OT: Which synth for £300

stemshade

old video i did when i had my microbrute in a guitar pedalboard through various things.

AndyPlankton

@ToMess said:
I have a minibrute and i really dig it. Microbrute sounds pretty much the same, but the build is cheaper(especially compared to the SE model of minibrute that i have) and keys are smaller/worse. Minibrute also has midi in and out(micro only has in) ports(im pretty sure micro handles both ways over usb), which might be useful for playing ios synths.

I think bass station has more generic sound to it, while mini/microbrute has more of a character to its tone, which you may or may not like more.

One warning about the brute i have heard some people say on interwebs and i have noticed as well, while the brute sounds awesome, its tonal characteristics might have hard time fitting into some music. Ofc since(or if?) you run its sound through ipad and put some effects, eq, compressor etc(or just apps like tonestack or bias fx) on it, you can make it fit easier.

Yeah build quality has been mentioned in more than one review...particularly in terms of the MB keyboard.

kobamoto

are you after a particular sound?
flexibility/versatility?
what kind of music would be the focal point?
what are the must have aspects that you need i.e.: do you want an onboard sequencer?

I'm very good at asking questions.

u0421793

What about a secondhand Yamaha Reface CX and using it mostly as a controller?

[Deleted User]

@AndyPlankton said:

@Fruitbat1919 said:

@AndyPlankton said:

@Fruitbat1919 said:
How about tap shoes. They are portable. Unique sound. Self contained.

Far too much energy required for that

O there's no pleasing you lol

Thats why i'm looking at synths with a step sequencer so I have the option to leave it to play itself while I kick back and relax
ERM I mean, while I pick up the guitar and play

Yeah that's another reason I like the Monologue because you can record knob twiddles

locosynth

I own both microbrute and bass station 2 and many others. Bass Station 2 all the way. Minibrute rather than microbrute gives a wider range of sounds. Reface CS is an AN synth and sounds great. Of the many I have, my favorites for leads and basses are Moog Rogue, Bass Station 2, and Korg MS20 mini. They are portable, fun, easy to create sounds, have a wide sweet spot, and can keep you tweaking for hours.

kobamoto

@locosynth said:
I own both microbrute and bass station 2 and many others. Bass Station 2 all the way. Minibrute rather than microbrute gives a wider range of sounds. Reface CS is an AN synth and sounds great. Of the many I have, my favorites for leads and basses are Moog Rogue, Bass Station 2, and Korg MS20 mini. They are portable, fun, easy to create sounds, have a wide sweet spot, and can keep you tweaking for hours.

what about the minilogue?

RulesOfBlazon

@kobamoto said:

what about the minilogue?

Love love love love love! Sounds fantastic!

AndyPlankton

@kobamoto said:
are you after a particular sound?
flexibility/versatility?
what kind of music would be the focal point?
what are the must have aspects that you need i.e.: do you want an onboard sequencer?

I'm very good at asking questions.

Not a particular sound, but the main purpose of this is for playing lead or ad-libbing over pre-programmed patterns or audio. Nasty gritty sounds to smooth mellow sounds. No menu diving for programming, don't mind dual purpose controls.

Definitely want it to be flexible enough to cater for leads/fx, chords not essential but a nice to have as those will most of the time be sequenced on circuit, pre-rendered audio or played on guitar.

Mainly for Dub/Ska/Punk and maybe dancehall but with a heavy nasty sound

Step sequencer would be good as I will also be wanting to play guitar as well, but not an absolute requirement, if it does have a step sequencer then one that will transpose based on key or midi input would be preferable.

I like answering questions for the most part

AndyPlankton

@kobamoto said:

@locosynth said:
I own both microbrute and bass station 2 and many others. Bass Station 2 all the way. Minibrute rather than microbrute gives a wider range of sounds. Reface CS is an AN synth and sounds great. Of the many I have, my favorites for leads and basses are Moog Rogue, Bass Station 2, and Korg MS20 mini. They are portable, fun, easy to create sounds, have a wide sweet spot, and can keep you tweaking for hours.

what about the minilogue?

Previously I mainly used the MS20 vst with USB controller and liked what I could do with that, before that the original bassstation, I need this to be standalone so the iPad can concentrate on the midi and audio looping.

AndyPlankton

@Fruitbat1919 said:

@AndyPlankton said:

@Fruitbat1919 said:

@AndyPlankton said:

@Fruitbat1919 said:
How about tap shoes. They are portable. Unique sound. Self contained.

Far too much energy required for that

O there's no pleasing you lol

Thats why i'm looking at synths with a step sequencer so I have the option to leave it to play itself while I kick back and relax
ERM I mean, while I pick up the guitar and play

Yeah that's another reason I like the Monologue because you can record knob twiddles

Yes, definitely a plus for the Korg here

knewspeak

You could always save a little more, and kickstart your namesake Synth,

AndyPlankton

@u0421793 said:
What about a secondhand Yamaha Reface CX and using it mostly as a controller?

Hmmm, interesting suggestion, what I've heard sounds nice, but not sure about the short sliders, id be interested in having a go on one.

u0421793

@AndyPlankton said:

@u0421793 said:
What about a secondhand Yamaha Reface CX and using it mostly as a controller?

Hmmm, interesting suggestion, what I've heard sounds nice, but not sure about the short sliders, id be interested in having a go on one.

I've heard the sliders on the CS (I meant CS not CX) transmit live as midi control, too.

Samu

Even if I'm not a huge fan of hardware anymore the Korg MS-2000R can be found on eBay for $250...

kobamoto

I dunno, the minilogue can get nasty if you want it to, has a step sequencer which main feature is simplicity, and has a favorite sounds feature for quick access to your 8 fav sounds, and of course the front panel not much menu diving in that and with the 4 motion sequencing automation lanes you can keep things changing and evolving on the fly as in record some automation on the fly, in 4 passes, erase and record some more all while the sequencer is going.
then you've got this 8 performance modes on top of everything else from chords, to arps etc...

anickt

If I'm not mistaken, you can transpose the sequencer from the keyboard on the monologue but not on the minlogue

locosynth

Alesis Micron. Another favorite of mine. But menu diving, although easy and iPad editors work pretty well.

And I agree, Minilogue is great too.

Roland JX-3P is a great budget DCO poly.

Will

I just got a Monologue this weekend and am completely in love. I aim to sell my Minibrute now. The Minibrute does a few things the Monologue doesn't (CV being the biggish one for me) but the Monologue does a ton of things the MB (nor the minibrute) does. The sequencer is just a blast and the synth itself is full of character. Plus, presets and full MIDI control. Full MIDI control means that even though it only has one (awesome!) LFO, you could point MIDI LFOs (etc) at any of its knobs. Or use the sequencer to motion sequence said knob without entering any notes...

Monologue gets my vote.

bennorland

I think the Monologue looks very interesting. I've seen it going for £280 ish

kobamoto

@syrupcore said:
I just got a Monologue this weekend am completely in love. I aim to sell my Minibrute now. The Minibrute does a few things the Monologue doesn't (CV being the biggish one for me) but the Monologue does a ton of things the MB (nor the minibrute) does. The sequencer is just a blast and the synth itself is full of character. Plus, presets and full MIDI control. Full MIDI control means that even though it only has one (awesome!) LFO, you could point MIDI LFOs (etc) at any of it's knobs. Or use the sequencer to motion sequence said knob without entering any notes...

Monologue gets my vote.

nice.... I'm hoping they update the minilogue with the monologue sequencer. allot of people calling for it so it might happen , hey it's the least they can do since the miniloggers made the monologue possible

Will

@locosynth said:
Roland JX-3P is a great budget DCO poly.

Used is a good idea. If space isn't an issue, the Roland Alpha Juno 1 or 2 can be had for around this price with a little patience. I got an Alpha 1 with a case last year for $100! Sounds wonderful and if you really want it for leads, you can stack all 6 voices. No front panel knobs but easy to program and easier to find iPad editors. Beware: JX-3P can't be programmed via MIDI unless it has the KIWI (or similar) upgrade.

Also, a MeeBlip + MIDI Controller can go an awful long way.

enc

Microkorg ? after all these years still an incredibly versatile synth/vocoder and within your budget ... unless you shop at Dawsons i was thinking of moving mine on but after a noodling session at weekend i decided to keep it.

[Deleted User]

JX 3p is a fine synth, but finding one in good condition is increasingly more difficult at a decent price.

Will

BS2 for 300 right here: https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/16986/novation-bassstation-2-perfect-condition-berlin#latest

AndyPlankton

@5pinlink said:

@AndyPlankton said:

@5pinlink said:
Buy something vintage, if you get bored you get your money back +

Probably not in my budget, not in working order anyway

Although the first commercially available Moog Modulars came out in 1967.....year of my birth so it would be fitting I guess

Kawai K1/K4/K5000 - I personally love the K1/K4 sound, The K5000 is probably the best synth i have ever used.

Roland Juno 1/2/MKS50 - I made a lot of rave tunes, so i'm biased, awesome synths.

Yamaha DX100/DX7 - Pain to program, awesome synths.

EMU Modules (Any) - A lot of people think these are weak, but they have a very cool trick up their sleeve, the outputs are actually inserts, you can plumb any effect (Ipad) in to their synth chain.

Korg Prophecy - Great sounding synth.

There are a ton more, but just an example of a few that hold their price in your price range.

Good info thanks......interesting to see Prophecy on there, I drooled over that when it came out

AndyPlankton

@u0421793 said:

@AndyPlankton said:

@u0421793 said:
What about a secondhand Yamaha Reface CX and using it mostly as a controller?

Hmmm, interesting suggestion, what I've heard sounds nice, but not sure about the short sliders, id be interested in having a go on one.

I've heard the sliders on the CS (I meant CS not CX) transmit live as midi control, too.

Yeah I guessed CS......having the sliders transmit MIDI is good from a recording point of view for me as I could record live MIDI and not be restricted to audio which would give me some fine tuning ability after I record something but I am plenty full on the controller stakes, NanoKontrol2, Beatstep, Remote 25, BCF2000. I do like the look of the CS and the sounds seem plenty varied, it is poly and has FX too....I would like to hear some examples of its darker side though.

AndyPlankton

@enc said:
Microkorg ? after all these years still an incredibly versatile synth/vocoder and within your budget ... unless you shop at Dawsons i was thinking of moving mine on but after a noodling session at weekend i decided to keep it.

Yeah I considered MicroKorg and MiniNova but felt that I already have the sound capability (barring vocoder, but i don't do vocals of any description LOL) within the Circuit....The Mininova has the 8 control pads which would be a great performance tool....as Jakob Haq has demonstrated on here before.
Still on the list and not written off yet

AndyPlankton

@syrupcore said:
BS2 for 300 right here: https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/16986/novation-bassstation-2-perfect-condition-berlin#latest

Yeah I have seen them on offer in a few places for the £300 mark.

AndyPlankton

@syrupcore said:
I just got a Monologue this weekend and am completely in love. I aim to sell my Minibrute now. The Minibrute does a few things the Monologue doesn't (CV being the biggish one for me) but the Monologue does a ton of things the MB (nor the minibrute) does. The sequencer is just a blast and the synth itself is full of character. Plus, presets and full MIDI control. Full MIDI control means that even though it only has one (awesome!) LFO, you could point MIDI LFOs (etc) at any of its knobs. Or use the sequencer to motion sequence said knob without entering any notes...

Monologue gets my vote.

Yeah the Monologue is definitely one of the front runners