Check out WC Old Garb's channel. He demos loads of synths, both digital and analogue. Very nice demos too (and some quite creepy).
For a first synth, I recommend Korg MS2000 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaVU_vqaMSU). I think it's what the microKORG was based on, but has a lot more flexibility, and the sequencer is amazing. They can be picked up for pretty cheap, too.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Jexus
Ah, yes. I found one of the creepy ones, for the Formanta Polivoks synthesizer.
I will have to admit, though, that if I were a musician, my inclination, if what I had was a digital synthesizer like the Roland JV-1080, to look into a sampling keyboard. For example, the Yamaha Tyros 2 and its successors seem to be able to approach the sound of an entire orchestra of acoustic instruments. That, to me, would seem to be the supreme test of any synthesizer.
From the synth music I've heard, seems you really can't go wrong with a Moog. They sound amazing.
If you feel that it sounds so rich compared to the software synths you use, then you just use them wrong.
It's pretty clear that you have to process your software synths and can't expect the same compressed sound from the get go.
Also learning to use the software synths and how to compress them will give you a lot more freedom than a hardware synth with a built in limiter or whatever.
Kid, I know music. Software can do a lot these days, but it still lacks the qualities of genuine analogue.
You can software yourself to death with fancy filters, limiters, and compressors; it can never get as raw and powerful as real analogue. You cannot "emulate" it 100%, more like 0.01%. That's a little harsh, but it's how I feel. I do use a lot of software, but having a nice killer analogue lead would be satisfying to say the least.
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Your posts aren't music to my ears.
So, kid, that's why you ask in a keyboard forum and have Jupiter synths as your first choice, yeah... you know music : D.
Have fun with your purchase, I hope you enjoy!
Based on the discussion here, then, while I was originally tempted to suggest the Clavia Nord Wave keyboard mentioned to me in another thread, as it is a digital synth with analog style controls, clearly there's no point for you to spend a lot and risk being disappointed in the sound.
The Ensoniq ESQ-1 has some digital components in the sound chain, but the ones most important to the sound are analog, so it was one that offered the best of both worlds to some musicians.
I'd be inclined, though, to recommend getting a simple analog synth, so as to get that real analog sound when you need it without letting that tie up too much of your budget. Not, say, a Minimoog (that offered capabilities roughly equivalent to the Commodore-64's SID chip), but a slight cut above that - a monophonic two-VCO analog synth, like the Roland SH-5.
But if you can find a good deal on a Prophet-600 (an analog synth that was also the first synth with MIDI), go for it!
Finding that monophonic analog synthesizers like the Roland SH-101 go for $800 typically (and it only has one VCO) makes me think that it's harder to make a good recommendation.
The Prophet 5 was one of the earliest polyphonic analogue synthesizers; monotimbral, five voices. MIDI was only an option, so used ones might not have it. What is interesting, though, is that the first "virtual analog" digital synth from Clavia, the Clavia Nord Lead, was designed to have a similar signal flow, so as to be instantly recognizable to Prophet 5 users.
But then, if you do get a new synthesizer and not a used one, you can still get the real thing (http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/products/p8pe/)... Dave Smith of Dave Smith Instruments being the head of Sequential Circuits.
But then, there are other choices. There's something out there called the Alesis A6 Andromeda.
Unfortunately, their inexpensive entry-level synth, the Alesis Micron, only emulates an analog synth, and is internally digital.
OK. So. I know analogue. I know synths. I know prices. I know how good it feels to play something covered in knobs (joke away, I care not) and how limiting it can be to have three buttons to control 96 parameters. I understand completely the mentality of "give me analogue".
Your list, EIBM, is nice, and from it I would wholeheartedly recommend the Juno 60. Why? It is a good, solid, reliable, affordable bit of retro kit. It has full and readily accessible panel control, it has memories (enough, not too many) and DCB (a proprietary Roland interface pre-MIDI which can be interfaced with via a device like the Kenton Pro-DCB, currently around £130, providing bi-directional use). It sounds good too. It lacks glide, lacks the VCO drift you'd get from the others, and has only 1 osc, yet sounds good and healthy like analogue should.
Jupe-4s are crotchety old beasts these days, will set you back a fair bit if in good order, and are liable to crap out. The J6 is getting pricey too, and is nicely featured but a bit plain compared to the others. The J8 is going to require re-mortgaging the house. Your call.
Out of the lot, the 60 is the best bet for your first retro analogue.
However:
there are a boat load of others, old and new. New, consider the DSI Prophet 08 mentioned above. 8 voices, plenty to do. Clavia's Nord 2X is very good, but perhaps a bit clean sounding even when dirtied up. A lot of folk like the Access Virus models, but I've never warmed to them. Korg I've always found lacking somehow. Lots of features, but the sound of their recent-ish stuff has left me cold.
Don't discount the old Roland JX synths - the 10 is a mammoth, a really classy lush thing. Easier to edit with the optional PG-800 programmer though.
There are so many I could list I don't even know where to start...
If you fancied a mono, the Moog Little Phatty is a good modern one, and will sound creamy and mellow and thick and chocolatey. The Voyager will do more and hit your wallet harder. The DSI Mopho is stupidly cheap as a module, fairly cheap as a keyboard, and does lots. As does the DSI Evolver. The Evo is fantastic but even with all those knobs you might have to spend some serious time with it to get your head round what it can do. Totally different feel to the Moogs.
If you felt really mad, you could go for a modular. Doepfer, AS, Modcan, synthesizers.com, you name it. Technocrack, of the most addictive order.
Be warned, buying synths might be a whole new world of pain. At leat they're not vintage guitars.
The Juno 106 has broadly the same sound creation feature set as the 6 and 60, but as you point out it has MIDI. That saves you buying another interface. However, as you also rightly point out, the voice chips have a higher fail rate than the circuits in the 6 or 60. It's basically the same circuits but parts of it were made as surface-mount and encapsulated, and it seems the resin used for that eventually either corrodes the parts or shorts them out. Some have reported removing the resin helps, but there are a couple of folks making drop-in replacements. I don't know how true to the original parts they are, but I hear good reports.
The other differences between them are minor. Still, the general consensus among analogue nuts is that the 60 is the better choice. The 106 might have MIDI but lacks the arpeggiator, and there are rumours it lacks something sonically that the 6 and 60 had. I would treat that like other internet speak without being able to directly compare all three side by side.
Regarding the Jupiter 4, it's not as "little" is it might look... it's deep, tall, and 20kg. By "crap out" I mean it has a noticably flaky stability. Mine played fine for a year, but has started to do insane things when it feels like it. I suspect a power supply issue, so if you can recap a circuit you might be OK. Aside from that it sounds great, something quirky about it - and there's no real interfacing (arp clock in but no external sequencing), though a chap somewhere is making a MIDI board that slots neatly inside and adds extra memories and some more functionality.
I'd feel happier spending less on a Juno 60 than more on a Jupiter 4, and happier transporting the Juno, using it daily, and feeling like I could still rely on it.
I have one of each, so I speak from my own experience, as well as a little unscientifically gathered opinion from the interwebs.
Trolling aside, where can one listen to your compositions that speak for themselves?
You could upload a 128kbps on Soundcloud, I didn't even think about copyright infringement ;D.
Pure curiosity, you just seem to be a analog geek and even though I'm not a fan of raw synthmusic my interest is pretty high.
I listen (and enjoy) all kinds of music besides K-Pop and Metal I guess (although I think Metal music has a lot more to offer than the commercial standard which seems to be made for shy teenagers on a self-discovery trip) and always try to get the essence of it while keeping the technical aspects aside.
So yeah, this is real interest : D.
However, as you also rightly point out, the voice chips have a higher fail rate than the circuits in the 6 or 60. It's basically the same circuits but parts of it were made as surface-mount and encapsulated, and it seems the resin used for that eventually either corrodes the parts or shorts them out.
The Juno 60 has a 14-pin DCB connector, the Jupiter 8 had either a 14 or 20 pin connector depending on version (if memory serves). Not a lot of kit had the DCB interface as MIDI came along and superseded it pretty quickly. I know there were a couple of sequencers and sync boxes that used it, but I can't think of another synth with it.
One good thing about the Kenton DCB unit is that it's bi-directional, so you can record MIDi from the Juno's arpeggiator, for example. Some people say that Kenton are expensive, but I disagree - they're well priced for what you get. They're very sturdy and I've never had a Kenton fail on me yet.