5 of the Best Modern Synths With Sample Synthesis
Sample-powered synthesis engines from Behringer, Arturia, Kurzweil and more!
Working with sampled sounds can yield results that sound like nothing else, especially when combined with other synthesis engines. Want some sample magic in your next recording? These are the best synths with sample synthesis on the market today.
5 of the Best Synths With Sample Synthesis in 2026
Synths With Sample Synthesis
First appearing in the late 1980s, synths with sample synthesis offered not only unparalleled realism but also a new approach to digital that FM couldn’t do on its own. First, Roland’s D-50 and then the world-beating M1 from KORG allowed you to treat samples like oscillators and incorporate them into a subtractive synthesis architecture. And, when you combine them with other styles like FM or virtual analog, things get even better.
Today, let’s take a look at five of the best modern synths with sample synthesis – with entries for all budgets. Note that while some of these may also have wavetable, that’s not what we’re concentrating on. If you need some suggestions for the best wavetable synths, try here.
Synths With Sample Synthesis: Behringer Pro VS Mini
The D-50 may have caught the zeitgeist of the late ‘80s with its LA synthesis, but Sequential Circuits’ Prophet VS actually got across the sample synthesis finish line first. Incorporating single-cycle sampled waveforms as the basis for sound, it allowed users to crossfade between four of them with a joystick with what it called vector synthesis.
The Prophet VS is long gone but if you’re after that early sample synthesis sound, check out Behringer’s take on it in the form of Pro VS Mini. You get the same waveforms and same four vector oscillators per voice, along with an analog filter, 27-key capacitive touch keyboard, sequencer and effects.
It’s a handy and affordable way to add some of that sample spice to your musical recipes.
Behringer Pro VS Mini is available from our affiliate partners Thomann* and Sweetwater*.
Synths With Sample Synthesis: Arturia MiniFreak
You might not think of samples when you think of the Arturia MiniFreak. The six-voice upgrade from the monophonic MicroFreak, the MiniFreak is packed with 31 different sound engines, including ones from Mutable Instruments and Noise Engineering. But among all of the FM, VA and other wild styles, there are also sample-based ones.
There’s the basic Sample engine, which lets you play, loop and reverse either included samples or your own. But then come all of the others, including multiple grain and scan engines for modern sample pulverization. And there are two full synths in here so you can layer them for deep and complex sounds. Of course, you also get analog filters, modulation, effects and an arpeggiator for lots of fun all around. Without a doubt, one of the best synths with sample synthesis.
Arturia MiniFreak is available from our affiliate partners Thomann* and Sweetwater*.
Synths With Sample Synthesis: KORG wavestate mk II
After Sequential Circuits closed, Dave Smith and some of his team moved over to Yamaha and then KORG, where they developed the Wavestation. A fine example of early ’90s sample synthesis, it repurposed Dave’s vector synthesis and added Wave Sequencing, which let users line up samples to create rhythmic sequences.
In 2020, KORG released wavestate, a modern take on the Wavestation. Now up to a second edition, wavestate mk II continues that tradition with Wave Sequencing 2.0, which lets you manipulate timing, samples and melody independently. You also get a variety of digital filter types to play with, modulation, effects and everything else you might expect from a modern digital synth, including gigabytes of samples and 96-voice polyphony. You can even import up to 4GB of your own sounds.
KORG wavestate mk II is available from our affiliate partners Thomann* and Sweetwater*.
Synths With Sample Synthesis: Yamaha MODX M
We end up talking a lot about Roland and KORG when getting nostalgic about the dawn of sample synthesis, but one manufacturer that tends to get left out of the conversation – and rather unfairly, I might add – is Yamaha. Its AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) synthesis architecture helped elevate instruments like the SY77 and SY99, making them highlights of the era.
Yamaha’s sample synthesis endeavors are by no means restricted to the past tense. AWM2 is currently all over their high-end instruments like the Montage series, as well as the MODX lineup, which gives you the same Montage synth power without the premium hardware. Of the MODX machines, MODX M gets you the closest to its big brothers, with AWM2 sitting comfortably alongside not only FM-X but also AN-X, an update of the company’s virtual analog engine that first appeared in the AN1x. As for samples, MODX M lets you play with 10GB of waveforms with up to 128 elements per part.
The Yamaha MODX M series is available from our affiliate partner Sweetwater*.
Synths With Sample Synthesis: Kurzweil K2061 & K2088
For some, sample synthesis peaked not with KORG, Roland or Yamaha, but with Kurzweil. The K2000 synthesizer of 1991 is considered by many to be the finest ever made. If you’re also a member of the Kurzweil club, you’ll want to know about the new K20 series (if you don’t already). Models K2061 and K2088 are modern takes on the company’s V.A.S.T. (Variable Architecture Synthesis Technology), with sounds thrown in from the K2000, K2500, K2600 and K2700, Forte, PC4, PC3 and SP6 as well.
The new K20 synths deliver 32 layers per program with a staggering 256 voices of polyphony delivered from the 2GB factory library (and an additional 2GB storage for your own samples). Along with those stellar sounds, you also get a DX7-like FM engine, the VA1 engine for analog-type sounds, and the KB3 organ simulation. An effects section with 32 FX units and 1000 complex effect chains completes the package. They’re also 16-part multitimbral.
Kurzweil K2061 and K2088 are available from our affiliate partners Thomann* and Sweetwater*.
More Information
- More about synthesizers
- Buy synthesizers at Thomann*
*Note: This article contains advertising links that help us pay for this site. Don’t worry: the price for you will always be the same! If you buy something through these links, we will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!
This might also interest you
