I got bitten by the bug years ago when I had to get a bass amp repaired under warranty. The closest place turned out to be a bunch of guys that their main business was fixing Hammond’s, Wurlis, and other vintage gear. They let me try out everything in the shop! I had no clue how to play anything, but twisting so the knobs and pulling drawbars was all so fun. The Hammond and Moog were my favorite and I wanted to learn more. They were both out of budget and too big and heavy, so I started watching tons of synth videos.
Now it’s about 10 years later. Earlier this year, I got a Mark I Rhodes and started learning to play and it’s coming along well. It’s lots of fun and I’m learning so much. But it’s still not filling that void. I want to be able to experiment with sounds and make full songs with multiple layers, but I feel lost from doing so much research before jumping in.
First I wanted an Akai Mini, then the Minilab to experiment with sounds design, then the Keystep for more focus on sequencing, then I saw so many cool videos on the Volca Sample that made it look like it could do everything, but then everyone was saying they outgrew all their Volcas. That lead me to a bunch of things saying to just start with a synth like the Monologue, XD, or the Hydrasynth Explorer. Then I started looking at Circuit Tracks to play the Rhodes over.
At first, I thought starting with a cheap Midi controller and computer would let me play around for not much cash. But now I use my phone or work laptop and don’t even have an actual computer to put a DAW on. I like the portability of an actual synth since it doesn’t need to computer, but since I’m still a relative noob, I feel going the DAW route would help me finish things since I could cut and paste together. I could still do a controller with some Volcas, but that seems like if need a dedicated space to set everything up.
I’m just so overwhelmed now, and without anyone to learn from, I don’t know were to start. I don’t have so much an end goal of doing one specific thing, it’s mainly about the learning and experimenting. If like to be able to do passable lofi, house, acid, and things I haven’t even learned about yet.
I’ve gone on for too long, both on this post, and deciding what I need to do. Currently have Rhodes>MultiFX>Bass Amp, no computer, no audio interface. What will get me the most fun and education and experimentation from here for <$1000?
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Go into a shop that sells synths, try some, buy the one you like best?
That’s where most of the frustration comes in, since synth gear all looks to work so differently. I can walk up to any guitar, bass, drum set, or amp and have a pretty good idea how it works.
I looked on Korg and Arturia’s dealer locators since they seem to have lots of entry level gear, but they really don’t show much nearby other than listing every Guitar Center in a 100 mile radius.
I did hit up Reddit and search the cities near me, and while the city nearest me seemed to have some decent shops, it looks like 2 hours away there is a big new and vintage store that a bunch of people have said they’ve spent 3-4 hours there trying all sorts of things. It’s a father and son shop and they seen to like to talk gear and let you demo whatever. But sure if it will narrow it expand my options, but it does seem to best place to get my hands on things all in one place.
Roland Verselab MV1 is oriented towards song writers I believe. Affordable too. Could be your central work station
Found a localish floor model for sale. After watching a ton of videos on this thing, it sounds great and seems to do wayyyy more than I would have thought for what it costs. The work flow seems much like working with my multifx, and I can plug in my guitar or bass or mic my nylon string guitar. The vocal effects may or may not be a bonus, I’ve never tried to record my singing before.
My amp has RCA in and a blend knob for hooking up a phone or mp3 player, so it looks like I don’t need a mixer either. All the input/output options seem great.
I can kinda see why this thing wasn’t a success at launch, but it feels firmware and the optional app have fixed most of the complaints. I’m really surprised this thing is so cheap! Major thanks again for showing me this was a thing!
No problem! I’ve honestly been thinking of picking one up just to use as an arranger
I did end up getting the Verselab today. I was able to make a few decent loops in the store right away, and the sounds are even better in person. Spent the rest of the night figuring out how to automate between loops to make an actual songs with verse, chorus, etc. and checking out the sound packs. For not knowing what the heck I’m doing it’s been a ton of fun.
I liked finding the old hip hop noises, the synth string ensemble noises from Planet Rock, a things that sounded like the Darude Sandstorm song, and a bunch of other familiar stuff.
The loops I made were all over the place. Some haunted house type thing, some hip hop/trap thing, some juggalo sounding beat with a creepy laugh, one with a middle eastern vibe, and some sad country fiddle jam. It’s got so much to learn, but it’s been a ton of fun and you can do any kind of music.
Got to check out the Minilogue at the store too. The sampler is way more limited, not sure I like the slim keys, and way more difficult to get pleasant sounds out of without just sticking to presets. The presets did sound great though, and if I actually knew how to play keys better and knew more theory, I’m sure it would be awesome. If I had gotten that, is probably just screw around making noise and not learn anything.
If you choose the hardware route, you probably want either a sampler or groove box and a mixer. One of the three will let you start writing tracks, the mixer will let you get everything into your amp. I’d recommend an Elektron Digitakt or Polyend Play. You are going to need to load samples on them, which will require some PC access at some time. They both come with a bunch to get you started, though.
If you want to go the DAW route, get yourself a cheap laptop and an interface. You will have a lot more versatility at the expense of immediacy. It’s quicker to lay out a track in one of the sampler/sequencers I mentioned than it is to crank something out in Reaper or Cakewalk. At the same time, with a PC you won’t be tied to a grid, and there is so much music making software out there, VSTs and otherwise, that are so cheap and versatile, it’s really hard to argue for the DAWless route, unless you really, really want to get away from screens.
I think the DAWless route seems more appealing for me. Getting up and running quickly sounds good, and will let me get back on the Rhodes. Learning keys is my main priority still, I have been learning so much.
The Digitakt seems awesome, but the sound always seems cold to me. May just be YouTube though. The Polyend seems really nice though.
I found a demo unit of the Verselab mentioned in another response for sale near me in going to check out this weekend, but if that doesn’t work out, I may have to get the Polyend. The Roland work flow looked a bit more natural to me.
My friend claims to know a bit about Reaper. I may let him tend to the tedious bits and teach me some if I start to come up with any decent music.
Thanks for the help!