7 of the Best Synths for Indie Bands
Synths that cut through guitars from Moog, Roland, Sequential and more.
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Looking for a synthesizer to fill out your group’s on-stage sound? These are the best synths for indie bands.
The Best Synths for Indie Bands
Cymbals may eat guitars, to paraphrase Lou Reed, but guitars definitely eat synthesizers. That’s why the synth you choose for your indie band is so important. If all you need are some smooshy strings to fill out the sound, anything will do. But if you, as the keyboardist, want to be heard over the high-gain din of guitars, you’re going to need something with a little more power and character.
With that in mind, I’ve chosen seven of the best synths for indie bands currently on the market today. You’re sure to be heard loud and clear with one of these in your rig.
Best Synths for Indie Bands: Korg microKORG
One of the most popular synthesizers ever made, the Korg microKORG can be (or has been) found in the rigs of many, many indie bands. Just a few off the top of the head include Tame Impala, modern shoegaze band GIFT, Sufjan Stevens and Air. And that’s just the original model. There’s also the microKORG XL+ and microKORG 2, the latter of which updates the classic VA sound with modern flourishes.
So why is it so popular? Aside from being affordable and cute, the miniKORG also sounds great, with a modern character that stands its own ground when played alongside guitars. It’s tops for general synth needs, from poly chords to filter effects, and it even has a built-in vocoder for the occasional cheeky robot chorus.
Best Synths for Indie Bands: Oberheim OB-X8
One of the best-sounding synthesizers of the 21st century, Tom Oberheim’s OB-X8 wraps up his three big polys – OB-X, OB-Xa and OB-8 – in a single instrument along with modern touches. Eight all-analog voices, two oscillators per voice, a filter with both SEM and Curtis variants, plus historically modeled envelope curves, it will certainly fulfill all your OB fantasies.
Why is this important for a band? Because Oberheims are big, brash and beautiful. There’s a reason they were the choice of the biggest bands of the 1970s and 1980s like Rush, Queen, Van Halen and Prince: because they commanded the stage – both the sound stage and the performing one.
The OB-X8 is very expensive, though. If it’s beyond the reach of you and your band, try the TEO-5, Oberheim’s affordable alternative.
Best Synths for Indie Bands: Roland FANTOM EX Series
Roland’s FANTOM EX keyboards are honking big workstations capable of everything from bread-and-butter sounds to sampling and even DAW integration. They’re available in three sizes, with 61 (FANTOM EX 6), 76 (FANTOM EX 7) and 88-key (FANTOM EX 8) versions.
Why I’m suggesting them for indie bands – aside from the versatility and generous keyboard sizes – is their ability to play Roland’s Model Expansion versions of its classic synthesizers Juno-106, JX-3P, JX-8P, Jupiter-8, and SH-101. While vintage is great, taking them on the road is another thing entirely. It’s much easier to have quality digital versions to play.
If you don’t need all of the firepower of the full EX models, there are also three similarly sized versions in the FANTOM-0 series. You still get access to the Model Expansions but without the higher price.
Best Synths for Indie Bands: Sequential Prophet-5
It’s hard to overstate just how much of a game-changer Sequential Circuits’ Prophet-5 was upon its release in 1978. Dave Smith’s five-voice polyphonic synth was the first with digital memory for storing presets, but what really set it apart from other synths was just how good it sounded. Pretty much every hit record from 1978 until the mid-‘80s had a Prophet-5 on it. If you’re working in a new wave or 80s sound, you really do need a Prophet.
Sequential re-released the Prophet-5 in 2020 as well as a 10-voice version. The modern take features all three original revisions plus a Rev4 mode. Other new features include a Vintage knob to get as sloppy (or stable) as you like, plus a configurable voice count for the Unison mode. The 10-voice models (the Prophet-10 or a 5 equipped with a voice expansion card) are bi-timbral as well.
Best Synths for Indie Bands: Arturia AstroLab Series
The distinction between software and hardware just keeps getting blurrier. Exhibit A: Arturia’s AstroLab instruments. Available in two sizes – 61-key and a new 88-key model – they’re premium stage keyboards that run Arturia’s Analog Lab Pro inside. If you don’t know, Analog Lab Pro is like an app of Arturia’s greatest hits, packed with slimmed-down versions of the company’s famous soft synths. Now, imagine that inside a solid instrument that you can play on stage. Got your interest piqued?
Some of you may be saying, Meh, that’s just a VST in a box. To you I say, just a VST? VSTs are powerful instruments and nothing to sniff at. Digital synths are all software inside a purpose-made box anyway. For the AstroLab, those boxes are road-ready stage keyboards that also happen to include recreations of most of the world’s most famous synthesizers – plus some acoustic instruments as well.
The AstroLab keyboards aren’t for everyone, but they might be for you.
Best Synths for Indie Bands: Moog Messenger
The Moog Minimoog was the original rock synth, taking to the stage with pretty much everyone who ever jammed (econo or otherwise). If you can afford a Minimoog then by all means get one. If not, then consider the new Messenger, an affordable synth made in the long tradition of Moog monos.
What can you do with a Moog monosynth? Well, synth bass comes to mind, either to give the bass player a break or to double up underneath them. The sub oscillator on the dual-oscillator Messenger ensures that the bass is powerful and punchy, as does the resonance compensation function on the Ladder filter. Moogs are also excellent candidates for leads and solos, especially when you factor in Messenger’s wavefolders, which can rough up the tones nicely. It’s also amazing at Stereolab-style synthy effects. Peng!
Best Synths for Indie Bands: Behringer Wave
My last recommendation for this list of the best synths for indie bands is the Behringer Wave, a recreation of the classic PPG Wave. You already know that it’s affordable, which is important for touring bands. Ain’t nobody getting rich out there these days. At these prices, you could even get two, which isn’t such a bad idea considering how crazy audiences are now.
The real reason to get a Wave, though, is the sound. Analog synths are great, but they can get lost in the cacophony. The Wave is digital, playing its wavetables back at either a cutting 8 or clean 16 bits. It has an ear-tickling sound that really stands out. Pair it with the onboard analog filters, and it’s synthetic heaven.
There are quite a few modern wavetable synthesizers on the market, but the fact that the Behringer Wave is so affordable – and still so great-sounding – makes it perfect for taking on the road.
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One response to “7 of the Best Synths for Indie Bands”
OB-X8? If you are an indie band, you are not buying a 5K synth. Get the Behringer UB-XA instead for under a grand. Sequential Prophet-5? You better bring some effects. Moog Messenger? A mono waste of space on a stage unless you only do EDM…maybe. The rest of suggestions are pretty good.