Any Synth-heads on Racketboy?

[chupon]

Tell me your story. What gear you got? What sounds and music you write?

As big Christmas presents, I just got two sweet used synths for my older daughters (12 and 14) who both love music, play instruments, and I sincerely hope - will fall in love with this “new to them” kind of instrument. They are both classically trained on cello, violin, and piano. Learning theory and composition currently but just the beginning stuff.

I got one synth for each - like new - but used for a reasonable price. Both are similar and different. Trying to decide which to give to each daughter. I figure even if they don’t take I can always just resell for what I paid.

Korg Opsix - for the older daughter.

Korg Wavestate - for the younger.


Now I just need to figure out what DAW to use. I think I’m gonna start out with Logic Pro Lite. And recommendations?

[chupon]

Ooff - triple post!? WTF? Sorry fellas. Mods please delete. I don’t know what is happening. Leave one though please.

[Ziggy]

Nice!

I've actually been wanting to get a synthesizer keyboard for many years. I finally got one back in 2020 or 2021, but I'm not sure if I made the correct choice. I ended up getting a Yamaha Reface DX. So if you can't guess what sounds/music I wanna write, yeah, it's the 80's! I just love all of those classic voices you heard in 80's pop/rock.

The Reface DX is alright, but there's a few things that piss me off about it. It's very well built, and does not at all feel like a toy, but it is rather small. The mini keys can be sort of hard to play. I know I can get a full size MIDI keyboard to use with it instead. But if that's what I have to do, then shouldn't I have just gotten a different keyboard to begin with? The controls are intuitive enough, but one thing I really hate about it is the lack of storage for voices. It has just a few banks. Of the pre-programmed voices that come with it, only a few are stinkers that I would never use. The rest though are classic DX7 voices that I don't care to overwrite. But there's other voices that I need. The work around is connected it via USB to a computer and using a web app that you can download new voices from (and even upload ones you created). But I don't always want to have to connect it to the Internet like that, it's kind of annoying. I'd much rather have larger on board memory. Or if that was such a problem, at least give it an SD card slot to store samples on.

So, I don't know, no real complaints on the way it sounds. But I may want to trade it for something else. Something with larger or full size keys, and with more local memory to store samples with. Any suggestions? Being able to nail those DX7 80's voices is a must!

Ooff - triple post!? WTF? Sorry fellas. Mods please delete. I don’t know what is happening. Leave one though please.

FYI, all users can delete their own posts as long as no one has made a post after them. And if you're the thread starter, deleting the first post will delete the thread.

[SamuraiMegas]

I personally use FL studio, a copy I got while traversing the high seas

[Anapan]

I finally got myself a "good" synthesizer earlier this year - a Novation Mininova. Previously I only had ancient kinda crap keyboards - Casio budget sample-based, Yamaha ancient plastic feeling, etc. I haven't figured out any of the advanced stuff on it yet, but it's great to finally be able to manipulate the audio subtly until I make it sound how I want. The Vocoder is pretty fun too.
A few years ago I bought my mom a weighted 88-key keyboard and paired it with a Zynthian (DIY Raspberry-PI DAW) that can load the linux version of Pianoteq. It also has plugins for Soundfonts, and many other synth engines. I've been playing around with Hexter - a recreation of the Yamaha DX7 engine. a couple of months ago I taught myself to play the theme song to Doogie Howser on it. I also enjoy using soundfonts ripped from video games to recreate the music.

[Ziggy]

I personally use FL studio, a copy I got while traversing the high seas

I've messed around with MIDI on the PC a bit. Do you use a keyboard controller, or notate with a keyboard/mouse on the computer? I've been using Reaper.

I've thought about going that route. For one thing, you can get MIDI keyboards a heck of a lot cheaper than actual synth keyboards. And they usually come bundled with (watered down) software as well. And I'm sure there's lots of free plugins and virtual instruments that can be obtained.

But in regards to getting a MIDI keyboard, and relying on a computer to make the actual sounds, I'm always just concerned with the what if of if I ever wanna use it live. These days it's really rare for my group of friends to all come together at the same time and place to jam, and even more rare that we would play a live set somewhere, but it would be nice to have that option if/when it ever happens.

I suppose I could grab a MIDI keyboard to control my Reface DX, and then also use it with virtual instruments and sample on the PC. It might grow on me. Then I always have the Reface DX if I want to use something in a live environment. On thing that is nice about the Reface DX being small is that it's more convenient to stash some where. My recording room isn't that big, and the room has other uses as well. So I don't have space for a dedicated keyboard setup.

[Ziggy]

I finally got myself a "good" synthesizer earlier this year - a Novation Mininova.

Nice!

A few years ago I bought my mom a weighted 88-key keyboard and paired it with a Zynthian (DIY Raspberry-PI DAW) that can load the linux version of Pianoteq. It also has plugins for Soundfonts, and many other synth engines. I've been playing around with Hexter - a recreation of the Yamaha DX7 engine. a couple of months ago I taught myself to play the theme song to Doogie Howser on it.

Whoa, lots of neat things in there that I'll have to look into!

I also have an 88 weighted key "digital piano," a Casio Privia. Although I got the console type. It's big and heavy, so it stays were it is. Meaning I cannot take it down to my recording setup. I've used it once or twice with a laptop though, it's just kind of annoying to do so.

I'll definitely have to look into Hexter. I'm obsessed with the DX7 sounds. And it's funny that you mentioned Doogie Howser. That theme is one of the standard presets of the DX7. My Reface DX has a bunch of the classic DX7 presets, and that being one of them. I've definitely played Doogie Howser a few times!

I also enjoy using soundfonts ripped from video games to recreate the music.

Nice! That reminds me, I gotta find the time to mess around with the Super MIDI Pak.

viewtopic.php?f=38&t=53613

[SamuraiMegas]

I use a M&KB though I'm not really using synths in particular, though there's plenty available on FL. My friend has an electric saxophone and he hooked it up to use FL's midi synths but we couldn't find any we liked very much at the time. Will have to keep fucking with it.

[Anapan]

I have a lot of VSTi plugins with a shell-launcher loaded on to my ultra-portable GPD Win 2. It doesn't take a powerful computer to real-time render midi to audio if you are only hosting one plugin at a time without processing and mastering it. I use it on my DOS tower to emulate Roland MT-32, Sound Canvas, Yamaha XG, and other legendary external midi modules. The EMU systems roms got converted a long time ago. So great. Before I had the Zynthian, I used it for SoundFonts and I still host plugins like REfx Beast and Rob Papen's BLUE on it. I used to use SAVIHost on my XP laptop along with a thrift-store bought M-Audio Oxygen 8 to play music through free and pirated plugins back in the day...
As my old band-mate used to say, it's not the instrument, or the ability to make a certain sound, only that you can sync with the others with what you've got. I was fairly well proficient at harmonizing with my brother's fretless bass in the sub-bass level. Got the mosh pit more active using synthetic bass harmonics through the huge PA speakers.

[ujnhunter]

Hey hey! I also use a Casio Privia (weighted keyboard) to record most of my MIDI parts. Though I'm not really the "Synth-head" in my band(s)*, I use mostly software when it comes to my end of things. I used to have a really great Korg Triton back when they first came out in the late 90's (I've since purchased the software version which has every single add-on that wouldn't even be possible back then) which I use with my Casio Privia. I highly recommend Reaper (especially since you/your daughters have no background or time wasted using other DAWs) as you'll find the best Tutorials/Forum/Help out there on the web and can customize it to suit how you want it to work if you get deeper into it with SWS extensions/ReaPack Scripts/Etc... (not to mention it's fully featured and FREE forever if you want to wait 5 seconds after opening the software until you decide to register it for the low low low price of $60 if you decide to use it "commercially").

My most synth heavy stuff is from my band Photovoltaik (https://photovoltaik.bandcamp.com) but synth shows up a quite a bit in lots of my other bands/songs too here (https://www.reverbnation.com/ujnhunter) [only originals] and here (https://www.soundcloud.com/ujnhunter) [including covers].

*The "Synth-head" in my band(s) is my partner R. Mosquito who actually builds and circuit bends his own hardware... I'm not that cool.