Members Fine_Young_Fool Posted August 13, 2008 Members Share Posted August 13, 2008 Please don't hurt me for my not-knowingness... Would the Alesis Micron be an okay synth to start out on? I have read alot of reviews, and most seem very positive. I'm looking for something with all of those sweet buzzsaw, fuzzy, analog sounds. If not, are these synths good? I am a guitarist, so I am not so great with all of the menus and whatnot, but I think I can handle the knobs alright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AfroRouge Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 Search MicroKorg for extensive discussions about its suitability for guitarists. We just had this discussion every day for years. The SH-201 has a reputation for being a hard synth to edit deeply. I'm not sure that's a good starter synth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mildbill Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 Micron's great - I love mine. Some people find it a little fiddly to edit. R3 seems pretty cool too, the programming capabilities aren't as deep as the Micron, but most people would probably find it easier to use. SH201 is OK, easiest to use, a bit limited in the long run, but fine for starting out on. It's got more keys too, but that probably won't matter for you at this point. Of the 3 listed, the Micron is the least expensive, and offers more in the long run to keep you busy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members akliner Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 R3 > the rest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mildbill Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 R3 > the rest Got anything to back that statement up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members astraeus000 Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 Micron is great sounding for a VA......you can get some very good analog emulations on it.......Roland types of basses, etc..... won't replace the real deal, but both the Micron and the Ion are quite impressive for the price.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Paolo Di Nicolantonio Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 Micron, R3, SH-201, They are all good - However, they do have some sort of menus as well knobs. If you really can't stand reading manuals, I'd suggest getting a used, truly one-function-per-knob synth like an older Roland Juno-60, Roland Juno-106, or Korg PolySix. Also popular amongst guitarists embracing synths: Clavia Nord Lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xmlguy Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 Here's a couple of very important feature that guitarists usually miss: The ability for a synth to act as an effect on their guitars.The ability of a keyboard to sample, loop, and play their guitar as part of a track.The ability to use and control backing tracks to let you jam with them. For a synth to act as an effect on a guitar, it needs several specific features: audio input, an envelope follower, and good effects. A Radias can do these things, the R3, Micron, and SH-201 can't. For example, you need the envelope follower to do an AutoWah effect. To sample your guitar, you need audio workstation features. To use backing tracks, you need a sequencer. To get these features, you need to spend money. In my opinion, the biggest mistake that guitarists make is to think of keyboards as a "separate thing" rather than as an integrated tool that can help them get more out of their existing musical skills. Any keyboard can do the "Jump" patch. Not all of them can work well with your guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fine_Young_Fool Posted August 14, 2008 Author Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 I keep hearing alot about these Nords, but I can find no where to purchase them. I am leaning toward the Micron or R3, though I don't know much about either. I hear VAs cant do good acoustic instruments? (i.e. Piano, Violin). How do you know if a synth is a rompler? I'm not really too concerned about using a synth with a guitar though. I think seperate will be fine for now, as I really don't know anything, and figuring it out could take a while. Also, I forgot to ask this earlier, what kind of amp do I need? Can I still use my guitar amp with it maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bloopbleep Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 Yeah go for the Nord Lead 2, look for them used if you can. I finally bought a Lead 2X a month ago and have a blast. Wish I purchase one back then when it came out instead of buying all these other VAs which are nice but they didn't make the same impression like the Nord. It sounds very nice without any of the effects and very easy to use. Just wish it patch selector can be better than the up/down buttons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AfroRouge Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 Clavia is pretty hard up these days so you might have trouble finding Nords new, but if you have the means, you can't go wrong with them. They make great gear. A "ROMpler" will have "realistic" sounds (piano, clarinets, bassoons, french horns, crap like that). A sampler is really the way to go for finding quality, flexible tone for the reproduction of instruments that aren't electronic. There are some very high end keyboards that accomplish this through complex synthesis methods like physical modeling, but you're not really shooting for that league anyway. A VA emulates the sound synthesis approach used in classic analog synths like the MimiMoog. It follows a totally different philosophy from ROMplers, because instead of trying to emulate another instrument, the VA is interested in being a unique instrument of its own. Although a skilled user can create patches that emulate other instruments, the real strength of the VA is its ability to create unique sounds that don't have a corollary in the world of so-called "real" instruments, because it is a real instrument itself. If you're serious about having synth sounds (VA pew pew, or what have you) as well as being able to emulate other instruments well (ROMpler) you're probably best off buying a quality VA that can act as a controller for a ROMpler module. There are tons of high quality but inexpensive ROMpler modules out there that can probably satisfy your needs without having to also pay for an interface that you don't really need. The opposite option is also available of course: you could look for a good inexpensive ROMpler keyboard and get a non-keyboard VA unit. Come play with us . . . for ever . . . and ever . . . and ever . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StompBoxLover Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 SH201 is OK, easiest to use, a bit limited in the long run, but fine for starting out on. It's got more keys too, but that probably won't matter for you at this point. Of the 3 listed, the Micron is the least expensive, and offers more in the long run to keep you busy. I'm also a guitar player and the micron works very well as a lead instrument and has lotsa bass. It can produce cool (electronic!) drum-grooves instantly or even whole jam-backings in setup-mode. oh, and it DOES have 2 audio inputs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members enx Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 My original suggestion to you still stands in case you have forgotten, my suggestion was to buy a Korg X50 it IS a Rompler, has all of the sounds you will need, and it very portable and easy to strap down. If you do not want the sampled sounds that come along with a rompler (violin, piano, organ), then get a VA. It is an instrument all it's own, and it would do you some good if you knew how to edit it correctly. While you're learning, it'd help to have plenty of knobs to ease in editing. The micron has a multitude of awesome sounds to choose from, and it's basically a little brother to the Alesis Ion (discontinued), a much knobbier alternative (not pricey or difficult to find used). The Micron is notoriously hard to edit. The R3 has full-sized keys, a magnificent vocoder, and relatively simple editing (and since it's all on LCD screens, it can be done in the dark). It is rather small, and a tad bit flimsy. It also lacks the external audio processing offered by the Radias (something you WILL WANT at some point) the Sh-201 has a very intuitive, easy-to-learn interface. It hosts a number of great sounds, and although it often gets a bad rap from people complaining that it's not as capable as the jp-8000, it has also gotten many great reviews from experienced players and owners of much pricier VAs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members akliner Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 ROMpler > R3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChristianRock Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 First, you have a kickass avatar. Second, to all my KSS friends who were in that other thread: I TOLD YOU he was going to buy a synth!! I could tell he wanted a synth. Toldjaso! Third, no a VA cannot do pianos and violin, at least not natural ones. But it can do some impressions - though they won't sound like the real thing, yet could be very musical. I personally LOVE synthesizer strings to death. I even like it better than real orchestral sounds sometimes. Pianos are a different story, though... a VA piano sound can work in the context of a band but it might sound a bit cheesy depending on what you are trying to do. Finally, I suggest that you visit the site www.synthmania.com from Paolo, one of our moderators. It's an excellent site where you can audition sounds from the Micron, the MicroKorg, the Korg Triton family (look for the Triton rack, and a lot of these sounds will appear on other Korgs). Look also for the Roland JP8000 page and you'll have an idea of what the SH-201 will sound like (though they say the SH-201 sounds brighter and has better filters, you'll have an idea of the Roland VA engine). Happy searching! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members akliner Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 akliner > ChristianRock VA > akliner ChristianRock > ROMpler VA > akliner > ChristianRock > ROMpler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mildbill Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 Guess I missed the other post. If FYF doesn't know if he wants a VA, a rompler, or a workstation yet, he's got some research to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members akliner Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 I say get a ROMpler. You'll always have use for a ROMpler. If he wants to add a VA down the road, that's very simple to do. For most casual or beginner uses, however, a ROMpler is ideal. For people who just want to start playing around, working on their keyboard-playing skills, and want to hear usable sounds come out, ROMpler = best choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jack Luminous Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 The micron is your best bet IMHO. I bought one recently and the sound is awesome. I have a pretty good setup of old keyboards (Prophet 5, Minimoog, Taurus I, Roland VP330, Korg Lambda, Korg X911, Rhodes etc.) and the micron has something going for it that many other VAs don't. It just sounds good. I bought it mainly for its real time sequencing abilities and it works great as a sketch pad. You can program live setups really quickly and easily. It's a great musical tool. That is all ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChristianRock Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 This is a ROMpler This is a synthesizer As you can tell by the size of the articles, the synthesizer is a much superior instrument :p:p :poke: I say he needs a VA synth to make MAD ROCKIN' SOUNDS!!!!@111 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members akliner Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 That's because ROMplers, in larger terms, are referred to as "sampling synthesizers". "ROMpler" is an insider term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChristianRock Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 That's because ROMplers, in larger terms, are referred to as "sampling synthesizers". "ROMpler" is an insider term. ROTFL can't believe you fell for that... O HAI!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Swami Digital Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 I say get a ROMpler. You'll always have use for a ROMpler. If he wants to add a VA down the road, that's very simple to do. For most casual or beginner uses, however, a ROMpler is ideal. For people who just want to start playing around, working on their keyboard-playing skills, and want to hear usable sounds come out, ROMpler = best choice. I agree. A Juno or X-50 would be a good choice. I own an R3, and it's not too hard to edit due to the LED rings and soft labels for the knobs. The computer editor for it is easier to use though. I think for a newbie who just wants to tweak knobs and have the sound change it's set up well, because each patch has 4 performance controls set up by default, and they are generally well thought out. I pretty much exclusively use it for the vocoder these days, but it's quite good for the money. It can do some great external audio processing too. -D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members akliner Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 I agree. -D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Blue Posted August 14, 2008 Members Share Posted August 14, 2008 Depends on what you're using it for, but if you don't want MENUs and just on-board controls, you can't beat the SH-201. ...And I'd make you a killer deal on a "like-new" one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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