Ok, so during lockdown I’ve got back into keys. It was my first instrument all those years ago, and it’s been like a comfy pair of slippers getting back into it.
Decided I wanted a do it all solution for home use and so got a Yamaha Montage 6 for DAW integration, sequencing, and all that good stuff. So far it’s been excellent - and the FM engine is pretty magical.
Having invested in a decent K&M stand I got a free upper tier thrown in (you can see where this is going) and I’d rather not keep it empty.
So, I’m looking for something a bit different to fill it - I’d like something analogue (or digital but focused on that sort of thing) - budget is up to about £600ish.
So far the Argon8 and Cobalt8 have taken my fancy - am I missing anything else that would be a good alternative? Considered the Deep Mind 6 as well. I’d prefer smaller, more compact really I think.
What sort of music? Real eclectic mix. I think if anything it’ll be used for pads and lead tones, but at the moment I’m very much in the experimenting and seeing what I like stage.
Thoughts?
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I've dithered about getting one, but sitting above my MODX8 at the moment is a Waldorf STVC.
I picked up a modx7 last year, which was a great buy, so slightly envious of the montage :-)
Funnily enough I bought a K&M 18820 kit for home and it came with the second tier and a shelf... so I do actually have a shelf...... it’s 650mm wide. At the moment it’s got the laptop on it, but you can get a separate laptop holder for the 18820.
I've got a K&M table job for home with 2 extra tiers - shelf across the top one for holding a mix of smaller stuff.
Korg minilogue is another option for pads
Subtractive or some flavour of Virtual Analogue is what I would suggest.
Elektron Analogue Four is well worth considering too.
I have the ASM Hydrasynth and it is absolutely amazing but it is fucking DEEEEEEEP.
Another thing I picked up recently was a used Nord Lead A1.
It is simple to use, sounds great, has loads of voices and sounds analogue and you can actually learn how to program by using it.
So that, or another one knob per function synth.
Also check out the Polyend/Dreadbox collaboration- the Medusa.
I've been using it a lot lately, has an amazing sequencer, analogue and digital synth engines and you get some really nice textures.
Korg Wavestate is good but deep, although not as deep as the Hydra. Keybed sucks though.
Or a used Novation Peak.
Or go for some monosynths- Arturia Minibrute, Novation Bass Station II.
You could probably get 2-3 for £600.
Or an Access Virus A/B/C.
Or a Novation Supernova, or an Ultranova (I have one of these for sale).
Whatever though, buy used, cheap and buy 'off trend'.
Most people buy synths and then hardly use them because learning synthesis properly is hard and shopping around presets is eventually quite boring.
Most hardware synths end up as studio furniture until they are sold for the new shiny.
Virtually everything in my studio that wasn't review stock was bought used and off trend because people sell the 'old thing' cheap to finance the new shiny. There new shiny eventually becomes the old thing and the old old thing becomes fashionable again and the prices go up again (look at the current price of JP8000's- doubled in value in the last year).
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Module is cheap as chips, or keyboard version has a quality fatar keybed I believe.
I've watched a load of vids on the hydrasynth, and I must admit I am getting more attracted by the idea of sound creation - the montage is great for FM creation or existing patches, and the integration/workstation stuff is really useful, but I'm thinking I should probably invest in something that widens my creative abilities right from the point of creating new sounds.
It's definitely a home recording/producing thing - once we are out of lockdown I'll be jamming/gigging again, and there is likely to be an increase in keys usage out and about, but I've got a cheap lightweight MX61 to take along for those.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
At the moment, I'm probably trying to fill a number of criteria which means I'm not going to get the best of any.
I'd really like another keybed, and I'm trying to keep it relatively simple as well. For the moment, I'm probably focused on an all in one of some description - going modular for something else may well happen at some point, but I'm not sure it's right for me at the moment.
Having said that, I'm about to upgrade the MacBook Pro and so there's a whole world of VST's to explore as well.. I suspect that might be the start of a more modular route...
Gah! Too many choices!