I have an Alesis Micron currently and don't like it that much. Not because of the sound but more because of the fact that I like there to be lots of knobs and faders on the synth.
I'm looking to buy a new hardware synth.
Wants:
Being able to run midi through it back into my DAW
Fat sound
Not to big, maybe 25 or 49 keys
Preferably newer, possibly something I could get at guitar center and not have to search ebay for
MIDI
Suitable for Electronic music. Dance music leads.
Lots of options
Easy to use, user friendly
- Not too easy but something I could actually get a good grasp off after reading the manual and all
I recently saw and tried the roland Gaia. I really loved it but it has a lot of hate on the internet. I wanted to hear what people had to say about this.
May I suggest that if you like something, and everyone else hates it, don't let it change your mind.
There are several synths that get slandered here, and the chances are that a lot of the people doing the talking never even used them.
But I wonder...
I've heard the blofeld's sound is amazing yet it doesn't look versatile to me.
You have a strange idea about versatility, but its failings are the same as the Micron (though it's got a bigger display and the editing is easier thanks to the matrix). You can also enable the internal sampler, which makes it a hybrid VA/sampler.
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Why does Gaia get such bad reviews? Messed around with it yesterday and it sounded real good?
Then what's keeping you from buying it? Opinions on the internet?
In terms of synthesis, it's much more simple than the Micron. It compensates a bit with the sampled waveforms.
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Don't listen to people about the Gaia. It's a great budget poly VA. Get the Gaia for pads and chords. Get an Arturia mini brute for bass. This will cost around 1000 and be a great setup.
I've heard the blofeld's sound is amazing yet it doesn't look versatile to me.
What do you mean, you've heard? Have you listened to it yourself? If you want to see what it can do, download the manual, really. It is feature rich.
There is a lot of highly varied sound material of the Blofeld freely available online.
It should be easy enough to find in stores for you to try. Do some listening, some reading, then ring your stores to find one; see if you like working with it. As Yoozer mentioned, your reasons for rejecting the Micron could easily apply to the Blofeld.
May I suggest that if you like something, and everyone else hates it, don't let it change your mind.
There are several synths that get slandered here, and the chances are that a lot of the people doing the talking never even used them.
I cam on here because I am a noob about hardware synths. I didn't want to get ripped off.
The guy showing me actually worked for Roland not the store, so it was really biased. Wanted to ask some pros before I made any transactions.
****BTW, i'm looking for fat leads, not necessarily Pads, chords, etc.
Waldorf Blofeld but get the rack version and a cheaper MIDI controller.
Where can I find this rack version?
As for hardware synths under 1000, I have the gaia and the mopho. Despite the mopho sounding fatter, I find myself using the gaia much more. It is just a lot more accessible and quick to create patches on. I always have a really good time making sounds on it and I personally enjoy the sound of it...it sounds great for electronic music.
The only reason I'll buy another hardware synth is if it is very hands on in its approach to synthesis....Lots of knobs! I detest menu diving on a hardware synth and would rather use a vsti.
At the end of the day I want one with a hard analog sound that you can tell isn't a VST or software instrument.
Only analogue will do this. However, you said you liked the sound of other hardware VAs. Can you provide an example of what you describe as 'hard analog sound'?
You may also like to do some reading on the various aspects of analogue designs (just briefly, at least), if analogue sound is really your thing. Plenty of free material around. It can give you some perspective for selecting your purchase.
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Originally Posted by shwinky789
1. how would i run midi through it/recive midi
Do some reading on MIDI interfaces. They are less convenient than a USB MIDI driver, but still fine.
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Originally Posted by shwinky789
and I'm leaning toward the minibrute
imo, Minibrute can sound hard. Have you listened to one? Do the examples suit your requirements?
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Originally Posted by shwinky789
but I want to know the synth with the fattest lead
You have to answer that for yourself. Depends exactly what sound you like.
btw, do you need polyphony? Do you have any other requirements for your keybed?
What are your main reasons for not wanting separate controller/sound module arrangement? If I were you, I would probably at least wait to play with a Boomstar (actually, each of them). They look interesting on paper, and have suitable interfaces. MIDI spec is limited though.
I believe you could probably get the 61 key (I think) Triton Extreme for right around or just under $1000. I have one and it's really easy to use--you can get especially powerful/warm sounds through layering (stack up to 16 midi channels, record into your DAW as audio) and utilizing the combination mode. Pretty capable synth too with TONS of oscillator samples to utilize. You can only create a patch with two oscillators at a time though, but then you can stack and stack and stack until you get something massive.
It's really versatile too...can do pads, big leads, pretty good strings, horns, etc.
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Look, I absolutely love hardware and analogs and would pick them over softsynths any day of the week (simply because I just hate making music on a computer), but don't underestimate softsynths.
In fact, I don't think it's too controversial to say that you could get great results by getting great freeware/donationware softies and (if you're so inclined) you could reamp/"worldize" them to liven/dirty them up.
I'd plus one a MoPho keyboard, but also agree that you can get more bang for your buck if you're open to the rack/module + MIDI keyboard solution. You could even keep your Micron and use it, though it's not brimming with knobs. Depends on the kind of guy you are. Frankly, I'd be just has happy if all my synths were black boxes with usb plugs and good software editors.
If you're up for that, I can't recommend the ATC-x QFS enough. I got mine used for $800 on eBay. It's not an especially feature rich synth, but it sounds great and the 4 filters are all winners. The UI is great IMO, though it only has a single knob. After 10 minutes you'll never care. It's got a rich analog sound that makes it the one hardware I'd keep if I could only have one. When people talk about how Diva mimics analog perfectly all I have to do is turn to the ATC for proof that software's not quite there yet.
I like the Phatty too... you could probably find one used for $1000. Less if you don't need the keyboard. Harder and more wooden sounding than the ATC.
The Minibrute may also be your cup of tea. It's not as "hi-fi" sounding as the ATC, but it's got a lot of interesting "quirky" features that make it stand out. Great at aggressive stuff and the only synth I've mentioned that has a multimode filter.
I cam on here because I am a noob about hardware synths. I didn't want to get ripped off.
The guy showing me actually worked for Roland not the store, so it was really biased. Wanted to ask some pros before I made any transactions.
****BTW, i'm looking for fat leads, not necessarily Pads, chords, etc.
Just leads?
Minibrute
Mopho
Silm Phatty
In that order.
Spend the extra 500-300 on a midi controller and use soft synths.
The Gaia is good if you like it, but if you only want leads, then get a good mono modern analog IMO. For what it seems like you want I say get the Minibrute 100%.
Calling the Blofeld "not versatile" is ridiculous. I challenge you to find ANY synth which has as deep and complete of an architecture as the Blofeld, anywhere near its price and availability. It may not be the end all/be all of analog modelers (though it does a great job none the less).....but my Lord is it versatile!
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