First you should watch these two videos.
I saw these videos when I thinking about similar things. I have told about my previous setup and how much room I still have in it. I wrote more about it to new year’s resolution post but deleted it before posting it. I left part where I said I didn’t want to buy everything at once to have new year’s resolution of not buying new music gear 2022. Well that actually happened without me planning it. Two synths I planned to buy were on sale and I had some extra money.
Got Prophet Rev 2 for second more that four voice analog polyphonic synth. I had not got it before because I had Tetra which is almost same synth with only four voices. Considered different options but Rev 2 was best option. I know how it works because I have Tetra. I knew it would be best option but having Tetra stopped me getting it. Until now. It was much cheaper in one place than anywhere else and there was only one unit. Same thing which made me get OB-6 desktop. Oh. I have that too if I haven’t mentioned it before.
After getting OB-6 and Rev 2 I don’t feel I need another analog polyphonic synth. OB-6 can sound like nothing else. Rev 2 is there when I want more modulation. Having anything more just adds more options. I feel I can get everything I want from polyphonic analog synths from these two synths. I had dreamed about both for years. Would have been cheaper to get them earlier. Don’t feel I need four analog polyphonic synths in set up when two can give me all I need.
Moog Subsequent 25 was on sale. I was almost ready to get Subsequent 37. Planned how to get room for it. But then saw Subsequent 25 on sale. After serious comparison online it looked like 25 would give me 90% of what I would get from 37. Maybe more. I don’t need bigger keyboard. It would be connected to computer and DAW all the time. So arpeggiator, sequencer and extra knobs and buttons don’t give much extra value. Basically only added value from 37 would be mod sections. 37 has two and have more options on them. That gives it finer control over your sound.
In the end it was about was getting extra 10% worth bigger size and price. 25 was on sale. 37 was not. I didn’t feel 37 was worth of extra money and size. 25 has everything why I have wanted Moog and why I almost bought Sub Phatty some time ago. So I got 25. With editor always open fewer knobs and buttons shouldn’t be issue. If I want more control from playing I have other synths which give of that than 37.
Getting to point of those videos. I think I will also limit number of monophonic synths in setup in order to really learn them. Subsequent 25 is good characterful synth with limited modulation options. Like OB-6 on polyphonic side. With same idea Waldorf Pulse 2 would be good synth when I want more modulation and versatility. Like Rev 2 on polyphonic side. These four will be basis of the setup. Three of them give hands on control which I have learned to like after finding vsts which allow that. Pulse 2 is just so good I can use it as VST controlled sound module.
This should make the setup cleaner and simpler. I am not sure what to do with other synths. If I really want setup cleaner I should remove other synths. I will probably keep 2600 in setup since I just got it. But other synths will probably leave. I will probably keep Tetra too because from learning point of view it is same as Rev 2 but could work as extra monophonic/polyphonic synth.
I was thinking something like this even before seeing those videos. I was looking for something to replace Tetra after getting Rev 2. I started to question why I was doing it. There wasn’t really anything which would add anything reasonable for the money. I went to check digital synth because they had MPE support. If digital is ok I could get MPE support from plugins and those do more than digital hardware synths. It went so bad I was seriously considering getting digital hardware synth only because it had MPE support. It sounded worse than synths I had and was too limited in every way.
Watching those videos cleared idea of having simpler setup. Before this I had problem of finding room for synths and then selecting correct one when I wanted to do something. Many of them could do same thing plus little extra but most were almost interchangeable. Having less synths continue trend I started with pedalboards. Having simpler setups which don’t change that much. I don’t promise I won’t buy more music gear or synths this year but this feels way to go for now. At least until someone releases good sounding analog synth with MPE support and extensive modulation on reasonable price.