Another First Synth Question

[Matt P]

i know this is a question that has been asked a few times but i haven't found answers to my questions yet. For some reason i find myself really wanting a synth to have a play with and possibly to record some random stuff with, this is most likely never going to leave my home studio unless i feel super brave and take it to a band rehearsal.

I have been looking at monophonic analogue synths and in my price bracket there are basically 3 that i'm seeing most and that look like the kind of thing i can work with and don't scare me with too many buttons/dials/sliders.

Korg Monologue,  Arturia microbrute and the original Novation Bass station.

my budget is maximum £130 so the bass station 2 is out unfortunately and the minibrute is probably out too.

i had a play with a minibrute in a shop and really liked the sounds and it seemed pretty easy to use, i want something quite simple so the microbrute with fewer controls really appeals but i've seen a few of the first gen bass stations go for under 100 so this looks very appealing.which would be good as the 130 is really pushing my budget the monologue seems to get plenty of love as well and i'v seen them sell within my budget. i'm happy to wait for the right deal to come along.

has anyone got any experience of these three? i see a lot of love for the mk2 bass station but no mention of the original, should i avoid it for any reason?

 

i want to stick to an all in one unit with a keyboard as i think the less setup required the more i will use it, space is limited as well so the 25 or so key layout is about right.

if anyone can suggest alternatives that i should be looking out for on the secondhand market that would be great too.

 

thanks

 

Matt

 

 

[CameronJ]

Firstly, to get it out of the way, all 3 sound pretty good. I won’t comment on th quality of sound as they each have a fairly distinct character. I’ll leave that decision up to you. Having said that...

If it were me, I’d go with the Novation Bass Station 2 all day long. My immediate reasons being that it’s the only one of the three you’ve mentioned with full sized keys - and those keys have a nicer action than the other two as well. Believe me, when playing anything even remotely dexterous, you’ll appreciate the full sized keybed.

Also, Novation are developing a bit of a legendary reputation for product support. They’ve recently released another update for the BS2 unlocking even more functionality. Bear in mind that this is a non-flagship synth released in 2013. That in itself is impressive.

As far as controls, they’re all intuitive enough. Nice knobby layouts all round which is great. However, of the three, the Arturia MicroBrute is the only one without any way of saving presets. You’ll have to remember the settings for all the sounds you create, which may force it into the “never to be used live” pile for you!

[Matt P]

thanks for the input, unfortunately the Bass station 2 is out of my price range as they start at about 150 if you are really lucky and in reality 180 is the starting price for a reasonable one and 200 is fairer, it is the Bass station 1 (the original one from the 90's) that i can afford as clean ones are around the 130 range (scruffy ones start at about 80 quid!) so with some patience i should be able to score a clean Mk1 bass station with my budget. i don't think the mk1 bass station has any preset options.

i'm really not that bothered about presets as if it does end up on stage then i'll likely only use it for one or two songs, are the keys on the microbrute that much smaller than the minibrute? i had no issues with the minibrute keys in the shop but they didn't have a microbrute for me to play with and compare.

 

Matt

 

[CameronJ]

Ah. Sorry, I didn’t read your post accurately enough! I’ve never played an original Bass Station so can’t really comment.

As for the size of the Mini vs MicroBrute, see the below photo and draw your own conclusions:

 

Keys-wise, the Monologue’s are more playable than the MicroBrute’s...but neither are full sized. The Monologue has a somewhat unconventional E-to-E layout though, which may not matter to you if you aren’t already a keys player to any degree. In a way, if you’re purely a bassist/guitarist, the E-to-E layout of the Monologue makes a lot of sense.

[BigRedX]

For the most flexibility in sound creation you need the following:

Two oscillators (plus LFO) with cross-mod and sync

Two ADSR (minimum) envelope generators.

Everything else is just a matter of taste, but without these facilities you will struggle to create any really interesting sounds.

[Bleat]

Have you considered something like a Yamaha CS1x or better still the  CS 2x ?… way more fun than these stupid little mini keyed things ,  and the resonance filter is amazing...full sized , 61 keys, a set of knobs to twist and turn and experiment with, a boat load of amazing sounds, easy to program and sound massive...all that easily within the price range.  Worth thinking about maybe? …. the Korg Monologue doesn't even seem to provide a proper ADSR envelope!

 

James 😎

[BigRedX]

IME most Yamaha analog synths have weedy horrible filters. 

[Bleat]

Got some pretty big sounds out of mine when I had it, and pretty easy to achieve them ! Either way, and personal opinions aside, the guy has 130 quid to spend, so that's not going to get him anything that sounds like an old analogue Moog Synth. Just worth thinking about other options also.

😎

[Earbrass]

CS1x is a digital (virtual analogue) synth, I believe. I would say don't fall for the "analogue is best" hype. Digital VA synths can be ace, and generally offer a lot of bang for the buck, with stuff like built in effects, arpeggiators, stable tuning and, of course, polyphony. Check out the Novation K-station if you can find one secondhand. Only 2 octaves (though there were larger versions), but very capable and analogue-sounding if you want it to be.

[Bleat]

Cs1x /2x  are actually S+S synths ,  the AN1x is the similar looking VA version ...very sought after, but a few hundred ££ out of Matt P's budget.. I agree about looking at the K station also, certainly if size is a deciding factor. I think there's one or two on ebay at the moment. 

🎹 

[Matt P]

thanks for all the suggestions and recommendations,

Space is a huge factor here, when i mention studio in my first post it's really just a corner of the study and incredibly cramped so anything larger than the monologue/bass station is impossible, it's going to be sitting on my desk and fighting for space with the PC keyboard! 

My main reason for wanting one is curiosity i think, so having just a few dials and sliders to play with suits me well, i'm going to be learning as i go, if i find myself getting deeper into it or hitting the limits of the kit then i'll find the money to buy something more advanced. any sounds/tracks that i create are unlikely to go any further than the door of the study, certainly for a year or two.

 

i'll keep a watch for the K-station as it looks like a good option, but there is a microbrute for sale on a Facebook group and it's only 8 miles away and quite tempting.

 

Matt

[Quatschmacher]

On 03/06/2019 at 16:05, BigRedX said:

For the most flexibility in sound creation you need the following:

Two oscillators (plus LFO) with cross-mod and sync

Two ADSR (minimum) envelope generators.

Everything else is just a matter of taste, but without these facilities you will struggle to create any really interesting sounds.

There are a wealth of interesting sounds possible on the monologue and it only has a single AD envelope. (I prefer two separate amp and filter ADSRs but the monologue is surprisingly versatile, though its lack of a square wave on the second oscillator is a bummer.)

I think I’d be inclined to try and scrape the extra together for a BSII but it’s horses for courses. I bought a monologue for my son and was choosing from the same set.

@Matt P check out the Yamaha reface CS too.  

[Matt P]

2 hours ago, Quatschmacher said:

There are a wealth of interesting sounds possible on the monologue and it only has a single AD envelope. (I prefer two separate amp and filter ADSRs but the monologue is surprisingly versatile, though its lack of a square wave on the second oscillator is a bummer.)

I think I’d be inclined to try and scrape the extra together for a BSII but it’s horses for courses. I bought a monologue for my son and was choosing from the same set.

@Matt P check out the Yamaha reface CS too.  

i'll check out the Yamaha Reface CS, currently i'm watching Ebay and the local selling groups for a bargain deal, i've missed a few so far but i'm not in a huge hurry, unfortunately my music fund has little chance of getting bigger as our house needs a new roof.

 

matt