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its ok
Its an 'ok' synth, you need to tweak and spend quiet a lot of time to get cool sounds though, so the final result is not only the important but the process of sound design, which is fun and also makes you learn a lot
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A
Excellent synth.
In overall, an excellent synth. I use it both in the studio and live performances.
Pros:
legendary ms20 analogue sound
portability (smaller than original, easier to carry)
sturdiness (mine traveled a bit and even fell down one time, no problems so far)
a lot of features, thanks to patch panel and external audio module
price
Cons:
wobbly knobs
minikeys
a bit noisy sound
While some don't like minikeys I personally don't find them as bad as some claim they are. Of course they're not as comfortable as full sized keys, but still perfectly playable. Especially taking in account it's a mono synth and you probably won't use both hands. The sound is a bit noisy, you can hear it really well on triangle waveform and low octaves. I guess it's because they decided to go stay old school, but, in my opinion, it would have been better if they got rid of the noise leak.
Pros:
legendary ms20 analogue sound
portability (smaller than original, easier to carry)
sturdiness (mine traveled a bit and even fell down one time, no problems so far)
a lot of features, thanks to patch panel and external audio module
price
Cons:
wobbly knobs
minikeys
a bit noisy sound
While some don't like minikeys I personally don't find them as bad as some claim they are. Of course they're not as comfortable as full sized keys, but still perfectly playable. Especially taking in account it's a mono synth and you probably won't use both hands. The sound is a bit noisy, you can hear it really well on triangle waveform and low octaves. I guess it's because they decided to go stay old school, but, in my opinion, it would have been better if they got rid of the noise leak.
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D
Faulty product
Cannot go past 2 o'clock when modulating the pulse wave on osc 1. Need to send it back for repair. This is very annoying.
This aside, the sound from the MS-20 is sublime. I look forward to getting mine repaired, not looking forward to being without it..
This aside, the sound from the MS-20 is sublime. I look forward to getting mine repaired, not looking forward to being without it..
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e
Monster sound and versatile features
The ms20 has really surprised me with it's range of possibilities in sound design.
Even without touching the patchbay, the synth has a really wide range of sounds, from aggressive leads to spacey pads. The filters sound sweet and at high peak levels they produce some really interesting results.
I've been exploring the patchbay connections for the last months and i keep finding new interesting combinations. It might seem a bit intimidating at first, but i've found it to be a really useful tool to learn about synthesis.
My only issues with the synth are the build quality and the output ports. Having a 3.5mm jack as audio-out feels a bit cheap and ports that size wear out quickly. I've also had issues fitting the power cable and the midi cable on the back, the connection, especially for the midi one, is really loose and i find myself having to constantly check the back to fix the midi connection.
Even without touching the patchbay, the synth has a really wide range of sounds, from aggressive leads to spacey pads. The filters sound sweet and at high peak levels they produce some really interesting results.
I've been exploring the patchbay connections for the last months and i keep finding new interesting combinations. It might seem a bit intimidating at first, but i've found it to be a really useful tool to learn about synthesis.
My only issues with the synth are the build quality and the output ports. Having a 3.5mm jack as audio-out feels a bit cheap and ports that size wear out quickly. I've also had issues fitting the power cable and the midi cable on the back, the connection, especially for the midi one, is really loose and i find myself having to constantly check the back to fix the midi connection.
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C
Cool Retro sound but some features are lacking quality
This is a great recreation and fun synth but its not for newbies, however it offers a good introduction to semi-modular synthesis. The mini jack output is a bit annoying as is the noise generated when plugged into usb. The mini-keys are workable but not ideal. I would say if you must have that MS 20 sound go for it but those new to synths might be better off with something like a Monologue.
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GJ
A toy version of the MS-20
Okay, it's more than just a toy. But the small size and rather flimsy build doesn't exude quality. But then I guess you can't expect a lot for the low price?
Sonically it sounds fine, I've never owned an MS20 before so I can't comment on the vintageness. I suspect this is what an MS20 sounded like as new before all the crackles appeared.
If you like PWM be prepared to get drilling and soldering, since this synth has never had PWM unless you like manually twiddling the front panel knobs. It is an easy modification though.
Sonically it sounds fine, I've never owned an MS20 before so I can't comment on the vintageness. I suspect this is what an MS20 sounded like as new before all the crackles appeared.
If you like PWM be prepared to get drilling and soldering, since this synth has never had PWM unless you like manually twiddling the front panel knobs. It is an easy modification though.
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A
Amazing synthesizer
I use this synthesizer in my home studio. It's my first analog synth and i think that i could not choose better. It has fat basses, great screaming filters and many patch options. The only disadvantage of this instrument is the noise. It' s quite noisy when the lowpass filter is half-closed, so when you want some soft or ambient sounds there is a noise, but when you put reverb or other efects on it, the noise is almost not possible to notice.
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A
Excellent analogue synth sound
I use this synth for some occasional home recording.
Pros:
Generally I'm very happy with the kind of sound I can get from the synth particularly for some 8-bit like synth bass and rhythm lines (almost chip-tuny, I really like that). The usb output is easily recognized by able ton and the instrument can be controlled directly from the software. Which is useful for someone like me who isn't good with keys (guitar is my primary instrument).
Cons:
I did notice that on some less aggressive and more bassy settings such as you basic sine wave on a low octave there is a distinct hiss-like noise generated on key-press. Its not audible on louder settings. But something to keep in mind.
Pros:
Generally I'm very happy with the kind of sound I can get from the synth particularly for some 8-bit like synth bass and rhythm lines (almost chip-tuny, I really like that). The usb output is easily recognized by able ton and the instrument can be controlled directly from the software. Which is useful for someone like me who isn't good with keys (guitar is my primary instrument).
Cons:
I did notice that on some less aggressive and more bassy settings such as you basic sine wave on a low octave there is a distinct hiss-like noise generated on key-press. Its not audible on louder settings. But something to keep in mind.
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A
Excellent
It took me some time to got the feel of it (still does) but once you start to get used to it, the amount of sound you can get is priceless. Spend a good time diggin it out and it will be your companion for the rest of your career.
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