Leaving out the big units like Farilight and Synclavier.
1) YAMAHA CS80
- basically the Vangelis synth with the thickest warbly oscillators I've ever heard.
2) Roland Jupiter 8
- For some reason I always associate it with John Carpenter, though I think that might be incorrect, either way, it produces some lovely creamy pad sounds and I'd also add in the MKS80 rack unit that has different thicker filters.
3) Mini Moog
- Being one of the few Mono synths on the list, it's most famous for it's rich bass tones.
4) Yamaha DX7
- A digital synth and being FM can be difficult to program, but one of the most easily recognisable 80s synths capable of a wide range of sounds.
5) Kurzweil K2000
- Got it's own programmability this one, similar to an FM synth if I'm right and a personal favourite as not many other synths sound like it as a result.
6) Roland Juno 6
- One of the preeminent 80s synths, that does immense bass sounds among others.
7) Korg MonoPoly
- There's probably better known Korg synths, but if I'm right this has a unique Chord Memory, enabling you to easily create the parallel harmonies used in a lot of tunes.
8) SC Prophet 5
- I know less about this one, and favour the Jupiter 8, but I'm told it was one of the ones in John Carpenter's arsenal, so got to be in there for the kind of pads you hear in Christine.
9) Roland SH 101
- It would have been easy to pick the SH 303, but the 101 is a bit older and just as simple, mainly used for the kind of bass sounds heard in A Guy Called Gerald's Voodoo Ray.
10) DSI PolyEvolver
- Half digital and half analogue, a beautiful unit and the only modern synth I've listed that stands alongside the above with ease.