Guest scott cs. Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 i am looking to delve into the world of synths and keyboards but i don't really know where to start. i'd like something thats easy to learn on but also interesting to play. can anyone help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.A.R.T Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 the obvious choice: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.A.R.T Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 microshit!i think there are much better keyboards out there for the price than the microkorg....youd be better looking for an old sequencer...itd be cheaper, have more sounds and be more versatile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scott cs. Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 260 is far over my budget, i don't really want to spend more than 50. i would like an old school one from eBay like the VL- Tone or an SK-1, but i don't really know much about the world of synths/keyboards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swingin' Ryan Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 Alessis are putting another mini-synth along the lines of the MicroKorg in a similar price-range out on the market which is supposed to be a bit of an improvement onthe MicroKorg which I'm considering buying, I want something that can make fairly retro synthy noises similar to some of the Postal Service stuff, but I'm currently just honing my pretty inept keyboard skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.A.R.T Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 the sk1 is one of the best synths you could ever buy!its just a shame you cant save the samples...because some of the fluke sounds you get from it are brilliant...and you'll never get them back once you turn it off. boo!it is fantastic though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 I like my MicroKorg. Some of the sounds are a bit shit but if you edit the sounds to make them sound better (although I'm still getting use to editing the sounds). I like the Fender Rhodes piano sound. Sounds really nice when played with some slight distortion on an amp. But I don't know much about synths, so there probably is better synths, but its worth a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mouse Posted September 27, 2004 Report Share Posted September 27, 2004 Hey I played with a Micro Korg in R&B, it's cute and ace! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spellchecker Posted September 28, 2004 Report Share Posted September 28, 2004 Another option to take is to buy a MIDI keyboard, and a sound module to plug it into. That could give you more extensibility in the long run. I'm sure both can be found at reasonable prices on ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 My Casio VS-01 is rad to the max... but you cant save any of the sounds you make.You have to be careful on e-bay because although there are wonders to be found... in your price range there is a lot of shitty toy keyboards with so many limitations.Mini-synths are your best bet, the VL-tone is rad. You should get one... it also has "the devil" as its demo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Salty Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 yay i can teach you piano, well keyboard in your case. get me and my grade 7 skill, i really need my piano back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betamax Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 Good cheap retro synths that appear regularly on ebay for less than 200 quid:Roland SH101 (pay max 200)Roland SH09 (pay max 180)kORG Micro Preset (its made of wood....and not to be confused with the new and rather weedy sounding MicroKorg) (pay max 120)YAMAHA CS01 (pay max 110)Casio VL Tone (not really a programmable synth and dosent have proper keys but sounds neat) (Pay max 25) ALL are proper analogue, do classic synths sounds and are so cooler to look at - but they dont have proper MIDI control (which is not needed unless you want to play the synth via a computor.....you should maybe look into soft synths if you want to run it via a PC/mAC....or do both).Just get confirmation from sellers that its in very good condition / fully working, before going ahead, cos all that kinda gear is from the 70s and can be junk, but quite often they are in good condition cos they have sat in someones secret cupboard since 1981 or somethingSometimes they go for less than the numbers Ive quoted*digital synths are very cool too but the really good ones (Waldorf, Access, Nord, Elektron etc) start at prices higher than you said you want to pay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tam o' Shantie Posted October 1, 2004 Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 what cheap synth will make warm lo-fi organ sounds like Weezer had? i don't fancy paying for a moog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imprinted Posted October 1, 2004 Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 a soft synth would be your best bet tom.the Native Instrument's "B4" Hammond B3 organ emulation being the one that's getting the most attention at the moment...sounds pretty funky i reckon.all down to personal taste though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike iD Posted October 1, 2004 Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 for cheezo organ sounds a cz1000/101 is the ticket as long as you understand the synthesis and can program yer own sounds (presets are duff). much cheapness too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HARRY Posted October 2, 2004 Report Share Posted October 2, 2004 I got a Roland SH-101 '83 model. Very good rhythmically and experimentally, but remember to write down configurations for customised voices because it is easy to lose your sound just as quickly as you found it You can also buy a mod grip for it, and a strap. Tend to go for about 250 on ebay, I got mines at a bargain for 150 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betamax Posted October 4, 2004 Report Share Posted October 4, 2004 I rather dislike virtual instruments; I always feel that you're slightly too removed from them when it comes to playing it. They're good for studio work' date=' and for playing with ideas, but when it comes to live, I think it's kinda lame to sit there behind your laptop and trigger it.I also dislike the fixed sounds that they makeno matter how good the emulation is, if it's an analogue instrument you never really get the "grit" of the real thing. Take for example Propellerhead's fantastic [i']Rebirth 2.0: it's an amazing piece of software, and it gets you three extremely desirable (and hence expensive) instrumentsthe TR-808, TR-909 and TB-303but it does lack the slight "dirtiness" of sounds that the real instruments give you. This is a general downside of digital instruments: as they're playing samples, they have a fixed sound that never varies. (A review can be found at Vintage Synth Explorer.)On a related(ish) note: does anyone still make analogue drum machines, or are they all digital? I have a bit of a fetish for analogue drum machinessuch as my Korg KPR-77 (which I've still yet to learn how to program)and I haven't come across any analogue drum machines that are still in production. Does this mean that I'll be forced to forever scour eBay for a 606?The kORG kpr77 is an under-rated classic and pretty rare, and a lot better sounding than the Roland TR606 which is from the same era (Ive got both and the KPR is better at everything except the 'clap' sound)......programming the KPR is pretty easy so long as the tiny LCD screen still works and the battery memory for saving songs is still ok There are still analogue beatboxes being made but that are all incredibly expensive and German. So I just get old analogue beats and loops froms my Roland CR1000 (The greatest preset machine ever...and it looks like a typewriter) and sample them into a hardware sampler or even a software beat-slicing sampler. Instant modern day programmable (and controllable) analogue beatbox!I agree that programs like Rebirth are pretty good but they just dont sound as meaty as the analogue stuff.I also think its shit when you see a band or act using a laptop for 90% of their sound at a gig. Its Karaoke really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betamax Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 Hmm... I suspect that my battery back-up on my KPR may be out. Is it reasonably easy to replace' date=' or am I talking major surgery? As for programming it, I've just never had the patience to sit down and work through the manual, though I intend to do so soon. The 606 may not sound as good, but it is [i']so much easier to program.On the subject of modern drum machines/beatboxes, any comments regarding the Korg ER-1?YesThe ER1 is good. I want one. Dirty Hospital use one. Hard sounds, easy to program and pretty cheap second hand.Dont know about the KPR77 battery. It should be replacable ....but how? No idea, you might need to let someone who knows electronics take it to bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike iD Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 I'm just away to replace the battery inside my tedious old alesis sr16 with a mind to flogging it on ebay. I opened it up and the battery is like a watch type disc one except its soldered to the main board by a few pins. Gonna remove it then get another 3v similar battery, solder some leads to the battery then solder the leads to the board, cover the battery with some insulation tape and whack it inside the case, sorted..Then again it may follow the path of various other things i've tried to fix, and after getting more and more enraged at how fiddly it is eventually break something terminally and then throw it round the room before finishing it off by stamping on it repeatedly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betamax Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 Then again it may follow the path of various other things i've tried to fix' date=' and after getting more and more enraged at how fiddly it is eventually break something terminally and then throw it round the room before finishing it off by stamping on it repeatedly.[/quote']Im about to attempt the very same operation on a Casio CZ1000 (the bigger version of that magical CZ101 you quite insanely flogged to the Needles). At the moment I cant even find the frickin battery.....arghhh....amazing wee synth that may be about to die You still got the monster CZ5000? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike iD Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 yeah should have kept the cz101 but as I got the cz5000 too (which does exactly the same sounds) not much point apart from compact handiness.The cz5000 last I checked used standard batteries for keeping the memory, though I can't remember whether the 101 does too. The 101 lost memory too and I'd just quickly knock up a patch or two every time I switched it on, which there's something to be said for if you're a super lazy synth programmer like me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scott cs. Posted October 13, 2004 Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 i found a Casio PT-80 under my bed not five minutes ago. are they any good? need to get some batteries to see if it still works, but looks pretty funky.EDIT: it works. i believe it belonged to my grandmother. here's a photo of it: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Salty Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 You jammy wee sod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HARRY Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 Are Casio's actually good, or are you just deemed as cool if you own oneOr both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Salty Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 Nah, I had a casio, it wasn't bad but it wasn't good but it did look nice. I can't see why anyone would be deemed cool for having one, much better off with a korg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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