Best Synthesizers for Beginners 2023
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 24. 06. 2024
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As the sun rose on the dawn of analog synthesis, musicians, scientists, mathematicians, and artists around the world began to see sound in a new light, promising to take sonic exploration to previously uncharted territories, revealing entire worlds of aural opportunity. When the better part of a century now separating us from those nascent moments, the world of synthesizers has gone from the areas of academia and borderline-esoteric interests in sonic purity to innumerable permutations and combinations, traversing the boundaries of analog, digital, hybrid, and beyond. With so many ways to experiment with sound, itâs natural to feel a little intimidated. Fear not, fledgling synthesist, for our resident expert, Daniel Fisher, has the educational, professional, and creative chops to guide you on your newfound journey, showcasing some of the most spectacular synths and keys for beginners. Check it out!
After you watch, check out Sweetwater.com today for all your music instrument and pro audio needs! đ sweetwater.sjv.io/shop
0:00 - Intro
0:10 - What Makes Synth Good for Beginners?
1:33 - Moog Mavis
4:09 - Behringer PRO-1
7:27 - cre8audio EastBeast
9:26 - Novation Bass Station II
12:02 - Yamaha Reface CS
14:37 - Roland AIRA S-1
16:34 - Novation MiniNova
17:55 - Korg Minilogue Bass
19:21 - Arturia MiniFreak
22:55 - ASM Hydrasynth Explorer
27:05 - Thank You for Watching!
#Sweetwater #Synthesizer #Guide #DanielFisher #DanielFisherSweetwater - Hudba
Whatâs your synth grail? Tell us about your dream instrument in the comments, and head over to Sweetwater to shop and learn more about some of the best beginner synths! đ sweetwater.sjv.io/BestBeginnerSynthesizers
The best beginner synth is still the Deepmind 12.
@@amindamok I hate to yuk your yum, but I humbly disagree. A good beginner synth should give the user a far more robust set of options at the beginning of the chain than the Deepmind's astonishingly limited voices do. Learning how to use the featureset at the beginning of the chain is a critical foundation of synthesis. I would recommend a swath of Behringer's monos or even the pro-800 over the Deepmind any day.
Mine is the Roland Sound Canvas series; I used that for making dungeon synth albums, and I even have a VST on my Roland Cloud Manager. Unfortunately, my iMac Ventura caused a glitch on my Sound Canvas VA, and couldn't write music for it, because of the update. I saw your video ad when I was playing one of my dungeon synth videos. Your channel seems to have caught my eye, all of a sudden.
@@swanofnutella4734 thing is with pro you can see what u do on board ,but that was it one note .the end .. with d12 u can create whole part ,and dive beyond of what u see that u get filosophy on pro mono boards ,plus d12 is beast unlimited to do all and some more -- wonder why he did not put that in here and did hydra ,which is long learning synth by watching videos
A new Daniel movie!
I went for a minifreak for my first synth. It's been amazing and I have tons of fun with that thing. My son was also overwhelmed trying to learn piano but has fallen in love with the minifreak. He literally asks to play on it almost daily. That alone shows a lot about the usability of the minifreak. You can dig deep into sounds or you can just turn it on, pull up some fun presets and start playing
Hydra for the win! That was my first synth when it came out and I'm still in love with it..
These Daniel videos are always so good, he makes me want to buy everything! I started with a used Microkorg, but if I could go back, I would recommend a Hydrasynth and either the Minifreak or Microfreak since they're so much easier to edit. The Deepminds are also a good place to start after the price cuts Behringer put out this year. Korg's Volca series also provide a fun entry point at a low price point.
love my mininova ... fun factor is certainly there ... the sounds and arps are incredible and I like the knobs, button and lights ... really good for live jamming
Love the Minifreak for its mod matrix. Definitely punching above its weight class in terms of programming complexity!
iâm glad everyoneâs on the hydrasynth train now
My father used to have multiple synths when he was in his 20s but when he started a family with my mother, he sold all his equipment to save enough money for a house. I've been doing some research to figure out what my father would like potentially and save up some money to buy him a synth again. Only seems fitting that he sold his synths to provide for me and my siblings - I'd like to return the favour :) Any recommendations?
Yamaha D7 roland Jupiter 4
Moog Grandmother Behringer Poly D
As much as I love my Reface CS, it's got far tougher competition than when it launched. However "Reface" is still the alternative spelling for "mojo". The CS is not just for beginners; it is so quick and easy to dial up great sounds. The design choices for the interface were inspired - there are things it can't do but Yamaha managed to leave out the settings that give useless results. In an emergency, my Refaces are the synths I'd grab on my way out the door! ...and my MicroFreak! đ
I got a lot of really good information out of this video! Thanks for sharing đ€
Dreadbox Typhon! Sonically outclasses synths priced wayyyy more, super portable, easy to use, inspiring and fun!
I' m a beginner with 2 volcas and after researching a lot, I'll go for a minifreak for its Polyphony, sequencer, ease of use and vst.
Good companion to learn synthesis and music creation.
10:20 I definitely agree about the Bass Station 2 (I even added the AFX {Aphex Twin} updates. Like the Yamaha DX 100, people will have to pry that synth from my cold dead hands.
Daniel, you have a gift for being the most user - friendly synth / keyboard guy... you love what you do, and it shows. Thanks for another good one right here!!! (fwiw - Nord Lead 2x and Studiologic Sledge... the animals in my music room)
In the video, the Bass Station is referred to as a monophonic synth. I guess Daniel forgot about the 2.5 firmware update that turns the BS2 into a two-voice paraphonic synth: "Bass Station II is now a paraphonic monosynth, because you can control the pitches of each of the two oscillators separately in its single-voice architecture. Play two notes at a time rather than just one and get interesting interactions through the Ring and Filter Mod."
And when you add the Avril (AFX) update to the Bass Station 2 it puts it into another category altogether
@@sawtooth808 Avril? AFX is named after Aphex Twin and his input on the voicings within the synth update patches.
Thank You!
I started with Volcas before diving into a Hydra. Though the Volcas certainly have their place, I would skip them if I was starting over and go straight into the larger format synths like MiniFreak and Hydra Explorer.
The good with the minifreak, is that you can start easy, and get more complex with time. For the price it's a very good deal (vst for free...).
The original Pro-1 was good enough that Vince Clarke used it extensively on the Yazoo albums. It also meant that the music store I was working at in London had serious problems getting enough stock, because the world and his wife seemed to want one.
What's funny is that when I was first looking into buying a synth, I did a lot of research on these synths! I'm just waiting for Omnisphere to come out with a Hybrid Synth with an amazing keyboard controller with keys and full functionality of an Analog/digital synth, full software capabilities of Omnisphere and Keyscape!!! Come on Spectrasonics!!!
My first synth was the MG-1 followed by the Pro-One and then thye Opus 3 AND i STILL HAVE THEM!!
My first love was the MG-1 in 1983. I still have it.
good info!
For beginners, especially on a budget: the Korg Volca Series. Most of them have MIDI in ports. I recommend the Behringer Neutron, as well; it's semi-modular, it'll fit in a Eurorack, and it sounds awesome.
This video gives me g.a.s. The S-1 is top of my Christmas list.
I have a keyboard but it's nothing compared to the equipment you show on your videos even these I wouldn't know where to begin, I wished I had just a little bit of your knowledge and I would be happy. I truly think they don't make anything you could not operate. It makes me think about rethinking my guitar and my old keyboard and trying the leap for one of these.
I'm a metal head and I've been playing guitar for like 11or 12 years. And even though I listen to heavier stuff my playing is a lot more chill and pretty but distorted, with all that said and the fact that I don't really listen to "synthesizer music" I have been obsessed with the sounds of synthesizers for several years. Just to listen to what can actually be created from these little machines are amazing. The history is fascinating and keeps me really intrigued and wanting to learn more. I need to learn a whole lot more, some of the words I have no idea what they mean or couldn't explain them if I tried. I got a microfreak FINALLY a couple months ago and I adore it. I want to get the mini Nova and the classic micro Korg as well and of course maybe some more down the road but I say all that to say this: whatever knowledge you have on your instruments is always a good thing and people will give anything to learn how to play instruments. If you got to love for one of these things I would highly suggest getting one, I want with the microfreak because of the price and it is a true monster of a machine, you can do anything you want to do truly and a whole lot more. I just want to encourage you to keep on being inspired by these instruments and when the time is right don't hesitate to pull the trigger and get yourself a synthesizer. Good luck to you and rock on brother
cEvin Key (Skinny Puppy|Download ... etc) does a live stream on most Sundays. most of them include guests, some are deep dives into the albums, others are "gear talk" but most importantly for this comment, some are tutorials. the hard part about his tutorials is that he's been doing it so long that he doesn't really think about it from a beginner perspective, but still I learned about many of the acronyms and concepts mentioned in this video from those live streams.
@better.better hey man thanks for the info you sent me it's been a few weeks back but I am just getting to it I will check into that I appreciate it .
âșâ„âȘAmazing sounds âșâ„â„love
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I Love synths , and I Love hardwear synths , softwear synths , here is why I Love a hardwear synth compared to softwear , I feel and hear at the same time ,, I dont have to stop and drag and patch ,,with a keybed when I tough it ,, I feel and hear pressure with my fingers and my ears hears sound its more alive to me Loved your video .I really dont care for CGI I like real things objects tangable real ,,and all at the same time start play finish stop Over ,,,done .,.everything at one time .
Out of those, the Minifreak and the Hydra (not that exact version maybe, though) are the ones I'd get for myself.
those are the average mainstream hipster picks.
â ââ @@fangan4770 do not dismiss the MiniFreak as a âHipsterâ synth, it is a very very powerful synth and effects processor. If I had the cash on hand, I would get it.
The Korg and Novation for me, sound as full size keys.
You remind me of the cabinet installer in Seinfeld.
My first synth was the Alesis Ion, its finally dying. Im getting the Hydra next month:)
I don't know about beginners synths, I would have listed as "entry" level due to pricing.
Explorer, Minifreak and Korg all can get fairly intricate, they especially the Freak can be fairly intimidating with so many options on board, ASM comes in a very close 2nd too.
I would probably say these are best value budget synths, especially when the ASM comes with PAT keybed and also the same engine as its more expensive and bigger siblings.
Still a good list and fwiw, my 1st synth was a BS2, great analogue, sold due to wanting something bigger.
I totally agree, just look at the user manuals.
With the Aphex Twin updates, the Bass Station 2 has become more powerful than it was first introduced.
Hi, greetings from Chile, nice video, the Argon 8M is a bad choice?
Model D should be on there with it's 3 oscillators
Beginner synth? IMHO a beginner synth is one with a relatively simple/straightforward voice architecture AND as close to knob per function interface as possible. Given that Pro One is the only one here I would recommend (I suspect the 800 will be as well once it is available on this side of the pond) especially if a goal is to learn synthesis. The BS2 is a great synth that would also get my vote if not for the Minibrute 2 or 2S which I personally think is a better long term and more versatile synth.
Monologue should be in here!!
Hi TheGreatPanicker. This video already was running over 28 minutes, but here's a video I made on the Korg Monologue:
czcams.com/video/PEM7E980H-k/video.html
-_Daniel_
That Pro One sounds amazing
yea if only they make 12+ voice version with that sound ..
â@MrCcfly don't they make the pro 800 ?
@@tonystevenson26 p800 have 12+ ?
I wish I had the mini freak
đ jokes on you
Daniel I don't see the OB-X8
I still think, from the perspective of someone who is a bit on the spectrum, the easiest and fun to operate synth is an uno synth. My second recommendation would be a grandmother. The instruction manual for even the microfreak almost makes me want to cry. I have a lot of synths. I think I am going to get the rolca s1 for the oscillator magic, but that would be a gnarly beginner synth. A beginner synth needs to be straightforward . The uno has everything right there and no mod matrix, but with many performance tweaks and most importantly, digital control so you can't get lost. Grandmother is hard to get lost because it is simple layout. From the video selection, I would recommend the reface or mininova for general performance recommendation and minilog/bass station for an analog beginner. The rest are either too complex or need more gear like controllers, modular understanding and patch cables.
I wouldn't recommend a $1000 synthesizer to any beginner honestly. Especially one that's so thin on features and narrowed into a certain sound. But that starts to touch on my much bigger issue, that someone new to synthesis should absolutely not start off with getting a hardsynth!!! I could get behind getting a midi controller if you don't already have a keyboard with midi functionality (and honestly keyboard skills are quite requisite to synthesis), but not a hardsynth. From there, free VSTs are a much better investment. Cost free and you can dabble into any method of synthesis you'd like. Someone getting their first hardsynth should already be well acquainted with synthesis and what they want out of their first hardsynth.
How do you record the AIRA S-1 movements as MIDI?
u dont u play with it :)
The Yamaha's keyboard was really small.
the korg bass plays 4 notes simultaneously? meaning you cant play full chords? it wont play all the notes at the same time? or am i misunderstanding?
What about the Roland JD-XI?
That does a lot of stuff - I have one - but it's fairly painful to edit the sounds. Everything presented above is easier to deal with.
Should use the Sweetwater logo instead of a piece of tape to mark the center of the camera for your recording.
9:50 What are fake size keys?
He said 'full size keys' which are keys the same size as on a standard piano.
Oh, he actually said 'real size keys'! But I think he meant the same as full size.
Please, no mini keys.
Ah yes because beginners canât handle full sized keyboards. The fingers arenât strong enough yet.
No Moog for beginners?
The Moog Mavis was the first synth he demonstrated
@@foxglove9 imo, the Mavis is not for a beginner. The grandmother is more my idea of a beginner synth: Turn on power, turn up 2 knobs and go vs attaching controller and dealing with more modular focus of Mavis that has less obvious features.
Behringer has that
Kinda silly to recommend semi-modular and keyboardless synths to beginners.
Or is it a great idea? You donât have to know how to play the keyboard, but you can get hooked on experimenting with sounds and being creative. Makes perfect sense to me.
@@79Glitchcontrolled by what though? CV? A beginner? Theyâd need to buy a midi keyboard anyway unless they are hooking it up to a DAW
@@JSRF280Well, it sounds a little weird, but I suspect in the future weâll find even chart-topping songs being written by people using computers, with a âmouseâ or similar such device to enter notes into the machine.
And if that isnât crazy enough, I predict we might even have ordinary people without formal training in music theory, people who can neither explain what an aeolic cadence is, nor play even the easiest of two-handed piano pieces - and they will not only enjoy making music, but even create music that OTHERS will enjoy!
Now, obviously, itâs unlikely to occur in our lifetimes, but perhaps one day my grandchildren will be making music on a PORTABLE COMPUTER, using built-in batteries and a keyboard-less synthesizer, or even some sort of software that can make the computer sound like an actual instrument, and it will bring them joy.
It sounds out there, I agree, but visionaries have always been mocked in their own lifetimes.
Not at all. I'm a total beginner, and have only messed with synths in DAW or puredata, and thinking that getting a keystep pro will play well with my current software setup, but also tie in nicely with a desktop synth.
As a guitar player rather than a keyboard player even I know the simple solution is an outboard midi keyboard, especially if you want those classic sounds that are available on the likes of the Behringer Pro 1 or the Model D. Itâs actually a shame that the Model D wasnât shown. Itâs certainly more convenient to have a built in keyboard, but at least the modular option means the keyboard size choice is up to whomever is going to be playing it and available space for the keyboard of choice.
Minikeys = don't .. just don't!
Buy an Ultranova, not a Mininova.
Buy second hand gear not new stuff.
Reface is the only product with good Minikeys. Korg Microkeys are acceptable, if you want to use your iPad as Synth via Bluetooth.
I agree about the quality of the Yamaha mini keys - they feel just as good as my full size Yamaha keys. I certainly hope these Korg keys feel better than the rubbery MicroKORG keys. But having said that, I'm only fussy about weighted keys - for non-weighted I'm happy as long as they trigger notes!
If you like since from the 80s, this is for you I would not recommend this for beginners plus a lot of the stuff that he has been displaying and talking about all sound similar. They all have the 80s sound talk why would I spend money on any of that