Members Loobster Posted February 26, 2008 Members Share Posted February 26, 2008 Looking for something versatile and a vocoder wouldn't be bad either. Nice arpeggiations and the ability to get hands on with tweaking is a must. I'm primarily a guitar player but my band is instrumental and I need a synth for our upcoming demo and for shows. I've got about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jez Posted February 26, 2008 Members Share Posted February 26, 2008 Define "versatile" What sounds are important to you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members enx Posted February 26, 2008 Members Share Posted February 26, 2008 Korg R3 look on nova musik or find one used, very nice vocoder, very hands-on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Loobster Posted February 26, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 26, 2008 Yeah, I'm thinking the R3, but what about the Microkorg? The R3 seems quite a lot of money to spend on a first synth. Is it good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Loobster Posted February 26, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 26, 2008 Define "versatile" What sounds are important to you? I'm not sure really. Classic synth sounds? Fat leads? Good basses? Nice arpeggiator? Not that fussed for trance-y kinda sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jez Posted February 26, 2008 Members Share Posted February 26, 2008 what about the Microkorg? Oh for {censored}'s sake lol... I knew that was coming. Basically, if you want to learn keys and not just {censored} around on an interesting toy, get something with REAL grown-up keys. And let's be honest, keys are expensive things. 500 notes is not a lot of money for a decent keyboard, especially if you're looking at a modelling/dsp synth instead of a cheap sample-based thing. If the R3 is a little too expensive for your tastes, have a look at the Korg MS2000B (a used one should be piss-cheap, they were only like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Loobster Posted February 26, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 26, 2008 I can play keys. I'll audition both on Friday when I get paid and see which comes out best. Couldn't see a MS2000B on ebay today, I looked for one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members enx Posted February 27, 2008 Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 steer clear of ebay. the R3 is awesome. It has the mmt engine, full-size keys, and a very nice vocoder (input for external carrier signal, aka guitar etc.) other than that, an ms2000 would be nicelook here: http://www.phatduckk.com/clmm/msg.php?q=ms2000&min=&max=&use%5B%5D=sf+bay+area&use%5B%5D=new+york+city&use%5B%5D=los+angeles&use%5B%5D=boston&use%5B%5D=seattle&use%5B%5D=portland&use%5B%5D=wash+DC&use%5B%5D=san+diego&use%5B%5D=chicago&use%5B%5D=sacramento&use%5B%5D=denver&use%5B%5D=new+orleans&use%5B%5D=philadelphia&use%5B%5D=austin&use%5B%5D=orange+county Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gribs Posted February 27, 2008 Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 What about an Alesis Ion? It is a nice VA with knobs and a price tag that won't break the bank. There is a built-in vocoder on that, too. I really do not think Ebay is that dangerous a place. Just buy your stuff from somebody with good feedback. Ask a few questions to feel the seller out. If they turn around and answer quickly with an intelligent response, they are probably legit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members toelessfoot Posted February 27, 2008 Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 steer clear of ebay. Why, those fantom X6s are going for dirt! I'm a guitarist looking for a first keys/synth too, are x6s good? Or should i go for the new G!!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members enx Posted February 27, 2008 Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 Why, those fantom X6s are going for dirt! well i'm not against ebay, but there are better deals to be had Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members toelessfoot Posted February 27, 2008 Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 well i'm not against ebay, but there are better deals to be had How's the Juno G? I've tried one but I don't know enough about these yet to know if i'm missing out on alot going with the JunoG vs the fantom x6. I like how it's small and really light though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members enx Posted February 27, 2008 Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 How's the Juno G? I've tried one but I don't know enough about these yet to know if i'm missing out on alot going with the JunoG vs the fantom x6. I like how it's small and really light though. It is certainly small and light, It's perfect for me considering it's my first workstation and the interface is very intuitive it does sample, but doesn't have the sampler pads Go for the Fantom if you have the money and don't mind the weight, but the Juno-G is a very legitimate and affordable little synth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members toelessfoot Posted February 27, 2008 Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 It is certainly small and light, It's perfect for me considering it's my first workstation and the interface is very intuitiveit does sample, but doesn't have the sampler padsGo for the Fantom if you have the money and don't mind the weight, but the Juno-G is a very legitimate and affordable little synth Sweet, good to hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jez Posted February 27, 2008 Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 I can play keys. Good! Then you'll appreciate the need for something you can actually play Good luck in your search, and let us know how you get on with whatever you settle on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members enx Posted February 27, 2008 Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 btw, the R3 is down to $550 a friend has one, very nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Darkstorm Posted February 27, 2008 Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 Korg Microkorg if wanting a great synth as cheaply as possible. Microkorg again if also wanting a very versatile VA synth with much more sound making ability then most (due to how many waveforms you have to choose from). Korg R3 if full size keys are a must and your willing to sacrifice sound making ability (not nearly as many soundwaves choices). Novation XIO or other Novation as another excellent choice for very nice Va inexpensively. Nord lead 2x for more expensive VA. All three ( the korgs, Novations, & Nords) have plenty of on the fly sound tweaking ability Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xmlguy Posted February 27, 2008 Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 This decision really rests with the importance of the vocoder. The R3/Radias has a much better vocoder than the Microkorg/MS2K, not only because it has more frequency bands but also because it maintain its full synth structure when the vocoder is enabled, while the MK/MS2K lose half of the engine by losing one of the two timbres during vocoding. That alone gives the R3/Radias much more depth since you can vocode two/four timbres instead of just one. The R3 & Radias also allow recording of the formant motion data, which is extremely useful for live vocode effects using vocode data recorded under optimal conditions. The MK is an OK vocoder. The R3 is a very good vocoder. The Radias is the best vocoder. The R3 is the best value, in my opinion because vocoding two timbres is probably good enough for most patches, so the extra two timbres of the Radias don't justify the extra cost. However, if you find a good deal on a Radias Rack, it might be the better value if the premium over the R3 isn't very much. Radias does give higher poly, timbres, drum kits, dual arps, and hella'lot of knobs. If money were no object, the M3-61 with EXB-Radias would be my choice. However I also was on a budget so I own the R3, and in fact I bought it primarily because of the quality of its vocoder. I also own the Juno-G, but its lack of a vocoder is the critical point in this case. For a guitarist who didn't need a vocoder, or could use a talkbox instead, I would probably recommend the Juno-G over all the other options in this class because the 4 stereo track recorder + 16 track sequencer + COSM + effects + sampling + expandability + Fantom engine + good multisample base + 128 poly + 16 timbre + good base patch set = the best value by far for under $1000 USD. The Juno-G is excellent for a guitarist to jam with the 4 track looper, using the rhythm patterns and keys to layer a song from scratch in a few minutes. If you end up buying the R3, look for my vocoder patch on KorgForums.com to get a very clean vocode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Loobster Posted February 27, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 Awesome. So far I think I'm leaning towards the R3. I could buy one this week but it'd leave me broke so I'll probably do some more research and get one in about a month, there's no rush at all. Also, how about a second hand nord lead? I know it's not got a vocoder, but I might be able to live with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xmlguy Posted February 27, 2008 Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 Based on the instrumental track on your myspace page, I think the Juno-G may be the best fit for you. Are you a techno/house/electronic band? Ya really want to sound like a singing robot? Doesn't sound like it. Vocoding just seems very uncharacteristic of the "Indie / Rock / Progressive" genre that you categorize your own music and the track you've posted. Maybe you are looking for vocal effects processing like a vocal harmonizer? That's a feature with a rather big price tag - adding around $600 alone. A Juno-G would give you the option of a lot of piano, electric piano, organs, with expandability to add a lot more besides merely leads/arps. You could bend any synth to some degree, but your music seems to fit the Juno-G capabilities more than any other synth you've mentioned in this thread, with lots of Indie kinds of sounds. It's also the best in this category for creating tracks/demos, since it has the 4 stereo track recording and sequencer. Very compact and lightweight for its capability too. You might treat vocoding more like an effect box that you can play with later, but not an essential feature for your music. You might be able to get a MicroKorg on ebay for around $200 just for kicks later. But you could get the Juno-G now to get a 4 piece sound from a 3 member band. If you can't afford the Juno-G, then the Korg X50 or MicroX are more affordable and have the Triton engine with lots of good patches that would work well with your sound, if you don't mind losing all the features of the Juno-G. VA synths just don't seem like a very good match for you, unless I'm missing something. Have a listen to them at a music store with some good pro headphones. Both the Juno-G and X50 have audition modes that make it easy to run through the patches to find the ones to try for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Allerian Posted February 27, 2008 Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 Look at a used Virus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Loobster Posted February 27, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 27, 2008 Thanks guys. The stuff on that myspace is just my post-rock Garage Band thing. My main stuff with my band is a lot more rocky/dancey. Kinda a mix of math rock/punk/prog and dance. Hence the synth. I'll check out all of these synths. Quite a lot to look at, especially knowing nothing about synths in the scheme of things. But classic, virtual analog sounds are really what I'm looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scarified Posted February 28, 2008 Members Share Posted February 28, 2008 Ben I'm about to buy the Korg R3 myself with my birthday money.. and I have enough left for a live drum machine too! I want a sequencer for the Korg R3 but i don't know what one to get really Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zum Posted February 29, 2008 Members Share Posted February 29, 2008 how about a Roland SH-201? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xmlguy Posted February 29, 2008 Members Share Posted February 29, 2008 how about a Roland SH-201? No vocoder on the SH-201. Otherwise, it has a great panel and knob layout for learning the patch flow on a VA synth. It would be good for teaching analog synths. I hope Roland continues that line at a lower price, because at $599, it's outclassed by Korg with the R3/MicroX/X50. It would be better priced at $299 or $399. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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