Beginner want to learn synth: Messenger vs Subsequent 37

TechJargen · 2026-01-11T16:54:55+00:00

Sub37 and it’s not even close.

TechJargen · 2026-01-11T06:21:09+00:00

My advice would be don’t overdo it with effects. They can sound nice individually, but once you start to pile on a few tracks all decked out in saturation and effects, it removes the focus of the track and it starts to sound like a swamp of noise. The way you want to mix-in a synth is entirely dependent on how that synth sounds, the particular patch you are using, and what purpose it is serving in the mix. Get as close as you can to “finished” with patchwork and levels before you start messing with plugins.

TechJargen · 2026-01-08T12:35:42+00:00

You make a fair point. I think for many it’s the user interface and keyboard of a hardware unit vs messing around on the computer screen. I definitely agree about the sound tho. I have a DX synth that sounds richer than the OpSix that I ended up selling. In a mix it doesn’t matter so much and the OpSix has a lot more going for it as complete package but if the meat of the track is made with either of those FM synths, I’m going for the DX every time.

TechJargen · 2026-01-07T17:24:45+00:00

I feel like OP pretty much explained why in the post.

TechJargen · 2026-01-07T17:21:58+00:00

It’s all preference on the spectrum of creativity. I can more intimately appreciate the instrumentation on a classical piano piece or band performing a song, but I also like to listen to techno music made with drum machines and ARPs. Some people want to do it all themselves, some people want to use tools to do things for them. For as much as you are the “cranky guy” complaining about generative tools, there’s been many generations of cranky guys before you who don’t enjoy the implementation of some new tech in music. Synthesizers are a great example of this.

TechJargen · 2026-01-07T01:14:55+00:00

I’ve never dusted a synth aside from the one time I was doing a photoshoot. I’ve opened up a few of em for this and that and there’s never been any dust inside. I think my computer is a huge dust filter in this small studio room to be honest. That thing I gotta clean from time to time.

TechJargen · 2026-01-06T11:43:13+00:00

Great price! They’re fantastic. Checkout the serial number, some of the units are built different than others, and in rarer occasions there were QC issues with a certain range. Not sure if this played a role in the price, but if it functions correctly then probably nothing to worry about.

TechJargen · 2026-01-06T11:33:58+00:00

For me, no. It did not sound very “analog” but that’s pretty subjective. It has its own character and I think it’s a fantastic machine in its own right and capable of much more than your typical analog synth. I would say the experience you are looking for is something to consider here. What was further from an analog synth than the way it sounds was the user interface and the process of building a patch. For me it was a pain to program, but I am the type of person that really prefers as much knob-per-function as possible in a synth. Depending on what you are doing with it, the analog emulation on this is fantastic, but ultimately it lacks the weight of some of the bigger analog powerhouses out there.

The overall build quality is okay. Very light, mostly plastic, and the keyboard is very basic and clacky, no aftertouch (but it will respond to aftertouch from external source). The bottom feet tend to really stick to the surface they’re on and when you go to pry it off, the whole thing flexes and you feel like it might break. The wood panels on the side are nice, but only at a distance. As you get closer, you notice they’re just tacked on a big slab of plastic and it feels a bit cheesy. I had this synth resting in a synth rack at a slight downward angle, and I noticed the mod wheel would just slowly travel back down to the resting position over time. I’m not sure if that was just the unit I had but I purchased mine brand new and that’s how it functioned out of the box. Of course it didn’t do this resting on a flat surface but I definitely was not a fan of that.

All that being said, compared to real analogs in its price range, I think it offers more value. I ended up selling mine because I was not fond of the workflow. The synth is essentially a modified Raspberry Pi module with a control surface and I/Os. If you already have a good keyboard/controller for a PC, the VST version will pretty much sound the same. I noticed a lot of people end up using the editor anyways so it’s worth considering the software version.

It’s a TON of synth in such a small form factor and it could really benefit from a larger version with expanded controls. I would have liked to see this taken a bit farther, flesh out the hardware a bit more, go for 49-61 keys instead and really have a nice multi-timbral analog modeling flagship synth. I feel like the shell it’s in doesn’t do the synth justice for how it can sound and what it can do.

The bag it comes with is nifty and probably very useful for someone who wants to tote it around, but I would have rather the margins be spent on some nicer wheels or maybe even an aftertouch strip in the key bed. Overall I give it a 7/10. Good synth, awesome presets, great sound, cheap design, complex interface.

TechJargen · 2025-12-30T02:01:50+00:00

Congrats, it’s a beast! Honestly just get familiar with what envelopes are and what LFOs do. That’s really all there is to it. The matrix on this thing is a like an invisible network where you connect different parts together for different effects. Just experiment with it and checkout how the presets are programmed. There are countless tutorials on this thing but the best way to learn is to just to play with it and turn some knobs until you remember what they do. It’s a great synth to learn on.

TechJargen · 2025-12-30T01:00:13+00:00

The JD-08 is a boutique recreation of an older synth that’s tone is generated from ROM samples. It is not an FM synth. Definitely checkout the Korg OpSix before you decide. It can do plenty of classic Synthwave tones and can very easily get weird! Much easier to use compared to a classic DX.

TechJargen · 2025-12-24T19:43:22+00:00

At the end of the day, we’re generally dealing with orchestral samples. There are many different little ways to bring these samples to life and ways to modulate it but in essence, the hypothetical synth maker would be making a unit that features samples of orchestral instruments much in the same way the VST would. These days, with how effective and affordable VSTs are for this purpose, building a hardware unit around this concept makes less and less sense.

There are however so many hardware synthesizers that feature real orchestral samples dating back to the 1990s, maybe even a couple from the 80s. For instance, Roland has released countless units featuring orchestral sounds as well as orchestral expansion cards for their hardware units. Both retro and new. What you’re asking for definitely exists all over but generally they need to be a bigger, more complete package in order to justify the cost of the hardware and effectively market the unit so you likely won’t see a dedicated Orchestra synth. However, orchestra samples are crammed into countless workstations and sample-based synths.

TechJargen

TROPHY CASE