New to synths, new to MIDI, whats an ideal MIDI controller synth on a budget?

[messiaen]

Hi experts!

I know many people have asked similar questions but I really need some good advice please.

I have just got a laptop and ableton, and a few soft synths but not really enjoying using this stuff,tutt I want a hardware synth with midikeyboard so I can use my soft synths occasoinally, and other modules I want to get. I've got an SH32 on the way!! I want to able to tweak stuff without a mouse. Probably get a mopho too soon.

I want to get a synthkeyboard rather than just a midi controller i think, as for the cost of a decent controller, m audio axiom pro, novation x station, akai mpc 49 etc I'm sure i could pick up an old hardware synth with a decent keyboard? Where I live there are very few music shops its hard to test anything out!

My budget is £500 ($750) max but hopefully I would want to spend less so I could get some analog effect pedals such as a phaser etc

Any suggestions would be valuable, I have no real idea how midi works and would like a keyboard I guess with knob sliders etc to make my life easier trying to navigate around

Size is not that important though I dont think i could fit anything bigger than a 61 key keyboard in my squalid bedroom!!

So folk I hope you can help me out... o yeah it would be gret to pick up an ol' analog synth for PPhat sounds etc but I havn't got the money or knowhow for expensive repairs, I just want a nice sturdy playable i'm a pretty much total beginner with enthusiasm and a tight budget

laters people, hope to hear the benefits of your wisdom soon!!

[Chrislpp]

What you are looking for is a synth with a MIDI output on it.

That way you can also use the keys as a midi controller with Ableton or Reason etc. along with your interface.

As an example



Right of the KORG logo on the bottom pic is what you need (midi points) but it also has the other audio points.

Midi is a set of commands, a midi track tells a soft synth, or anything else for that matter what note to play, at what velocity, and for how long, it is also used to change any parameter, such as effects controls or faders in your DAW>

There are loads of controllers to choose from with sliders and knobs to programme to different parameters in your DAW.

[DanH]

I'm not terribly well versed in all the current gear out there, but I've been using an Alesis Micron that has served me very well.

Its a 3 octave version of Alesis' analog modeling Ion. Has some great sounds built in, and has midi in/out/thru on the back.

Here's a MIDI tutorial so you can expand your knowledge. Here

Good luck!

[messiaen]

Cheers guys for swift replies, I've played on a Microkorg but really hate the small keys though the soung were great, the Micron also looks good but I probably need a larger keyboard,4-5 octaves

o well just got to keep searching

[robmix]

Find an old Roland Juno Alpha 1 or 2. Should be super cheap, and capable.

[ohmicide]

i've got a korg r3 and it's great but sometimes i wish i would have gotten an old korg ms2000 because you get all the knobs, the vocoder, and it sounds amazing

[PaleoPerry]

I use a Yamaha AN1X. Cheap, 2 wheels, xy touch strip, aftertouch, knobs, nice feel, and a very tolerable VA to boot!

[messiaen]

Originally Posted by robmix

Find an old Roland Juno Alpha 1 or 2. Should be super cheap, and capable.

i've looked these up on harmony central etc they seem reliable and have midi after touch etc. It recommends a pg 300 programmer to be able to tweak stuff in real time

As I have a Roland sh 32 would I be able to using midi be able to tweak the juno sounds from the sh32? then i wouldn't need a pg 300!!

cheers

andrew

[seandoe]

Sorry to hijack a thread here, but I've been trying to do as much research as I can and I'm in a pretty similar position to the original poster was. (No previous experience or knowledge of anything having to do with synths/midi/controllers, etc)

A guy I play music with had access to a good keyboard that covered the needs of our bar band, but he no longer does because of a bad break-up with his girlfriend. So, now I'm looking at options to get us by. I was wondering about picking up something cheap like an M-Audio Keystation 88es or StudioLogic SL990XP 88 and then if someone could point me in the right direction to picking up an old midi module for dirt cheap.

I figured that would be the way to go, because it would be a cheap way to enter, and then as I learn more and want to use more midi stuff for my recording setup, I could build off of it. Is this logical? Are these devices/setups even typically used in live settings?

As far as sounds, for now, all I would need is something that has a piano sound, and something that comes close to the "Jump" synth sound. I guess if there were some cheesy string sounds, and maybe something along the lines of the rhodes sound would be cool, but certainly not necessary. It would only be used at loud dirty bars for now, so I'm more concerned with keeping the price low, over great quality or having way more options than we'd ever need. I'm hoping someone knows of some old cheap module i could pick up on ebay for next to nothing. Anyone?

Maybe I'm way off track about the setup completely. As I said, I have absolutely no experiences with this stuff. Any help/advice would be seriously appreciated.

[seandoe]

Bump. Sorry, but can anyone help out a synth noob?

[djcrazylegs]

id second the roland alpha juno 1 or 2 suggestion. it does what you asked for (rhodes, jump sound etc) , pretty rich sound, dirt cheap, and easy to program
you can also get free software to program it with from the comfort of your pc

[Denny C]

My suggestion is to up the ante a little. I'd go for a good sounding board.
I happen to like Korg( a lot). I used a T3 for years until I got my new controller. If you pick up a vintage Korg or Roland or Yamaha, you can get a great sounding synth that will easily double as a midi controller. You kill 2 birds with that one stone. That's just the way I look at it. Good luck!

[rty5150]

Originally Posted by Denny C

My suggestion is to up the ante a little. I'd go for a good sounding board.
I happen to like Korg( a lot). I used a T3 for years until I got my new controller. If you pick up a vintage Korg or Roland or Yamaha, you can get a great sounding synth that will easily double as a midi controller. You kill 2 birds with that one stone. That's just the way I look at it. Good luck!

i use a korg triton le 61 here. i am a synth noob, too. i just plug the midi in and outs into my firestudio and setup midi tracks in sonar and work from there. then i will either trigger vsti's or the triton and record the signal of either. pretty basic, but that really is all you need.

[seandoe]

Sorry to bring up this old thread yet again. Just wanted to say thanks for the advice on the synths and have one more question.

After a lot of researching, i think picking up a korg x50 would be a good bet for a fairly cheap does-it-all to cover the sounds that I mentioned before that would be easy to pack around for gigs and whatnot. I've also become interested in the ms2000 because of cool, experimental noise-making, knob turning fun factor it seems to have.

So, just to make sure, if I just pick up an x50 now, it would work to later grab the rack mount version of the ms2000, connect them, and use the x50 as a controller for the ms2000, correct? Also, could anyone with experience with them tell me if that would be worth it? The x50 doesn't override any use in getting the 2000 as far as sounds, does it?

Thanks again.