…literally ANY polysynth with a filter will do all fine…if u only add some delay and room to it…
4 Likes
As it’s been said many times already, it doesn’t even have to be a poly synth. Any mono synth with 3 OSC’s that can be individually tuned can play a basic chord. So, it stands to reason that a huge number (majority) of synths can play chords.
But the thread is ‘Best synth for dub chords’. Just like any guitar can be used to play guitar parts, an acoustic isn’t exactly going to be the best fit for death metal. It’s the same here… some synths will better fill the role than others. They’ll have a timbre and vibe that better suits the genre and that’s (IMO) what the thread is really about.
That said, it’s also been said countless times that FX plays an equally if not more important role in achieving the sound. There should probably be an accompanying thread of ‘Best FX for Dub Techno’ exploring VST and hardware options.
3 Likes
Waiting for the Volca Dubchord…
Not gonna lie, I’d buy it 
1 Like
Don’t think this has been shared yet. Here’s a completely free option that sounds quite good with nearly endless capabilities.
1 Like
…mentioning vcv rack and mutuable instruments is not fair… 
1 Like
Syntakt—the chord machines combined with the fx block are a dubby delight!
1 Like
I believe you but i’d like to hear that.
1 Like
Here’s a live dub techno jam on Syntakt—I was very influenced by Basic Channel on the chord machines. Thanks for listening!
6 Likes
Thanks! Yes, I added delay and reverb on both Digitone and Syntakt (1/4. on DN and 1/8. on ST) and used filtering to separate them, prevent muddiness. The ST FX chain adds that typical bandpass dub delay fx layer.
I’m working on new Dub Techno tracks at a 114 bpm now. I really love the DN/ST combo for Dub. The ST really elevates the delicious dub chords the DN can produce.
5 Likes
Lovely! Sounds incredible, great work. Thanks for sharing
1 Like
Good enough for Lee Perry = Good enough for dub techno chords.
It is pricey though, they do a digital delay which is also awesome (and dubby).
1 Like
Juno X or Access Virus TI2
Definitely a poly keyboard synth with a good arpeggiator is needed. Roland Juno, Access Virus, Prophet 5, Oberheim OB X8 keyboards based on budget.
would love to know how the first example was done 
I do remember I started this track after this:
Tutorial. Didn’t finish the tutorial completely because DN isn’t Ableton so a lot of improv is needed (and i don’t use or own Ableton) but there’s absolutely some resemblance between my end result and the one of that tutorial noticeable.
not mine. “Init to dubtecho in 10 minutes - Elektron Machinedrum”
8 Likes
yeah! spot on! lush and metallic.
Are you speaking about this one (it’s yours) ?
The “tutorial” sounds really different (yours being a lot better imo )
1 Like
That’s a nice video. I need to take another look at VCV Rack, I think it probably deserves a bit more love! There are tons of great free modules, the interface is beautiful and fully resizable and if you can live without the VST version then it’s free.
This dub chord stuff is all about the FX but sometimes you just need a different workflow or a different set of tools to get some inspiration.
1 Like