-=[THE SYNTH ZONE]=-

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.

Also for audio interfaces, I think the little MOTU ones look pretty good.

This guy makes a bunch of cool tools for making glitchy live music: https://www.giorgiosancristoforo.net/softwares/

(haven't tried them, but was recommended by a coworker)

i used MOTU for I/O long ago and it worked very nicely. idk how the prices compare but Focusrite's latest gen has been great as well.

i fully endorse giorgio sancristoforo's gleetchlan software, it's like a bunch of wild max/msp modules that you connect together with a giant synthi style pin matrix. i like to feed 6 of the same field recording at slightly different speeds and just let it absolutely mangle itself. really fun.

gleetchlab that is.

I need to try his Stockhausen-y Berna app again, I couldn't figure it out the last time I tried.

yeah i never got that one cookin

I'm never quite sure what's going on with Ciat-Lonbarde instruments but the Sidrax seems cool - like a Soma Lyra but less whalesong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUbYN1ezipg

Man, there are some people in my life who would LOVE that thing.

Well, I ended up going with the Microfreak, which I've had for a little over a week now. I'm having a blast with it so far, and it turns out I was wrong about the touchplate keys--I love them! Also I had no idea how cool the arp/sequencer on this thing is. You can make a psuedo-random repeating pattern with the arp just like on the Keystep, but then you can actually save it to the sequencer and tweak it from there. It's really cool for generating melodies and grooves.

that sounds fun, the arp on the keystep is wonderful

Nice to see the Timecops using a Volca Keys to monitor Loki! pic.twitter.com/FsiuVA9Yhq

— Matt Colville? (@mattcolville) April 5, 2021

Must not have been able to borrow the Eventide rack unit from Contact.

so i got a korg microsynth and it seems pretty rad so far but i need some insight from somebody who can put things into understandable language. it's my first experience trying to do anything with a synth so i've found other forums and help guides just add more confusion at this point because i literally don't know what some of the language means and the definitions don't help explaining the questions i have.

in a lot of the patches (which i don't even known if i'm using that term correctly), there's effects already on the sound and i've been able to navigate around and tweak fairly well but i've run into two issues:

1— sometimes the knobs indicate that they should control a parameter, but turning them does nothing. the display changes text, but the actual sound remains the same. in some banks, certain knobs don't do anything and they're not supposed to — fine. i'm referring to when all signs indicate the knob should change a parameter, but it doesn't. what gives?

2— on some patches, there seems to be like a filter running at all times. i'll play some notes and it'll be nice and booming and exactly what i want, but then it feels like it's cycling through a filter (or something?) and it'll reach the other end of the filter and everything just becomes weak and stunted. i've gone through all of the effects and tried to turn them off, or least set them to as subtle as possible. but it still does it! i mainly got the microsynth for basslines and that really sucks when i'm in a groove and then all of a sudden, it's like the volume got turned down and all of the dynamics are gone. until the filter (or whatever) cycles back around.

it was a floor model, so maybe i just need to do a factory reset?

kinda feel like a dumbass rn ngl