I'd say, the Korg OASYS despite it's short lived period of relevance is hands down the best looking keyboard instrument ever made. That thing was imposing and beautiful in watch live on stage and a delight to play. Fadres, knobs, LED lit buttons and accents and that massive flip out touch screen. This device truly had personality.
I've always been drawn to synths with wood side panels, as most vintage synths had, which initially attracted me to the MemoryMoog (ultimately the sound of course), that I bought in '83. Conversely, on the same sales receipt, I picked up the Jupiter 6, very attractive in very different ways to the MemoryMoog. Was a great 1-2 punch back then! Didn't care for the boring design style of 90s boards like the D50 or M1. I passed on the ASM Hydrasynth due to the sounds I've heard despite the very stylish design, but went for the Novation Summit, beautifully laid out and designed.
I have a few favorites: 1. Roland JD-800 2. Roland JP-8000 3. Waldorf Quantum 4. MiniMoog 5. EMS Synthi 100 (probably the most imposing synth ever) Unfortunately, unlike a guitar, when they're sitting in a rack, most synths look the same to the audience.
@@jamesmacleod671 I've one too & would never part with it. It's in my top 3. It's almost too simple making unusual sounds with that one & still a huge step ahead from its comparably plain predecessors. As far as I know it's even the only Nordlead with 2 Filters & after touch.
Best looking synths, PPG wave 2.3 with waveterm B, Oberheim Matrix 12, OSC Oscar, Roland Jupiter 8, Moog one, Roland JD 800, Waldorf The Wave. I like battleships, the bigger, the better.
An interesting idea, well worth daydreaming about.Glad you ended with an acoustic keyboard - I don't remember you ever mentioning them before! After I gave up on trying to master the clarinet I kept it on its stand as a sculpture. Wish I could do that with a grand piano - but I don't have the room. Or the money. I have a nice VST of one though.
Again nice intro! The JP-6 is of course beautiful, same as the Hydrasynth. What do I find beauitiful? Well, in my small country (Austria) there's the so called eboardmuseum former keyboardmuseum that had to change its name due to a lawsuit. Thus I've seen almost anything in real Back to the synths: Breathtakingly beautiful is DX7 II''s centennial anniversary edition, the purple Waldorf Wave, the pinstriped Oberheim OB8 (especially with printed Page 2 functions below buttons), certainly the blue version of KORG 707. Though I love colours &/or edgy designs I find the Andromeda with a black overlay & alu-side panels even hotter, than its millenium silver. Besides there's been a limited edition with red instead blue coloured spots. (To me) that looked worse. DX1 certainly looks beautiful but also GS1, HX1, GX1 & V50. Some find the AN1x ugly, I don't. The Rhodes Chroma & the Polaris I consider as beautiful, of course any version of the Synclavier (except Regen) not to forget the Hartmann Neuron, the blue Novation Ultranova but also KORG DS8 looks way better in real than on images. The transparent version of the microkorg & the no less transparent Gleeman Pentaphonic I like. Some may perhaps scrunch up their noses now but I do NOT consider YAMAHA YS 200/100 as ugly but brave & edgy designed, perhaps a little funny but still unique. The by far most beautiful synth of all time to me is the (on all levels) overwhelming present version of Shear Electronics high quality OB-inspired "Relic". There'll perhaps never be another synth looking that otherworldly & nonetheless sturdy.
Great memories of playing the CAT in our high school rock band class in the late 70s, but couldn't pull the trigger on the $795 price at the time for one of my own.
I like the Blofeld. The minimalist aesthetic, the logo, the clean lines it's all great. I also like the Moog One UI. The black background with the red buttons. Same with Matriarch Dark. Black with red. Anyway good overview.
so glad to see the Polyevolver on here. I love the look of those! I'd say that and the white Prophet 12 LE they made before axing the P12 kbd are among the best looking synths
If I limit myself to Waldorf: - Yellow Q. It's so bold, and I love yellow. - Microwave XTk. I love orange even more. - STVC. It has a lovely retro look to it. Very little known: - Hohner HS-2. It's a Casio VZ-1 in a white and brushed metal case. I have the rack version, the HS-2/E, which is a Casio VZ-10M. Not very well know: - White Crumar Bit 99. I bought the black version, including original leather bag, two weeks ago. Not ugly either. Arturia: - PolyBrute 12. Absolutely gorgeous colours. - AstroLab: not for me, but love the design. - White KeyLab 61 mkII. I have this, and it's a joy. I'm not sure whether to include my silver Yamaha EX5. It's a little too bland, really. But you may have noticed a trend: I love non-black keyboards. And I love colour in general. If I wanted everything to be in muted tones, I'd move to Scandinavia.
Wow! The Crumar Bit 99, that's a blast from the past. It looks good in black, but I'm not a fan of the white. I'm guessing you like the white if you like the PolyBrute. I respect your choices, sir, thanks for the comment.
@@JeffreyScottPetro Well, the thing is, colours make me happy. Especially bright colours. If I look at my rack units, there's the aforementioned Hohner HS-2/E in silver, a Jomox AirBase 99 in grey with an orange stripe (quite industrial looking, even by German standards), two iConnectivity MIDI interfaces in aluminium and black, and then, bang! There's the bright yellow Micro Q. All the rest is black. You started your video with guitars, and how much emphasis is placed on the looks. Well, if looks and colours are anything to go by, it seems like we keyboardists all play death metal. 🙂
The CAT was my first synth. I sold it pretty early on because I needed more power. If only I had known that it would someday be worth 10 times what I paid for it. Plus I just miss it. It really was great.
Ah, yes, the Prophet T8. I'm a fan of the T8 sound and looks, though not of the complicated optical sensors for the polyphonic aftertouch which can fail quite often. I'm not a fan of wood as a material in classic synths, but the T8 and the Memorymoog both do it with class and style. Thanks for the comment.
Before watching your list, the first 2 keyboard that jumped in my mind were the Korg MonoPoly and the Waldorf Q. Thought there would be an honorable mention for the Akai Ax80 :-)
LOL about the AX80. I do think it looks great with the big fluro display. It's an all black background, but it would look better if the text were white. When I was playing live, it was hard to read the text on stage.
Excellent video. My all time favorite is the Yamaha SK50D. It might not stand up sonically but it looks like the lovechild of the CS80 and the controller section of the Crumar GDS with a bit of GX1 thrown in. Then there is the Waldorf Wave. And what about the GEM Promega 3 which actually contains a great sounding Fazioli?
I see that your taste is leaning towards keyboards with multiple switches and rotary knobs... I on the other hand appreciate the aesthetics of the 80s more, so i adore the design of the Oberheim Matrix 6, the Roland JX-8p, and especially the classic beauty of the Akai AX-80. Also one of the most beautiful instruments is the Roland JD-800 (also one of the reason I still own them), but I must admit that the Novation Summit looks great too!
I think the Roland S-50 is super sexy, especially with the color monitor and mouse nearby in that 80's Keyboard magazine ad. Here are some other of my favorites that didn't make it on your list: Fairlight CMI Roland D-50 Korg Wavestation Nord lead series Yamaha DX7 II FD Oberheim Matrix 12
Agreed. Similar, and clean layouts. I've never been a fan of circular buttons, but each to their own. I'm happy Korg went with rectangular buttons for the Wavestation in 1990. Appreciate your comment.
The best looking keyboards in my opinion are the Korg 01/W because of its clean sportscar like design and the Waldorf Wave because of its impressiveness.
I usually largely agree with you, but not this time … !! Synclavier is the only thing here that might make my list (though admittedly I was thinking synths and ‘keyboards’; certainly not pianos). The Yamaha, Roland & Korg (and the Piano!!) get a half-pass as ‘Classics’ … A Halloween scariest synths list is a fine idea, methinks. 🎃🎹
ARP (Rhodes) Chroma. While we're at it, ARP Quadra. Prophet T-8. Crumar T-2. Non-Linear Labs C15. There are others, even some that aren't more than 40 years old, but I otherwise agree with your selections. Another interesting video.
While not a synth (it's a MIDI controller) The Native Instruments M32 and A series keyboards are masterpieces of minimalism but still offer great versitility.
I'm actually baffled that you listed the Korg Kronos. That thing is really plain looking, in my opinion. Also, I would have chosen a pipe organ over a grand piano (although grand piano's ARE cool looking).
If I apply the criteria you mention around the 10:00 mark, I would add the Yamaha YS100/200. I'm sure there are people would would laugh at that statement, but as a trained industrial designer myself, I can tell you that design won design awards back in the late 80s.
I have over 50 synths and keyboards myself and my opinion is that the best looking one from them is the DSI Mopho Keyboard SE (the black one with wooden sides)
Dx7 2 Interesting episode but arranger keyboards are probably the best looking.Agree with the synclavier might be my number 1 withe the natural wood panels.A better topic for guitars. Best wishes as always.
Agree with grand piano. Harpsicord however, looks stunning in natural wood grains, and helps a laymen like me differentiate between the two so keys don't physically get jammed up.
Yes. Simple and mostly easy to read. Kind of similar to an M1. Disk drive integration could be sleeker, but that is the way it was done at that time. Thanks for the suggestion.
I always liked the Ensoniq Mirage, because there was almost nothing on it. It was just a big smooth metal casing with a few buttons and small display. It was sort of stealthy. We will not get into the programming at this time…,
I love some Arp synths, but I'm not a fan of the orange text. Like I said in the video, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I respect your choice. Thanks for the comment.
@@JeffreyScottPetro It just occurred to me: the reason I might be partial to some keyboards over others (design-wise) is my memories and nostalgia from a time they were being used by my heroes of the mid late 70s, adding them to my wish list and cutting out the ads from Keyboard magazine
Are you sure you're not Darrel Hammond's (SNL) sibling? I like the ranking of the Kronos but I feel like the Kronos SE with its faded red background and black end caps is a real sweet looking machine. Of course, I'm slightly biased as I own one.
I thought that one of the best looking synthesizer featured in the video would be the Roland XV-88. I think it looks stunning. But it's not even featured in this video. There's only a brief view of it. And it's not even on the list. Anyway, to me, the best looking synthesizers are the ones from the late '80s and early '90s, when synthesizers were purposefully made to look sleek on stage. My list would include the FZ-1, K5, DX7, DX7II, D-50, M1, D-20, HT-6000, VZ-1, V50, T3, SY77, and of course the JD-800. Oh, and I think the Nautilus looks much better than the Kronos. But as they say in China, thousand men, thousand sorrows. Meaning, each person likes different things, which most likely is a nurture program. To me the DX7's and D-50's being seeing on stage were effective enough to program my aesthetic needs permanently. Thankfully, the prices on those are not so high these days, unless of course there's one brand new old stock in original box. I saw a D-50 only once like that on eBay. It was sold for even $2,000. The best thing I could ever score on Ebay in my entire life was a brand new in a box Casio VZ-1, for $500. Not only looks and feels great, but it also sounds good.
You should really get youself behind a ASM Hyrdsasynth, you can get just about any sound you want on it, If you've never played one you should give it a try, In my collection of synths I all so have a Roland XP-30, Roland Juno DS 61, & RolaND Gaia 1.
I was thinking of buying one of those but I have almost every major keyboard in plugin. People said they liked it but that it was virtually a soft synth in a box. If I bought another board, I was trying to add one that was vastly different than anything I have (box or not). What I don’t have is an analog hardware synth.
We all love real simulated wood side panels. But seriously: i think a Korg 800 DV looks nice and the previous owner called the Korg ‘Kate Moss’ so we seem to agree
Maybe. You know, I own two of them, and I'm looking at them right now. It is a clean and functional layout. As I've gotten older, I wish the text was larger, but there isn't a lot of room. Thanks for the comment.
Yeah, no Fantom X, but it can absolutely be on your list, and I respect your opinion. I'm not a fan of the X appearance. I don't like the silver body. I have two XV-88's, and they use a lot of the same controls and the faded orange text, and I bear it because the main body is an extremely dark greyish blue, the synth sounds are excellent, and the keyboard feel for piano is amazing.
A guitar will always sound like a guitar. Some of the cheapest ones are surprisingly good. So looks count more than quality. A good keyboard can't be made cheap since memory and good d/a convertors aren't cheap. a budget version of a pro keyboard will always sound thinner than the original. a cheap guitar doesn't have to do with d/a convertors.
Not bad, but not my cup of tea. perhaps a little clunky. A very heavy sampler. The III was a little better, and the Emax was a whole lot better. The 6000 series rack samplers are better still. Clean design with white text on a black background.
The guy with the manufacturer stickers on his monitors is commenting on aesthetics? Hm....... I'm prefer the XTk, Lead3, MS2000, Prologue, Raven, and JP-8000 myself.
Yeah, I really should take off those stickers. They are pealing like crazy. After two and a half decades, I'm worried about glue residue. Thanks for the comment.
Agreed. The JX-8P and moreover the JX10 have very clean designs, but as I recently said in the all-Roland Music Gear Market episode, it's difficult to find one without a degraded finish.
@@JeffreyScottPetro The JX-8P with its slaughterhouse buttons?!? I have one and though I like what it can do I hate the design. Blood proof membrane buttons doesn't belong on anything else than machinery for processing food!
I'd say, the Korg OASYS despite it's short lived period of relevance is hands down the best looking keyboard instrument ever made. That thing was imposing and beautiful in watch live on stage and a delight to play. Fadres, knobs, LED lit buttons and accents and that massive flip out touch screen. This device truly had personality.
The purple Kurzweil K2600 gets my number one vote
The Prophet 5!!! Instant drool.
I've always been drawn to synths with wood side panels, as most vintage synths had, which initially attracted me to the MemoryMoog (ultimately the sound of course), that I bought in '83. Conversely, on the same sales receipt, I picked up the Jupiter 6, very attractive in very different ways to the MemoryMoog. Was a great 1-2 punch back then!
Didn't care for the boring design style of 90s boards like the D50 or M1. I passed on the ASM Hydrasynth due to the sounds I've heard despite the very stylish design, but went for the Novation Summit, beautifully laid out and designed.
DW 8000 , M1, T serial had more boring design than D 50 , for my taste . As you , i like wood sides but hate bolts throw wood !
The Summit is so slept on … all these synth releases are doing nothing for our attention spans …
I have a few favorites:
1. Roland JD-800
2. Roland JP-8000
3. Waldorf Quantum
4. MiniMoog
5. EMS Synthi 100 (probably the most imposing synth ever)
Unfortunately, unlike a guitar, when they're sitting in a rack, most synths look the same to the audience.
.
...& Nordlead 3 with its many knobs with LED rings. How could I forget that design masterpiece?
I've got that one, it is nice to look at and I like sounds it produces. Lots of memory as well to save so many sounds.
@@jamesmacleod671 I've one too & would never part with it. It's in my top 3. It's almost too simple making unusual sounds with that one & still a huge step ahead from its comparably plain predecessors. As far as I know it's even the only Nordlead with 2 Filters & after touch.
Best looking synths, PPG wave 2.3 with waveterm B, Oberheim Matrix 12, OSC Oscar, Roland Jupiter 8, Moog one, Roland JD 800, Waldorf The Wave.
I like battleships, the bigger, the better.
Battleships, huh? Yep, someone mentioned the Emulator, and Emulator 2 in the comments, those things are boat anchors. Thanks for the comment.
1. Hammond
2. Minimoog
3. Farfisa
4. Mellotron
5. Vox Continental
6. Moog Modular
7. Wurlitzer
8. Rhodes
9. Harpsichord
10. Pipe Organ
Nice list, and all classics.
I'm really surprised that you didn't include the JD-800.
It's pretty good looking, but I'm not a fan of the angled buttons. Thanks for your comment, sir.
the reverse color keys one is pretty darn cool looking
An interesting idea, well worth daydreaming about.Glad you ended with an acoustic keyboard - I don't remember you ever mentioning them before! After I gave up on trying to master the clarinet I kept it on its stand as a sculpture. Wish I could do that with a grand piano - but I don't have the room. Or the money. I have a nice VST of one though.
I get it. There is something about a well-polished clarinet on a stand. Years ago, I had a girlfriend that played clarinet. Thanks for the comment.
Again nice intro! The JP-6 is of course beautiful, same as the Hydrasynth. What do I find beauitiful? Well, in my small country (Austria) there's the so called eboardmuseum former keyboardmuseum that had to change its name due to a lawsuit. Thus I've seen almost anything in real
Back to the synths: Breathtakingly beautiful is DX7 II''s centennial anniversary edition, the purple Waldorf Wave, the pinstriped Oberheim OB8 (especially with printed Page 2 functions below buttons), certainly the blue version of KORG 707.
Though I love colours &/or edgy designs I find the Andromeda with a black overlay & alu-side panels even hotter, than its millenium silver. Besides there's been a limited edition with red instead blue coloured spots. (To me) that looked worse.
DX1 certainly looks beautiful but also GS1, HX1, GX1 & V50. Some find the AN1x ugly, I don't. The Rhodes Chroma & the Polaris I consider as beautiful, of course any version of the Synclavier (except Regen) not to forget the Hartmann Neuron, the blue Novation Ultranova but also KORG DS8 looks way better in real than on images. The transparent version of the microkorg & the no less transparent Gleeman Pentaphonic I like.
Some may perhaps scrunch up their noses now but I do NOT consider YAMAHA YS 200/100 as ugly but brave & edgy designed, perhaps a little funny but still unique. The by far most beautiful synth of all time to me is the (on all levels) overwhelming present version of Shear Electronics high quality OB-inspired "Relic". There'll perhaps never be another synth looking that otherworldly & nonetheless sturdy.
I think the Hydrasynth was the best looking one. I owned a Jupiter 6 but sold it and got a Ensoniq VFX SD
I always wanted one of those just to have it, I have an eps and sq-1. But I already have vsts of the esq1 and sq-80. If you’re an Ensoniq guy though….
The CAT is not only a great looking synth but an exceptionally amazing sounding synth too. I have the Behringer clone.
Great memories of playing the CAT in our high school rock band class in the late 70s, but couldn't pull the trigger on the $795 price at the time for one of my own.
My Esoniq FIZMO is really cool looking. The Roland Jupiter 8 is really awesome, too.
I like the Blofeld. The minimalist aesthetic, the logo, the clean lines it's all great. I also like the Moog One UI. The black background with the red buttons. Same with Matriarch Dark. Black with red. Anyway good overview.
Thanks, I like the sound of both of those units.
so glad to see the Polyevolver on here. I love the look of those! I'd say that and the white Prophet 12 LE they made before axing the P12 kbd are among the best looking synths
The 12 LE is pretty nice. You know that I would have preferred black highlights instead of orange, but it's a fine choice. Thanks for the comment.
If I limit myself to Waldorf:
- Yellow Q. It's so bold, and I love yellow.
- Microwave XTk. I love orange even more.
- STVC. It has a lovely retro look to it.
Very little known:
- Hohner HS-2. It's a Casio VZ-1 in a white and brushed metal case. I have the rack version, the HS-2/E, which is a Casio VZ-10M.
Not very well know:
- White Crumar Bit 99. I bought the black version, including original leather bag, two weeks ago. Not ugly either.
Arturia:
- PolyBrute 12. Absolutely gorgeous colours.
- AstroLab: not for me, but love the design.
- White KeyLab 61 mkII. I have this, and it's a joy.
I'm not sure whether to include my silver Yamaha EX5. It's a little too bland, really. But you may have noticed a trend: I love non-black keyboards. And I love colour in general. If I wanted everything to be in muted tones, I'd move to Scandinavia.
Wow! The Crumar Bit 99, that's a blast from the past. It looks good in black, but I'm not a fan of the white. I'm guessing you like the white if you like the PolyBrute. I respect your choices, sir, thanks for the comment.
@@JeffreyScottPetro Well, the thing is, colours make me happy. Especially bright colours.
If I look at my rack units, there's the aforementioned Hohner HS-2/E in silver, a Jomox AirBase 99 in grey with an orange stripe (quite industrial looking, even by German standards), two iConnectivity MIDI interfaces in aluminium and black, and then, bang! There's the bright yellow Micro Q. All the rest is black.
You started your video with guitars, and how much emphasis is placed on the looks. Well, if looks and colours are anything to go by, it seems like we keyboardists all play death metal. 🙂
Cool video
Thank you, sir.
The CAT was my first synth. I sold it pretty early on because I needed more power. If only I had known that it would someday be worth 10 times what I paid for it. Plus I just miss it. It really was great.
Yeah. Every time I read a comment like this, I lament over selling my Roland SH-101 circa 1990 for $50.00. I feel your pain.
I love the aesthetic of the Oberheim ObxA the Jupiter 8 the Juno 60 but my fav would be the Sequential Circuits Prophet T8
Ah, yes, the Prophet T8. I'm a fan of the T8 sound and looks, though not of the complicated optical sensors for the polyphonic aftertouch which can fail quite often. I'm not a fan of wood as a material in classic synths, but the T8 and the Memorymoog both do it with class and style. Thanks for the comment.
Before watching your list, the first 2 keyboard that jumped in my mind were the Korg MonoPoly and the Waldorf Q.
Thought there would be an honorable mention for the Akai Ax80 :-)
LOL about the AX80. I do think it looks great with the big fluro display. It's an all black background, but it would look better if the text were white. When I was playing live, it was hard to read the text on stage.
Jd800, jdxa, prophecy, vl1, vsynth gt, dj70, sy99, oasys, neuron…some of the sexiest keyboards for me
Excellent video. My all time favorite is the Yamaha SK50D. It might not stand up sonically but it looks like the lovechild of the CS80 and the controller section of the Crumar GDS with a bit of GX1 thrown in. Then there is the Waldorf Wave. And what about the GEM Promega 3 which actually contains a great sounding Fazioli?
Yep. I would have preferred white text rather than the palish orange, but it does have a very clean layout, and I like your lovechild comment, thanks.
I see that your taste is leaning towards keyboards with multiple switches and rotary knobs...
I on the other hand appreciate the aesthetics of the 80s more, so i adore the design of the Oberheim Matrix 6, the Roland JX-8p, and especially the classic beauty of the Akai AX-80.
Also one of the most beautiful instruments is the Roland JD-800 (also one of the reason I still own them), but I must admit that the Novation Summit looks great too!
Some very nice-looking keyboards in your list. Thanks for sharing.
I think the Roland S-50 is super sexy, especially with the color monitor and mouse nearby in that 80's Keyboard magazine ad. Here are some other of my favorites that didn't make it on your list:
Fairlight CMI
Roland D-50
Korg Wavestation
Nord lead series
Yamaha DX7 II FD
Oberheim Matrix 12
I own two of those and they are all worthy. Thanks for the comment.
@@JeffreyScottPetro Same here! I bought two non-working in hopes to fix one and hang the other on the wall as an art piece. Maybe not the last bit.
KORG M1 & 01/W, the wing space.
Agreed. Similar, and clean layouts. I've never been a fan of circular buttons, but each to their own. I'm happy Korg went with rectangular buttons for the Wavestation in 1990. Appreciate your comment.
The best looking keyboards in my opinion are the Korg 01/W because of its clean sportscar like design and the Waldorf Wave because of its impressiveness.
I usually largely agree with you, but not this time … !! Synclavier is the only thing here that might make my list (though admittedly I was thinking synths and ‘keyboards’; certainly not pianos). The Yamaha, Roland & Korg (and the Piano!!) get a half-pass as ‘Classics’ …
A Halloween scariest synths list is a fine idea, methinks. 🎃🎹
I appreciate your candor. I know that we all have different opinions on looks. Thanks for the comment.
ARP (Rhodes) Chroma. While we're at it, ARP Quadra. Prophet T-8. Crumar T-2. Non-Linear Labs C15. There are others, even some that aren't more than 40 years old, but I otherwise agree with your selections. Another interesting video.
Thanks for the comment.
While not a synth (it's a MIDI controller) The Native Instruments M32 and A series keyboards are masterpieces of minimalism but still offer great versitility.
I'm actually baffled that you listed the Korg Kronos. That thing is really plain looking, in my opinion.
Also, I would have chosen a pipe organ over a grand piano (although grand piano's ARE cool looking).
You're right about the Kronos being plain looking, but it works for me. Thanks for the comment.
If I apply the criteria you mention around the 10:00 mark, I would add the Yamaha YS100/200. I'm sure there are people would would laugh at that statement, but as a trained industrial designer myself, I can tell you that design won design awards back in the late 80s.
That's interesting, thanks for sharing.
I have over 50 synths and keyboards myself and my opinion is that the best looking one from them is the DSI Mopho Keyboard SE (the black one with wooden sides)
For pure industrial design, it’s the Emulator & Emulator 2 for me.
Interesting. Thanks for the comment.
Wot? The Kawai K5 is not in the list? Pure , sleek, simple, nice screen (when it worked!) And hours to program 128 x2 harmonics... 😉
That's a clean looking keyboard. Reminds me a lot of the Korg M1 design. Thanks for the comment.
@@JeffreyScottPetro Actualy this is the M1 which could remind me the K5 as it was launched in 87 and the M1 in 88 🙂
I will say ; S 50 , D 50 , V Synth , both ( only dislike those silver sides ) , VP 770 ( not synth ) , Casio VZ 1 from the past .
PS: when considering minimalist purity I’d also throw in the Roland W30.
You get my vote on that. I'm a sucker for white text on a black background, and I like the Roland 12 Bit samplers, especially the S-550.
Dx7 2 Interesting episode but arranger keyboards are probably the best looking.Agree with the synclavier might be my number 1 withe the natural wood panels.A better topic for guitars.
Best wishes as always.
Thanks for the comment.
Agree with grand piano. Harpsicord however, looks stunning in natural wood grains, and helps a laymen like me differentiate between the two so keys don't physically get jammed up.
LOL. Thanks for the comment.
If it DOESN'T have to have all dials & buttons, then may I suggest the KURZWEIL K2000.👍
Yes. Simple and mostly easy to read. Kind of similar to an M1. Disk drive integration could be sleeker, but that is the way it was done at that time. Thanks for the suggestion.
I always liked the Ensoniq Mirage, because there was almost nothing on it. It was just a big smooth metal casing with a few buttons and small display. It was sort of stealthy. We will not get into the programming at this time…,
How could I forget the classic orange on black ARP lineup? Especially the color enhancements of the Quadra. Some might disagree.
I love some Arp synths, but I'm not a fan of the orange text. Like I said in the video, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I respect your choice. Thanks for the comment.
@@JeffreyScottPetro It just occurred to me: the reason I might be partial to some keyboards over others (design-wise) is my memories and nostalgia from a time they were being used by my heroes of the mid late 70s, adding them to my wish list and cutting out the ads from Keyboard magazine
Are you sure you're not Darrel Hammond's (SNL) sibling? I like the ranking of the Kronos but I feel like the Kronos SE with its faded red background and black end caps is a real sweet looking machine. Of course, I'm slightly biased as I own one.
Not related to Darrel Hammond, that I am aware of. Thanks for the comment.
I preferred the halloween edition of the waldorf Q.
Well, I think most people would agree, it's a great sounding synth in any color:-)
I thought that one of the best looking synthesizer featured in the video would be the Roland XV-88. I think it looks stunning. But it's not even featured in this video. There's only a brief view of it. And it's not even on the list. Anyway, to me, the best looking synthesizers are the ones from the late '80s and early '90s, when synthesizers were purposefully made to look sleek on stage. My list would include the FZ-1, K5, DX7, DX7II, D-50, M1, D-20, HT-6000, VZ-1, V50, T3, SY77, and of course the JD-800. Oh, and I think the Nautilus looks much better than the Kronos. But as they say in China, thousand men, thousand sorrows. Meaning, each person likes different things, which most likely is a nurture program. To me the DX7's and D-50's being seeing on stage were effective enough to program my aesthetic needs permanently. Thankfully, the prices on those are not so high these days, unless of course there's one brand new old stock in original box. I saw a D-50 only once like that on eBay. It was sold for even $2,000. The best thing I could ever score on Ebay in my entire life was a brand new in a box Casio VZ-1, for $500. Not only looks and feels great, but it also sounds good.
How about Studiologic Sledge in black version?
You should really get youself behind a ASM Hyrdsasynth, you can get just about any sound you want on it, If you've never played one you should give it a try, In my collection of synths I all so have a Roland XP-30, Roland Juno DS 61, & RolaND Gaia 1.
I was thinking of buying one of those but I have almost every major keyboard in plugin. People said they liked it but that it was virtually a soft synth in a box. If I bought another board, I was trying to add one that was vastly different than anything I have (box or not). What I don’t have is an analog hardware synth.
We all love real simulated wood side panels. But seriously: i think a Korg 800 DV looks nice and the previous owner called the Korg ‘Kate Moss’ so we seem to agree
Cool analogy. I do like the wood grain look, but not a fan of all the different colors on the potentiometer caps. Appreciate your comment.
Here's a pretty little synth: Kawai SX-240.
Casio Vl 1
Maybe. You know, I own two of them, and I'm looking at them right now. It is a clean and functional layout. As I've gotten older, I wish the text was larger, but there isn't a lot of room. Thanks for the comment.
Wait, what, no Fantom X?
Yeah, no Fantom X, but it can absolutely be on your list, and I respect your opinion. I'm not a fan of the X appearance. I don't like the silver body. I have two XV-88's, and they use a lot of the same controls and the faded orange text, and I bear it because the main body is an extremely dark greyish blue, the synth sounds are excellent, and the keyboard feel for piano is amazing.
A guitar will always sound like a guitar. Some of the cheapest ones are surprisingly good. So looks count more than quality. A good keyboard can't be made cheap since memory and good d/a convertors aren't cheap. a budget version of a pro keyboard will always sound thinner than the original. a cheap guitar doesn't have to do with d/a convertors.
No way the Kronos is there but not OASYS??
Definitely a worthy keyboard with good design.
What about Emulator 2???
Not bad, but not my cup of tea. perhaps a little clunky. A very heavy sampler. The III was a little better, and the Emax was a whole lot better. The 6000 series rack samplers are better still. Clean design with white text on a black background.
mesmerizing?
The guy with the manufacturer stickers on his monitors is commenting on aesthetics? Hm....... I'm prefer the XTk, Lead3, MS2000, Prologue, Raven, and JP-8000 myself.
Yeah, I really should take off those stickers. They are pealing like crazy. After two and a half decades, I'm worried about glue residue. Thanks for the comment.
Must be something wrong here😮 Where is the JP-8??
Agreed. The JX-8P and moreover the JX10 have very clean designs, but as I recently said in the all-Roland Music Gear Market episode, it's difficult to find one without a degraded finish.
Indeed i was referring to the Jupiter-8 but you mentioned you like a more not so coloured layout so i guess its all fine.
@@JeffreyScottPetro The JX-8P with its slaughterhouse buttons?!? I have one and though I like what it can do I hate the design. Blood proof membrane buttons doesn't belong on anything else than machinery for processing food!