Merry Synthmas! Was There A Synth Under Your Tree This Year?

merry-synthmas

Russian reader Roman Riabtsev shared this photo of his Christmas tree – and it looks like it was a very Merry Synthmas at his house!

We hope all our readers have a merry holiday season and that you and your families will have a great new year. And, no matter how you celebrate your holidays, we hope it is filled with music.

This year has been a great one for electronic musicians – with lots of great electronic music, affordable synths and some great new software. At the 2013 NAMM Show, last January, the Korg MS-20 Mini looked like it was going to be the best new synth of the year. But the year has brought great new synths from Moog, Novation, Dave Smith, Arturia and others, too.

Was there a synth under your tree this year? If there was – or if there’s a new synth module, app or or music gear that you’re excited about – leave a comment and let us know!

77 thoughts on “Merry Synthmas! Was There A Synth Under Your Tree This Year?”

  8. Season’s greetings all! I got the Korg Volca Keys and Bass, fun! The Volca Beats is on order. Also got a Qunexus keyboard controller.

  10. got iConnectMidi 2+, if that counts! Now I can use all my iOS apps within my DAW without headache! Problem is, it is working with old iPad1 with 30 pin connector, but not new iPad Mini with official apple adapter! bummer,

  11. I bought myself an Arturia MicroBrute near the end of November, but I didn’t open it until now. My first hardware-synth (not including Thingamagoop 2 and Pico Paso from Bleeplabs). Having loads of fun just tweaking the sounds.

  16. An old pal sent me a CME XKey controller. It has a slightly odd keyboard, but even at only 2 octaves, the polyphonic aftertouch aspect makes it super-sensitive and fun to play. Its far easier to do triple-tongue moves on a trumpet patch with this than anything else I have and that’s just one type of sound to massage with it. I never would have bought one on my own, but it turns out to be a great secret weapon. Its a tough little bugger in a nice aluminum frame. A-Number One stocking stuffer!

    1. My buddy loaned me his, haven’t’ been a big fan yet, but then again, i’m not huge into the acid 303 thing, just a different taste for me… what have you found it best at?

  23. No synths under the Christmas tree but ample time to play with all the goodies I’ve been accumulating over the last 4 months. With the studio setup complete on Christmas eve its all fun and joy from this point forward!

  25. A dirt cheap Miniak is coming any day now. Wanted an Ion, but could not justify such an expense after an intense year of synth roster expansion… The new availability of a free editor sealed the deal.

  26. NI Komplete 9 ultimate upgrade from ni maschine only for 375$ , sorry I’m software dude , real thing to expensive for me, but Im dream of modular analog stuff

      1. can be you right, if you live in Europe – it easy , but I’m Russian and live not in Moscow / ST peterburg and modular synth is pretty problem in Asia side of Russia.

        First I was interested of project TTSH clone arp 2600 for only 620 $ and I thought is unbelivable , at last Dream synth is affordable,,,, but 620$ it just for pcb boards (no elements included) ;( and most important is elements that not include in this price may cost same price as PCBs$ +shipping+ assembling+working time … and final price can be about 2500$ and above .

        I still dreaming of arp2600 clone for affordable price ~1000$ 😉

  27. BTW Russian reader Roman Riabtsev – is a well known in 80-90s keyboardist and singer from band TECHNOLOGIYA – something like early Depeche Mode but Russian way 😉

  28. I got an Akai MPX 8 Sample Player for playing little speech samples and recorded poems etc over my improvisations, a stand for my Octatrack and a new Guitar Case and amazingly a toy piano from my Fiancee ,

  30. akai Mpx 8. A great easy to use sampler player. I have an mpc2500, This little thing is great and is like a tiny mpc. I am very pleased with it and will be usefull as I travel. It has taken an hour to suss it out.
    Midi on channel ten, load the sd card off your computer , put it in the MPX and it is stunning.
    Happy xmas.

  33. Apart from a new laptop, it was a very software-centric Christmas this year:

    – ASUS G750JX (aka my new girlfriend)
    – Echo ExpressCard Pro Thunderbolt Adapter (to run UAD plugins on my girlfriend)

    – Steinberg Cubase 7.5
    – NI Komplete 9
    – NI Razor
    – NI Maschine 2.0
    – Maschine Exp: Resonant Blaze
    – Maschine Exp: Halcyon Sky
    – U-he Zebra2
    – U-he Satin
    – AAS Ultra Analog 2
    – Audio Damage Mangleverb
    – Audio Damage Panstation
    – UAD Trident A-Range EQ
    – UAD Teletronix LA-2A Classic Leveler Collection
    – UAD 1176 Classic Limiter Plug-In Collection
    – UAD Pultec Passive EQ Plug-In Collection

  34. Unfortunately there wasn’t…… but I got my christmas Prophet 08 in late november.
    I also now have the money to get me a Shruthi-1!! 😀

  35. I was spoiled by my wife…got a new 13″ Haswell MBP with 16GB RAM/512MB SSD AND Live 9 Suite/Push combo. As I’m moving from other DAWs, this should keep me busy ’till next Christmas!!!

  37. Pre-ordered the Elektron Analog Keys. Bought myself a minibrute. Girlfriend bought my the limited white Voyager. Happy as a pig in poop.

  39. I got a Qunexus, which has breathed new life into my iPad synths. This is really an amazingly expressive little board. Makes me consider swapping my launchpad for a Quneo.

    Also, not a synth, but I got a melodica that I’ve been having tons of fun with!

  46. My gorgeous wife made me happy with a microbrute under the tree and kept it a big surprise xxxx I, m in love …and the microbrutes not bad either 🙂

  50. I had 2 synths under my tree…as i read a post on xmas eve about if you register your minibrute you can choose 2 soft synths from arturia for free for christmas

    so now proud owner of SEM V and Jupiter 8 V
    brilliant surprise gifts!
    thank you Arturia!

  54. Got a Novation BassStation 2 and a Studio Electronics Omega 8. Wasn’t cheap, but I sold a bunch of stuff like my Nord Lead and MiniBrute to fund it.

  55. Volca keys. Wow stunned at the sonic variety. Lush pads, metallic noises, vintage leads, punchy-warm basses, percussion noises, chaotic sci-fi sounds, bells and toy-like sounds, kick emulations, clicking noises. You can create a whole world with this amazing little beast. Thank you Korg and thank you Santa:))))

  60. I got a Presonus Audiobox and Arturia V Collection from Santa, the M-Audio Keystation 49es from my lovely lady, and I treated myself to some M Audio AV40 Monitors and some stands 🙂

  61. I guess it doesn’t count as a christmas present since I bought it for myself, but santa gave me a great price on an ESQ-1 and a DSS-1 on craigslist!

  62. I pretended that it was my wife who figured out that I really would love the Korg Volca Bass for Xmas. I was tempted to wrap it and put it under the tree and act all surprised, but sanity prevailed.

  63. A much needed Korg Electribe EA1 MKII to finally have a rhythm section for my pile o’ analogs and effects. One of the best presents I have ever gotten.

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