SYNTH WEEK 2024: The pantheon of synthesizers has its uber-successful, key instruments. Units like the Minimoog, the Prophet-5, ARP’s Odyssey and 2600, and the DX7 sit alongside many others we haven’t mentioned in the hardware realm; and in the plugin world, there are options like Massive, Serum, Phase Plant, Diva and more. These instruments have left many a competitor in the dust, and eventually buried by the sands of synth time.
What is it about the successful synths that made them legends? Was the Minimoog an instrument whose time had truly come, and the brainchild of a certified genius? Or did Yamaha’s DX7 only rise to fame through lucky timing and the right marketing strategy? There’s room for both versions of history, but we’ll never be able to say for sure.
