-=[THE SYNTH ZONE]=-

Korg continues to kill it. Looking forward to their new drum machine.

I've been making payments on a preorder of the Isla S2400 (reimagined/updated SP1200) and just paid it off today.

Looking forward to making very bad house when my number is finally up -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDPvmgNTZhU

Love to hear a review when you get it!

ding dumb stressful long hours on COVID comms leaves me exhausted all the time, but they drop the bag on me for it and it's gotten me a polyend tracker, and a syntrx to live out those EMS fantasies.

the tracker is like a super deluxe volca sample - does pitched sample playback, does sample recording, can drag samples direct onto its SD card, can chop loops, etc. I never used tracker software back in the old daze but the whole organising by columns thing makes sense to me. much fun to be had with the fill functions and the randomisation and probability stuff therein. I recorded eight bars of volca modular directly in (looping sequence with some random LFO weirdness), trimmed it, auto chopped it to the transients like a drum loop, added the sample to every step in track 1, then randomised the playback point on the sample for each step. instant weird groove! it is great for on-couch noodling away at ideas.

the syntrx is really beautifully built, it's not an exact synthi A clone but you can do the feedback loop tricks and the weird FM and the battle patch and 'on the run' and all that. I find the digital take on the pin matrix quite good - pushing in those pins on the old ones can feel a bit nerve-wracking when it's not yours!

two more weeks of this godforsaken job until I go back to 9-5 work and maybe have some brainspace to use them properly.

Forgot that I pre-ordered Ableton Live 11, that was a surprise $183 that I hadn't accounted for. Haven't gotten to try most of the new stuff but the new sample libraries from Spitfire Labs are pretty nice

I loaded it all today, but haven't had a chance to try it out. Lots of interesting looking stuff.

I downloaded 11, and quickly went to check out the tempo following. I found a couple of disappointing things:

1) When you tempo follow, you cannot use Ableton Link. I would love to be able to use the tempo follower as a Link "master."

2) Still doesn't work well for breakbeats. I would love a DJ mode that would let you bound the tempo ranges to make it easier on the algorithm to find the tempo, even on tougher-to-follow beats.

I just ordered one of these: https://conductivelabs.com/mrcc/

I'm looking forward to rerouting MIDI without pulling cables, etc. Not sure if I have enough gear to actually make use of all of it, though.

Milo - did you get your Isla yet?

I did not. The next batch of 500 just arrived at their workshop in Florida so fingers crossed sometime in the next six weeks.

That MIDI thing looks good. I struggled for years and in some way still do. A very overcomplicated set-up w lots of MIDI and weird routing needs. I had tried a JL Cooper switcher once and just kept getting weird feedback issues. Then I had an iConnectivity box but the software seemed buggy and a pain. They have newer units that seem better. Finally got a used MOTU Midi Express XT which does everything, though the software is also annoying.

I bought their NDLR when they ran it on Indiegogo because it looked interesting. I'm sure it's very clever, but I'm not sure it's for me.

god i want one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVHhcxdmEqw

It took me a while to work up the courage but I built my Music Things Radio Music kit last weekend - finding it weirdly satisfying to have it running in another room with a couple of LFOs randomizing the files into delay and reverb.

which is the point of the module in a way but I'm not recording it or using it with anything else yet, just having it in the periphery while I mop or w/e

There's an E-Mu Emax SE in great shape with a USB reader installed on Reverb that I'm tempted to make an offer on with my stimmy bucks.

Sounds tempting! Completely unnecessary, but still tempting.

Hey synth people. What are some decent polyphonic synths that can be had for cheap? I've been eyeing a few in the Yamaha DX family. Basically just looking for something to learn piano on as well as to fuck around and get weird with.

I had been learning on this cheap-ass Casio thing that I inherited from my niece, but it's dead now and I thought I'd try to step things up a notch. Also tried a Korg Monologue for a while, which was a lot of fun, but I think I'm definitely better suited to something with a full-sized keyboard.

I dunno, just like "Oh, you're looking into the DX7? Well, be sure to check out a Bleepblorp 4000. You can get them for $200 less and it is whispered that they have the most exquisite bass sounds of the 1990s." or something like that.

I wonder if the best solution would be getting a Volca FM (or another small synth like a Yamaha Reface CS, or one of the other Refaces, or the Roland boutique series, a Minilogue or another Volca, etc) and controlling it with a cheap full-size midi keyboard? I think anything with a full-size keyboard (Nord, Sequential Circuits, etc) and serious onboard synthesis starts to cost $$$$$.

Although back a few generations I used to have an Alesis Ion digital synth that was full-size, it was ok, wish I still had it.

well what's important? If you want to learn piano you need something polyphonic, so that rules out a ton of things, like the Monologue. Also you want full-size keys.

It's not easy to find a nice cheap synth with a nice keyboard, you may be best off getting a good controller that feels good, keyboard wise, then use it to control your computer or any synths/synth modules you get down the line.

Are DXs even velocity sensitive? I don't remember.

thinking the same. There are great cheapish synths, I own and love the Minilogue and the Reface DX, though neither will win keyboard awards. The minilogue is only 4 voices so again, ok to play melodies and basslines and some chords, but not suitable for learning piano.

Reface DX is small but is more fun to use than a vintage FM synth.

Good thoughts - thanks! Any advice on choosing midi controllers?

This might not be the answer you're looking for, but I find the Novation Peak super cheap for what it does. It's about $1k used, and it's got plenty of voices, subtractive and wavetable capabilities, a really gorgeous analog sound despite the digitally controlled oscillators, and very nice on board FX.

The Peak/Summit are really great-sounding synths.

xp Oh def get a midi controller for the key action. I actually wish all synth models had module versions. Decouple that keyboard action from the sound generation.

I would look at this, coupled with software:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LaunchK3-49--novation-launchkey-49-mk3-49-key-keyboard-controller

Then when you're ready for synthesis, get this:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MinilogueXDm--korg-minilogue-xd-4-voice-analog-synthesizer-module

I'm getting a Mk3 controller too. Great for controlling software but also a sweet sequencer for MIDI/CV gear once you start down that path.

Oh wait I'm thinking of the SL Mk3. The Launchkey looks good too, but I don't think it has the sequencer.

The M-Audio Oxygen ones also work for (even cheaper) midi controllers.

Another option is a low-to-medium end Roland digital piano (for learning piano) and then using it as a MIDI controller for VST synths. Lots of free and cheap VSTs that are incredible these days. All of the Rolands work over USB as MIDI controllers IIRC.

Cherry Audio has a few cheap synths that are great, Full Bucket in germany has a ton of wacky free ancient Korg emulations that are cool.

Yeah, the VST thing is definitely appealing, but it would mean investing in a computer that could handle that kind of thing. None of the computers I own are suitable.

MIDI controller plus small synth module (Volca, Roland Boutique, etc) makes sense but it’s worth seeing what you can get used on Ebay/ Reverb.

I paid about £200 for a Roland Gaia, which is widely hated as the presets are all terrible, but it has a nice keyboard and is good enough for Grimes and Sadie Dupuis.

What's yr budget?

They've probably climbed a bit but I saw Deepmind 12s sold locally for $500-550 last summer, that's plenty of polyphony for chords+built in effects.

xp: My total budget is under $1,000. Preferably well under a grand. That's probably the biggest part of what attracted me to the Yamahas.

A midi controller, an audio interface, an ipad, Korg Module (if you want to learn keys) or some other korg synth app (if you care more about synthesis), and an ios camera kit to hook it all up.

$200 used + $200 new + $200 used + $40 + $40

Interesting idea!

You don't even really need the audio interface in that scenario. You can do audio out the HP jack on iPads (not sure about the latest ones).

And if you already have a new-ish iphone and don't mind having less screen real estate you can use that and skip the ipad too, so it's really just like $250 to get a midi controller and a synth/sound module app

For that route, it's trickier since they don't have headphone jacks. You can dongle out of the lightning port of the camera kit adapter, but then your phone loses battery pretty quickly.

and of course BT audio has way too much latency for playing software instruments.

Yeah, those kinds of issues is why I prefer the camera kit and audio interface approach. Audio interfaces are useful in so many contexts that it's a good idea to get one. I know people fetishize DAW-less approaches these days but I hardly ever use a DAW and I'm still constantly using my audio interface

What interface do you use with the iPad? I like the look of that Zoom UAC-2 one.

if learning piano/keys is an important part of the equation, i'd recommend investing in a USB/MIDI keyboard controller with full-weight keys, and skimp on the sound modules (iPad seems like a good way to go) until you want to expand your synthesis firepower. weighted keyboards are considerably pricier (i think the cheapest start at $500) but i think the difference in feel/response is profound... maybe learning on a piano spoiled me, heh

SYNTH LIFE UPDATE: Selling my old Reface CS to make room for some new gear. I'm jonesing to get an Opsix, but the $800 price tag feels a little steep to me. I really like the way that thing sounds though, and the patching possibilities are pretty wild.

Also considering the Modal Cobalt 8, Minilogue XD, and the Microfreak. None of which are FM like the Opsix, but the main things I'm looking for are: 1) robust sound design; 2) at least 4-voice polyphony; 3) compactness. I feel like I could actually go a long way with the Microfreak and some external FX. I'm not a big fan of that keyboard though. If anyone has recs or thoughts on these options, I'm down to hear them.

ASM Hydrasynth Desktop might be desirable if a built-in keyboard is not a must

About the audio interface, I'm really happy with a Steinberg UR242.

After 15 years with Presonus and Maudio interfaces that I always had to jump through hoops to get to connect and stay connected, constantly futz with things to try to avoid audio glitches due to DPC latency, and get random and not-infrequent blue screens (due to flaky drivers, best I could tell), it feels like a miracle to have an audio interface that Just Works and never, ever crashes or malfunctions.

If you can afford it, a used Peak would be pretty sweet.