Analog Monophonic
6Moog Minimoog Model DMoog 迷你穆格 Model D
1970 · Subtractive
the portable monosynth that defined the 1970s lead-and-bass sound
ARP 2600ARP 2600
1971 · Subtractive
the R2-D2 voice of Star Wars and a staple of film sound design
Korg MS-20Korg MS-20
1978 · Subtractive
aggressive filters and the patch bay beloved of electronic artists
Roland SH-101Roland SH-101
1982 · Subtractive
cheap, battery-powered acid and techno basslines
Roland TB-303Roland TB-303
1981 · Subtractive
the machine behind acid house's squelching 303 line
Sequential Circuits Pro-OneSequential Pro-One
1981 · Subtractive
the Prophet-5 sound in a compact mono with an onboard sequencer and arpeggiator
Analog Polyphonic
6Sequential Prophet-5Sequential Prophet-5
1978 · Subtractive
the first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer with patch memory
Roland Jupiter-8Roland Jupiter-8
1981 · Subtractive
the lush 1980s pop string-and-pad sound of Thriller
Yamaha CS-80Yamaha CS-80
1977 · Subtractive
Vangelis's Blade Runner soundtrack and expressive polyphonic aftertouch
Oberheim OB-XaOberheim OB-Xa
1980 · Subtractive
the brassy 'Jump' chords of 1980s rock
Roland Juno-60Roland Juno-60
1982 · Subtractive
warm DCO pads and the iconic onboard chorus
Korg PolysixKorg Polysix
1981 · Subtractive
an affordable programmable polysynth with a lush ensemble effect
FM & Digital
6Yamaha DX7Yamaha DX7
1983 · FM
the best-selling synthesizer ever and the 1980s FM electric-piano sound
Yamaha DX100Yamaha DX100
1985 · FM (4-operator)
the portable 4-operator FM that fueled Detroit techno and IDM bass
Casio CZ-101Casio CZ-101
1984 · Phase Distortion
an affordable phase-distortion synth that brought programmable digital sound to the masses
Yamaha SY77Yamaha SY77
1989 · FM (AFM) + Sample-based (AWM)
the first synth to combine FM and sample playback in a single engine
Yamaha FS1RYamaha FS1R
1998 · FM (8-operator) + Formant
8-operator FM with formant synthesis for vocal-like timbres
Kawai K5000Kawai K5000
1996 · Additive
additive synthesis with 64 harmonics per voice plus PCM
Wavetable & Sampling
6PPG Wave 2.3PPG Wave 2.3
1984 · Wavetable
the first wavetable synthesizer and its icy digital-via-analog-filter sound
Ensoniq MirageEnsoniq Mirage
1984 · Sample-based (8-bit)
the first affordable sampling keyboard
Fairlight CMIFairlight CMI
1979 · Sample-based
the first commercial digital sampler, a six-figure studio icon
Waldorf MicrowaveWaldorf Microwave
1989 · Wavetable
PPG's wavetable legacy in a rackmount with analog filters
E-mu Emulator IIE-mu Emulator II
1984 · Sample-based
the sampling workstation that defined 1980s pop production
Akai MPC60Akai MPC60
1988 · Sample-based + sequencer
the drum machine and sampler that became the heart of hip-hop production
Workstations & Virtual Analog
6Korg M1Korg M1
1988 · Sample-based (PCM) workstation
the best-selling workstation and its ubiquitous 'M1 piano'
Roland D-50Roland D-50
1987 · Linear Arithmetic (LA)
the LA synth that layered short samples with analog-style oscillators
Access VirusAccess Virus
1997 · Virtual Analog
the definitive late-1990s virtual-analog with deep modulation
Clavia Nord LeadClavia Nord Lead
1994 · Virtual Analog
the knobby red virtual-analog that made sound tweaking hands-on again
Roland JP-8000Roland JP-8000
1996 · Virtual Analog
the supersaw waveform behind trance and late-1990s dance
Novation SupernovaNovation Supernova
1998 · Virtual Analog
a powerful multitimbral virtual-analog rack with huge polyphony