Modal Argon8X

So it sounds digital and boy, it sounds beautiful. Altough the filter is not for everybody's taste. If you looking for thick analogue pads or deep, heavy bass leads buy something else.

Build quality is solid, keys are perfect. Yes, the knobs are wobbly but it doesn't bother me, because the price is ridiculously low and they've been working perfectly. I purchased it four months ago and didn't have any quality issues.

When this synth was first release it was met with excitement, but also some criticism. To Modal's credit, they listened and have been addressing the criticisms in their updates, and after the latest update I knew I couldn't resist any longer. Having had it for over 6 months now I'm certain that I'm over the honeymoon phase, but I can still say that I absolutely love it.

The key bed is a dream to play and the overall build quality is very good indeed. The frictionless encoders seemed odd at first but now that I'm used to them I much prefer them to traditional pots which feel less fluid in comparison. The joystick feels great. The buttons are perhaps a little clicky, but I'm really nitpicking even mentioning them.

The sound of this synth is really the main attraction. It's capable of patches that are simply stunning, and the sound design tools at your disposal mean that this thing can go from incredibly modern digital sounds to vintage analogue synths to realistic sounding acoustic instruments.

The control layout is pretty simple and once you get used to the dual layer controls it's incredibly quick to get the sound to where you want it.

When I bought this synth I thought I was getting a cool wavetable machine, but it turned out to do so much more. It's now my number 1 synth and I pretty much use it for everything. Very impressed!