Buying my first synth...

Hi,

First, intro: I haven't played a piano for 9 years. When I used to play, I enjoyed composing - I had a little midi keyboard, Finale, I put things down on paper, I got people to play it.

Now, 9 years later, I want to get back into music and I want to see just what I can do with a keyboard and a computer. I am not yet sure what I want to do which means I don't want to be limited by my initial purchases (which could be my only purchases, at least for a while).

I went into supposedly the largest music shop in Paris (currently living in Paris) and not only had to deal with the fact that I don't even know the terminology in English of what I want or need, but in French I had no chance in hell.

The shop keeper presented me with the two following options (bearing in mind that I have a laptop with no midi port and a crap sound card):

a) buy a cheap 200 euro keyboard, hook it up by usb, buy Reason (350 euros) to get sounds, perhaps have to buy an external sound card (250 euros)

b) Buy the Yamaha MM6 (450 euros), buy an external sound card (250 euros).. maybe a bit later though.

Does taking the Reason option give me more options sound wise in the long run?

Are there open source virtual instrument systems that I could use instead of Reason? Or am I forced to buy it?

Are there alternatives? Both solutions are a little expensive.....

I know that this all depends on what I want to do with it but at the moment I am not yet 100% sure. I want to re-learn how to play piano, I want to be able to record simple tunes, and later I will want to put together voice and multiple instruments and make something that sounds half-way decent.

Thanks,

Julien

Reason doesn't support VST instruments AFAIK, it supports its own standard (which is Re-Wire), so that's a let-down in the start.

You can get Reaper for free, it's a nice little host and has all the basic features for audio recording, it supports VST instruments and effects, and will get you running up real quick.

That's regarding hosts. How much would you spend on your keyboard?

450 euros is my total for all spending right now (keyboard + software + ...) so if the software is for free... Will I need an external sound card?

The yamaha MM6 supposedly comes with Cubase. How does this compare to Reaper?

External soundcard is generally recommended because of greater sound quality it can provide.

MM6 is rather limited in terms of polyphony (only 32 notes), and you won't be able to edit the patches to your liking as much... so why not saving a little more for a synth that won't impose such limitations on your imagination or whatever you're up to do?

I'd say that Korg M50 is a better sounding machine in every way, and offers deeper editing, better effects, better user interface (touchscreen!), loads of great sounds, and is still affordable. Maybe save for that one, if possible?

Both the yamaha and the Korg option takes most of the sound-producing and sequencing onto the keyboard side. Is the option of a very cheap midi keyboard linked with softsynths on the computer end and a sequencing program not as good?

It is, if you have powerful enough computer to run at least 16 various instruments with associated FX (like M50 can)... You would need a decent dual/quadcore CPU and at least 4 GB of fast RAM to do so.

You can connect Korg M50 to any DAW host and it will provide you with additional sounds that are not taxing your CPU at all. Think about it.

Thanks, I will think about it. The Korg 50 (1200 euros) is over twice the price of the Yamaha so I might have to wait a bit.

The Novation Xiosynth 49 is in your price range and will give you 3 things in one: a USB audio interface (2 in/2out including mic XLR), a good midi controller with softsynth template configurations, and a nice little 8 poly synth with a good keyboard. Nothing else will give you that much for your money. With the Xiosynth you can throw some rechargable NiMH batteries in it, take it down to a cafe and play for hours with headphones. It will even recharge your batteries when you get back home and hook it up to the AC adapter. Having spent some time in Paris myself, being able to enjoy a cafe and music at the same time is a nice combination. If you get a little mini amp like the Roland Mobile Cube, you might even get some donations to your cause. What neighborhood do you live in Paris? I spent most of my time in the Latin Quarter, Cite Internationale Universitaire and in the 13eme in Les Gobelins.

It's a good thing, but we don't know if OP wants more realistic or more synthy sound. Xio will give only synthy sound...

True, but he did say synth in the subject. As a midi controller, the Xiosynth can trigger whatever realistic samples you've got on the laptop. The Xiosynth also has some ROM waves for electric pianos, rhodes, whurly, and clav. With any other synth/ROMpler, you'd still need to shell out bucks for a USB audio interface, and you won't get a good midi controller with softsynth configurations. The Big Fish VI.ONE is a cheap software sample set with 20GB+ of good sounds for about $100 (or less on sale).

The portability of the Xiosynth 49 is tempting but already at 61 keys I'm pushing things.. 61 is my absolute minimum. There doesn't seem to be a 61 key equivalent though.

So the Xiosynth gives me a cheaper option with some inbuilt function and good connectivity. My question then is: as it is the exact same price as the Yamaha, which seems to have similar connectivity and better sounds, why is the Yamaha not tempting either of you?

Also, how does this all compare to the Juno-D (also under 500 euros)?

You'd have to play the Juno-D and the MM6 in the store to see how they compare sound-wise. Juno-D will give you twice the polyphony but the sounds might be a bit more dated.

Personally, I'd look for a used Alesis Fusion. That's what I got, I paid 450 dollars for it and I think it's great... just make sure you are on the latest firmware and it's killer for the money...

There's a bunch of free sounds from Hollow Sun for it that are excellent... go here and listen to some of the demos... with the latest freepacks, even as a ROMPler it's killer now... add to that the fact that it's a VA and FM synth also, and it has an OK sequencer and the largest polyphony EVER in a hardware keyboard (up to 282) and you'll see it's a great value...

The MM6 is a PSR in Motif Clothing. You might as well buy a PSR-E413 and save the difference. The MM6 makes a lousy midi controller, has an ultra cheap keybed, has no audio interface. The Casio WK-500 is a better value in the ultra cheap ROMpler keyboards, since it has 76 keys, more polyphony and sounds than the MM6, and even has some limited sampling.

The Novation X-Station 61 is has one of the best keyboards in its class, with aftertouch, and a ton of knobs/faders that are fully assignable. It's a keyboard that you could keep for many, many years and still be useful because of its midi controller configuration.

The Casio looks too good to be true - for only 500 euros it seems to have good sounds, sampling, portability... but it only has usb connection, no midi. Is this a problem?

Well, thats a few options for me to get started on.Both the Alesis and the Novation X Station will require some in depth hunting to get them at an affordable price but both look rather nice. (The Alesis looks like a dream..) and I'll try to find some in stores to try out their sounds.

If you can find a Fusion 6HD in your price range, by all means get it over anything else listed in this thread. The problem is finding one. The rest are all still in production, so it's just a matter of finding a dealer with a good price.

Because the WK-500 is a Consumer Model keyboard, you should be able to find one to actually try in the store before buying. Try it first. Take some good pro headphones with you, so that you can better judge how it really sounds. The built-in speakers aren't so great.

all of the above is true except it has 10 voices instead of 8

Xmlguy - I quite rudely didn't reply to your question about where I was living: I live between republique and oberkampf. I lived near les goblins when I was in france 5 years ago, living in a puny 7th floor roof space and loving the area.

But, just to ask again re: the WK-500. Is the lack of midi port a problem?

The hardware midi port would only be important if you wanted to control another midi device like a sound module directly from the keyboard. But since you have a computer, USB-midi is more convenient than hardware midi, because you don't have to buy a separate midi interface. That's why nearly all of the consumer keyboards have dropped hardware midi - USB-midi is more usable out of the box.

If I was living near republique, I wouldn't be doing much in this forum, since I'd rather spend my time at Centre Pompidou and the Louvre. Having 5 metro and 3 RER lines nearby must be nice. I miss the Metro/RER. Public transport in my area goes nowhere I want to go, takes forever to get there, costs more than driving, and pretty much is used only by people who have no other options.

Ah yes, thanks for the correction.

Of interest: the Casio WK-500 and the Yamaha MM6 are the same price here, while the Casio is about half the price of the Yamaha in the USA. Did this factor into anyones opinion of the Yamaha (ie overpriced?). Sadly, Casio doesnt seem to have much of a presence in France.. not a single shop in paris currently has a WK-500 instore.

And actually, I have year passes to the pompidou and the louvre A great way to make the afternoons pass.....