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Synthesizers

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misaelbromero
misaelbromero|147

Hi! I am an electronic music DJ, especially house music. I want to start producing my own music and I need advice on which synthesizer(s) would be the best for me (or any other equipment). Thanks for the advice!

jimmarchi1
jimmarchi1|41029 MODERATOR
GEAR:
  • Roland Juno-6
  • Gibson SG Standard
  • Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp
In reply to misaelbromero:

its a rabbit hole... if you want to go the ahrdware route you wills till ened a DAW and you willd efinitely need an interface probably with MIDI in, out and maybe thru that's capable of recording however many channels you want to record simultaneously (you cna record by overdubbing 1 channel at a time but a lot of guys in your genre who use hardware want to run a couple pieces of gear and once and record them live at least as the foundation of the track)...

figure out the audio capture end of things and then come back with a budget for software and ahrdware... let me know if you wanna do alla hrdware or hardware sequenced by the DAW or a mix of hardare and software running off the DAW. Your needs and also your learning curveswill be different depending on what approach you wanna come in with. You can always move toewards a more computer based setup with ease but its costly to go the other way from mroe computer based to moreoutbaord and analog based not to mention a totally different elarning curve for all this physical equipment, aprticularly analog sequencers and hardware digital sequencers.... if that's your route buite the bullet and you cna always backtrack to a more modern approach if it suits you soemtimes.

so be more specific about how you want to work and I'll give you some oppinions.

GEAR:
  • Roland Juno-6
  • Gibson SG Standard
  • Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp
kuroikumo
kuroikumo|67

It's best to first decide what you need in a synth.

  • Do you need a synth for leads/basslines? (mono)
  • Do you need a synth for pads/atmosphere/chords? (poly)
  • Do you need a synth for drums?

These are the basics of what will narrow down your synth. Let's assume you want a synth for leads/basslines. The next questions will be:

  • Do you want analog, or digital? Does it matter?
  • Do you want to have keys, or do you have a midi keyboard you can use already?

Let's say you say "yes" to analog, for that warm, rich sound. It might not matter a whole 'lot, but resale is typically higher on good quality analog synths; but, they will cost more upfront. We'll also say that you want keys.

Your options are pretty vast in terms of what you want. A Moog sub-37 is a solid choice. A Dave Smith Pro 2 is also a great idea. Cheaper options include the minibrute/microbrute. Start doing research on reviews, pros/cons, etc. You'll end up finding what you want pretty quickly.

P.S. - I'm a big proponent of buying used whenever possible. Most musicians/producers take very good care of their gear. Check out Reverb.com or eBay for used stuff.

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