Discussion
I need help from the electronic music hive mind!
What are the electronic instruments you've played over the years that are DEAD SIMPLE to use? Meaning, a person with no experience could walk up to it and quickly and intuitively move some knobs around, poke around a bit, and start exploring the instrument?
Samplers, synths, drum machines, and recording tech suggestions are all welcome. Boost if your followers would know about this pleeease! <3
@alisynthesis Otamatone maybe.
Kinda like a thermin-junior.
@evilstevie yes, I was just checking those out! Given the price, one or two of those is a no-brainer, even if it's only because teens might find them fun.
Simple to understand, or simple to get sound out of while glossing over what you don't understand?
if the former then you can't beat a very simple modular, ie 1 VCO, 1 VCF, 1 VCA and a EG. almost anything easier to start on than that is hiding something which then makes it harder to understand.
it could be prepatched to a standard signal flow. then when they unplug something and it stops working that's a clue.
also a theremin is super simple to understand what it does and how to use it even though it's hard to play and the underlying tech is a bit subtle the UI is super transparent (literally)
TAL noisemaker is a pretty straightforward plugin synth with not much hidden, and free.
there's loads of other hardware and software monosynths that don't hide very much.
it might depend if labeling of controls and a few simple instructions are allowed.
EDIT wrote this before seeing that you are not teaching synthesis, from which I infer that understanding is not a goal, in which case I don't know - though theremin still stands.
@xenogon @alisynthesis I still consider modular synthesizers (especially fully analog ones) really simple to learn, because in contrast to most other synthesizers the don't hide any functionality.
All the buttons, all the connectivity, it's all visible at all times. The exact opposite of annoying menus that you have to navigate using one of those clicky wheels and a display.
Granted, without any prior knowledge you will not produce very useful sounds, but you will be able to fart on any system
@qbe @xenogon I would love to have one or two of those Erica synths bullfrog systems for this purpose at some point. Hopefully what I'm putting together is successful enough that I'll get the chance to do that! Would love to do some more synthesis focused stuff with beginners.
And I agree conceptually about modular!
@xenogon yes, I'm basically trying to get people who don't necessarily know how to use a synthesizer to explore sound. There will be lots of other non-electronic sound sources too, but I think having some electronic sounds would be fun, although I recognize that it can be hard and intimidating.
These are good suggestions, thank you!
@alisynthesis Roland TR-8S drum machine is pretty intuitive. There's some really deep menu-divey stuff but you can do loads without worrying much about that.
@benofbrown oh, that's a fun idea for a drum machine.
Novation Circuit was the easiest and most fun make-music-now box I've ever played with. More and more I regret selling it.
@venya I've always wanted to try one!
@alisynthesis maybe the modal craft? it’s a wavetabler, which might not be my first teaching choice as far as synthesis techniques, but from a ‘turn knobs to change sound’ perspective, i feel like that part could be figured out later down the line; can largely treat it as a virtual analog. for a tiny synth, it’s got dedicated knobs for the filter cut/res and for the adsr eg, which is stuff i think is important to grasp early & not have to fuss around with to learn.
@alisynthesis i think if someone wanted to learn fm, the reface dx is one of the more accessible ways to learn that… but i don’t know that fm is ever going to be a great starting point, i do think subtractive is probably the easiest way to sort of get a handle on the basics of, like, what synthesis is
@brhfl@digipres.club @alisynthesis@io.waxandleather.com I admit that my first ‘paid for’ synth [1] was a Yamaha CX5M, which is why I’m so fully at home with FM, but I wouldn’t call it simple or easy by a long chalk!
[1] as opposed to built it myself, which was a portion of the Digisound 80 modular, built into a different case style, then ran out of money
@u0421793 @brhfl I think the Reface series is so cool. I will probably use the organ one for this, as I think people will intuitively get it immediately. I use a Reface CP almost every day...as big as my synth studio is, it's an all-time fave. I could get a Nord Electro (and have done before), but I kinda don't see the point!
@alisynthesis @u0421793 it’s kinda funny, of my pals on here there seems to be a lot of love for the reface series as a whole… but i feel like i’m the only one who ever talks about the dx! 😹
it’s also, i think, the only synth i’ve ever bought new… yamaha was selling them for like 50% off for a while, none of the other refaces… strange to me how little love they get!
@brhfl @u0421793 maybe because there are so many inexpensive fm synths out there? Not sure...I would honestly love to have one of each! 50% off is about what they should cost imo. $500 is a lot...but they're great.
I have the CP (electric pianos) and the CS (CS-inspired polysynth). They are both so fun and easy to use!
@alisynthesis @u0421793 yeah i agree with you re: pricing… one of these days i’m likely to grab a yc though 😅
@alisynthesis@io.waxandleather.com I’m honestly not sure there is. At least nothing modern and available as new. I grew up with 60/70s synths in the 60/70s, with much time enjoyably spent on complicated stuff.
Now I’m in my mid 60s I really haven’t got the patience for depth in a thing, I don’t like hidden features, I can’t remember stuff that was there last time but isn’t now, and can’t tolerate buttons that say one thing but most of the time do something else (looking at you Roland SH4d), and most of all, I’m not amused by obligate depthy menus.
What would light up my eyes and prick up my ears would be a good synth that is truly one knob per function, has no shift modes, no alternate situations, no daft secret-handshake user-interfaces that I can’t remember next time I use it many months later (looking at you, Novation Circuit).
What I’ve always relied on in a synth back in the 70s/80s/90s was to be able to look at the panel, see the knob settings, know what kind of sound it was going to make (which I could), and not be surprised when I pressed a note on it and got roughly that sound. You simply can’t do that these days. That’s what’s lacking today.
Even in the 70s, a straightforward synth could fox users - the amount of ARP 2600s or ARP Odysseys (2800) that got sent back as faulty because it wouldn’t shut up, because the user turned the ‘Initial Gain’ slider up from zero.
Of all the synths I’ve ever had, the most foolproof, most user-friendly, most ‘makes a sound no matter what you set the knobs and switches to’ synth is the old Roland SH-09 I had. But even the SH-101-like modern issues have a load of extra complexity in the shape of sequencers, arpeggiators, that sort of thing.
@u0421793 this is a helpful perspective, thank you! My tendency is to go as close to knob-per-function as possible for this purpose. I'm very experienced, and I tend to like those best myself. They keep me from getting turned around!
@BackFromTheDud Volcas are definitely in the running <3
@alisynthesis I have a Volca Bass, which you can also get some percussive sounds from
@alisynthesis Honestly, I'd recommend a Stylophone. Very unintimidating, approachable and immediate. It has a rudimentary filter and a few other very basic synthy features. Hell, Bowie even used on onstage in concert!
@alisynthesis korg microsampler
@alisynthesis Arturia Microbrute. Yes, it has a tiny little patch bay, but you can ignore all that and still make interesting noises without trying too hard.
@BorrisInABox nice! Was also thinking of the Microfreak/Minifreak.
@alisynthesis @BorrisInABox imo the freaks are a bit… busy for a first-timer, but i guess that all depends on someone’s learning style. but i’ve actually attempted this before with a microfreak and it was unfortunately a bit easy for the user to get kind of… lost
microbrute is an excellent suggestion though
@alisynthesis Yep, those would certainly do it. Also the Korg Monotrons for a very low effort, low cost noise machine.
@alisynthesis
How about the KORG Kaossilator?
I bought one on a lark once and it has an impressive amount of customization. You can change instruments, key, scale mode... There are percussive options...
It's no good for reproducing music you know but tons of fun for creating new music.
@DenOfEarth good one! Very intuitive and exploratory.
@alisynthesis @DenOfEarth Other devices from the series too: e.g. Kaoss Pad Mini.
@emilis @DenOfEarth totally! I have the little effects box, which I'll definitely have on the table o' goodies. :)
@alisynthesis The Rainy Day Electronics Instruments Cumulus is very simple. It’s a four-play head sampler, and each head plays a section of the sample. It’s amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vwoIvGEoBQ&feature=youtu.be
YouTube
@arratoon oh, that looks fun!
@alisynthesis BoBeats made a video about a month ago with his picks of 13 synths for beginners.
YouTube
@woodwonk oh, awesome, thank you!
@alisynthesis Korg monologue comes to mind first
@tsrono
The Monologue was my first synth and I indeed found it very approachable
The Microfreak is tons of fun too
@alisynthesis
@ozzelot nice, i can see it being a great first synth :)
@tsrono
The TD-3 is also fun to twiddle, but in terms of shaping the sound, I personally run out of the fun too quickly. 😁 It's a highly moddable beastie though, maybe I'll do some drilling and soldering to it.
@alisynthesis
@tsrono
And on reflection, the Microfreak may offer a tad much for a first machine. The Monologue was sort of my Goldilocks choice to get into synths.
@alisynthesis
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@alisynthesis I've always enjoyed the drum brute/ drum brute impact. It's very easy to learn and very fun to play in a jam