Ever have a creative itch to scratch while traveling, or just looking to geek out affordably after work? We’ve selected some of the best pocket synths that are not only light and compact, but also won’t hurt your pocket too much either.
In recent years, products like the Teenage Engineering OP-1, the Korg Volca series, and the Roland Boutique series have changed the way we think about portable instruments.
In this ArticleWhich are the Best Pocket Synths?The Best Pocket Synths: Behringer Pro-VS MiniThe Best Pocket Synths: Teenage Engineering PO-14 subThe Best Pocket Synths: Korg NTS-1 MKIIThe Best Pocket Synths: Dübreq Stylophone Gen X-2The Best Pocket Synths: Roland J-6More about the Best Pocket Synths:
Which are the Best Pocket Synths?
The line between what is a toy and a tool has become increasingly blurry, as new and innovative pocket synth designs are constantly being released with seemingly endless features.
The Best Pocket Synths: Behringer Pro-VS Mini
The Pro-VS Mini provides a recreation of the Sequential Circuits Prophet VS vector synth engine in a very compact and portable desktop format.
Behringer Pro VS Mini · Source: Behringer
All four oscillators can be morphed from the joystick and you have an analogue low-pass filter and 16-step pattern sequencer with which to create sounds.
What’s more, the Pro-VS Mini has a chorus effect to wide your sounds. It’s also perfect for mobile use, as the USB-C connection allows it to run off a USB power bank.
And if vector synthesis isn’t your thing and you’re more of an analog type, then check out the Behringer JT Mini and Phara-O Mini in the same pocket-sized format.
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The Best Pocket Synths: Teenage Engineering PO-14 sub
The PO-14 sub is another pocket beast from the dreamers at Teenage Engineering and Cheap Monday. Although it may be limited in its synthesis capabilities, it more than makes up for it by making rude noises and being loads of fun to use.
Teenage Engineering PO-14 sub · Source: Teenage Engineering
It’s battery-operated and very bassline-orientated, so you can easily get the most noxious synth patterns going no matter where you are. It generates instant acid nightmares and electroclash hooks with an intuitive sequencer and impressive effects.
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The Best Pocket Synths: Korg NTS-1 MKII
If you’ve been toying with the idea of building your own synths, the Korg Nu:Tekt NTS-1 MKII ships as a DIY kit to assemble. The raw “Lego Technic” aesthetic might not be for everyone, but the upgraded second-generation NTS-1 does have some great features if you have the patience, most notably the ability to load various oscillator models from the vast LogueSDK library. The NTS-1 MKII is easy to assemble – no soldering required!
Korg NTS-1 MkII · Source: Korg
There is certainly no shortage of parameters you can access, and once you get used to the interface, it’s easy to use with other gear. You can even use it as an effects unit. The NTS-1 MKII is USB-C-powered and also offers MIDI connectivity, but these cables are sold separately.
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The Best Pocket Synths: Dübreq Stylophone Gen X-2
On the more vintage side of things, the recently updated Dübreq Stylophone Gen X-2 brings nostalgia both with its sound and interface design. If you’ve never used a Stylophone, it’s definitely a fun party trick to try out and requires far less skill to play than a theremin (although Dübreq makes one of those, too).
Stylophone Gen X-2 · Source: Dubreq
The sequel to the Stylophone Gen X-1 (which was already one of the best pocket synths), the X-2 offers exciting new features such as a multi-function expression strip and even CV/gate connectivity, so you can hook it up to your Eurorack system and use it as an expressive controller. The on-board sound engine consists of an analog oscillator, a lowpass filter, an AD envelope, an LFO and an analog delay. Fun stuff!
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The Best Pocket Synths: Roland J-6
The Roland J-6 is part of the AIRA compact range, Roland’s rather belated answer to the Volca series. The J-6 might be equipped with the very nice sounding ACB engine, but it’s the sequencer that steals the show here.
Roland R-6 · Source: Roland
It allows you to create and sequence polyphonic patterns in a very intuitive way, and you can easily connect it to other polysynths in your studio. Overall, some amazing capabilities, especially from a songwriting point of view. Together with its siblings T-8, E-4, and P-6, the J-6 makes a great pocket-sized groove studio.
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More about the Best Pocket Synths:
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More compact instruments
Thomann’s Online Guide to Synthesizers
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