bart_van_zon's Electronic Studio Setup

This was my first mono analogue synth. I always liked the Minimoog Model-D but didn't believe buying an old synthesizer would be the best investment. My first analogue synth the Polybrute taught me modern analogue synths could be great yet affordable compared to vintage or re-issued synths. The Subsequent 37 isn't that expensive compared to a Minimoog, but it's still a real Moog and has a full high quality sound. The Polybrute also looks great and the Subsequent 37 as well. They're both designed by Axel Hartmann and look great together.

Some people say the Subsequent 37 has a vintage sound. I suppose that's because of the roll off at the high frequencies. That makes it can sound a bit "muffled" and makes it best suited for sounds that don't need to sound bright like most leads. On the other hand it sounds really dry and direct which makes it sound modern. Many other synths sound a little more woolly, like it's coming from further away. The Subsequent 37 sounds pure unfiltered. The Moog Minitaur which has a similar raw sound, but can get a little unpleasant, while the Subsequent delivers the same sound in a more refined way. It's very powerful and punchy with a lot of energy in the mids, from mid low to mid high. This makes it great for basses, sequences, some leads that sound really in your face and don't need a lot of high frequencies. It can also do some really Interesting effecty type sounds. It's generally an easy to grasp instrument that's very cool to play and create sounds with.

Arturia started out 30 years ago as a creator of software emulations of classic synthesizers. They've gained quite a bit of experience in that time, and have applied that in their creation of hardware synthesizers. They don't have the arrogance of bigger older companies that live on old fame and release classic synthesizers with limited capabilities at inflated prices. Arturia on the other hand, built the Polybrute from the ground up. They looked at what made the classic synthesizers that great, took the best aspects of each and designed hardware around that with the most intuitive UI that would be most affordable to produce in present day.

The Polybrute is an absolutely fabulous analogue synthesizer. A pleasant vintage sound comparable to old synthesizers that cost many times more (like the Prophet 5 and OB-Xa), but with a lot more possibilities to fine-tune your sounds and get something really interesting. All of that whilst the interface remains easy to understand. On top of that, it has a lot of modern effects and features to get sounds that you only get from modern synths.

Arturia also gives you a free VST editor, so you can connect the Polybrute to your computer via USB, and load the VST into your DAW that you operate with the Polybrute, or you can operate the Polybrute with the VST. The boundaries between hardware and software disappear. With my Sequential Prophet 5 and Oberheim OB-X8 which are much more expensive, I had to buy the VST editors separately for $160 each, and they didn't work nearly as well as Arturia one for the Polybrute. Moog also offers free VST editors, but I also have more problems with those than with the Polybrute. Arturia also releases frequent firmware updates that never gave me any trouble and helped make the instrument even better. Arturia released tons of great free presets.

The Polybute is solidly built. Metal housing with wooden side panels, sturdy metal and plastic pods and rubber buttons with multicoloured LEDs inside. The look is timeless. It combines 1960s teal and wood, with 1980s rubber buttons with LEDs in them and deep black and pure white keys and knobs that are very modern. The most beautiful synth I've ever seen. In terms of sound it's right up there with my Prophet 5, OB-X8 and Subsequent 37. Different character but at least as good.

Beautiful instrument. Out off all my synthesizers, this one has the best sound. A typically 80s electric sound. It is in the style of the old late 70's to mid 80's Oberheims, the OB-X, OB-Xa and OB-8. As a result, it is very limited in terms of possibilities, compared to modern synthesizers, but it can do more than all of the aforementioned synths combined. Also in appearance it may not be the most beautiful. Slightly clunky and dated looking. In reality it's a lot more stylish than in the pictures though. With this huge instrument with metal housing and wooden side panels you really feel like you have a piece of synthesizer history at your finger tips. The keys feel really good. With the simple interface and huge buttons, it is very easy to create beautiful sounds. You always know what you're doing and it always sounds great. Except that it has a "page 2" with hidden parameters that allow you to do so much more than what you can do with the hardware UI, but makes it more difficult to see what's going on exactly. Maybe it's just not as easy as with my Prophet 5. That one has an interface that is just a little more obvious and has a more neutral, versatile sound. Still, I'm happier with my OB-X8. It has more character, a stereo output and is less prone to go out of tune. It inspires to create music.

The Prophet 5 is a legend among synthesizers. I don't need to explain anything about it. You can find plenty articles and videos about the history of the Prophet 5 if you like. Most polyphonic synthesizers are in in way or the other based on this one.

This is a modern re-isue of the classic 1978 instrument in module form, but released by the company Sequential Sircuits who released the original, and while the creator Dave Smith was still alive. It's the cheapest way you can get your hands on the real deal.

Since it's such an old synth it's really basic. It's easy to understand and create sounds with, which makes it a great first synth to learn the basics. It's very limited in what it can do compared to modern synths, but what it can do it does like no other. Fantastic timeless sound. It does sound extremely neutral, which makes it versatile. It gets it character from the analogue lifelines but doesn't have a unique sound. To some this means very vanilla and boring. The upside is it doesn't take over your song, and how good you can make it sound depends entirely on your own skills in sound design, playing or music production. I'd say it's a good back-bone for your synth collection.

My main problem with this instrument is the tuning. I keep using the autotune program constantly to ensure the tuning stays constant, before i start tweaking any parameters. Than you have to manually tune the synth to your songs with the tuning pods to make it sound right with the other instruments. Tho pods have no notches to tell you were the 0 position is exactly and the oscillators have so much drift it's impossible to get it 100% correct. This is all of the fun with vintage analogue gear. Keep this in mind though, because the result can clash with more modern digital sounds or a singer who's perfectly in tune. Modern synths sit better in modern mixes. You don't want to spend all that cash on a re-issue of a vintage synth, just to slap some autotune on it to make it sound modern.

The module version saves you a lot of money and space compared to the full sized version. I think it also looks better, because the UI is better, the pods and buttons are sleeker and better looking. It has the exact same sound. The downside is, it's not as big, doesn't have all of that nice wood, and doesn't look and feel like the 1978 classic.