22 Best Synthesizer Reviews 2022 (Best Synthesizer Brands)

When you combine simplicity of control and real analog synthesis, the product is Korg Volcakeys Analog Synthesizer. To create sound flexibly and make loops in a fun manner, Korg VOLCAKEYS Analog Synthesizer delivers the best performance.

Whether you are a professional music producer or you do it as a hobby, this synthesizer is the right fit considering how affordable it is. It features a sequencer with 16 steps which lets you expand your sonic possibility in the best possible ways.

Ring modulation and delay effects are also some of the other features present in this analog synthesizer. To enter notes, there is a MIDI input, and you can carry out a lot of control operations by using a DAW. This model is powered by a battery, and it is outfitted with built-in speakers which means it is performance-ready anywhere and anytime.

One impressive feature that comes with this synthesizer is the voicing functions which offer six combinations for the three oscillators and can be toggled with a special knob.

The Korg VOLCAKEYS is a solid instrument worthy of investing in if you are interested in making serious music with one of the best instruments in the market. Quality synthesizers for low prices are rare, and when you see one like the Korg VOLCAKEYS, you should jump at it.

The Yamaha MX49 Synthesizer features over 1000 MOTIF XS sounds an impressive USB audio/ MIDI Interface and can be controlled with your computer or iOS device once integrated. It can also work with the new Yamaha FM Essential Synthesizer app for iOS.

With this synthesizer, you get to enjoy quality sound and playability with the full-sized velocity-sensitive keys. It is a lightweight synthesizer which gives you a high-performance quality whenever and wherever. It features great acoustic piano sounds, drums, EPs, 8-element synthesizer textures, and strings.

Other features that you will find in the Yamaha MX49 Synthesizer/Controller include the onboard VCM FX engine, a music production suite that comes with the synth, different timbres of 16 parts and the 128-note polyphony.

With all the features that you will find in this synthesizer, there are no limits to the things you can do with it. Just be ready to realize your full music potentials and harness them by getting creative with the Yamaha MX49 Music Production Synthesizer.

Splash your money on a mini-key synthesizer that packs a lot of power and gives you enough room to tweak onboard sounds easily. It also features a classic vocoder with a VocalTune effect that lets you include your voice in the sound you are creating.

Looking at the size of the MiniNova, it is easy to overlook it, but in all honesty, it contains a lot of impressive music creation features that will blow your mind. These features include a powerful sound engine, 34 waveforms of which 20 of them are digital, and 14 are conventional; 36 wavetables and three oscillators with detune/density to produce boosted sounds.

Apart from the low-pass filter that comes with this synth, it comes with virtual sync that can complement the low-pass filter. Each sound can have up to five different effects all added by you, and the vocal effects are brilliant.

The MiniNova has a cool effects engine, and you can plug in any instrument through the input to apply some effects to the sound. The MiniNova is simply a powerful instrument, and with all of the features packed into its compact body design, it is one synthesizer that you should not pass up.

If you are the type that does not believe in expensive being equal to high performance, then you will have no doubts about the Korg Monotron Duo Dual Oscillator.

It is quite affordable, and it is one of those analog synthesizers that you can easily take with you anywhere. It is performance-ready as the speakers are built into it, and it is powered by batteries. So you only have to take it out and start playing.

With two oscillators, the make a perfect tuning to produce rich tones. The oscillators can also be tuned at intervals to create new effects and produce classic solo sounds. The X-MOD circuit from the Mono/Poly Korg is also a part of the Korg Monotron which helps make the edge of the sound sharper.

The synth also features the scale function which helps you select specific pitches that you would like to play. If you would like to have fun while playing your synth, the Korg Monotron is the best for you. If you are looking for something more serious, however, you may have to look at other options.

It is also important that you know that this model may perform beyond expectations like some of the synthesizers in this review but for its price, its performance is decent enough.

Another impressive offering by ROLAND. This synthesizer’s biggest perk is that it lets you record while on the move. You can have ideas and record them wherever you are. Another great thing about the Roland JUNO-DS61 Synthesizer is that it has features which can come in handy if you have to perform at an event.

These features are so great; your performance will come out as great as it would if you had a more elaborate band set. It features expansion slots which allow you to download waveforms from Roland’s website directly.

If you are looking for a synthesizer that gives you quality sound, the Roland JUNO-DS61 is the ideal keyboard for you. It has a USB port where you can plug in your USB drive to access a wider variety of sounds so you can have more options to get creative.

The sound produced is not only great, but recordings also come out just great with this synthesizer. A portable and lightweight synth that is easy to carry about if you would be traveling a lot.

You stand to enjoy a lot of things with this keyboard including the ability to create more personal and customized music as well as being able to navigate around through the different adjustment parameters.

The Nord Lead 4 49-Key performance synthesizer is one synthesizer that you should check out and consider buying. It features multiple timbres of four parts and four different outs. It comes with 2-oscillator virtual analog subtractive synthesis and controls for morph and variation performance.

The morph is a unique feature peculiar to Nord synthesizers with which you can control the control pedal, modulation wheel or velocity. The wavelength synthesis comprises of unique formant wavetables, and the 49 keys of the keyboard are velocity-sensitive.

There are a lot of things you can do on the Nord Lead 4 49-Key Performance Synth such as changing the range of the arpeggiator or adjusting the sample rate and a lot of other functionalities.

Other features of the Nord include the variation buttons which allows you to override virtually all the parameters of the synthesizer. From changing your modulation routings, LFO speed to reverb amount, the Nord Lead 4 is the synthesizer that gives you the freedom.

It has seven assignable variations per program so you can get enough options to fully exploit your creative potentials. Nord is a brand that has been in existence since 1983, and they have quite an impressive resume as far as musical instruments are concerned.

If you are a synthesizer enthusiast who prefers analog to digital, Dave Smith Instruments Mopho x4 is one of the best options you will find in the market. It has a fully analog signal path and boasts of a lot of impressive features.

These features include 44 semi-weighted pressure-sensitive and velocity-sensitive keys, 4-voice polyphone, plenty options for modulation and the synth is programmable in real time. There are two analog oscillators in each voice, one low-pass filter, four LFOs, two sub-octave generators, one 16 by 4 step sequencer, and an appregiator that can be relatched.

Creating huge bases, solid leads and wacky sequences is made easy with the Dave Smiths Instruments x4 4-voice Analog Synthesizer. All these features all come together to make up one impressive synthesizer.

This synthesizer offers you ease of usage, massive sound production and a lot of value as far as synthesizers go. With a triple-stacked engine, the Roland GAIA SH-01 Synthesizer is a high-performance analog synthesizer. It has an intuitive and user-friendly control panel with the knobs, sliders, and button logically arranged.

No matter what your level of expertise is, this synthesizer will serve you well. Thick sounds produced from the triple-stacked engine which is made up of three oscillators that can deliver in multi-modes, nine envelope generators, LFOs in different shapes and resonant filters. It comes with 64 polyphonic voices which let you play big sounds and avoid dropping out of notes.

The multi-effects in this synthesizers can be easily selected which will take your sounds to another dimension. You can as well put your creative potentials to full use through the ability of the synthesizer to lay five effects at the same time. Some of the onboard effects include fuzz, reverb, pitch, delay, distortion, and shifter.

There are dedicated knobs to tweak these effects on the go and in real-time. The Roland GAIA SH-01 Synthesizer is a compact and lightweight synthesizer that packs a lot of features in it and offers you real value for your money.

The Korg MS20 became a favorite among musicians and music producers not long after its release, and this was due to the presence of certain features such as the solid FX, the dual filters which help you create twisted sounds, drum hits, the solid basses and leads.

It also has a pretty stable tuning compared to other synths in its category, it has an easy mod, and the build is solid. These and its good performance contributed to the popularity of the Korg MS20 Mini Semi-Modular Analog Synthesizer when it was released.

The MS20 mini is only a miniature version of the MS20 so, the fact that it is smaller, lighter and more portable makes it a favorite. You can easily perform anywhere you go since it is easy to carry about.

We only hope that Korg will make available a gig case to protect the synth during transportation. The MS20 mini is one of the few synthesizers that have ¾-size keys and fit an L-shaped keyboard.

Even though the MS20 mini is a smaller replica of the MS20, the former has an advantage over the later which is the inclusion of a MIDI over USB and a MIDI In-port on the back of the synthesizer. It has a solid construction which includes strong plastic ends and a metal body.

This unique synthesizer produced by Teenage Engineer comes in a stylish package. In this compact device, there is a synthesizer, sampler, and controller. It also comes with some unique features like a G-force sensor and FM radio.

With the G-force sensor, motor controlled effects can be achieved. A lot of other features make this synthesizer one that a lot of musicians prefer. It comes with two inbuilt samplers which makes sampling easy to do.

One of the samplers is dedicated to instruments while the other one is dedicated to drum kits and other percussion sounds. The Teenage Engineering Mini Synthesizer comes with some already preloaded instruments and kits, but you can as well choose to sample just about anything with a line in or the inbuilt microphone.

The Teenage Engineering Mini Synthesizer comes with quite many impressive features that contribute to the outstanding sound quality that the synth produces. This fact alone makes this synthesizer a must-have for you if you enjoy making music on the move.

It has long battery life and an intuitive control panel. We cannot excuse the fact that it is a little expensive, but its price is justified by the number of things you can do on it.

With a tiny body design, the Arturia MicroBrute Analog Synthesizer comes with a lot of cool features and delivers those massive sounds you would like to hear in a synthesizer. A patchable mod matrix and mixable waveforms are some of the cool features you will enjoy in this synthesizer.

Despite the cool features packed inside this compact synth, it remains an affordable synthesizer. The voice path is fully analog and it comes with a unique VCO. Its waveform mixing can be done in different amounts and not only with a switch to turn it on or off like some other expensive synthesizers. It comes with a single oscillator which would have been better if it had two or even three like some other similar synthesizers.

It is enjoyable and fun to use, comes at a great price and has a lot of tools to make your synthesizer experience a great one. It is a versatile instrument capable of producing a wide variety of sounds, and it goes without mentioning that it is portable and easy to transport to anywhere at any time.

The Arturia MicroBrute Analog Synthesizer does not promise anything close to what advanced synthesizers do, but in its price category, the MicroBrute is highly recommended.

If you are on a tight budget, it may be a herculean task for you to find a mini synthesizer that will give you optimum performance. But if you are lucky enough to find yourself the Korg MicroKorg 37-key Analog Modeling Synthesizer, you will be ushered into a world of wide possibilities without breaking the bank.

It features inbuilt vocoder, mini keys, strong battery power, high sound quality and a friendly user interface. These features alone present a highly sought-after solution for a lot of synthesizer enthusiasts. The first thing you would notice in this instrument is its portable design which makes setting up and transporting around simple enough for you.

The body has a beige-gold color and the side panels are made of wood. It has a classic vintage design that will stand out anywhere you bring it out. The menu structure is also simple enough that all the parameters can be easily accessed right from the panel.

You can connect a mic to this synth through a dedicated jack. There are 128 presets which can be edited at any time, 37 velocity-sensitive mini-keys and the five assignable real-time edit knobs. If you want to get yourself a versatile synthesizer, the MicroKorg satisfies that need, and you will not have to spend too much.

For beginners and newbies in learning how to create sounds with synthesizers, the Gakken SX-150 MARK II Analog Synthesizer is a fun analog synth to use to achieve that aim. It is quite inexpensive, and it is useful in including some quirky noises in the music you create.

It feels every bit like a toy, but its performance by far exceeds that of a toy. For a small synthesizer, it produces great sounds from its speakers. To get the best output from this synth, you only have to send the output through one or two FX pedals and twist some knobs. Even you will be surprised at the sound output that will come out of your monitor.

Although, it is not the best synthesizer around due to its price and what it was designed for. But for its price, it still delivers great sounds which goes even higher than what it costs. Even if you won’t be doing anything serious with it, it is a worthy instrument to have.

You can get all the major effects found in professional synthesizers in this small analog synthesizer. The functionalities are so much that there is almost no type of music you cannot create with it.

The Bass Station II is packed with the most sophisticated technology that you can find in modern analog musical instruments. The quality of bass that you will get out of the Novation Bass Station II is unmatched as it comes with many solid features such as the full-sized velocity sensitive keys, step sequencer and a strong modulation section.

The two oscillators that come with it are both capable of synchronizing and tuning while there are a third sub-oscillator and four waveforms which help achieve big bass sounds. This synth was built to deliver punchy bass which is owed to the original bass station filter.

There is also an acid filter which also has an inbuilt overdrive that helps deliver great filter tones. You can easily switch the bass station filter from low pass through high pass to bandpass.

There is an arpeggiator that has a programmable step sequencer which you can use to retrieve and store patterns or to simply map out ideas running in your head. The arpeggiator can run in multiple directions and through up to 32 rhythmic patterns. The step sequencer allows you to play four sequences alongside rest and legato. This synthesizer gives good value for money.

As much as it has been emphasized upon how much benefits you stand to gain buying a portable synthesizer, not everyone would go for a small synthesizer. If you are after a real synthesizer that is a little bit sizable, then the Korg Minilogue 4-Voice Polyphonic Analog synthesizer is an option that you should consider.

It can play full chords, and all the controls you need are placed right on the synth so you can have easy access to them without diving into the menus. There are a lot of other synthesizers in the price category of the Korg Minilogue and what they all have in common is their mini keys which are reduced in size.

This might not matter to you if all you do with your synthesizer is sequencing. You can connect through Korg’s proprietary sync connector where you can create more beats by adding a Volca drum machine.

The Korg Minilogue is not particularly a synthesizer that you can use for a long time into the future, but while you start out and save for a bigger and more expensive synthesizer, it should serve you just fine. This synthesizer is fully programmable and comes with 100 sounds plus 200 program memories.

Arturia is a well-established brand in the music instruments world and especially in the production of high-quality synthesizers. Their range of synthesizers spans from classic monophonic, polyphonic to modular and digital-analog hybrid models.

Using the MiniBrute Analog Synthesizer is fun and flexible with profound production output. It is easy to achieve strong leads and basses, and the effects come out nicely too. Most of the sound production systems made by Arturia are software systems except the MiniBrute which is a full hardware synthesizer.

The MiniBrute is a sturdy synthesizer that feels weighty when held and this is inevitable given that the case is made of aluminum and the sides made of plastic.

The variety of the keyboard is the two-octave full-sized variety right below the modulation and pitch wheels. The synthesizer programming section has a lot of switches, knobs, and sliders which make all the functionalities you may need easily accessible.

The MiniBrute is a monophonic synthesizer which has 25 notes, and the keyboard has an after-touch effect. It is powered by a 12-volt external PSU which a lot of people wouldn’t mind. With an Oscillator with sub-osc that is controlled by Voltage, the Arturia Minibrute is a pacesetter for other hardware synthesizers.

Getting an affordable synthesizer with great features from a reputable brand is quite a steal. The Moog Sub Phatty 25-key Analog synthesizer is one of the great analog synthesizers on the market with top-notch features.

With 13 switches, 31 knobs, 25 semi-weighted keys, and 100 percent analog signal path, you will have direct control of one of the most innovative analog synthesizers in the market. Other features include the very reactive multi-drive system which outputs different sounds both classic and modern.

It comes with a free software editor which you can use to manage the presets as well as share them. This editor also makes it easy to manipulate the parameters to achieve optimum sound quality.

The one knob per function feature lets you create, store and explore unique sounds created by yourself right from the panel. It comes with a mixer section which is made up of a sub oscillator that produces a square wave that is lower than Oscillator 1 by an octave.

You can use this tool as a third oscillator so you can get more depth or to create your version of the popular Moog bass. The mixer section also has a noise generator which helps deliver sounds with low frequency. This is one synth that offers you solid performance with lots of functionalities to go with it.

Roland synthesizers come in different models and specifications that you will find it hard to choose out of the different models bearing the name of the brand; but in the Roland Interactive Analog/Digital Crossover Synthesizer, you have a hybrid synthesizer that offers a lot of impressive functionalities.

On the panel alone, there are 15 solidly designed knobs with which you can send out or receive MIDI. The sturdy selector buttons are backlit and are made of translucent rubber.

It features a red LCD which displays all the onboard parameters and is easy to read even though the Roland JD-XI Interactive Synthesizer is small and portable in size. The menu comes with a lot of functions which means you have to press a lot of buttons, but hopefully, in the future, there will be an editor.

The Roland JX-XI Interactive Synthesizer comes with a quality sound engine. It has four timbres which include one drum part, one monophonic analog part, and two digital parts. The four parts of the timbre all receive and output on different MIDI channels.

There is a sequencer track on each part that corresponds with the MIDI channels. It comes with 300 presets (256 digital and 64 analogs) as well as 256 user spaces and 32 drum kits.

The Elektron Analog Four Tabletop Synthesizer is a four voice analog synthesizer that creates the most organic sounds that you can get from a synthesizer. The production of the organic sound is made possible by the presence of filters and oscillators.

It features a step sequencer which helps with sound control, and the sequencer has features like variable length for every track as well as the option to lock parameters. It features the special performance mode which allows you to access parameters designed by you.

You can also change patterns at any sequencer step with the direct pattern change feature. The new Overbridge functionality which Elecktron is adding to their analog instrument is included in the Analog Four as well.

With Overbridge, you can synchronize the Analog Four Tabletop Synth to a DAW that is compatible with VST/AU. Overbridge also enables features such as audio streaming, bi-directional multi-track, automation mapping and it helps you keep samples of sounds well organized.

The Analog Four packs within it a lot of functionalities and the features are simply too numerous to mention. It is designed for exceptional performance so for any performance you might have; the Elektron Analog Four Tabletop Synthesizer is up to the task at any time.

Designed for professionals, the Moog Sub 37 is a premium instrument and delivers nothing short of premium performance. It comes with great features such as an LCD, 74 switches, live performance tools, 40 knobs and a whole lot of other features which make this synthesizer something worthy of spending money on.

It is a known fact that Moog puts out premium instruments that never come at low prices and the Sub 37 is not an exception albeit the fact that it justifies its price.

Its body is designed with a combination of steel and wood, and on the synthesizer, you will find a lot of buttons and knobs that perform a lot of impressive functions. It comes with dual oscillators, and with the duo mode feature, the oscillators can be played independently of each other.

The Moog Sub 37 comes with 256 sound presets which you can manage through the LCD on the extreme left of the synthesizer and these presets can be browsed by using the compare button. Right on the keyboard, above the keys, 16 preset buttons can be easily accessed.

If you are an unrepentant music enthusiast, the Moog Sub 37 Tribute Edition Analog Synthesizer is worth the money, and if there is anything we can confirm, it is that this synthesizer will take your sound production up several notches.

This is a pricier choice of a synthesizer, but there is no doubt about its functionality and impressive features. With a sturdy build, the quality and design of the hardware are quite impressive, and for an almost-portable synthesizer, it is a really solid instrument.

The MIDI knobs are controllable, and the semi-weighted keys are after-touch enabled which has a high-quality feel to it. The Matrix Brute has three modes namely the Preset, the Mod and the Seq. It also comes with four modulation slots which any user can set by holding the mod-slot button and assigning by moving a front panel control.

Laying hands on this synthesizer, you will find an “E-ink” screen which stays on even after the synth is turned off. It looks like a paper that has been typewritten on, but it is only used to refer to the slots in the matrix which can be assigned by the user.

It, however, does not have a backlight, therefore, cannot be used under poor lighting conditions. The LCD screen has a backlight which displays all the information about whatever you are playing. The sound engine produces sound powered by three VCOs which ensure the highest quality of sound.

A lot of users have expressed concerns over the type of sound the Maxi Brute can produce, but you would be surprised to know that the Maxi Brute can be used to create not only edgy sounds but warm, smooth and woody sound too.

The Korg MICROKORGS – Key Tabletop Synthesizer is one of the new synthesizers released by Korg back in 2016. The MICROKORGS – Key is a highly powerful albeit small synthesizer.

The color of the Microkorg S is different from the original Micro KORG, and the latter comes with inbuilt speakers. So there will be no need for additional monitors to listen to the sound you create.

The inbuilt speakers are made up of a woofer and a pair of stereo speakers so you can be sure of solid and rich sound quality from these speakers. Also, there is the addition of additional memory to accommodate 64 more user patches and an updated preset patch that can accommodate more contemporary styles.

This gives you more options to get creative with modern sounds. There is also a “favorite select” function with which you can easily access your eight most favorite programs. The design is elegant, and it retains the feel of the previous model, the Micro KORG.

It feels every bit like a professional synthesizer which can be used to produce the most dynamic sounds anywhere and anytime. You can set up shop anywhere and anytime without needing a full production set of equipment.