New Wave Outpost Forum

I'm currently considering getting a synth. Or at least considering considering getting a synth. So the question is raised.... what's your synth of choice?

Street walking cheetah...

What type of sounds you looking for? What price range?

For a starter synth, I would recommend the Alesis Micron for $399, although it's interface is a little hard to deal with. I like the microKORG for $399 as well, it has a nice sound and is easier to program (it has micro-sized keys though).

Roland just put out a bunch of cheap (digital) Junos and the SH-202 that are even simpler to use, sound nice and cost around $400-$600.

Check these places out for more info:

http://www.sonicstate.com/synth/

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revi ... rd%2FSynth

http://www.vintagesynth.com/

I have the Micron and my son's friend has the Korg....each are good in their own way but when you use both together...you got a pretty decent mess of synth. I didn't think the Micron was all that difficult to use. If you mess with it for awhile you get used to the interface although the "knob" does have it's drawbacks. It's one of those twist, push, twist pull thingies that will come of if you're not careful. I'd stick with the Micron for the full size keys.

Max

The music you listen to is the soundtrack of your life.

Korg MS2000 is pretty good, and you can find them for under $500 used.
If you're looking for a starter synth I would strongly suggest going the used route. DX7's are pretty cheap, Korg Poly800s can be found for around $100-$200 as can Casio CZ-101 and CZ1000.

And there's A TON of free software synths that you use on your computer with a midi or usb keyboard hooked up.

My synth of choice -
http://www.synthmuseum.com/korg/korms1001.html

Just got a Korg PolySix ($30) and Poly800 ($100) recently-- all they needed was a little reprogramming of the presets and batteries.

I think I need a Jupiter 6, though. Or I will cry.

Like ResIpsa says, what are you looking for? Sound design? Composition? Production? Performance? Tweakheadz has a cool noob guide:

http://www.tweakheadz.com/tips_on_buyin ... board.html

If you're looking to spend a bit more than some of the boards mentioned before and just want to mess around with cool sounds, the new Ion looks like a great deal and interesting design. Same processor as the Micron but much more tweakage. Analog modeling can be a lot of fun for 80s geeks. Alesis is a little weak on its Chinese QC though, so order from a place where you can do easy exchanges:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Ion/

Oh, for me, I just like messing around with all kinds of design, sampling, and occasionally just playing piano. So I picked up a high-quality hammer-action 88-key USB booard and use Propellerheads Reason...still the most fun virtual rack out there. I share a lot of Refill sounds on the Hub.

"Analog modeling can be a lot of fun for 80s geeks."

Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Blir? [;)]

For me, it's not a tech thing, but the opposite- I like the warmer sounds of the analog jobbers. When the music gets tooooo "sterile" (even when it's supposed to be), it just doesn't "catch" for me, if you know hwat i mean...

[quote][i]Originally posted by S.[/i]
<br>For me, it's not a tech thing, but the opposite- I like the warmer sounds of the analog jobbers. When the music gets tooooo "sterile" (even when it's supposed to be), it just doesn't "catch" for me, if you know hwat i mean...
[/quote]
Yup, like they say, "thin" is the most heinous criticism you can give a synth. FAT is good. I have a friend of a friend in SFO who got the Andromeda A6 full analog synth. It was twitchy, finicky, buggy, and wouldn't stay in tune from one day to the next. But fire up a doob and have him lay down a true, not modeled, analog thump, and wow, what a sensation. I couldn't make heads or tails of it with all the knobery! [:p]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Blir[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by S.[/i]
<br>For me, it's not a tech thing, but the opposite- I like the warmer sounds of the analog jobbers. When the music gets tooooo "sterile" (even when it's supposed to be), it just doesn't "catch" for me, if you know hwat i mean...
[/quote]
Yup, like they say, "thin" is the most heinous criticism you can give a synth. FAT is good. I have a friend of a friend in SFO who got the Andromeda A6 full analog synth. It was twitchy, finicky, buggy, and wouldn't stay in tune from one day to the next. But fire up a doob and have him lay down a true, not modeled, analog thump, and wow, what a sensation. I couldn't make heads or tails of it with all the knobery! [:p]
[/quote]

Which is the reason I still have my Prophet 5 from 1984 and after going through anumber of different synths and samplers in the intervening years, it's still my favorite keyboard--FAT FAT analog sound--plus its the only keyboard I can really program. It's all about the waveform the attack/decay/sustain/release![:p]

attack/decay/sustain/release...

Whoa. I think I need a cold shower.

My old buddy and ex bandmate, Art, used some beast called the Voyetra 8. (He also had a Roland, although I have no idea what model.) I only rarely wrote songs that featured keyboards, and when we did covers that included them, I tended to strip them out, but on the rare occasions when the keyboards were used, he came up with some pretty interesting sounds with that thing.

As I posted in the Hobbys thread, I'ev got a Prophet 600 and a Crumar DS-1.

The Crumar is my baby. I've owned it for just about a year, had it tuned up and the thing is priceless. Mine is serial #101, no one on line had ever heard of one over #100, so I guess they're pretty rare.

My Prophet needs some work, a few of the keys don't sound, and there's some scratchy pots. Nothing that a few $$$ at Wine Country won't fix.

Also in the toybox are 2 EX800s, a POLY800 with the Moog Slayer mod, a POLY800II, 2 semi-functioning CZ101s, a Roland JX-3P with the programmer, and a Casio SK-1. Oh, and a Kord DDD-1 drum machine with the 808 card.

I have also owned (and heavily regret selling) a Roland SH101, MC202 and an SH09.

I just sold off a little Korg EA-1 Electribe thing. They get bashed alot, but I really dug mine. Lots of good bleep bloop. I run my synths through lots of guitar effects which tends to give them a distorty/fuzzy flavor that I like and the added effects pedals give me more versatility...they are essentially extra filters.

Right now alls I got is one of those Realistic (made by Moog for Radio Shack in the 70s) MG-1 synths. It's the one I've kept. Just has the fattest bass and coolest sounds. A lot of these get gunked up, but mine has had all the sliders and switches replaced recently and has been professionally de-gunked. Cool machine.

In fact, I'm considering not recording anymore. Hardly have the time anymore. That "Radio Shack" Moog may end up on eBay real soon.

I'd be interested in the MG.

I'm taking my Prophet600 into the shop today. Hopefully in a month or so I will have a fully working synth again.