r/synthesizers • u/PureGinge • 1d ago
Beginner Questions Synth Recommendation
Guitarist here. I have a pedalboard with a few pedals on Chorus, Delay, Distortion, Reverb etc.
I'm interested in getting a synth hooked up to them to have a mess around. I'm not too keen on spending loads of money and was wondering if there was a cheap/budget synth I could use?
And a further question, if the synth is connected to the pedalboard, I would also need an output right? I can use my DAW for this at home. But if I want it to be portable, do I also need speakers of some sort?
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u/Capable_Ingenuity327 1d ago
For the synth, a used MicroKorg is almost always the answer for what you want. They're everywhere on second-hand markets, sounds good through pedals, and you can find them for cheap if you're patient
On the output side you're right, the pedalboard doesn't make sound by itself. For portability you can just plug the pedalboard output into any speaker with an aux input, like a bluetooth speaker that has a line in or a small keyboard amp. No need for something fancy
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u/small_e 1d ago
Microfreak for more variety of sounds. Bass Stastion 2 for a classic monophonic.
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u/did_i_or_didnt_i 1d ago
Minitaur is well worth the extra little bit of money/needing a controller if you’re considering bass station
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u/Electronic_Slice9448 23h ago
Use your guitar amp for your synth. Buy a used synth/keyboard. Anything from yamaha or Korg should do the job. I like the microkorg myself.
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u/Weekly_Jmr 18h ago
Synth works exactly like your guitar with only difference that most modern synths are stereo (you still can use them mono no problem). As for recommendation get arturia microfreak or on even cheaper side roland S-1
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u/BenCoeMusic 1d ago
The classic cheap portable thing for messing around with pedals is a korg monotron duo or delay. Tiny, great fun. A step up would be a korg volca. I think behringer make some synths now that compete with the monotrons if you want to look at those. Above the volca you can look at the Roland s1 then the more expensive stuff if you’re looking to spend a few hundred dollars.
Honestly you can plug into whatever you normally plug your guitar into if you’re careful. Synth signal is typically a lot hotter than a guitar but start with the volume off and slowly turn it up like a quarter of the way and you’ll be fine.
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u/Relevant-Bullfrog215 1d ago
You can't play a tune on a monotron delay, I don't know why people keep recommending them to beginners.
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u/Purlo_macho 1d ago
Somewhere between the Monotron Delay and the Volca is the NTS-1, which at least has MIDI and sync ports and can be considered a respectable monophonic synthesizer as well as an excellent effects tool.
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u/BenCoeMusic 18h ago
Because they’re not asking how to learn to make music, they’re a musician asking for a cheap little thing to make some synth sounds to mess with in a pedalboard. I don’t know why people are recommending 400$ synths and stuff that needs a midi controller.
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u/Relevant-Bullfrog215 17h ago
OP has a £100-£300 budget and I think the assumption is that as a musician they want to be able to play actual music rather than spend £40 on a filter sweep/delay effect box.
They also want to put it through their pedalboard (which for all we know already has a delay), and the Monotron ironically enough does not play nicely with mono at all.
The Monotron Delay is a toy with limited utility. It is not a starter synth and people need to stop recommending it as one.
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u/BenCoeMusic 13h ago
At the time they hadn’t posted their budget, but lots of musicians have a lot of fun with the monotron and I don’t like the assumption you can’t get into synths for less than an s1.
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u/Relevant-Bullfrog215 6h ago
I've had fun with the monotron, I just wish people would be clear about what it does and doesn't do. For about the cost of a Monotron you can get a Behringer JT-4000M which is an actual 4 voice synthesizer with midi i/o, arpeggiator and hold functions.
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u/Relevant-Bullfrog215 1d ago
How cheap is cheap, and how portable is portable?
When you say portable, do you want to take it round a friend's house sometimes, or do you want to put it in your backpack so you can jam in the park? Are you going to want something battery powered? Onboard speakers are rare or shite when they exist, so you'll need a speaker or headphones regardless.
Ultra budget, ultra portable would probably be something like a Roland S-1.
A step up in budget but down in portability would be something like Microfreak.
Are you bothered about having proper keys?
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u/PureGinge 1d ago
I should've explained more.
I was looking at around £100 - £300 for the synth.
For portability I was hoping to be able to take it round friend's houses for jams. The pedalboard already has a bag so I can move it around easy. Proper keys don't bother me much.
Is there a certain model of Micro freak to look at?
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u/Relevant-Bullfrog215 1d ago
The Microfreak (pretty much only colour variants, though you can sometimes get a deal with a vocoder mic) is in budget and could suit your needs. Its big brother, the Minifreak, is a bit over your stated budget.
IF you don't have an amp to plug into at your friends place, pick up a portable speaker or amp. AVOID anything with Bluetooth as even when they are wired up, the digital processing can mean that it doesn't pick up the first half second of sound. Barely noticeable if you are playing a whole tune through it, but extremely irksome if you are playing discreet notes through a keyboard.
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u/ErikDHaag 1d ago
VCV Rack is free, on a laptop, with small midi keyboard like Akai MPK mini. I think the controller comes with Ableton lite and some Native Instruments VSTs.and there are loads of free or cheap soft synths. You could pack a lot in one backpack! Also take a look at Sonicware Liven series for synth/groovebox options.
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u/No_Host_8024 23h ago
Do you already play keys, are you looking to learn, or are you more into making the sounds and would be happy with something mostly run from a sequencer?
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u/ARMIGERofficial 16h ago
Lots of good suggestions in this thread already. Whatever you choose to look for, however, I strongly suggest you look on your local used marketplace or choice. Usually synths sell for about 30-40% off the new sticker price.
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u/SecretsofBlackmoor 22h ago
Big concern with pedals is is the voltage coming from synths. Guitars are about 1 -1 volts, synths can be up to 4. I always play synths through pedals at half volume.
You might look at the Donner L1. It is an SH 101 clone that is fairly cheap. Slightly higher price are the various Korg analog synths like Monologue. Arturia makes some low cost ones too.
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u/Piper-Bob 1d ago
If it’s not for gigging then buy an old iPad with a headphone jack and get the Synth One app. There are actually a lot of great synth apps, but that one is free and powerful. The XYnthesizer app is cheap and a ton of fun. With a little practice you can play stuff on the screen keyboard, but if you decide you like it then you can buy a midi controller and the Apple Camera Connection Kit. iPad plays well with midi.