Top 10 Polyphonic Synths 2023!
Are you looking for a Poly synth? We got you!
Getting a hardware poly synth is a tricky thing. There are significantly fewer choices than mono synths and they are more expensive. Luckily, with the synth revolution of the past 10-15 years, synthesizers have become more and more accessible and you can now find excellent instruments within any budget.
On the other side, almost every budget poly synth has a lot of limitations so it may make more sense to keep using software synths for poly stuff or save some money to eventually buy a flagship poly synth that will stay with you forever. So today, we decided to make a list with our top 10, favorite polyphonic synthesizers and help you spend your money efficiently!
10. Roland JU-06A
We’re starting off with the cheapest option that has a very heavy history on its back. The JU-06A is a faithful recreation of the iconic Roland Juno 60 & 106 in a much smaller (and reliable) package. Roland has made numerous desktop clones of its own vintage synths & drum machines but for me, the JU-06A is the best one.
It’s a fully digital, 4-Voice Juno, that sounds exactly like its predecessors and it costs 1/5 (or even less) that the originals. The Juno’s architecture is so simple and easily recreated on a lot of synths, that almost feels absurd to pay a huge amount for a vintage model that will probably need maintenance and can die on you at any time.
The JU-06A sounds great and can provide all the classic sounds you’d find on a Juno but it lacks versatility. So if you absolutely want the “Juno“ sound, it is the best, and very budget-friendly, option out there.
Sound: 5/10 - Its digital nature and limited options will force you to use the same sounds all the time
Price: 6/10 - Very budget-friendly but there is a lot of competition at this price point
Versatility: 4/10 - Juno’s versatility is quite limiting so by staying true to the original models, Roland lost an opportunity to expand on its vintage synths.
9. Korg Minilogue XD
We’ll probably see the Minilogue featured in Top 10 & Best of lists for many years to come. After all, the original Minilogue played a huge part in the hype that started around synths back when it was released, and for a good reason.
It is an analog, 4-Voice synth with 2 analog VCOs and a Digital multi-engine oscillator that sounds fantastic and, if you are a beginner, it’s most likely the best way to learn all about subtractive synthesis. Definitely a future classic.
Sound: 6/10 - The Minilogue sounds great but it’s a bit soulless in my opinion. Plus, the oscillators sound a bit thin compared to other synths
Price: 6/10 - When it first came out the price would be 10/10 but nowadays there are so many options at this price range to compete
Versatility: 7/10 - It has all the things you’d want on a subtractive synthesis synthesizer and the addition of the digital oscillator expanded its versatility by a lot
8. Dreadbox Nymphes
Our beloved Dreadbox managed to make a fully analog 6-voice synthesizer that is tiny, has a ton of features, and costs less than 500€! The Nymphes sounds massive and while it lacks in size, it packs some critical modulation options. It has 1 oscillator and a sub-oscillator, two LFOs, an analog filter with both low pass and high pass, and a digital reverb to wash everything out.
While there are many secondary functions and menu diving (without a screen), after a while, you’ll be able to work your way with the Nymphes. Dreadbox is famously known for its fat & rich sounding oscillators and Nymphes is another great example of that. We also have a full hands-on review of this one if you want to learn more about it!
It’s a bit noisy and quirky to use, but for the price and its size, the Nymphes is truly marvelous and the easiest gateway to analog poly synths if you don’t want to spend a fortune on a synth!
Sound: 8/10 - Absolutely massive for pads, lead, and bass sounds
Price: 8/10 - An unbelievable price that compensates you for its few downsides and quirks
Versatility: 5/10 - Having only one oscillator can get you only that far. The modulation adds a lot to the sounds coming out of the synth but you are still limited to only one VCO so the core sounds are quite plain.
7. Novation Peak
The Peak by Novation, and its bigger brother, the Summit are two amazing synthesizers. The Peak has 8 voices, with 3 DCOs, an analog filter, 3 ADSR envelopes, a very deep modulation matrix, and effects. It creates beautiful & lush pads and can deliver almost every sound adequately.
On paper, the Peak has way more than we’re used to in most synths. But for some reason, I feel it’s often neglected and that’s mainly because of its digital oscillators. And that’s not some kind of analog purist rant, but the digital oscillators often struggle to cut through a mix and when you have a lot going on the sound gets a bit muddy.
On the other hand, the Peak is so feature-packed and reasonably priced that definitely deserves more credit and love.
Sound: 7/10 - Amazing for pads and soft sounds
Price: 5/10 - I feel like it should now be a bit cheaper since nowadays, there are a lot of similar synths that cost less.
Versatility: 8/10 - Lots of options to manipulate sounds and a great mod matrix that requires some menu diving.
6. Waldorf Iridium
Waldrof’s flagship wavetable synthesizer is an advanced and marvelous synthesizer. It’s definitely not for the fainted-hearted since you’ll need to do a lot of programming and work on its screen but the results are worth it. It can be a wavetable but also a “standard“ synth with classic waveforms, it can be a granular processor and more.
Most people love its granular processing power and that’s something you cannot find on many synths. It’s premium and niche and if you already know how to program synths and you’re looking for the next level, the Iridium must be the way to go. It’s digital, with 3 digital oscillators & 16 voices, 2 filters, 6(!) envelopes, 6 LFOs, and the list goes on. It’s essentially a hardware Serum on steroids!
Sound: 8/10 - It simply can do everything well. But if you love analog sounds it might disappoint you.
Price: 7/10 - It’s not that it’s priced poorly. Iridium is very reasonably priced but it’s still kind of a niche synth aimed at sound designers.
Versatility: 9/10 - Probably the most advanced synth on our list in terms of versatility.
5. ASM Hydrasynth
ASM made a huge hit with the Hydrasynth and now there are a few different Hydrasynth models out there to cover more price points. The Hydrasynth is an 8-voice wavetable synthesizer, with 3 oscillators, polyphonic aftertouch, 2 filters, 5 envelopes, 5 LFOs, and more.
Another digital synth that can do pretty much everything and that’s mostly used for crazy evolving pads with tons of modulation. It definitely deserved its success over the past few years and put ASM on the map of the synth community for good. Requires a bit more effort to create a patch but it pays off in the end.
Sound: 7/10 - For a digital synth, the Hydrasynth sounds massive and the pad sounds you can create are almost impossible on other synths
Price: 7/10 - A fair price for what you get in return
Versatility: 7/10 - It is a versatile synth but it takes time to create patches from scratch
4. UDO Audio Super 6
Another newcomer, UDO released the Super 6 and made a lot of heads turn. The Super 6 is a stunningly looking synthesizer with 6 voices, 2 digital oscillators, an analog filter, and a fair amount of modulation options. While it may lack in features compared with the other synths on our list, the Super 6 has a ton of character and it’s one of the best examples of merging digital voices with an analog signal path.
The sounds coming out are beautiful and I love the fact that it doesn’t even have a screen. In my opinion, the Super 6 combines vintage aesthetics and workflow with modern technology in the best way possible. It’s a bit expensive but it’s a solid choice if you’re looking for a flagship poly synth.
Sound: 8/10 - It’s the most vintage-sounding modern synth I’ve come across. And that’s a good thing!
Price: 6/10 - The Super 6 has quite a premium price, especially the keyboard version so since UDO is a new company it may scare people off.
Versatility: 7/10 - It has all the essentials to make beautiful sounds fast with a few slider and knob changes. So not having a ton of options actually works as a benefit for versatility because you’ll simply make more sounds with it.
3. Arturia MiniFreak
It’s no secret that we have a thing for Arturia… And that’s because it’s hands-down the best value-for-money manufacturer in the world. So how does a synth that costs 600€ takes 3rd place among our favorite poly synths?
The MiniFreak is a 2 oscillator with 22 selectable modes 6-voice polyphonic synth (with a paraphonic option for 12 voices and 1 oscillator) with an amazing hands-on modulation matrix (that more companies should definitely copy), an analog filter, great effects, randomization options, and many more.
Yes, the MiniFreak is, and sounds digital, despite having an analog filter and VCA but it does not try to hide its digital nature. Instead, it fully embraces it and gives you so many options for sound design from classic sounds to extremely weird ones. It’s a synth that anyone should have around and since it’s so cheap anyone can have one!
Sound: 8/10 - The MiniFreak can sound like nothing else. It’s rich, can be modulated to your liking, and delivers great results for every type of sound you want.
Price: 10/10 - A straight 10/10 for its price. It’s ridiculous that this thing costs only 600€ for its features and sound.
Versatility: 9/10 - So many oscillator modes, easy-to-use modulation, and the certainty that Arturia will keep on updating it and adding new stuff make it one of the most versatile synths in the world.
2. Sequential Trigon 6
The Trigon 6 will be written in the history books as the last synthesizer created by the late Dave Smith. And that alone is a big deal.
It is a 6-voice polyphonic synth, with 3 oscillators & a ladder filter. The architecture is similar to the Minimoog but in Trigon’s case, we are talking about 6 voices instead of one. And plus, a ton more features modern & vintage synths have. Great envelopes, LFOs, and high-quality effects are there to help you shape your sounds and as in most Sequential synths, there is also a vintage knob that adds a lot of character making the synth just a bit unstable to get the vintage analog sound.
A truly breathtaking beast of a synth that is the epitome of a flagship modern synth made by a legendary company that can be a workhorse in the studio (if you can afford it).
Sound: 10/10 - There’s not much to say hear. In terms of sound, you’re getting what you’ve paid for. The Trigon 6 sounds incredible on every patch and it’s an instrument where you’ll definitely hear its raw analog power.
Price: 7/10 - Even for a flagship, the Trigon 6 is quite expensive. You’re definitely paying for the Sequential brand and it’s an investment you’ll need to be sure of.
Versatility: 8/10 - This is as far as an analog synth can get you. And being so well made, you will comfortably create a ton of patches that will cover any genre and type of sound.
Arturia PolyBrute
The most brutal brute of all is at the top of our list. Arturia’s flagship poly synth is, in my opinion, the best all-around synth you can get if you’re looking for a big, fully-featured poly synth. It’s a 6-voice analog synth with 2 wave-shaping oscillators, a Steiner-Parker & a Moog inspired Ladder filter, 3 envelopes & 3 LFOs, and possibly the best effects you’ll ever find on a synth.
On top of its feature set, the PolyBrute excels at its playability and sound design capabilities. There is a 61-key keyboard that can be split into two and be played as a multitimbral synth, a morphée controller, and a beautiful ribbon for extra hands-on control. On the panel, you’ll also find the most advanced matrix interface for modulation & sequencing where you can do modulate everything on the synth. Another amazing innovation is the Morph control. You can have two presets running simultaneously and morph between them creating patches that wouldn’t be possible without it.
The PolyBrute is a dream synth. It’s an analog synthesizer that will never limit you as most analog synths do. Arturia really pushed the limits of analog design and provided us with an instrument of the future while still staying true to the past. If it’s within your budget, I think that the PolyBrute is by far the best poly synth on the market and it will be very difficult for something to take its place.
Sound: 9/10 - Not much to ask here. A beautiful sounding synth for everything.
Price: 10/10 - Although it costs around 2.600€, I can’t really complain about its price. It is the most synth per euro you can get.
Versatility: 10/10 - A sound designer’s dream. It’s so flexible you can get lost for hours creating sounds and patches.
Conclusion
Picking a poly synth is difficult because it’s still hard to find budget synths that sound great. You’ll probably have to invest a lot of money if you want a feature-packed instrument but there are also a few great budget-friendly options out there that will cure the itch. Just choose wisely and not just think of how many voices a synth has. In my opinion, 6 voices are the sweet spot for anything you want to play but you can also get very creative with 4. Understand your needs and your current level and find the best synth for you & your budget is critical so that you won’t regret getting another cheap knockoff or something way too advanced that you’ll end up using at its 10%.
What’s your favorite poly synth? Is there something that you love not on our list? Let us know in the comments!
