Low budget hardware synth

Matthew-B · Post by **Matthew-B** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:17 pm

I know, there is thread about hardware synths, but i want to talk about LOW BUDGET stuff.
I had KORG Electribe but sold a year ago because of financial problems, now i regret this ; (. It was fantastic gear,
of course nowadays you can make the same or better sounds with vst but, but the feeling of tweaking knobs,
sliders, metal box its fantastic.

Actually I have no money but I will go to work for summer holidays and earn some money.
There are any interesting synths in the price about KORG Electribe?
May be little more expensive or little cheaper.

What would you recommend ?

contakt321 · Post by **contakt321** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:25 pm

If you don't mind awkward interfaces, 80's hardware is at (maybe) it's all time low.

I bought a Yamaha TX-81Z for like $45 last year. Lots of good deals out there if you are patient.

Sharmaji · Post by **Sharmaji** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 10:38 pm

contakt321 wrote:If you don't mind awkward interfaces, 80's hardware is at (maybe) it's all time low.

I bought a Yamaha TX-81Z for like $45 last year. Lots of good deals out there if you are patient.

hah! I had an 81z for a while. suprisingly cool synth. suprisingly heavy (physically).

gotta love that OMGWTF pull-out card that "explains" the routings as well... maybe not the world's best designed interface, for sure.

mks · Post by **mks** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:26 pm

I picked up a TX-81z for like $50 or 60 bucks this last year. I used to have a DX21 that I sold, and was kind of missing those cold, icy pads I used to get from a 4 op FM.

Maybe check out a Casio CZ-101?

3za · Post by **3za** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:42 pm

Matthew-B wrote:There are any interesting synths in the price about KORG Electribe?

How much do they cost???

Matthew-B wrote:What would you recommend ?

Don't know man, I ain't just going to tell you what I like.

I think you need to think more about what you won't from it, then find something that can do it.

I start you off with a few;
Digital or Anologue?
Menus or No menus?
Keyboard or No keyboard?
Midi or CV?
Performance controls (after touch ect) Yay or Nay?
Synth type?
Type of sound you want to make?

You get the point

gr0nt · Post by **gr0nt** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:54 pm

There's more than one electribe so I'm not sure what the exact price range is.

If you can get one, I recommend a Nord Micromodular. It's pretty much the only synth I know that's for everyone. Beginners all the way up to synthesis masters can be satisfied. I think its perfect for *step, it has a built in vocal filter with vowels that can be modulated (master the Yoy if u wish), waveshaper, and the LFO shapes, for whatever reason, sound perfect on the nord modulars. Don't ask why, but the sine sounds rounder, the saw is sharper than any other synth I know of.
It's one of those pieces that u can buy as a beginner, and still have fun with 20 years later. Theres also some badass advanced synthesis tuts online and they give all the advanced synthesis examples using a nord modular.

I wanna say $350 U.S for a used one. (one sold on ebay.co.uk for 500$ which is what i paid brand spankin new) Just make sure you have a stable, dedicated MIDI port on your DAW for editing.

I used it on the track in my sig... the sounds that can be heard from 1:20-1:50, 2:15-2:45 and again from 3:35-4:35. I pretty much used the micromod exclusively on that track, for all of the synth tones, except for the sub and the opening notch filter ravey synth.

Matthew-B · Post by **Matthew-B** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:29 am

Keyboard or No keyboard?
Type of sound you want to make?

Mainly basslines, which I would later resample, put on vst effects etc, but also other sounds, pads etc.
I need oscilators, possibilty to choose a shape, sine, saw etc, filter, lfo, envelopes for filter and amp.
I dont need arpeggiator.
Prefer without keyboard because i got one, and it would be cheaper.

Midi or CV?

What is CV ?

I am realy interested in Waldorf Blofeld, i think desktop version has a good price, used should be cheaper but in my country
its difficult to find many second hand synths.
Anyone have Blofeld and could tell someting about it ?

Edit:

There's more than one electribe so I'm not sure what the exact price range is.

I had Electribe MX-1 which in Poland cost 2000zl (about 600-700 USD).
But we can talk about little more and little less expensive synths, so this thread would interested someone else.

upstateface · Post by **upstateface** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:40 am

If you're just gonna resample get an analog, try korg Mono/poly

Matthew-B · Post by **Matthew-B** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:49 am

upstateface wrote:If you're just gonna resample get an analog, try korg Mono/poly

Very interesting, 4osc, great. I will research for used one now.

gr0nt · Post by **gr0nt** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:55 am

Really, u should check out the prices of a micromodular. Mono/Poly is good, but its a 25+ year old synth... might not be good for you unless you know some basic circuits and how to solder. I think you could do better for the price, Mono/Poly is a collectible, and wont be as good of a deal as something thats new and not collectible.

How much is a micromodular in Poland? if one is even available...

Matthew-B · Post by **Matthew-B** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:08 am

gr0nt wrote:Really, u should check out the prices of a micromodular. Mono/Poly is good, but its a 25+ year old synth... might not be good for you unless you know some basic circuits and how to solder. I think you could do better for the price, Mono/Poly is a collectible, and wont be as good of a deal as something thats new and not collectible.

How much is a micromodular in Poland? if one is even available...

I found one for 450 USD but sold recently. But it was good price i think. There is version with keyboard for 900 USD.
Mono/Poly is too expensive i think : (.

gr0nt · Post by **gr0nt** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:11 am

Yes, too expensive and unreliable.

The keyboard version for 900 is a great deal... its actually 4 micromodulars in one, 4 times the DSP power. You could easily make a 20+ osc monosynth... anything you want really. Plus theres literally thousands of free patches on the net, so the learning curve wont be too bad. if you've got 900, get it!

mks · Post by **mks** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:16 am

I thought this thread was about low budget synths. I was talking about $100 or less.

Matthew-B · Post by **Matthew-B** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:26 am

The keyboard version for 900 is a great deal...

Unfortunelly I think 900 is to high, but if I find one without keys it would be an option.

mks wrote: I thought this thread was about low budget synths. I was talking about $100 or less.

If you find something decent about $100 or less to buy, tell me

Seriously, there are any good synths in that price range (lets say 100$ or less) which i can grab, tweak some
oscilators, peak shape, filtering etc, and resample it later in kontakt to create for example decent reece etc ?

amphibian · Post by **amphibian** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:50 am

May not be within your budget, but one "cheap" synth that is really getting my rocks off atm (I don't have one, just played with one), is the moog slim phatty. Beautiful little synth that gives some great power for some uber basslines. Hoping to get one this year. It's pure analog, btw.

mks · Post by **mks** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 2:07 am

Matthew-B wrote:
mks wrote: I thought this thread was about low budget synths. I was talking about $100 or less.
If you find something decent about $100 or less to buy, tell me
Seriously, there are any good synths in that price range (lets say 100$ or less) which i can grab, tweak some
oscilators, peak shape, filtering etc, and resample it later in kontakt to create for example decent reece etc ?

Yes, I bought my Roland MKS-50 for $100 which is a pretty decent analog synth. Later found the controller for it for $50 (which is rare as usually those go for more than the synth itself).

I actually built most of my studio based on my own theory of "Technological Detritus". I am really into the concept of using discarded technology, the left over remains of the industrial machine. I call my studio the Time Machine because I use over 30 years of technology in it.

buttock · Post by **buttock** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 8:45 am

In Germany a Blofeld can be found for about 250-330 Euros depending on wether it has the sampling option or not. This synth will allow you to do pretty anything: Basses/Pad/strange Fx ...
If you like it cheaper maybe watch out for an MFB Synth lite. I got the older Version for 100 Euro and its a simple 2Osc monophonic analog synth which will give some nich bass sounds.

darkartois · Post by **darkartois** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 9:37 am

I know It's a little over your budget, but the DSI Mopho keys looks really tasty. As soon as I sell my KC I'm gonna grab one.

paradigm_x · Post by **paradigm_x** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 9:47 am

Amazing, cheap analogue niceness; new

http://www.mfberlin.de/Produkte/Musikel ... ronik.html

From 220 euros.

Loads to choose from.

Websites a bit (!) crap and half in german only but well worth a ten miute browse...

paradigm_x · Post by **paradigm_x** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 9:49 am

buttock wrote:If you like it cheaper maybe watch out for an MFB Synth lite. I got the older Version for 100 Euro and its a simple 2Osc monophonic analog synth which will give some nich bass sounds.

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