what is the cheapest/best synth?

[mizu]

What is the cheapest synth from roland, yamaha, casio, moog?

In Japan, where I live the prices are darn high and I only have 250$ so 250$ or below
is about what i"m looking for

Is there any synths I can buy with that money?

Pros and cons of synths are helpful.


thanks

Seiji Max Sakurai

[samuraipizzacat29]

The best synth you could buy with that kind of money is a usb/midi controller like m-audio axiom, novation remote sl etc, and all the freeware vsts you can nab online.

Otherwise, if I had $200 id be scouring the used market for something half decent (doesn't come up too often, prob even more so in japan). Good synths that come to mind for around that figure are dx7 (or any cheap yammie fm for that matter) novation bass station rack, paia fat man rack, casio cz1000/cz101, dsi mopho (a few bucks more but pretty close), roland sh-32, yamaha an200 (prob way more $ in japan), a ton of different rack ROM modules like roland jv-10800 (or whatever), e-mmu w/e it is, yamaha mu-w/e, etc. There's plenty of diy stuff like meeblip that are cheap. There's drum machines/patter sequencers like roland mc-303 or yamaha rm1x etc etc.

I'm running out of ideas so iill stop there. If you want me to break down the pros/cons of all that mess we'll be here for hours, so if there's something specific you want an opinion on, just throww it out there.

[daybyter]

http://jimatwood.wordpress.com/2011/01/ ... zer-rocks/

[balma]

Get a f**k Korg Electribe EMX1 for 300

[RD9]

$200-250 is not a good investment imho. It's like saying, I want to buy a house but I can only afford to pay $5,000. If you're lucky, you might be able to buy an old beat up Korg Poly800 or MicroKorg for $250 but those are not really the best synths to get. Just my opinion.

Better to save up a little more and consider the EMX1 as balma recommends or look for the cheapest MS-2000, hopefully around $350. Either of those two will get you more mileage than what you would buy with $250. With the EMX1 you can at east put together complete songs if you are into sequencing. Or with the MS-2000 at least you can have the perfect balance between best hands on control + best price + best sound.

Good luck!

[Sir Nose]

Roland alpha juno

[Stab Frenzy]

An e-mu command station is more capable than anything suggested so far, and is probably the only real bargain underrated synth left out there. Don't know what prices are like for them in Japan though. The korg emx and esx are both great for the price too, but compared to the command stations they're not as deep but much more immediate. A monotribe is pretty cool for cheap too.

[Psy_Free]

Another one to consider is the Roland SH-32. Can still be had for between £120-£170 UK pounds (approx $190-$270).

[Kirby]

How about an ensonic esq1? They're still pretty cheap. At least they are here in the US.

[mizu]

thanks guys. I'll look hard for the Yamaha DX-7 and the casio CZ series!

[garranimal]

You won't have any Moogs for those low bills.

Roland alpha juno

Damn good suggestion.
Also:
Korg DW-8000, Poly-61, Akai AX-60
Rompler keyboard: M1 or JV-80. Or perhaps a midi controller and the JV-1080, or 01R/W
VA: Roland SH-201

If it were me I would go w/ Juno-1 or -2, or DW-8000 or AX-60.

[dhollmusik]

thanks guys. I'll look hard for the Yamaha DX-7 and the casio CZ series!

Disagree. DX7 is a pain to program. Get yourself a synth with knobs. In your price range:

Yamaha AN1X
Yamaha AN1X
Yamaha AN1X
Yamaha AN1X
Yamaha AN1X


Get yourself a Yamaha AN1X.

[Pro5]

best synths for bugger all money:

SY77 (will destroy any DX7 revision)
JX-3P (best value Dual DCO with GOOD filter)

I've had most of the other's mentioned in this thread and got rid of them though it's a bit of a vague question because there's hundreds of variations on the $250 synth (inc software and cheap VA and old romplers) so it comes down to best synth for the money FOR the requirements

[precarity]

Hi mizu, I'm really just a lurker here as I can't comment from experience on a lot of the fun discussions, but on the subject of trying to snag some interesting equipment on the cheap, I think I can help.

I gather that you want something that'll offer nicer, more unique sounds and much more flexibility than your MA-101, and if possible something with some character. I think that's totally doable under $250, and I think your best bet is to look locally with an open mind.

You have little money, but lots of enthusiasm for the search and by now a good sense of the relative merits of lots of worthy synths. So you should use that, and keep an eye on local classifieds — especially "obsolete" classifieds like in community newspapers and such — and just be patient, diligent, and ready to strike. You might not find a CZ, but maybe you'll see something weird like a Siel DK-70, or you'll see a TX81z for so cheap that you can just buy a MIDI keyboard to go with it.

Make sure that whatever it is works, and I'm sure you'll find the fun and inspiration you're looking for. And even if you don't end up liking (say) programming a Poly-61, you'll get to learn from the synthesis experience, and you'll get a clearer sense of what you're really looking for. Best of all you shouldn't have trouble getting your money back if you decide to sell it to buy something else!

P.S. This is exactly what I did in high school in the late 90's, and I ended up with a $60 Poly-61 despite having had visions of MG-1s dancing in my head. I later sold it to fund a move, but not before squeezing a lot of good sounds and useful subtractive synthesis experience out of it.

[mizu]

thanks guys! I'm really new to the synth world and I'm learning how to program.

I enjoy synths because it shows the persons traits on its sounds

anyone got the korg poly 800 extremly cheap? Right now I'm trying to deal a casio cz 1000....

I really thank you guys and I'll use the feedback for further times!

thanks a bunch!