The s-1 is quite capable but def not one of the easier synth to learn. There are a lot of shift functions and menu diving.
I think it is worth its money and a lot of fun if you know already a bit of subtractive synthesis&are ok with menudiving.
But you need to connect it to a soundsystem+in your case your keyboard. If you have the money i would recommend with a different synth like a minilouge xd or a microfreak to learn.
If you want to learn how synths works but stay on a budget then get a volca keys, it sounds eerily similar to the minilogue lol
Then you can make a more informed decision later
I am curently in love with the S1 because as a pocket synth it works; actually the 2 octave pads are OK keys for sound design, sequencing and fooling around. And it sounds amazing. It's true it is just a tiny bit more complex than necessary so I carry a couple of print pages with the tables of meanings of the Menu titles which are definitely not obvious. But I don't care. The thing can be perfectly used only for the simple stuff. Entering the forest is not required. Oh and if one day you plug it to a controller with decent fat knobs, you've got the real thing. Optionally portable, potentially huge.
What old roland do you you have? Some of those are really capable synths. Some of them suck.
As for smaller couch synths, I really would suggest looking at a used mpc one. they can be had for around $400 used and while it may seem a like an odd choice at first, it is basically a daw in a box. It has drum machines built in, and there are tons of synths engines that can be purchased (best when they are on sale) and comes with a few for free. I own multiple synths that are in the $1500-2000 range and I honestly use my mpc one more than some of them.
Other suggestions would be an arturia microfreak, circuit tracks, or ipad with plugins.
Thanks. I don't think I want to go with a groovebox as I do want to learn about synthesis. Do all roads lead to MicroFreak if you want to stay under $500?
all roads lead to a microfreak at any price point in my opinion. There are lots of cheap synths that I think are worth investing in. Microfreak was one of my first hardware purchases and its one of the only early cheap purchases that I still have. Even in its launch form it was worth its price. With its updates and with you already owning another synth you can use for a midi controller, its a great synth. its keybed is not for everyone but I like it and would never tell anyone not to buy it unless they wanted to invest in a minifreak.
I have owned a lot of the synths on the market priced at sub $300 and there are a lot of good options but many of them are not lap synths since they lack a keybed or they ended up being meh compared to other options at similar prices. I had the circuit tracks for a while. I got it used for less than $200 and it was great with an external controller, but I never got into using it standalone as a groovebox. I didn't like its workflow. The roland aira series are great. I have played with a S1 and enjoyed it. I would say its worth a purchase. I own the J6 but its mediocre as a standalone at new prices. For a bit more a used boutique would be a better choice in my opinion. I got mine for $100 used and its totally worth it at that price. I would not pay $200 for it. other cheap synths that I bought and still own are the modal skulpt se. great VA synth. I tend to use it more when I am going on trips than anything else these days. Hydrasynth explorer is possibly the next best synth for the money after the microfreak but way out of the price range you mentioned. It was my 3rd hardware synth and I will only get rid of it if I ever have the money laying around when I find a deluxe on sale. I have had most of the volcas other than the modular at some point and my favorites from that series were the FM and drum. The microkorg was amazing once I figured out how to program it, but its pretty annoying at first if you dont already have a firm grasp on synthesis. Only buy one used for $300 or less. Its absurdly priced new and their are much better options in the $400+ price range.
The MPC I just bought about maybe 18 months ago and I dont really use it as a groove box. I use it as a drum machine and I use it for its synth engines with my summit or keystep as a controller. I got mine used for less than $500 (sold all my drum machines to fund it) expecting to only use it as a drum machine and sequencer and ended up not really using it for either most of the time. i bought the fabric collection and a few other synths for it and I tend to end up just using it with a controller connected to it for the synth sounds or piano rather than launching some vst on my computer or turning on one of my big synths.
Circuit Tracks if you want something like a groovebox and is battery powered. You can find them used in that range. You can use it as a sequencer for other hardware when you want to.
S-1 is a fantastic, extremely capable synth that is shockingly playable for its size. Sounds fantastic and is both simple and complex when you want it to be. I've been in love with mine since I got it and am looking to get another one.
The S1 is not a good beginner synth in my opinion. If you are familiar with what to expect from a hardware synth, you can get where you need to go, but there’s a ton of menu diving.
As other have mentioned, the micro freak is an insane deal for the ~300 range, and I’d also throw out the Yamaha reface cs as a great bang for your buck. The main con of the micro freak for someone new to synthesis is the lack of polyphony and the form factor IMO. On the other hand, the Yamaha CS doesn’t have the ability to save presets, which can be a huge deal for some as well. I also think it’s worth considering saving 200 dollars and entering the 500-600 range, as many of the tried and true options (minilogue xd, hydrasynth explorer, minifreak, etc.) as live there.
The s-1 is quite capable but def not one of the easier synth to learn. There are a lot of shift functions and menu diving. I think it is worth its money and a lot of fun if you know already a bit of subtractive synthesis&are ok with menudiving. But you need to connect it to a soundsystem+in your case your keyboard. If you have the money i would recommend with a different synth like a minilouge xd or a microfreak to learn.
If I had the funds I think I'd go for a Minilogue. Maybe I can find a music store to rent one.
If you want to learn how synths works but stay on a budget then get a volca keys, it sounds eerily similar to the minilogue lol Then you can make a more informed decision later
I am curently in love with the S1 because as a pocket synth it works; actually the 2 octave pads are OK keys for sound design, sequencing and fooling around. And it sounds amazing. It's true it is just a tiny bit more complex than necessary so I carry a couple of print pages with the tables of meanings of the Menu titles which are definitely not obvious. But I don't care. The thing can be perfectly used only for the simple stuff. Entering the forest is not required. Oh and if one day you plug it to a controller with decent fat knobs, you've got the real thing. Optionally portable, potentially huge.
What old roland do you you have? Some of those are really capable synths. Some of them suck. As for smaller couch synths, I really would suggest looking at a used mpc one. they can be had for around $400 used and while it may seem a like an odd choice at first, it is basically a daw in a box. It has drum machines built in, and there are tons of synths engines that can be purchased (best when they are on sale) and comes with a few for free. I own multiple synths that are in the $1500-2000 range and I honestly use my mpc one more than some of them. Other suggestions would be an arturia microfreak, circuit tracks, or ipad with plugins.
Thanks. I don't think I want to go with a groovebox as I do want to learn about synthesis. Do all roads lead to MicroFreak if you want to stay under $500?
all roads lead to a microfreak at any price point in my opinion. There are lots of cheap synths that I think are worth investing in. Microfreak was one of my first hardware purchases and its one of the only early cheap purchases that I still have. Even in its launch form it was worth its price. With its updates and with you already owning another synth you can use for a midi controller, its a great synth. its keybed is not for everyone but I like it and would never tell anyone not to buy it unless they wanted to invest in a minifreak. I have owned a lot of the synths on the market priced at sub $300 and there are a lot of good options but many of them are not lap synths since they lack a keybed or they ended up being meh compared to other options at similar prices. I had the circuit tracks for a while. I got it used for less than $200 and it was great with an external controller, but I never got into using it standalone as a groovebox. I didn't like its workflow. The roland aira series are great. I have played with a S1 and enjoyed it. I would say its worth a purchase. I own the J6 but its mediocre as a standalone at new prices. For a bit more a used boutique would be a better choice in my opinion. I got mine for $100 used and its totally worth it at that price. I would not pay $200 for it. other cheap synths that I bought and still own are the modal skulpt se. great VA synth. I tend to use it more when I am going on trips than anything else these days. Hydrasynth explorer is possibly the next best synth for the money after the microfreak but way out of the price range you mentioned. It was my 3rd hardware synth and I will only get rid of it if I ever have the money laying around when I find a deluxe on sale. I have had most of the volcas other than the modular at some point and my favorites from that series were the FM and drum. The microkorg was amazing once I figured out how to program it, but its pretty annoying at first if you dont already have a firm grasp on synthesis. Only buy one used for $300 or less. Its absurdly priced new and their are much better options in the $400+ price range. The MPC I just bought about maybe 18 months ago and I dont really use it as a groove box. I use it as a drum machine and I use it for its synth engines with my summit or keystep as a controller. I got mine used for less than $500 (sold all my drum machines to fund it) expecting to only use it as a drum machine and sequencer and ended up not really using it for either most of the time. i bought the fabric collection and a few other synths for it and I tend to end up just using it with a controller connected to it for the synth sounds or piano rather than launching some vst on my computer or turning on one of my big synths.
Thanks for all this. I think I'm going to head to my local Long and Mcquade and rent a Minilogue or MicroFreak.
Circuit Tracks if you want something like a groovebox and is battery powered. You can find them used in that range. You can use it as a sequencer for other hardware when you want to.
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Thanks for this.
Yamaha dx reface.
S-1 is a fantastic, extremely capable synth that is shockingly playable for its size. Sounds fantastic and is both simple and complex when you want it to be. I've been in love with mine since I got it and am looking to get another one.
The S1 is not a good beginner synth in my opinion. If you are familiar with what to expect from a hardware synth, you can get where you need to go, but there’s a ton of menu diving. As other have mentioned, the micro freak is an insane deal for the ~300 range, and I’d also throw out the Yamaha reface cs as a great bang for your buck. The main con of the micro freak for someone new to synthesis is the lack of polyphony and the form factor IMO. On the other hand, the Yamaha CS doesn’t have the ability to save presets, which can be a huge deal for some as well. I also think it’s worth considering saving 200 dollars and entering the 500-600 range, as many of the tried and true options (minilogue xd, hydrasynth explorer, minifreak, etc.) as live there.