What's the best synth for a beginner?

My first synth was a first-gen Minibrute back in 2013 and it was perfect for getting a solid understanding of how subtractive synthesis works. The Minibrute 2 would be even better since it includes a sequencer and some basic patching capabilities.

I'm very close to pulling the trigger on a DM12 as my first polysynth actually. It doesn't strike me as a great first synth since given its menu system.

Learn to use and manipulate VSTs

There are hundreds freely available online to download

>b-but they don't sound the same

In capable hands, yes they do

Read a fucking book

Sincerely,

A based user

x

>read a book
Based. I had no idea what i was doing with synths (despite reading and watching online) until i skimmed through this old ass synth book from the 70s and everything clicked

>It doesn't strike me as a great first synth since given its menu system.

the menu is actually very easy to navigate IMO, and there's plenty you can do with it just using what's on the surface. I'm basically retarded and can get my way around the mod matrix without a problem

You may be able to do a hell of a lot more with VSTs than hardware synths but nothing beats the immediacy and fun of turning knobs to make noise.
I spend enough hours staring at a screen every day anyway.

Why do synth snobs who tout knobs not realize that midi controllers are objectively better and much cheaper (and easier to diy)

>why do people prefer to play physical instruments instead of simulations

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I get that people like the tactility of hardware

But the age old tried and tested adage stands:

"hardware gets you nowhere without an understanding of software"

The problem is zoomers are far too willing to pay $$$ for hardware synths because they think that is the way forward, that hardware is simpler and will prove to be the key to unlocking their potential as a producer

This is a fallacy

Zoomers need to read + experiment with VSTs

Maybe then you can advance to hardware

But seriously VSTs sound exactly the same in the right hands

I get the screen time thing and blue light irritation, but it's necessary — just spend less time on your laptop when you're not making music

B-but computers and software and midi controllers are entirely capable of doing the exact same thing that synths do.. Is it not an “instrument” unless all the parts are inside the same box?

>"hardware gets you nowhere without an understanding of software"

literally retarded lmao. Were electronic musicians just completely clueless before software came along? What does this even mean?

>he doesn’t understand that his synth can be thought of as a simple computer running one piece of hardcoded software

but it's not

Show me the midi controller that lets me control every VST synth without touching a mouse and I'll grab that shit today.
Until you can do that midi controllers are in no way "objectively better". Especially since many hardware synths can output midi anyway.

The only "way forward" is finding something that inspires you to make music. That's literally the only thing that matters.
If you feel inspired using VSTs, good on you. But for many other people using a mouse and midi controller while staring at a screen feels like the opposite of inspiring. It's much more likely that someone will gain a passion for synthesis on hardware, and only then tolerate the cold utility of software because they know exactly what sound they're after.
Suggesting that someone learn synthesis on software is as good as telling them to fuck off and not even try.

Lol you dont even know how to “midi learn”
You could have SUCH a sick set up for a tinnnny fraction of the price if you go midi over synths

Since nowadays everything is edited and complied and produced using software, if you don't understand software then your knowledge of hardware is redundant

— Lemme guess, you just bought an OP-1?

You get to set what knobs / buttons control what piece of the software youre running. (VSTs and everything else). There’s communities online who share “midi maps” with each other, so you usually dont have to do your own setup, but you can get as granular as you like

Get an OP-1 and you’ll be set.

please at least try to make sense u absolute mong

>— Lemme guess, you just bought an OP-1?
hell no

Someone learning synthesis on FREE software before moving on to purchasing (often expensive) hardware synthesisers, is to be encouraged

Otherwise zoomers buy OP-1s and get discouraged and disillusioned 30 mins after unboxing

KORG DS-10

If you want to make computer music nowadays, the bread and butter is 100% software. Hardware is more a luxury. If you just want to fuck around with an instrument, or are in a band touring, that's a bit different, but if you're a guy who's aiming to compose, either electronic stuff, or sampled, you go for VSTs.

soundsonline.com/composercloud

This here is the single best investment I ever made. It's how I was able to keep my head above water as a beginning media composer.

This is the way to go. If you must have muh knobs, learn on free software with a cheap midi controller. Read books.

Which part did you not understand?

A lot of them were. Fuck, YMO had Hideki Matsutake programming all their shit until I think Naughty Boys.

I see the pro-vst argument because
>it's free
>it allows a variety of options to explore the type of synthesis you want to pursue (additive, subtractive, wavetable, FM etc.)

rather than drop a bill on a fucking deepmind 12 and realize that they have no fucking clue what they're doing or getting bummed out and having to fall back on presets like every other lazy cunt with lots of money and 0 talent.

I was the DX7 guy kinda doing a joke but it’s also good to have that huge learning curve. Will make approaching non-FM synths a fucking doddle after. But you’re totally right though, if you’re wanting to learn synthesis just get a cheap/free VST and read up on stuff. There’s a great tutorial VST you can buy, forgot what it’s called

>plays around the filter cut off and resonance
>muh instant gratification

analog fags please go away

lets see

>Since nowadays everything is edited and complied and produced using software
not really relevant to anything since we're talking learning to make sounds with a synthesizer

>if you don't understand software then your knowledge of hardware is redundant
I'm sure this made sense in your head...

see

>it’s also good to have that huge learning curve
Why would that be a good thing for a beginner? Someone getting their first synth is interested in how it can make them a better, more inventive musician, not in learning how carriers and modulators work.
Or are you the kind of person who just wants to filter out everyone who isn't 100% committed to a massive field of knowledge they're wading into for the first time?

>Or are you the kind of person who just wants to filter out everyone who isn't 100% committed to a massive field of knowledge they're wading into for the first time?

Yes. If you want to get into synths, get into synths. If you want to be a better, more inventive musician, learn a fucking guitar or piano, or better yet, music theory as well. Learning synthesis won’t make you a better more inventive musician, it’ll just make you a better synthesist.

>all these vst zoomers shitting up my board

>rather than drop a bill on a fucking deepmind 12
They go as low as $500 these days. Better than the microkorgs everyone was buying for years t b h .

Software is great and all, but if we're talking beginners here, you're telling them to learn a DAW in addition to VSTs which seems a lot more involved than just twisting knobs.

Also controllers aren't free

Learning an entirely new way of making sound from scratch won't make someone more inventive?
>learn a fucking guitar or piano, or better yet, music theory as well
And what about someone who's already done that? They should just fuck off until they decide they want to spend all of their time making electric music?
The fact that you separate synths from musicianship says quite a lot.

I-is this the uncomfy synth thread?

I get the whole "weed out the weak" mentality but the person posting this thread is most likely underdeveloped and underage and doesn't have the time or wherewithal to get a DX7, much less slog through menu diving a 1-option 1-slider at a time clusterfuck trying to figure out how to sound like Perturbator or whatever shit he's inspired by.

>
Software is great and all, but if we're talking beginners here, you're telling them to learn a DAW in addition to VSTs which seems a lot more involved than just twisting knobs.

It depends on the context of why they're getting it. If it's to play leads or bass in a band or something, sure, sounds like a reasonable point. If they're wanting to make electronic music, then they're inevitably going to end up at a DAW. Either that or buying a hardware MIDI sequencer, and as someone who has an MC-500 MKII, it's a road you don't wanna go down.

All synth threads are pretty uncomfy. Synth nerds are some of the aggressive and most obnoxious people on the planet, and this is light. Never go to Gearslutz. Boomers + Synths mean a whole lot of bitter, ignorant talentless retards shitting on each other all day long (same goes for anyone obsessed with tech gear really, ESPECIALLY audio engineers).

This is why i advocate unironically for phone apps. There’s tons of capable synth apps, but this is a free and open source synth that has EVERYTHING you need. Available for free on iOS (not sure about android, but probably possible if you know computers anyway)
github.com/AudioKit/AudioKitSynthOne
You’re gonna learn how to use a synth before you buy one kids, repeat after me.

>menu diving 6 pages on a phone

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Where all the OP-1 love?

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Do I need to wait for Black Friday for this to go on sale again?

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>no tablet pleb

it's the same thing on a tablet. they just make the gui bigger for all the people with sausage link fingers.

Casiotone MT100 or Waldorf Blofeld

>Where all the OP-1 love?

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Minologue, a Volca and a strymon bigsky for the holy reddit trinity. Deepmind 12 if nu reddit is more your style.

are you actually suggesting OP-1 into Strymon isn’t incredible?

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I never produced anything with software, the workflow is garbage and so is learning on it. Download an app for your phone to learn the basics in a week and then buy a hardware synth to dedicate yourself to.

Why would someone buy a synth if he didn't intend on learning it? If they want a preset machine they'll get a keyboard unless they really love trance music

that doesn't even resemble a beginner setup

I was thinking about getting a BigSky but thanks to you, I'll be going with Eventide.

gearspammer doesn't give a shit whether his posts are actually relevant to the thread, that's why he's called gearspammer.

Consider Empress Reverb, it's fantastic without the menu diving of Eventide.

Upload some music from that. Seems interesting

>Empress Reverb
But I already have an Empress EQ and I don't like owning multiple pedals by the same company.
Half kidding ;) I'll look into it. Thanks, user.
...not feeling that "beer" category.

>...not feeling that "beer" category.
No one likes it, it's just for weird shit that Empress comes up with that they feel like releasing for some reason.
Pretty much everything else is amazing though. I especially like the Plate and Reverb + Delay modes.

Huh?

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NO!
Empress it is.

good call, although to be fair Strymon is as equally sterile so you really cant go wrong if that’s what you’re looking for

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Will never happen

crack WHEN???? I'm still stuck in 5.

to add, you should probably sign up for the propellerhead newsletter, they have all sorts of deals going on pretty often.

yeah, its the awkward synth thread (AST)

the consumer ones are terrible, but the vst ones are literally soulless. i wont even post my $40 lucky find because this shit thread doesnt deserve it :-)

All of that typing just because you’ve never used hardware

he has to cover his insecurity with something i guess.

Literally play around with some at a music store a few times before you buy anything. You probably don't know what you really want yet.
I didn't know anything about synthesis, other than I could make cool sounds, and was about to pull the trigger on a Roland SE-02. On a whim, I tried the Analog Four and fell in love with step sequencing. Being able to write complete songs ended up being up much more important to me than making cool, far out sounds.
If, for whatever reason, you can't go to a physical location, you might try a used [Volca FM/Volca Keys] + [Volca Beats/Volca Sample] combination as a cheap way to learn what you like, and don't like.

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>Moved modular out of my studio to test a live performance rig
>already composed 5 songs on the fly
>recorded nothing

every time

start with subtractive synthesis, anything that follows vco/vcf/vca structure will be good

why are they so angry, is it from not being able to own real instruments...you know, cause they’re poor?

OP-1, despite what purists and elitists will tell you.

Just a reminder to not fall for the Caustic meme.
It's abandonware at this point and once you start creating presets inside it, you're basically trapped.

this little girl knows more about synthesis than you LMFAO

youtube.com/watch?v=aKrpfHCvJ6s

Why was I born to poor parents??

I've been thinking and overthinking wich should be my first synth for quite sometime now, and I recently got into this conclusion: regular, key oriented synths don't interest me because i don't feel as draw and as inspired by them. Stuff like modular, wich is rather a continuous soundwave you have to edit and change do attract me more. And stuff like drone machines and sampler synths too.

I need your opinion, do you think one should begin at synthesizers with the typicial Microbrute nonetheless what I told you? Or should I directly look for sampler synths and such?

with $30 they could have given you some thriftstore synth and a tape machine. but they are plebs. thats the real problem.

VST? Pirate whatever. Arturia stuff is absolutely fucking great for example. It's the easy obvious solution, as there is a ton of nice free stuff too by TAL etc.

Hardware? That's a much more interesting question as there is a hardware rennaissance. What determines this is #1 your budget #2 your zeal for mono/poly or not, particular 'famous' sounds or not #3 how important is analog to you really, #4 do you value a good keybed as opposed to minikeys or no keys.

The obvious goal to me is to, eventually, have is a lot of really good digital/analog/hybrid stuff covering all bases, but that's with a lot of money/space/passion at hand, no one synth will give you literally everything you want. Some suggestions though for first-time hardware stuff, stuff which is cheaper than the top-tier options (go for used) but still can give very, very good sound/modulation etc:

Korg Minilogue/Minilogue XD
A literal analog VCO polysynth for under $500, and sounds pretty fucking beast. The XD (ecks-dee hurr) has some of the tricks from the Prologue, also a decent polysynth (albeit beset by a tuning problem which marred it for a while). It does have minikeys though and is a four-voice. There is also the even-cheaper Monologue which is similar (but really tiny and one voice).

(used) Behringer Deepmind 6/12
Similar to above but it's a DCO poly (audibly DCOs sound stiff and flat and are often regarded as lesser than VCOs, which can have a slight phasing/chorus-like drifting on chords/unison), however it has a full size keybed and a mod matrix (allowing for far more complex sounds). Possibly your best cheap option for hardware? However, there is...

Waldorf Blofeld. This is actually a truly exceptional and versatile synth for the money, one of those ones you'd still really like in ten years because, if anything you'd have learned how to really program/play it by then. But, the opposite beginner-friendly to program and has a specific digital/crunchiness to its sound by nature.

This I rather sequence my synths on this like YMO did typing it in numerically then midi sequencing in a DAW any day. Sure it's challenging but challenge and limitations usually bring out better music

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>Sure it's challenging but challenge and limitations usually bring out better music

Talent helps as well, retard

hey don’t give up champ

This is a synth thread full of dudes who don't even use real hardware synths because they cant play anything without piano roll and googling cheat sheets and getting salty at actual musicians with actual instruments doing what they love. So if suggest going somewhere else if you wanna talk talent you stupid cunt and go Google some more minor scale cheat sheets for your next drag and drop banger

Recently was gifted this from a colleague and I am here to say fuck the Moog grandmother and fuck the Korg minilouge. Modern analogs are a joke right now amongst the common poorfag options everyone has. This thing is insanely useful and warm and rich sounding and the actual minimoog filter and external routing blows any current production compact mono out of the water

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yeah love mine too

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this

I started on the microcock but there are better options out there these days

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If you're gonna be elitist about that, then let's hear your chops. Bet you ain't got shit.

elektrons are interesting pieces of gear, I've found the workflow either clicks on you or it doesn't, based on the reviews and opinions I've read of it.

One thing I found useful was to completely skip the manual and instead watching youtube videos on it. The manual seems to be written by its engineers and not a musician/producer that breaks down its workflow. I watched a single video (youtuber cuckoo iirc) and it clicked on me, enough that after half hour I was able to work on it. then the manual is good for shortcuts and whatnot, which there are a gorillion of them

The best synth for a beginner is a soft synth with a midi keyboard, more economical and more possibilities

>Read a fucking book
which one?

these are cute, still mildly relevant and fun to use. but fuck new korg stuff

Yeah, the new korg sound is too hifi and sheeny for me starting after the Radias although I'd still like to try that one at least once

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OP-1 feels like shit to play, like you're fiddling with a toy. Nothing beats turning old fashioned knobs and patching things with wires. OP, get a MicroBrute.

i don't get the hype behind it. someone change my mind why are they worth the price?

>but fuck new korg stuff
Absolutely love my electribe sampler, and the volca FM is fun as hell, but not currently in my setup. They do alright

it's just a meme

Depends on what you want to use it for, and your budget.
Check out the Arturia MircoFreak:
youtube.com/watch?v=aRTLlfDRzpU&t=1s

Why is everyone hyping this piece of shit up? I have literally not heard a single musical sound coming out of it and that reviewer is a quirky piece of shit. What a waste of time.

>audibly DCOs sound stiff and flat

true but osc drift can be applied to the DM and with a bit of unison detune it can sound pretty fucking good.