The Ultimate List of Electronic Music Instruments

This article is a collaborative effort, crafted and edited by a team of dedicated professionals.

Contributors: Andranick Tanguiane, Fred Lerdahl,

Contents

In this blog post, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best electronic music instruments available on the market today. If you’re looking to get into producing your own music, then this list is a great place to start!

Drum Machines

A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds. It is typically used by DJs, producers, and musicians to create beats and rhythms. There are many different types of drum machines, each with its own unique features and functions. Let’s take a look at some of the best drum machines on the market.

Roland TR-808

The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the earliest programmable drum machines, with which users could create their own unique drum kits. Its distinctive sound has been used on countless recordings, and has been particularly influential in the development of electronic dance music such as hip hop, house and techno.

Akai MPC

The Akai MPC is a classic drum machine that has been used by countless producers over the years. It’s most famous for its iconic “MPC sound”, which is a distinctive, punchy sound that can be heard on countless hip hop tracks. The MPC is also very popular for its workflow and its user-friendly interface.

Synthesizers

A synthesizer is an electronic musical instrument that produces electronically generated sound. Synthesizers generate sounds from a variety of sources, including oscillators, filters, and feedback. They can be played with a variety of controllers, including keyboards, drum pads, and joysticks. Synthesizers are often used in the production of electronic music.

Moog Minimoog

The Moog Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by Robert Moog in 1970, originally intended as a compact, portable alternative to his larger modular synthesizers. It was the first commercial synthesizer, and is credited with creating the “Moog sound” heard on numerous pop and rock recordings of the 1970s. Featuring control voltage capabilities, it became popular among progressive rock bands such as Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Unlike most other portable synthesizers of its time, which used bulky Integrated circuits (ICs), the Minimoog used vacuum tubes (also called valves in British English) for its Tone generation circuitry. This made it larger and more expensive than competing designs; however, it produced poorer-qualityAudio compared to IC-based designs due to lower manufacturing tolerances for vacuum tubes at that time.

In May 1971, the first production units were shipped to dealers. Artists who received early units included Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s Keith Emerson and Tangerine Dream’s Edgar Froese. Wendy Carlos used three Minimoogs—each with different patching—on her Switched-On Bach recording, released in October 1972. The Minimoog quickly became popular with other progressive rock bands such as Pink Floyd andYes. It remained in production until 1981; about 13,000 units were built in that time. In 1972–73 two new Minimoogs were introduced: the Minimoog Model D (much closer to Robert Moog’s original design) and Minimoog Model D1455 (a basic model with smaller dimensions). Production of the Model D ceased after a few years.

The original Minimoog was reissued by Moog Music in 2002 as an authorized clone called the “Minimoog Voyager”. The Voyager added numerous features not found on the original instrument, including MIDI capability and an arpeggiator pattern generator; however it proved controversial among some longtime users because of its different sound character

Korg MS-20

The Korg MS-20 is a Patchable Paraphonic Analog Synthesizer released in 1978. It was part of the MS series created by Korg. The MS-20 has been reissued in 2013 as part of the company’s Legacy Collection.

The Korg MS-20 is a two-oscillator monophonic analog synthesizer. It features pitch and modulation wheels, portamento, and a wide range of patch points which allow for complex signal routing. The MS-20 was one of the first synthesizers to feature an external audio input, which allowed for processing of external signals through the synth’s filter.

The original MS-20 featured only CV/Gate inputs/outputs, however, the 2013 reissue added MIDI I/O.

Samplers

The electronic sampler has become an increasingly popular music instrument in recent years. A lot of people are attracted to the idea of being able to create their own music without having to learn how to play an instrument. Samplers allow you to do just that. You can record your own sounds or samples and then play them back.

E-mu SP-1200

The E-mu SP-1200 is a classic drum machine and sampler that was first released in 1987. It has become one of the most popular pieces of equipment for hip-hop producers and is still in use today. The SP-1200 has a simple user interface and is known for its rugged construction. It is also capable of producing very high quality sound recordings.

Akai S950

The Akai S950 is a 16-bit sampler released in 1987. It was one of the first affordable samplers on the market and was very popular with dance music producers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The S950 is an 12-bit device with an onboard 7.5kHz low-pass filter and analog outputs. It can be expanded with up to 28MB of memory, which allows it to store up to 2 minutes of stereo audio at 44.1kHz.

The Akai S950 is a 12-bit sampler with an onboard 7.5kHz low-pass filter and analog outputs. It can be expanded with up to 28MB of memory, which allows it to store up to 2 minutes of stereo audio at 44.1kHz.

MIDI Controllers

MIDI controllers are devices that are used to create and manipulate electronic music. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and can be used for a variety of purposes. MIDI controllers can be used to create sounds, to control effects, and to create and edit sequences. Some MIDI controllers also come with built-in sequencers, allowing you to create and edit your own sequences.

Akai MPD

The Akai MPD is a USB/MIDI controller that features genuine MPC pads. It’s one of the most popular controllers on the market and has been used by some of the biggest names in the music industry.

Native Instruments Maschine

With a simple, elegant interface and powerful software under the hood, Native Instruments’ Maschine is a revolutionary tool for modern music creation. It’s a hands-on instrument that lets you create beats, melodies, and harmonies with unparalleled speed and precision. And with its tightly integrated hardware and software, Maschine will change the way you make music.

DAWs

In this guide, we’ll be discussing some of the best electronic music instruments available on the market. These are perfect for producers who want to create their own sound. We’ll be discussing a range of instruments, from drum machines to samplers, and everything in between.

Ableton Live

Ableton Live is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by Ableton for Windows and macOS. It is used by DJs and electronic musicians for creating and performing live compositions. The software provides users with a variety of tools for creating and manipulating audio, including the ability to record live input, sequence audio and MIDI files, add effects, process live audio, and more. Ableton Live is widely considered to be one of the best DAWs on the market, and has been used by some of the world’s most famous electronic musicians, including Skrillex, Deadmau5, and Flume.

Logic Pro

Logic Pro is a comprehensive and powerful digital audio workstation (DAW) designed for professional music production. It offers a wide range of features and tools that allow users to create and edit audio files with ease. Logic Pro also includes a large sound library containing a wide variety of instruments, loops, and effects.

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