Lists
5 of the best miniature synths
Big isn’t better when it comes to these killer compact machines
1 Roland SH-01A
Roland’s SH-01A is the latest in their Boutique series, which remakes some of their most iconic synths in digital form: here, the SH-01 analogue mono synth becomes a polyphonic digital mini keyboard. It has Unison, Chord, four-voice polyphonia, and a 64 pattern sequencer and arpegiattor.
£339, buy here.
2 Minijam Studio
If Minijam made a film it would be called Honey I Shrunk Your Studio. This Liliputation set comprises a drum machine, wavetable synth, an analogue filter, a mixer and speaker. The synth has a two octave keyboard and an arpegiattor with hold function, 64 step sequencer and record function.
£145, minijam.backerkit.com
3 Moog ‘Minitaur’
As mini synths go this is on the larger size but we couldn’t make this list without either a mono synth or a Moog. Arturia’s Mini and Micro Brutes were tempting, but for a creamy filter and stylish design, Moog’s best compact mono synth is hard to beat. The firmware’s been updated with new sound design tools and user requests.
£435, buy here.
4 Anyware Instruments ‘Minisizer’
This palm-sized gadget pushes the envelope. An analogue one-voice box with over 100 patch points and 24 knobs, you can patch in your sounds using Prototype cables. There’s an oscillator with six waveforms, ring modulation, Moog style filters, two LFOs and six mini jack ports.
5 Korg Volca range
Mini devices are everywhere largely due to Korg’s former designer Tatsuya Takahashi, who was behind a range of seminal devices including the Monotron, the Minilogue and the compact reissue of the Arp Odyssey. The Volca is his best-loved range and includes the Sample, Beats, Bass, Kick, FM and Keys.
£111-139, buy here.
