Synthesizers? need advice......

[Ized]

Hi i'm new and totally noob to keyboards and synthesizers, but i'm interested in getting one..... I'm primarily a guitar player....however im hoping to get a programmable synth to expand my band's range of sounds.....My idea is something light and portable.....good atmospheric sound to fill up the spaces.....plus the ability to loop would be advantageous, so i can just let it play while i focus on my guitar playing. Any recommendations anyone? Please help and thanks!

 

[ac]

maybe something small like the microkorg? hook it up to a laptop. trigger samples using fruity loops or ableton live or any other sampler.

 

[SoNiCbRaT]

You can try Xiosynth or MicroX too... KORG R3 also... Hmmm maybe someone will tell you to go for a controller keyboard and software soon. By programmable you mean in terms of designing your own sounds? Or do you mean by sequencing stuffs?

 

[Ized]

hey im so sorry for the late reply.....i mean programmable as in sequencing stuffs. yeah im looking at a micro X but price is a bit on the steep side, 700 for a second hand. i dun really need such an expensive synth, just one with decent sounds and able to sequence stuff and loop. Sorry am i using the right terms? im kinda noob to this so pls correct me if im wrong..... haha

 

[SoNiCbRaT]

I am afraid you might have a very distorted idea of a synth... 700 is low budget prices... to do sequencing and stuffs per se... looping only certain synths has a looper, if not it's cut and paste sequenced stuffs... for a normal synths workstation, say small and 61 keys sort, we are talking about 1000 - 1800 depending on brand and functions... so if you want anything "lower" than the price of a xiosynth, microKORG, Alesis Micron or Micro X, you can't get a "synthesizer"...

My suggestion would be to get a small controller keyboard and run softwares with your budget to get any decent sounds.

 

[bongman]

there is always 2nd hand tone modules to start off with
if you are unsure will you continue with your music activities.

someone is selling a higher-end Roland Sound Canvas which is
good enough to start off with if you have a MIDI keyboared controller.

 

[aireydon]

hi Ized,

welcome to the keyboardist's world..!
u may want to familarise yrself with the terms b4 u actually ask about what u want first...

my impression of the hiearachy of keyboards is this....many people have been asking me how to buy "low budget keyboard" but many do not actually know how what they actually want and even what are the proper keyboard terms to use...

tis is how i try my best to put it simply....this has been done so many time b4 by the xperieced old birds in here but i figured i can give it a noob shot:

1. keyboard: plain simple keyboard with the usual different patches/or "sounds"..many guitarists like to call them 'effects" but we keyboardistist call them patches/voices. a low budget keyboard usually has no or little effects( cept for the basic reverb/chrous etc). some comes with basic EQ function, most do not. current trend is about $250 And above usually. usually has no or ittle real time controls( knobs, pitch bend wheel etc)

2.synthesizer: keyboard that is programmable,( tink tweakable, layable, can combine patches etc) , no "recording"function (we keyboardists usually call it a sequencer ) usually comes with much more comprehensive and programmable effects set, and real time controls like knobs and wheels.(i.e guitariss: tink delay, phaser.flanger, and EQ, and the tone and volume knobs and wah wah ) current trend is about $700 and above usually...

3.workstation: synthesizer with sequencer and perhaps sampling function. if u can get a first hand at $1000, its reali okie. Yamaha heated up the competition with MM6, about $900+

shall not go on ..but when u mention loopin,you could be talking about the workstation range...unless u can get some keyboard with simple recording functions....some cheqp Yamaha PSR can record a track or two and has SM slots..they can record tracks but i'm not sure about looping.....

 

[Ized]

hey guys thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it...anyways im going to take up keyboarding lessons....proper. Hey i also wanna thank aireydon for pointing out the mistakes in the terms i mentioned! sheesh! sorry im a noob man....

Well i believe in that case a synth for me is not really necessary, maybe a mid-end keyboard? I just need some effects(etc strings and piano, orchestra) I have a Yamaha keyboard in my school's jamming studio to mess ard with..pretty decent model with some nice tones..not sure what model tho... so im not that entirely obnoxious with the keyboard and what it can do....just confused with the notion of different terms like workstation, synth and stuff...

Er when i mean looping means being able to play out a simple chord progression and it'll just loop over and over again in real time? Well since the lower end keyboards cant accomplish this, i was thinking of getting a looper pedal (like the BOSS RC-2) to do this? or any other suggestions guys? I apologise if im confused about the terms and stuff....

Anyways what's a midi controller?

 

[soft]

midi controller is a keyboard that has no built in sound. just the black and white keys with some knobs and buttons.

 

[Cheez]

A midi controller doesn't have to be a keyboard. It can be in any form as long as it "controls midi" - like pedals, wind/breath, drum pads etc.

Ized, looks like you are looking for something with an arpeggiator.

 

[Ized]

hmm Cheez, maybe? I'm not exactly sure though....

Any good ones to recommend? I need to sequence some good atmospheric sounds.