Members The Unknown Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 Hi ! I know technologies change and evolve... I'm in the market for a used synth. It will be my third instrument (primarly a bass player, I also play guitar). I really don't have a fortune to spend. While looking at used keyboards with synthesis (I want synth sounds), for my budget, I saw either newer models that are sold relatively cheap new (ex: Novation Xiosynth) and older models that where worth more money new, back then (ex :Roland Alpha Juno 1, Roland D-70). Older models usually go for cheaper used and offer more features... but it's old technology. Which option is the best ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Metrosonus Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 it depends on the sounds you want, those are all quite contrasting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Unknown Posted August 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 it depends on the sounds you want, those are all quite contrasting. hmm... actually, I really don't know. Can you explain the difference of sounds between the examples I gave ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Hamburglar Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 Listen to demos / youtube to get a feel for the sound quality of instruments you're interested in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Darkstorm Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 Whichever gives you the more liked sound presets. Which then also become the start point for new sound voice making.In simplist terms this can come down to which synths presets more orient to the desired music type. For example a synth that orients more toward pop music and realistic instruments of course wont be as good for electronica as one that more orients toward that when the latter is whats wanted for sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bad Dog Max Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 Korg Triton (classic, original version). These are cheap yet were expensive new, have a great keybed and reliability, and still sound relevant today. Or if you're into classic synth sounds only, a Virus Kb is a lot of keyboard for the money (used). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members uvacom-rotatt Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 Whichever gives you the more liked sound presets. Which then also become the start point for new sound voice making.In simplist terms this can come down to which synths presets more orient to the desired music type. For example a synth that orients more toward pop music and realistic instruments of course wont be as good for electronica as one that more orients toward that when the latter is whats wanted for sounds. Yes, please. Always judge a synth by it's presets. This is absolutely the best evaluator of any synthesizer's capabilities. To the OP: One advantage of more expensive, older units is that they usually have great build quality since they were targeted at a professional audience. The output stage is often a little more robust as well. But when an older synth breaks, it can be a hassle to repair since there is no warranty service and parts can be difficult to obtain. In general, older synths are great if you like sound design, but you cannot judge them by the presets since they will be very dated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members McHale Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 +1 on the Korg Triton. I bought mine 10 years ago for more than $3000 with all upgrades and it's still my main synth (and I have much newer stuff in my rig). The keybed is probably the best in the history of synths (it's a Yamaha keybed) and you can program amost any sound you need on it. -Mc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Karma1 Posted August 29, 2009 Members Share Posted August 29, 2009 I probably wouldn't consider a Roland D-70 for synthesis. But the Triton was a good suggestion. Or possibly a Wavestation or Roland JD800. Are you wanting a lot of knobs and sliders, or just something with good synth sounds. A newer one with lots of real time control options and virtual analog sounds is the Novation X-Station. There are so many to consider - it would be easier to advise you if you could be more specific about the kind of sounds you are looking for or the style of music you'd be using it for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fuzzball24 Posted August 30, 2009 Members Share Posted August 30, 2009 Yes, please. Always judge a synth by it's presets. This is absolutely the best evaluator of any synthesizer's capabilities. To the OP: One advantage of more expensive, older units is that they usually have great build quality since they were targeted at a professional audience. The output stage is often a little more robust as well. But when an older synth breaks, it can be a hassle to repair since there is no warranty service and parts can be difficult to obtain. In general, older synths are great if you like sound design, but you cannot judge them by the presets since they will be very dated. He's not a keyboard player, it's not gonna be exactly easy for him to program a really great sound. He's probably gonna start off editing some presets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kazper Posted August 30, 2009 Members Share Posted August 30, 2009 If you want standard type sounds you want something thats a workstation class machine.Korg Triton seriesKorg Trinity seriesYamaha EX5,7Yamaha Motif series... Roland makes them as well, but I never looked at them as I tend to buy rack unless there is a reason not to. I do like Roland's gear, and I have a good assortment of it by the way. For analog type sounds found in anything from late 60's classic rock to stuff on the radio today... there is lots of choices of machine types and or sounds.. Virtual Analog synthesis could be what your after and it can be a installed option in many workstations. Here is some models to check out. VA type soundsOption to many of the workstations above...Access Virus lineKorg Prophecy, Z1, Minikorg, MS2000, Radias and som of there newer offerings (out of touch)Waldorf Blofield kb and MicroQ Kb (if there is one)Roland JP8000 and JP8080, SH something as well as a ton of others.... Real deal analog...Roland Juno line 6-106Oberhiem Synths of old...Dave Smith Instruments line upBasicly anything made up to the late 80's is something you may want to look into.Moog Little Phatty, Voyager, OS Moog.... Like others post look up on Youtube for demo's of something and you will probably find something that helps you or steers you away. Kaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members uvacom-rotatt Posted August 30, 2009 Members Share Posted August 30, 2009 He's not a keyboard player, it's not gonna be exactly easy for him to program a really great sound. He's probably gonna start off editing some presets. Well, maybe I'm biased, but I started off programming from scratch on a DX100 (my first synth). I never touched the presets except Solid Bass (a preset for which I have a sort of unnatural reverence). That was over a decade ago, and now I'm good enough that I've done professional sound design and have even been involved in creating new instruments. And I'm still a terrible keyboard player. But my point wasn't that he should never touch presets, just that it's not necessarily a good way to evaluate a synthesizer's capabilities. Case in point: Yamaha's FM synths have presets mostly geared towards pop & real instrument emulations like EPs an organs, but they are actually great electronica synths - just listen to Plaid or Orbital. Same deal with the E-mu Proteus. There is an incredible synth engine underneath those dated, mediocre pop presets. Basic synthesis techniques aren't hard to pick up, and it's good for any type of musician to learn to program a synth, because it teaches you so much about what is in a sound. I love to help people learn this stuff, but I have no interest in cultivating another keyboard player who treats a synth like a sound bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Unknown Posted September 1, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 1, 2009 Thanks for all your replies. I've listened to demos on YouTube, as suggested, and came to at least one conclusion : I won't buy an old Yamaha ! I've heard DX7's and DX21's and it's not my type at all. Actually, I've enjoyed sounds from Novation Xio and Alesis micron online, but some videos on YouTube have very bad sound quality... you can't really hear the synth's sound details. Vintage-wise, korg and roland gear sound interesting. What would you pick between, say... a Roland Alpha Juno 1 and a Korg Poly-800 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members uvacom-rotatt Posted September 1, 2009 Members Share Posted September 1, 2009 Well, you really have to coax the good sounds out of the DX synths, I admit that. They sound pretty Janet Jackson otherwise. The alpha juno has a clean sound which you may like if you like the xiosynth. The architecture is very simple but it is a menu-driven synth so it's a little tedious to program, not too bad though. It has "PWM" available for sawtooth waveforms which is pretty unique, and you've almost definitely heard the "What The?" patch before because it's the basis for the lead sound in a lot of hard techno and such. It sounds like the beginning sound in this (quite possibly most of the other synth sounds too) - [YOUTUBE]ab-mViYje7g[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mysteron Posted September 1, 2009 Members Share Posted September 1, 2009 Honestly I'd stear clear of the D-70 now. I had one for years, in fact I owned several. Its an aging piece of gear that is prone to breakdown and there are better quality boards from that era - I had one solely for the controller aspect of it, which was ahead of its time, but now not so. Micron's are great, but I don't think its a serious keyboard for anything other than ascratchpad or as a module. I use it for both and its brilliant. Have you looked at any of the old Ensoniq boards? They are really great for sounds and are very competitive as far as price goes. The Triton as mentioned before is also a great board. I like my Quadrasynth, but a good condition Matrix 6 or Prophet 600 is a quality board that is fairly well priced now too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mingalicious Posted September 1, 2009 Members Share Posted September 1, 2009 I had a similar question, about the old more high-class synth vs. the newer lower-class synth thing. Which one in the long run is a better purchase? Like let's say a new Korg M50-61 VS. a used Korg Triton? Also: Apology for semi-thread hijacking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members evildragon Posted September 1, 2009 Members Share Posted September 1, 2009 M-50, of course. But only if you don't need sampling. If you do, you should stretch to M3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meatball Fulton Posted September 1, 2009 Members Share Posted September 1, 2009 What would you pick between, say... a Roland Alpha Juno 1 and a Korg Poly-800 ? In that specific case, it's no contest...having owned both, my opinion is the Roland is far superior to the Korg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Suilebhain Posted September 1, 2009 Members Share Posted September 1, 2009 You can usually pick up a Kurzweil K2VX for dirt cheap. It will give you a huge number of usable presets and if you get into programming it, you can do *nearly* anything with it. Of course, it also depends on what kind of sound you are looking for. If you just want something that bloops and bleeps, the K2VX would be serious overkill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Unknown Posted September 1, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 1, 2009 Honestly I'd stear clear of the D-70 now. The one I saw an ad for had a broken key... so I ruled it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chando Posted September 1, 2009 Members Share Posted September 1, 2009 Never heard him refered to as "Joe" Beltram So Unknown, what kinda music you doin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Unknown Posted September 15, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 15, 2009 Thanks for your input. I decided to go out and try a few synths within my budget. Best way to make a decision. I went with a Xiosynth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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