If anyone is wondering about possibly adding a hardware synthesizer to their set up or even upgrading to a better sounding synthesizer I have a few pointers to help you  out!

First off, don’t skimp…even on your first one.  If you don’t have that much money buy a midi keyboard and a VSTi software synthesizer.  I’m going to say that I favor analog synthesis over digital when it comes to hardware because I’m working in a studio based set up which VSTi’s are just as good as the real thing if not better!  They do have a hard time really recreating that true analog warmth you get from analogue hardware.  Dave Smith Instruments produces some high quality instruments 2 of which I own the DSI Mono Evolver Keyboard, and the DSI Tetra.  Both 100% analogue signal paths as well as built in step sequencing, low pass filters, and both have 4 LFOs(low frequency oscillators) per voice!  You can get piercing leads, some deep bass, even lower than a studio reference sub can pick up.

I used to own a Moog Music Inc. Little Phatty Stage Edition and I won’t knock it one bit, great keyboards and a great company, but in my set up I needed functionality with my quality sound, and with the Moog I would have probably spent over $6,000 to achieve every sound that i wanted(effects and everything)  The thing that Dave Smith offers in my tetra and my evolver are two things on the tetra I can create multi-timbral sounds or even create a 4-piece analogue drum kit that plays through the step sequencer and the evolver a true hybrid between digital convenience and analogue warmth, 2 extra digital wavetable oscillators which allow for FM synthesis, ring modulation as well as on board effects that I use frequently; 3 seperate delays, oscillator slop(which emulates the sound of vintage synths that have unstable and drifiting oscillators), output hack(bitcrushing), distortion, feedback, noise generator, and a high pass filter!

Both of these synthesizers run for just under $1300 now(DSI Evolver Keyboard) and $800(DSI Tetra).  Now if these prices are too steep they offer a desktop version of the evolver which runs for $600 and a monophonic version of the tetra called the mopho which runs for $400..  The great thing about Dave Smith keyboards are that you can poly chain synths together to add more voices or if you want an even fatter bass you can stack up to 16 voices total with tetra and mopho combinations which allows for a MASSIVE 32 oscillator bass!  As with the Evolver keyboard you can add desktop evolvers to the poly chain or buy the 4-voice Poly Evolver for just under $2800.  When it comes to sound you shouldn’t drop 200 dollars on a digital synth because you can spend 100 bucks and get twice the sound on your computer, but if you truly want that warm vintage sound and big bass then analogue is the way to go!  I hope this was some help to people thank you for reading!

(Source: davesmithinstruments.com)