Top 5 Analog Synthesizers 2024 – Sequential, Moog, Korg and More
The analog synthesizer market is experiencing a genuine renaissance. After decades of digital dominance, the market is once again offering fully analog machines with distinct identities and their own voice. But the choice is not straightforward: prices are high, each instrument has a different character, and the marketing noise rarely helps with a clear-eyed assessment. In this selection, we break down five of the most significant analog synthesizers available right now - without excessive enthusiasm, but with honesty.
Table of Contents
1. Sequential Prophet 10 Keyboard
The Prophet 10 is a reimagination of one of the most influential synthesizers in the history of electronic music. The original Prophet-5 from 1978 was the world's first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer - and the Rev4 carries the legacy of all three revisions of that legend.
Each of the 10 voices is built around a pair of CEM 3340 oscillators offering sawtooth, triangle, and pulse waveforms. The filter section is a story of its own: the Sequential Prophet 10 Keyboard offers both historic filter variants, switchable with a single toggle. The Dave Rossum-designed 2140 captures the character of the first two revisions - dense, warm, slightly irregular. The Curtis CEM 3320 from the Rev3 is sharper and more precise, well suited to lead lines. Both filters can be driven into self-oscillation at high resonance.
The Vintage knob introduces variations in tuning and envelope behavior that mimic the "aliveness" of vintage analog hardware - ranging from tight modern precision to the unpredictable drift of the Rev1. The concept is built into the hardware: one parameter, one control. No menu diving. This is exactly what makes the Prophet 10 inspiring from the very first touch.
Poly-Mod is the only modulation section in this instrument, and it is deliberately simple by modern standards: one LFO with three waveforms, sources are the filter envelope and oscillator B, destinations cover oscillator A frequency, pulse width modulation, and filter cutoff. If you are looking for a deep modulation matrix or MPE, the Prophet 10 is not that instrument. If you are looking for honest analog sound without compromise in an instrument that inspires from the first touch - this is the answer to that question.
2. Sequential OB-6 Keyboard
The OB-6 is the result of a collaboration between two living legends of synthesizer design: Dave Smith (Sequential) and Tom Oberheim. The instrument debuted in 2016 and is built on circuitry inspired by Oberheim's original SEM modules from the 1970s.
At the heart of the Sequential OB-6 Keyboard is a 2-pole state-variable filter, which differs from the 4-pole filters of the Prophet line. It passes more high frequencies, producing that characteristic Oberheim sound - dense, with a pronounced midrange and defined attack. Where the Prophet 6 sounds creamy and rounded, the OB-6 is sharper and more cutting.
The X-Mod section allows VCO 2 to modulate six parameters, including at audio rates. This opens up possibilities for FM textures and unconventional timbres that are difficult to achieve on instruments with more rigid architectures. VCO 2 can also be decoupled from the keyboard for drones, and used as a pseudo-second LFO in low-frequency mode.
A candid look at the weaknesses: one global LFO is limited for an instrument of this class. The sequencer and arpeggiator cannot run simultaneously. There is no CV integration beyond the pedal inputs. Patches cannot be named - there is no screen. The keyboard spans 49 keys across four octaves, which for some is a constraint in live performance. The OB-6 does not reproduce the sound of original Oberheim instruments from the 1970s and 1980s verbatim. It is a modern instrument with both Oberheim and Sequential DNA simultaneously - if you expect an exact replica of the OB-Xa, be prepared for a different result. If, on the other hand, you are looking for the characteristic analog sound in a modern, reliable package, the OB-6 is one of the hardest instruments in this category to overlook.
3. Arturia PolyBrute 12
The Arturia PolyBrute 12 is the French company's flagship analog synthesizer, released in 2024. It is an update of the original PolyBrute from 2021 with twice as many voices and a fundamentally redesigned keyboard mechanism.
The sound engine architecture remains unchanged: two VCOs per voice with sawtooth, triangle, and square waveforms, plus the unique Metalizer wavefolder on the first oscillator - a waveform modifier that produces aggressively rich harmonic content. The second oscillator features a sub-oscillator. Two independent filters - Steiner-Parker (12 dB/oct, multimode) and Ladder (24 dB/oct) - can be routed in series, parallel, or stereo.
The main addition is the FullTouch keyboard with Arturia's patented MPE technology. Beyond standard velocity and aftertouch, it tracks the full position of each key throughout its travel, offering three modes: mono aftertouch, polyphonic aftertouch, and an Alt mode in which the entire key travel becomes an expressive source - a note activates at the slightest touch. The level of expressiveness in live performance draws comparisons to the Yamaha CS-80, though the implementation here is fundamentally different. MPE is supported.
Morphing between two patch states in real time, the Morphee controller (XYZ), a ribbon strip, polyphonic aftertouch, and a modulation matrix with 12 sources and 32 destinations make the Arturia PolyBrute 12 one of the most expressive analog instruments on the market. Its strength lies in pads, evolving timbres, and complex harmonic structures - not so much in bass lines and dense low-frequency textures, where instruments with Moog-style architecture tend to outperform it. The sequencer is functional but feels like a secondary feature. The MIDI CC map is inherited from the original without corrections, which can be cumbersome when working with external sequencers. The instrument is also noticeably heavier than the original PolyBrute.
4. Moog Muse
Moog rarely releases analog synthesizers. The Moog Muse is the eighth polyphonic instrument in the company's history - released in July 2024 and positioned as a more accessible flagship following the Moog One.
Each of the eight voices features two VCOs inspired by the Minimoog Voyager oscillators, plus a third Modulation Oscillator capable of operating in both audio and LFO ranges. The saturating mixer draws on the classic CP3 circuit. Two transistor ladder filters at 24 dB/oct, configurable in series, parallel, or stereo, deliver the characteristic Moog sound - dense, warm, with that recognizable weight in the low end. Bi-timbral architecture allows independent settings for Timbre A and B within a single patch.
The Moog Muse is a very Moog instrument - and that is simultaneously its strength and its limitation. The absence of polyphonic aftertouch at this price point is a fair criticism - competitors in this range implemented it long ago. The plastic pitch and modulation wheels are a visible weak point for an instrument of this class. Early firmware versions had oscillator tuning instability - subsequent updates improved the situation considerably, but the analog nature of the instrument means periodic retuning is part of the package. A single built-in Diffusion Delay effect is also modest by today's standards. If you want a polyphonic Moog - specifically a Moog, with its character and history - the Moog Muse is exactly that.
5. Korg PS-3300 FS
The Korg PS-3300 FS is a full-scale reissue of one of the rarest analog synthesizers in history. The original PS-3300 was produced in 1977 in a run of approximately 50 units. Its owners included Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. In 2024, Korg announced the reissue, developed by the same engineering team responsible for the well-received returns of the MS-20, ARP 2600, and miniKORG 700FS.
The architecture of the instrument is unique. Three independent synthesizer sections (PSU-3301) plus a mixer and utility section (PSU-3302) form a single monolithic body. Each of the 49 keys has its own analog chain: three oscillators, three filters, three envelopes, and three amplifiers. That totals 147 independent analog signal paths, each independently configurable. This is not "49 voices with a single shared voice per key" - it is literally 147 separate analog circuits.
Three-band frequency resonators are an effect unique to the PS-3300, absent even from the more compact models in the PS series. The semi-modular architecture with patch points provides additional flexibility in signal routing. The new version adds patch memory for 256 slots (16 banks of 16), USB and MIDI connectivity, an XLR output, and a dedicated librarian application. The original cadmium sulfide resonator circuit has been replaced with modern components for safety compliance.
Does the Korg PS-3300 FS sound exactly like an original 1977 unit? Probably not - and Korg's engineers do not claim otherwise. The community is divided: some point to subtle differences in the character of the filters and resonators; others argue that original units have inevitably drifted from their original specifications over five decades. The PS-3300 FS is primarily access to a unique concept and architecture that was decades ahead of its time in 1977. It is produced to order in a limited quantity.
Summary
Each of these five instruments solves a different problem. The Sequential Prophet 10 Keyboard is for those who want analog depth without unnecessary complexity, in an instrument that inspires from the first touch. The Sequential OB-6 Keyboard is for those drawn to the characteristic Oberheim sound in a modern, reliable package. The Arturia PolyBrute 12 is for those who prioritize maximum expressiveness in live performance and deep sound design. The Moog Muse is for those who want that specific Moog sound in a polyphonic format. The Korg PS-3300 FS is a unique collector's piece and an architecture with no equivalent among contemporary instruments.
The choice doesn't depend on budget - it depends on the music you want to create.
