small synth.. help!

I'm a bass player, and I don't even know what's out there with synths... so I come to you all.

I do a lot of crazy stuff with bass, and at times I have my bass totally off and I'm on the ground turning buttons, trying to get a synth sound with my Moog phase, delays, distortions, etc.. I think it's time to make the jump to the next level and get a synth. Maybe.

The Korg taurus-like thing looks sweet, but I'm looking for something that's more like $500 for the whole shebang. I was looking at the pads, the ummmm.. Kaossilator and mini kaos, and that would work.. since usually I just need a quick "THUD" in between notes, random stuff like that, but I don't get the impression that the sound quality is all that great. Plus, I like the idea of being able to expand on some parts.. think Sigur Ros or Radiohead. Sooo... minikorg? mini x? I just dont know this stuff like I know bass.

Basically, effects are above tonal stuff. I don't think most $3000 synths that I've seen make a good piano sound, so I don't care if it sucks on this one. What I do want is thunder, explosions, DJ-like sounds for transitions, maybe a good organ sound a la led zeppelin, some nice synth sounds.. But.. most of this has to be done in between notes at times (I cant leave my finger on it... gotta get back to bass) and it has to be SMALL.

Any ideas? Also, can anything be triggered with a footpedal that isn't $500?

Thanks all!

If you're only going to play one or a few keys at a time, the Alesis Micron will let you put a different sound, or sound effect, on every key.

Or, you could split the keyboard up with just a few sounds, to make it easier to remember. And then have several of these lined up, to change with a click of the main knob.

http://www.alesis.com/micron

The what?

Anyway, the issue with your approach is that you're looking for something that has it all in a single box. I'd put the effects in a sampler and do the rest with something else.

MicroKorg, you mean.

Micro-X. Being a bit obsessive about model names is a good thing since there's not as many of those as there are for guitars (which have 3-digit-3-letter combinations with additional "Famous Player Limited Edition" and a selection of colors to choose from as you know).

If the footpedal can send out MIDI notes and it can send out so-called Program Changes (to jump to the next patch), a Micro-X would do well, except for the fact that it's rather flimsy. I've got one, but it weighs absolutely nothing and doing anything live, I'd keep the supplied case around it at all times.

Hook it up with the USB cable to the computer and use the editor to put all the sounds you need in the right order so jumping from one to the next is 100% predictable and fault-tolerant, and you're good to go.

Alternatively, you could separate your duties into a separate synthesizer (for the organ/piano/strings/etc and a sampler, such as a Roland SPD-S - just for the samples and effect sounds - you can load .wav files in there and hit it with a hand; a bit more rugged and you won't hit any wrong keys .

See also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfox-ORpTKQ

For a bass player, what would probably be ideal is something that can have sounds triggered thru a pedal, and also have another pedal input for stepping through patches - for complete 'hands-off' control.

Xiosynth? X-Station 25?

The what?

 

Ahh yes.. I should be more specific. And now I can't find it. There was a Roland or Korg thing that looked just like a Moog Taurus...

 

(Yoozer)Anyway, the issue with your approach is that you're looking for something that has it all in a single box. I'd put the effects in a sampler and do the rest with something else.

 

Hmm.. I should have mentioned that I use a loop station sampler already. That gets my samples out of the way.

 

(Yoozer)MicroKorg, you mean.

 

Yes. Microkorg. How do that and the Micro-X compare? and the X-station, does that one have to be connected to a computer in order for it to work?

 

 

(Yoozer)If the footpedal can send out MIDI notes and it can send out so-called Program Changes (to jump to the next patch), a Micro-X would do well, except for the fact that it's rather flimsy. I've got one, but it weighs absolutely nothing and doing anything live, I'd keep the supplied case around it at all times.

 

Awright... patch changes aren't SO much of a problem for me, as most songs have some kind of break. I was thinking of some way to maybe hit one key via footswitch? Is that possible with a midi foot controller?

 

Thanks all!

sorry about the quotes on previous reply... ugh.

But yes, mildbill, that is more like it.