Hey guys, AB here from B&H. Today, we're taking a look at some of the top synths you can buy
for under $500. I want to acknowledge that this is not a be all and all list. This is
really a collection of synths that we put together that A, are available through B&H. So, that
if you watch the video and you really like what you see you can turn around and buy one
without any issue. B, we wanted to make sure we get a cross-section of different styles
of synths. So, you can see what kind of sonic power you can get under the $500 price point.
The synths we ended up choosing are: The Roland JD-Xi, The Korg MS-20 Mini, The Roland D-05
Linear Synthesizer, The Korg volca fm and last but not least the pocket operator from
Teenage Engineering.
Let's start off of the Roland JD-Xi synthesizer. This is an interactive crossover synth. There
are actually 4 independent sound engines, two digital sound engines which showcase a
lot of the supernatural sounds. With 128 note polyphony. There's an analog engine which
is really showcasing lead and bass sounds. Then you have the drum engine what has a lot
of the sound from Roland’s classic groove boxes and drum machines. 808s, 909s, CR-78.
Once you hear the kicks and the snares and the hi-hats you'll know right away that you're
dealing with professional drum sounds. So, there are 4 dedicated effects engines. The
first 2 deal with things like compression, bit crushing, flanging, phasing and few others.
The third effect engine is a dedicated delay engine and the fourth is strictly reverb.
So, you can really dial-in as much or as little as you want. There’s also 4-track pattern
sequencer and USB connectivity for audio and midi communication with your computer and
DAW.
Another great feature on the JD-Xi, is the vocoder auto pitch section. A vocoder is
an instrument that lets you synthesize your voice then use the keys on the keyboard to
play the different notes of your synthesized voice. Roland includes a gooseneck mic for
the vocoder. Let’s give the vocoder a little whirl here.
♬ “Let’s make it funky in here baby. Let’s make it, funkyyyyy in here.” ♬
HAHAHA!
Anyway...Another good thing about the vocoder is that on the back panel of the JD-Xi, we've
got a ¼’ input for hi-z and line level instruments. So, if you wanted to route an
external microphone or a guitar into the vocoder you can. You can mangle those sounds to your
heart's desire. You want a great instrument with tons of sounds for all kinds of productions,
Roland’s JD-Xi is hard to beat.
And now for something totally different. The MS-20 mini. Which is an analog, subtractive
monophonic synthesizer. Based on Korg’s very famous MS-20. In fact, the original engineers
of the MS-20, oversaw the production of the Mini. So, you know they weren't playing around.
The mini is identical to the original MS-20. However, there are a couple structural differences.
The mini is about 86% the size of the original MS-20. Which I think is pretty cool because
that means that you have all that power in a slightly smaller form factor. So, if you’ve
been looking for a desktop analog synthesizer that sounds fantastic, this might fit your
workstation. The other difference happens on the back of
the keyboard. You noticed there's a 5-pin midi in jack which is for receiving note messages.
There’s a USB jack for receiving and transmitting midi note messages. The original MS-20 was
really famous for its self-oscillating filter section. And the Mini is no different. The
high-pass and low-pass filters are really great. When used in tandem, you often create
a band pass effect. With as a lot of aggression to the sounds that you're playing. What's
more, if you take advantage of the really flexible patch on the MS-20 Mini, you can
really create some dirty sounds. Why don’t we take a listen?
Another great feature of the MS-20 Mini, is external signal processor. You can take an
outside signal, plug it into the keyboard and use the filters to create some really
cool effects. So, once again looking for a really great analog monophonic synthesizer
with a powerful filter section check out the MS-20 Mini.
The next keyboard come from Roland’s Boutique line of synths. And we chose the D-05 Linear
Synthesizer. Which is really a replica of the D50. In fact, you can take D-50 patches
and import them into the D-05. Which gives you even more sonic possibility. What's great
about this keyboard is that if you like 80s or 90s music or movies from that era, like
I do, because I'm old. You will love the sound on this keyboard. Very lush, very usable,
very powerful and pretty versatile. Additionally, the D-05 has an integrated 64 step, polyphonic
sequencer. An arpeggiator and reprogrammable patterns for each patch. For example, here's
a patch called Neil Horizon.
Just as with the D-50, The D-05 has a joystick.
You can assign different parameters to the joystick to come up with some really creative options.
They're also 2, touch strips on the left side. One is for pitch bending and the other for
modulation effects. The D-05 does run off of USB power. But, it is also capable of running
off of 4 AA batteries. Which means it's a very portable, powerful miniature synthesizer
you can take with you anywhere. You may notice there's no keys attached to the D-05. Certainly,
this is compatible to the Roland’s K-25m miniature keyboard. But, I would suggest using
an external MIDI controller like we are to get the best playability out of this box.
Next, we have the Korg volca fm. Which is a 3 voice, polyphonic FM synthesizer based
on the Yamaha DX7. In fact, you can important DX7 patches into the volca fm. The voca fm
also has a 16 step sequencer which allows you to record your performances. This is something
that's really useful if you're someone who plays live a lot. Other features include a
great chorus effect, syncability with other models in the voca line. A built-in speaker
and 27 integrated keys. Now, like the Roland D-05, the keys on the
volca fm are really small. They're good for single melody lines but if you really want
to get the best play ability out of the voca fm, we recommend using an external MIDI keyboard.
The built-in sounds of the volca fm are great. You can use it for number different styles of music.
From electric pianos...
To distorted sounds...
You name it.
The real power unit is revealed when you get into reprogramming and customizing the algorithms.
Korg provides a convenient placard which shows you just how deep you can dive into making this a truly
unique synthesizer. Last but certainly not least, The pocket operator
from Teenage Engineering. Why would I choose something so small to be part of this list
of synthesizers? Well, they sound great, they’re are very portable and they're very inexpensive.
You can buy up to 10 of these depending on which model and still not break the $500 price
point. These things are really fun to use. They got an animated display which makes it
really easy to see what's going on when you're making music. And all the buttons pretty much
make sense. Once you get to know how to use one pocket operator, you can apply that knowledge
to all the other models.
Let's take a closer look at this one. This is the PO-12 Rhythm. Which essentially the
drum machine that can fit in the palm of your hand. Don't let the size of this thing fool
you. Even though it's small, has a lot of powerful sounds that rival those are much
more expense machines. Let's take a closer look. There’re 16 built-in sounds. Ranging
from bass drum, to snare, hi-hat.
And just a little sample of a quick pattern I put together
before the video.
The PO-12 Rhythm features a 16-step sequencer with 16 patterns. Jam-sync to link it to other
Pocket Operators. 3.5mm in and out jacks. A built-in stand and a speaker. These are
features that you're going to find them pretty much every other pocket operator. So once
again, if you're looking for a synthesizer that's really small but powerful, the pocket
operators are a good choice. You can use them standalone with each other, or part of your
entire music production ecosystem.
So, as you can see when it comes to buying synthesizers, you don't always have to spend
big bucks to get a big sound. Music making is all about choice and application. You choose
the right gear, you learn how to use it and you get creative.
For more information on these and other models Go to bhphoto.com If you haven't already,
don’t forget to subscribe. This is AB and I’ll see you next time.