Osc 2 pitch control is a little too close to the filter cutoff It's not without its limitations - the lack of polyphony leaves it lagging behind the original DX7, Yamaha's Reface DX, and the various FM plugins out there - but the sound of those dark, percussive basses, icy mallets and '80s-style horns is bang on, and if you start to push the capabilities of this tweakable, hands-on little synth, you'll find it's capable of some truly unique tricks. Where the other models have merely captured the general vibe of the instruments they took their inspiration from - albeit in a very fun and affordable way - the FM manages not only to nail the sound of its spiritual predecessor, but also adds an assortment of new and powerful features. This is easily the best of the Volca range so far. It's equipped with a ribbon-style keyboard-come-sequencer, built-in speaker, MIDI input and 3.5mm sync in/out. The Volca FM is a compact, battery-powerable instrument, housed in a plastic chassis with a design that gives a cheeky stylistic nod to the Yamaha DX7 from which it takes its sonic cues. The original Minilogue already was - and, in fact, still is - a very versatile analogue synth. That said, there’s no denying that it offers excellent value in terms of the sonic flexibility you get for your money. With a price point above £500/$500, it’s arguable that the Korg Minilogue XD is pushing the boundaries of what can be considered a ‘cheap’ synthesizer.