 was my first synth too and I love it!

I love your videos, man!

My top five of all time: 1. Korg Volca Keys 2. Korg Volca Keys 3. Korg Volca Keys 4. Korg Volca Keys 5. Korg Volca Keys Yeah, it's a bit of a joke, but after the monotribe, these are really the synthesizers that helped me get into synths and I carry a pair of them with a volca beats and a keystep in my everywhere set-up. All runs on powerbanks too.

That Juno 6 clip just became my new ring tone. Thanks Woody!

I've got a D-20 that has been in it's box in a closet for the past 25 years (bought it used and at the time it smelled so badly of cigarettes I couldn't stand it.) Pulled it out the other day and plugged it in, still works. The smell has finally faded.

2:00 I was NOT expecting that! My jaw literally dropped when that happened!

I'm thinking about the JX-3P or Juno 60 for my first synth. Also do you remember the grey colored ' Roland ck 100 CUBE ' Speaker/amp ? Been offered a pair ..any good ?

My top 5 synth of all time: 1. Micromoog 2. Roland Juno-60 3. Oberheim Matrix-6 4. Yamaha TG77 5. Korg MS-20

My top synths of all time in no particular order:- 1. Roland SH101 bought in 1984 my first synth. sold in 1991 for £30! Why did I do that? 2. Yamaha SY85 still have to this day. It’s the sequencer and additional sample sounds you can upload. 3. Korg Radias still have to this day. Great sounds and vocoder plus great editing of sounds. 4. Roland D50. Still have to this day. Great lush padding sounds. 5. Korg poly 800. My first polyphonic synth. Sold in the late 80’s

another interesting vid. Thanks Woody.

Hello guys i need your advice.I have the chance to buy a casiotone 701 and a yamaha dx7.Which one to choose?HELPP!

Great List Woody! My list: 1-Casio Cz1 / 2-Minimoog / 3-Roland JV80 / 4-Korg MS10 / 5-Roland JD800 (Wish List: 1-Memorymoog / 2-OBXa / 3-ARP2600 / 4-NED Synclavier / 5-EMS VCS3)

Yup I got the D-10 as my second synth when I was 12 years old I think. I still have it, but having a hard time still powering it on, sometimes fidgeting with the power adapter it would still power on, I think the power thing inside broke. I never got to figure out the advanced features of it though just using the basic sounds and recording my compositions through my sequencer app was all I was doing with it.

Fabulous list Woody! Loved the Juno 6 back in the day :) My top 5 synths: 1. Korg 01w/fd (never to be beaten in my world) 2. Roland Juno 6 4. Korg Triton Classic 4. Roland D-50 5. Korg DW 6000

Great video, I really enjoyed it (I loved the editing/corrections you did) I only have the VST korg collection and the ones that come in Logic BUT Im madly in love with the Arp Odyssey, its a FUN keyboard, though it can get out of control terribly fast.

Just found the channel, and its great!

What is aLocking Code and where do I find it please? Saw your video and bought M1

In the mid 80s i fell in Love with Korg DS-8 and DSS-1 This old Sampler has had so much Charme

The great things is that are SO many wonderful synths out there, so everybody's Top 5 is going to be different. But... you definitely need to have more synths in your life Woody!

So nice to hear some OMD

My personal top 5 synths: 1. Yamaha DX7 2. Roland Jupiter 8 3. Oberheim OB-XA 4. Roland D-50 5. Minimoog

My top one is the Roland Jupiter 80 I've owned it for a year and it does synth pads so well

excelent selection,,, and what do you think about ensoniq like esq. sq80 Ts10

I wish I could buy all the synths in the world.

My favorites: 1) Roland Jupiter-8 2) Yamaha DX-1 3) Sequential Circuits Prophet T8 4) Roland Juno-106 5) Casio CZ-1

any work released or available digitally anywhere for your synth duo project Parallel? I am curious....thanks Woody.

Nice selection of nostalgic synths Woody. To hear/obtain some original sounds I fancied owning the D-50 over the DX-7 ( which I could still possibly obtain ? ) but apart from their age, price and internal electronics, I'm presently at the thought stage, considering Roland's Boutique range with their D-05. I got into the Boutique series after purchasing their TR-09 to compare against Korg's Volca Beats, but ended up with the Korg Volca Sample, which for many reviewers, the Sample is the better option over the Beats? Have you had the chance to try out the new D-05, if so, what is your opinion? To-date I have Juno D LE, SH-201, Korg Micro, and Novations X- station 25 and their Mininova with Matt Jessop's Numanova sound patch, which to my ears is as near to the original sound without owning a Moog? Only issue I have with the micro keyboards is their small size, so I'm also considering a suitable keyboard controller with 49+ keys. EDIT: Doh!......Just found your review on the D-05. Many thanks

Great video Woody. I love the Juno 6 too. Great job on your top 5. My favorites are the Jupiter 8, Juno 106, Juno 60, JX-3P, and Juno 60. Keep up the great videos. Take care and have a wonderful day. Sam.

wow, number one was such a surprise!!) i'm making songs with the vst version of that synth at the moment and seeing it here brought a smile on my face, very unexpected choice indeed!)) and i actually guessed number two for some reason as well! so overall i like your list, hehe..

Loved what you played on the Nord!

My synth right of passage has been: Roland Juno 6, Yamaha DX7, Crumar Bit 99, Roland Jupiter 6, Roland S50, General Music Gem??, Nord Modular G2, Kurzweil PC3X, Dave Smith Pro 2, Studiologic Sledge, Korg Electribe 2 Sampler, Moog Mother 32, Arturia DrumBrute, Arturia MatrixBrute

Can't wait to see his review of the Prophet 5 rev4!

My top 5 synths I owned (between -85 and -95) are: 1. Roland D50 2. Yamaha SY-77 3. Korg M1 4 Ensoniq ESQ-1 (becuase of the great internal sequencer) 5. Casio CZ-5000 (my first ever synth)

I have not owned a lot of synths but can judge some by their software versions or just having heard them. I do own a TG77 which is my number one favorite. Love the Korg Wavestation, the Casio CZ line, Ensoniq ESQ-1, and of course the Prophet 5. I love all synths though! So many great ones to choose from.

Very interesting listing man ! I'm proud to own 3 ROLAND : JUNO D, JDXI, SH201 and the so famous Yamaha DX7 (the same version chocolate made in 1983). This one is very difficult to master but with patience I know it's an unlimited source of sounds. Thanks for your video, you make me sure to get good synths at home.

Nice choice :) '87 brought a CZ-101 with pocket money. Swapped my BMX for an Atari ST1024. Working on a building site during summer of '88 & '89 got my D10 and DX7. Happy Dayz (music can change the world) xx

Great presentation! My first synth was a Roland D-20 (1999). My friend had a Roland D-10 and I always thought his sounded better. Is it possible? Also, I loved your vid on the D-50. It sounds massive!

My top 5 synthesizers (as of 2021) 1. My laptop full of soft synths 2. Yamaha MODX 3. Korg M1 4. Oberheim OB-X 5. ARP Pro Soloist As far back as 1985, as I mentioned in comments before, I dreamed of the concept of having software reproductions of all my favorite synths used by my favorite bands. Soft synths on the Amiga back then scratched the surface and gave a taste of future. It was a very long wait since my Amiga soft synths, but the VST format some 15 years later really delivered what I envisioned back in 1985 and with in the past decade has really delivered. How can any hardware synth beat what computers can do for synths? New sounds or old sounds, pretty hard to beat it for versatility, portability or cost. The MODX has become my favorite hardware synth in the past 2 years. I prefer it over the Montage for the same reasons I love the soft synths. It's packed with power (for a hardware synth), probably has the most sound libraries any hardware keyboard can tap into consider it can use Montage sounds, the entire best selling MOTIF series of the past 20 years, DX7 sounds, TX816 & TX802 sounds. I think that's more sound collections one can tap into than any other hardware synth other than it's big brother, the Montage. As a gigging musician, weight is a big factor for me, and with greater than 50% cost savings over Montage, MODX is the winner for me easily. The Korg M1 as you know, was the best selling synth of all time. For for great reasons. In 1988 ground breaking software in terms of sounds. But over time, what made it the best selling synth is really the software. Sure the newer Korg's included these features and more. But Korg expected the user to abandon the largest collection of synth sounds available next to the DX7, and a lot of great sounds existed in M1 format. People like me felt I'd be giving up more than I'd gain in an upgrade without retaining M1 compatibility. Even next to Kronos, I still feel the M1 has a lot of great sounds that out due a lot of what I hear out of the Kronos, with nothing similar other than maybe the factory presets. The MODX knocked my M1 out of first place because it is so versatile over all, and more portable. Still, the M1 can make a lot of great sounds the Montage/MODX can't. My M1's now live mainly as software, but I have two real ones in storage. Hadn't played a show without them since they came up until....MODX. The Oberheim synths from the original "4 Voice" through the OB-8 remain my favorite "traditional" sounding analog synths. I love the famous sounds from this synth, used in a lot of my favorite music. These instruments can also do a great job of replicating a lot of the sounds from the Mini Moog & the Prophet V, so I'd probably go with an OB-X or one in the family. After waiting almost a decade to even try one, I almost bought an OB-8 in the mid 90s. A store shipped one from another store in the chain for me to try, no obligation. I spent hours playing it, and it sounded fabulous. It wasn't cheap, but I was willing to spend the money. The problem......It didn't fit in the trunk of my sedan. The case was extra wide. The world of PC software synths had just started. I had a MIDI interface for mine, a decent $2000 laptop and I said to myself "some day I will have these sounds of of my laptop". I could see it coming. I had some of them before long, but it was a long wait before a full OB-X series VST synth came out. But once it happened, really nailed it. Another synth beside the OB-X series a lot of my favorite bands used was the ARP Pro Soloist. Genesis used it as their main lead synth in the 70s. It featured a very unique "aftertouch" effects section, which makes it perhaps the most expressive lead synth I've ever heard. Your English (I think), and a synth enthusiast. Surely someone must have told you to listen to "Selling England by the pound" or one of their many great albums? I didn't hear this era of the band myself until they hit it huge in the 80s and I discovered their earlier catalog. Times got harder, and I sold my original 1973 era Pro Soloist. Part of the reason was a software version had finally come out. In my A/B tests out of a keyboard amplifier I estimate it sounded roughly 95% the same. So it never really left my setup, but just in the "fun" physical form factor. I was a huge fan of the Casio CZ series, the first hardware synth I owned was a CZ-101. For many decades now, I've owned two CZ-1000's and two CZ-1's. Though I still love these synths, I now have software models of exactly the kinds of synth sounds I was trying to copy with the CZ's, but extra expression with knobs and sliders. While anyone insisting on the hardware route would find the CZ's to be wonderful, I now prefer the software models of the classic analog synths I emulate. Still, there are some patches I have not found anything similar. But like "most" classic synths, in only recent years, the CZ's were too emulated via VST synths, and sysex patchs can load in just like many recreations.

Hey Woody, what are your thoughts on the DX9? i'm contemplating getting a used one for $150

My first synth was a korg triton le, still have it now with allot of custom sounds

A friend of mine used to have a DX7. I played around with it a bit but didn't use it much. I wasn't in to playing any musical instruments back then. What were you playing on the nord lead A1 in this video? It sounded familiar but I can't think of the name of the piece (or pieces).

hey great video. Thank you. What preset you play on Juno 6 on 9:19 ?

Woody, I agree....saw this when it first came out, don't know why I didn't comment then. I learned on the MS-20, my first two purchases (new, I'm that old) were the Pro One and the Juno 60; still have them... of all my gear (won't even try to list, it's a disease), the Juno is the most intuitive machine I've ever run across, and the sound! I'll probably be buried with them. Love your videos.

Not bad choices at all! I have the raw oscillators of the Juno 6 (or was it a 60? I can't recall) sampled in my A5000, and I loved using them with the A5000's filters and effects, making sort of a sample-based VA synth of it... Well, my top 5 synths from what I've owned are the following (from the 5th to the 1st place): Roland D-10, E-Mu Classic Keys, Yamaha SY99, Oberheim Matrix 1000 and the Nord Modular G2X. The list would be quite different if I'd include synths I've played, but were not mine, and most likely include the Yamaha SK-30, the Minimoog Model D and the Roland D-50.

Woody! the melody that you played via Nord lead A1 is composed by whom?

These are personal favorites for various reasons. Also listing songs made with some of them. 5. Fairlight CMI - never owned one, played one once. It's capabilities for it's time speak for itself. Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart 4. Moog - not any specific model in particular, just the influence Moog had on music. ELP - Luck Man 3. Korg Wavestation - have the A/D and SR versions. Nothing like them since. Genesis - Hold on My Heart (and many others) 2. Korg 01W - my gigging synth for many years. Never failed me and always had enough variety of sounds to cover most styles. 1. Magnus Chord Organ - ok, I realize its not a synth, but it is my #1 because it was the first instrument I ever played (I must have been around 5 yrs old). It got me into music and 45 years later, I have a room full of instruments and still have the Magnus. BTW, it still works! A few honorable mentions: Korg Microstation - unbelievable sounds in a small package with on-board sequencer. It's become my go to for practice sessions and for it's sheer portability while still having a big sound. Yamaha DX series - defines the 80's music sound.

Cool list Woody👍🏻 lovin all your vids

Can you do a vid explaining the difference between the older synths named in this vid and the new softsynths of today? I feel as though newer producers won't understand the significance of old synths compared to the serum, massive, omnisphere, of today

Have you tried the Yamaha Reface DX? I just picked one up for under $300 and love it. It's not a DX7, but it's sort of like a portable DX7. Yes it has minikeys, but again portable, and their the best minikeys I've ever played and work nicely as a portable MIDI controller too.

Do you have the iWavestation app?

Very nice list, Woody! And I was very pleased to watch the last bit of your video, as I was ABSOLUTELY sure... you'd have chosen the D-50 AND the Korg M1 :p My current owned synths list, along with the year I got them (from the first I bought to my most recent addition): - Roland MT-32 (bought in 2005 to enjoy "high-end" music from these old MS-DOS games I always heard with AdLib/Sound Blaster back in the time, like most of us did. Back then, the Munt emulation project was absolutely insignificant. - Korg X5DR - 2006 (as someone already said here, some very nice 90's-like presets and a decent, not-so-heard General MIDI mode) - Roland SC-8850 - 2007 (as a GM enthusiast, I HAD to own a Sound Canvas as well. I was blessed enough to find one on eBay with European specs back in the time.) - Yamaha MU1000 - 2007 (same reasons as above. Felt even more lucky to find one, as the top-end MU models (1000 and 2000) were mainly sold in Japan.) - Roland D-550 - 2009 (yes, I HAD to own a D-50. Such a legend... Still the best sounding I own, to be honest. Such a beast. But yes, I understand why it didn't reach your #5 spot. Its lack of General MIDI capabilities is sometimes frustrating. Even its "small cousin", the MT-32, is actually better on that particular point.) - Korg M1R-ex - 2010 (same as above.) And, yeah, I still own all of them. But I stopped buying hardware synths as well ;) Two facts you should probably enjoy reading: - my MT-32 is actually the second unit I owned. The first one I bought suffered from a huge background hiss noise I couldn't solve myself, with my poor electronic capabilities. I discussed this issue on the board ran by the QuestStudios website back then, by huge enthusiasts of Sierra's game music (most prolific game company using the MT-32). Seeing that I was sad with my MT-32 experience, a member named Laust ultimately offered me to send my faulty unit to him in Denmark (I live in France!) so he could fix it, and sent back one of his own modified units in return, at no charge! It was an absolute bargain to me... so, even if I never opened it, I know I own a unique MT-32 ;) Unfortunately, the forum seems to be gone nowadays, although the website is still alive and maintained by the same founder (Tom Lewandowski). So, unless I can find some tracks on WebArchive, I can't go back to the forum thread I opened, which had nice pictures of my now-own unit! - all my synths being standard-size or half-size racks, they actually all fit... in two Ikea Rast nightstands! Much, much cheaper than real rackable stuff to hold them, no? :) Did you know this nightstand's' width perfectly matches the standard width of a rackmount unit? If you haven't already tried this, you should! Moreover when you live in Sweden, no excuse to avoid buying Ikea stuff :p (The overfamous Lack tables also fit, actually.) www.reddit.com/r/synthesizers/comments/5lo0dg/built_my_own_custom_ikea_rast_studio_rack/ My own setup, with pictures (in French): fr.audiofanzine.com/ikea/forums/t.587890,exemple-de-home-studio-ikea-gamme-2015-plateau-linnmon-et-tables-ikea-rast.html I recently moved to another location, so I still have to rebuild this Ikea hack setup... Will try to enhance it ;)

These are some great mentions, Woody. It should be observed that Roland has a great track record going back to its founding In the immediate post-War years. Not only that but they bought the rights to the Rhodes piano. It would come as no surprise to me if some or all of their synths had a general midi for an EP. Korg pulled off a coup of its own when it bought the rights to ARP and revived the 2600 and the Odyssey. During the 80s the Yamaha dx7 did combat with the Fairlight CMI in terms of appearances on platinum selling pop/dance tunes. I know that Whitney Houston and Kenny Loggins were typical of the names that benefitted from it. The Nords are pricey but excellent boards made in Scandinavia. Beyond that, I don't know much about them. Great video!

Great list Woody. Surprised me with the JUNO-6! Was definitely expecting a D-50 or M1.. :)

Any love for the SY-77?? My first real synth was the Yamaha SY-77 ... great keyboard back in the day.

D10 my first synth. Thx for the memories 🤗👍

I wanted a D50 for a long time and was about to buy one when the D70 came out and I went with that... I wish I still had it, it was awesome. I also loved my Korg O1W which I sold pretty quickly because I got a Mac with Logic 1.0 and it was so much easier to use than a workstation keyboard.

Any opinions on the casiotone 701?

Hi Woody, how does the Juno 6 compare to the Juno 60 ? My Dad gave me his 60 that he bought new back in the day. Great sounds, thank you sir

My top 5 synths of all time are: 1. D-50 2. D-50 3. D-50 4. D-50 5. D-50

NIce bit of OMD!

I loved my M1 and DX7S. The 01w fd had some fantastic sounds. The Korg Trinity I had for 13 years was a great workhorse. I recently got a Kronos which I am still getting my head around is amazing. I put all the DX7S sounds into it so its like I got that keyboard back again. The amount and type of sounds it produces is amazing. Definitely my favourite one now. Ask me again in 13 years.

Perhaps just get the Nord Stage 3 - that has the Lead 1 integrated, as I understand it. I'm unsure if it's an exact integration of whether there's any differences; perhaps the original could have more concurrent different sounds?

what song do you play at 5:15?

Funny, you listed exactly the same few reasons why at the time I decided on a (in my case) Roland D110 rack instead of a D50 or 550, namely multitimbrality, cheapness & the drums. I figured I could always put it through a good chorus to sort of compensate. Later it became academic as, though I never got a 50 or 550 I eventually got a V synth XT rack. Btw I guessed the Juno 6, esp when u said 1982. It was my first synth too. I owned 2 at different times but now have a 106 with Kiwi.

The D10 was also my first synth and I have fond memories creating lots of sounds on it, using an editor on the Atari STe. It was quite precursory at the time. Some of my patches actually got published in Keyboard magazine. These were the days...

What's the name of the Juno vst you was playing

Why do you prefer the Lead 2x over the others? I owned a 2x and it was great, but I didn't like having just numbers for patch identifiers, but I absolutely loved the way it functioned and sounded.

Great list, I gave my mark1 to my brother Chris, sold my Juno 6 for more than I paid for it. My first poly as well. “Subdivisions!!”

Love the Juno 6. QUESTION! Did you keep the Roland Cloud 106 or is Tal Uno lx enough for you?

5 favorite synths “until next month when something better comes out” The MODX rules! Ensoniq D50 An1x M3

this is good stuff

Great choices, I've had and loved a few of them. I'd like to give an honorable mention to the Akai AX60. Absolute beast of a synth I wish I still had. Could split the keyboard, arpeggiator, doubler, chorus and other effects, like a Juno 60 on steroids.

I couldn’t broach my top five favorite synthesizer models among the ones that I’ve owned. I’ve enjoyed each of them for something different and how they all complement each other. If I have to choose five, I’ll choose all of them.

It's so nice watching your videos. Very useful and sympathic. :)

I started with a Technics KN2000 and then a Korg X3. Then sold the KN2000 to buy a Nord Stage 76 which is my personal favorite. Then I found an old Korg M1 of which I mostly enjoyed replacing the battery and restoring the factory presets. Then I sold the M1 and Nord Stage to buy a Roland digital drum kit... Haven't played any keys for 10 years now. Became a gigging drummer instead but I still have the X3... Keep it up Woody!

My top 5 (and own all of these): 1. Roland JV-80/880 - suited for almost anything and still holds its own against much newer romplers. I have two 880's. 2. Roland D-50/550 - never owned one but worked with them for years. Now have a D-05 with the same unmistakable signature. 3. Tie Between Roland alphaJuno-1 and a Juno-106 - alphaJuno-1 was my first real synth 31 years ago, and I use it to this day. 4. Yamaha FS1R - hands down the best FM synth ever made, and probably one of the most underrated. 5. Korg Wavestation - any flavor. Fantastic film-scoring synth. I have an SR.

I'd love to see you talk about the Roland JD-800. Probably my favorite old synth.