Scot whats you take on the DSI Rev 2?
Digitone keys! The keys really opened up the synth for me, never gelled with the non keys version. I donāt like any of the presets but if I start from an initialized patch and gently deviate from there, itās magic! Run it through an Analog Heat and or a Strymon Volante and itās all I need!
Bonus is that it has a sequencer and multiple tracks (I almost never use these!)
I was thinking about getting a Waldorf Iridium and actually bought one on Reverb but the seller had already sold it(?!) I think I wouldnāt have gelled with it, I donāt really like digging that much to get a sound. For that reason I may get a Prophet 6 someday, with itās raw tone and no menus I could see that as being my āthe oneā.
Also re: the Moog Matriarch, Iām not going to count that as a poly, so I can have one of these plus a Moog Matriarch which is merely paraphonic and probably my favorite synth of all time.
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I just picked up a MicroMonsta 2 as a companion for my Digitakt/Digitone setup. lāll mainly be controlling and sequencing it from the Digitone.
The extra 12 voices of bi-timbral virtual analog should open things up a bit in terms of voice management and sound-type focus.
Might be worth a look if you want a reasonably priced but great sounding synth that can also serve as an add-on to turn your digitone into a 20 voice monster.
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That is a very good option indeed. The MM2 always impresses with the built-in reverb.
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Iāve not played one, only heard the examples. However, I did have the ā08 for a time (review unit) and liked it quite a lot. It compared favourably to my Rev 3.2 Prophet-05, though I found its architecture (if not its sound) to be closer in spirit to the OB-Xa than to the Prophet. The Rev 2 looks to be an improvement, so I canāt imagine I wouldnāt love it. I like Dave Smithās approach and willingness to address shortcomings in design and build over the years. If I didnāt have the original Prophet-5, Iād have one of his new synths, for sure, and the Rev 2 would be a serious consideration.
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Cheers for that. Im thinking of keeping it for a bit longer to see if i can get some tracks laid down with it. But its a bit overwhelming unlike some of his others. And i prefer simplicity. Its like he tried to tick all the boxes with this one. The Prophet 5/10 looks delicious and a bit simpler with a better tone? Or maybe im splitting hairs again 
I havenāt looked too closely at it, but it seems to be pretty much a straight update to the original? And indeed, the Prophet-5 might be a bit more intuitive. I have no idea if the new versionās tone would be better, but the original sounds great. Most of the current DSI synths sound fantastic (OB-6!) so I quite imagine this one would too. The thing with the original is that it doesnāt reveal itself right away, unlike an OB-Xa or JP-8. Once you dive in, though, you see what all of the fuss was about. Itās smooth when you need smooth and brash when you need brash.
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Its funny but a simple Poly synth is unusual these days. Most want bells and whistles.
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The prophet 6 as well, and not as completely crazy expensive 
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I nearly went for the Prophet 6 as it does sound delicious!
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Not sure I could get by with no vstās, but I chose to keep only a Nord Lead 2x desktop as my only hardware poly. Fairly simple interface, can cover a wide range of sounds, unique flavor to it, lots of patch storage, built like a tank, small-ish footprint, etc. Anything more complex is easier for me to handle with software.
Sold - Minilogue, Nord Lead 3 keys, ESQ-1, Alpha Juno 2 + programmer, A4, Digitone, SH-01a, JX-03, MKS-50, Juno 106. Only one I might repurchase one day would be the Digitone, maybe if a MKII ever comes out.
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Norg G2X if that qualifies. Otherwise Deckards.
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Hands down peak for me. It sounds great, has a lot of options already listed here and always is a joy to sit in front of.
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+1 on the Peak. Not only does it sound amazing, it is one of the (if not THE) most intuitive/userfriendly/bugfree synths Iāve used.
However, Polybrute might take itās place, Iāll keep you posted when it finally gets here! (Hopefully just in time for jamuary)
Itās a more faithful recreation of the earlier Prophet-5 revisions than other Sequential/DSI products to date, including the Prophet 6. Looking at the specs. the P6 has the closest resemblance in synth architecture. Anyway, the new in-production P5 is faithful enough that everyone is calling the Prophet 5 Rev.4.
One of the faithful touches is the CEM 3340 VCOs. Another is the filter which is switchable between Revs 1-2-3 versions. They brought back Dave Rossum to work on the 2140 filter which I guess is the closest they could get to the 2040 filter used on the vintage Revs 1-2. Rev3 is the CEM 3320.
Yet another feature unique to Rev4 is the Vintage knob which Iāve heard is tied to some kind of behavioral modeling digital magic. One extreme setting is the temperamental Rev1 behavior.
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Until last week, my Korg M3 was my one functional polysynth. Well, mostly functional - the touchscreen is no longer responsive to finger touch. The EXB-RADIAS board has some VPM tones that I like enough to help me fight off GAS for new FM hardware. The presets are a bit clinical for my taste but at least the sliders are mapped consistently - 1 is always cutoff, 2 always resonance, the 4 on the right are usually envelope-related. Squeaky clean or not, the M3 has insane output level.
Just got the Roland MC-101 but havenāt had a chance to play with it yet.
I often wish that my original Prophet-5 had the inverse function. Even the relatively tame Rev 3.2 needs more than occasional pokes at that auto-tune button.
Sometimes I think Iād like to swap all of my vintage hardware synths for their modern counterparts, where such counterparts are available. And then I think about what a pain in the backside such an endeavour might be and go back to poking at that auto-tune button.
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This seems to be a very thought out selection. Having SEM-filters, Moog-filters, and Brute-filters myself, I can only confirm that each of them makes a difference.
Just to add this (off topic, of course): Comparing all my analogue synths, I love the sync-mode of my Odyssey the most, if the sound shall be agressive and rock 
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The two polys I have setup at the moment are a Rev2 and a Nord A1. The Rev2 is great for atmospheric sounds with plenty of modulation, and the Nord is better for cleaner classic synth sounds. As others have said, having something properly multi-timbral is ace when youāre composing stuff.
If I were buying just one now, Iād be tempted by the Polybrute. The demos Iāve heard have really impressed me.
Also wanted to add something practical to my alternate universe price-is-no-object selections: Mutable Ambika. Where else can you find a six voice, six-way multitimbral hybrid poly for under (sometimes WAY under) $1k? Plus it sounds amazing, and deep enough to keep you busy for a long time.
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