Gods of synth/electronic dance

False Gods, surely not!

What about Florian Schneider, it's a draw between him, hutter and bartos for me.

No love for Warren Cann, Stephen Morris, Boris Blank, Richard H. Kirk, Martyn Ware, Dave Ball, Afrika Bambaata?

Despite not knowing anything about synth programming, I'd go with Hütter/Schneider

J.J. Jeczalik

The award for best synth programming goes to Richard D. James, aka Aphex Twin/AFX.

Bonus points to Eno for managing to do what he did with the Yamaha DX7, which is a bitch to make sound good.

Kudos to that dude from Slightly Narrow Sound System.

Gnu Odor wrote:

Kudos to that dude from Slightly Narrow Sound System.

10 out of 10 for his Doctor Who Underpants aswell...don't be short changing the lad!

Alan Wilder was great in See No Evil, Hear No Evil.

NO Regret wrote: Alan Wilder was great in See No Evil, Hear No Evil.

You've your Pryorities right there,gadgenstein!

Clarke over Wilder for me.

Define what is a "synth programmer"?

Also ... digital compared to analog?

Boatraceface wrote:

Gnu Odor wrote:

Kudos to that dude from Slightly Narrow Sound System.

10 out of 10 for his Doctor Who Underpants aswell...don't be short changing the lad!

You and Gnu both need a good spanking, and not the nice sort! Naughty boys.

RDJ is a genius for sure, but the name Richard put me in mind of one of music's unsing synthgeeks......Andy Richards, fairlight and roland programmer par excellence. Trivia point: the explosion noise on It's a Sin by PSB, is the self same JX8P ( if you don't know the machine, it's a the result of crossbreeding a Juno with Godzilla) patch he wrote for FGTH's Relax, listen to them back to back....if you can stomach the almighty gayness....you'll hear it's the same sound. Once PSB got bored of JJ making their records sound like his (opportunities being a major example.....huge gated drums, bass noises made with vocal snatches, it's practically a sane Art of Noise record), Mr Richards was the guy who did their clever stuff for a while (cos them two numpties are not really as machinesmart as you might think).

Oh, and Steven Lipson, britains first Synclavier Geek, bloody clever man (a dab hand with a Waveterm as well).

0_o wrote: Define what is a "synth programmer"?

Also ... digital compared to analog?

Considering you can count the programmable analogues on one hand (Pro5, Juno 106.....errrrm?????), he means digital.

And I assume he means the ability to program and design sounds from scratch, alter pre-sets to suit the piece, and get more than burps and loops of other people's records out of a sampler (most samplers have some form of synthesis ability, from a simple wavelooper with an ADSR EG, to the Fairlight and Synclavlier's amazing resynthesis capabilities).

The ability to scratch program a DX7 should get you on the list automatically. Horrid reedy little thing single handedly killed the art for a decade, and spawned the preset patch market, also...alllll on it's own).

Then again....anyone who can lay a true patch [1] into an ARP 2600, or Roland or Moog Modular should be considered a minor deity instantle....particularly if they could do the same one twice.

[1] the very term patch comes from these machines, refering to the telephone exchange style patch cables with which one built the sound....manually piping oscillator to filter to amp via fuckknowswhat)

0_o wrote: Define what is a "synth programmer"?

It's possible as well to confuse under the term "programmer" those who create the sounds coming from the synth (sound designers) and those who "sequence" those sounds into patterns and songs; "programmer" might mean either or both. And when both roles come together in harmony (e.g., the Blue Monday bassline), everyone's happy.

Ironically, you'd think that the best synth sound designers would be the guys who are paid to build the presets at the factory, but as the good Doctor pointed out, that's usually far from the case (see, e.g., the DX7).

I still pick RDJ as the master, 'cause the guy's closer to a synth than a human being anyway, and his Analord series shows an amazing command of analog equipment (e.g.,the Fenix modular). And again, mad propz to Eno for beating some gorgeous ambient sounds out of the entirely ill-suited DX7. Mr Stephen Morris deserves some love too; he was in some '80s band I liked.

Nifty Steve Lipson interview here.

Nik Kershaw or The Bravery.

Thomas Dolby (along with Steve and Barney).

Fine choices all... and yet we've still overlooked Gary Numan and Wendy Carlos. And the fine lads of Monolake (who invented Ableton Live). And poor Trent Reznor is alone weeping quietly somewhere... again.

This poll desperately needs an "Other" category.

Did'Ours wrote: Thomas Dolby (along with Steve and Barney).

Really? At least there are some things worth noting other than "She Blinded Me With Science."

I've got to give Mr Dolby some props; I didn't see his 2007 tour, but apparently he strapped a webcam to his now-bald head to give the audience his view of his synth setup, which includes some vintage steam-powered audio gear refitted with MIDI controllers. I mean, the guy's fully in touch with his inner geek.

P.S. My entire house is decorated with Hopper prints. The. Man.

Modern Talking? Gazebo?

Dieter Bohlen? Have you ever been to Europe in the 80s?