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Starting with synths


BassMasterGeneral
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So because Guitar and Bass weren't enough, and due to my love for Geddy, I'm thinking of getting a keyboard, specifically one geared towards synthesizers.

 

 

Any recommendations for an affordable one so I can get my feet wet? Something that would allow me to play Geddy stuff but still be around $500, if that's even possible, or if you have suggestions for something else I could start on? All answers appreciated.

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So because Guitar and Bass weren't enough, and due to my love for Geddy, I'm thinking of getting a keyboard, specifically one geared towards synthesizers.

 

 

Any recommendations for an affordable one so I can get my feet wet? Something that would allow me to play Geddy stuff but still be around $500, if that's even possible, or if you have suggestions for something else I could start on? All answers appreciated.

 

I would say it depends on how many keys you want, whether you want full sized ones or not. If you want to be able to have a large choice of patches...etc. What you want to be able to do with it, there are a ton of variables when it comes to synths. You should definitely be looking to buy used for that price.

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If you're just doing this for funsies and/or perhaps to record yourself, then I'd recommend a midi keyboard and computer based synth software. The keyboard will cost less, and depending on the synth sounds you want, can purchase only the ones you want. Much more flexible.

 

If you want to play live, then you'll likely lean towards an actual synthesizer in which case, like Eaglemoon said, look for something used. Quality synths are expensive. Good news for you is they generally don't hold their resale (vintage synths being the exception). You'll not have a problem finding a good deal used.

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If you're just doing this for funsies and/or perhaps to record yourself, then I'd recommend a midi keyboard and computer based synth software. The keyboard will cost less, and depending on the synth sounds you want, can purchase only the ones you want. Much more flexible.

 

If you want to play live, then you'll likely lean towards an actual synthesizer in which case, like Eaglemoon said, look for something used. Quality synths are expensive. Good news for you is they generally don't hold their resale (vintage synths being the exception). You'll not have a problem finding a good deal used.

As for actual synthesizers, what would you recommend? Like in terms of make and model, thanks.

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If you're just doing this for funsies and/or perhaps to record yourself, then I'd recommend a midi keyboard and computer based synth software. The keyboard will cost less, and depending on the synth sounds you want, can purchase only the ones you want. Much more flexible.

 

If you want to play live, then you'll likely lean towards an actual synthesizer in which case, like Eaglemoon said, look for something used. Quality synths are expensive. Good news for you is they generally don't hold their resale (vintage synths being the exception). You'll not have a problem finding a good deal used.

As for actual synthesizers, what would you recommend? Like in terms of make and model, thanks.

 

The point being, you have to figure out what exactly you want it to do before we can make suggestions. Otherwise, go over to Musicians Friend or American Musical's websites (or similar) and check out what they have with the specs. Hard to make recommendations without more info from you.

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For that price, you'd probably be looking at used, and you need at least 61 keys for stuff like Subdivisions. Depending on what era of Rush you are doing, you may want something fairly programmable, not just fixed digital presets ("ROMplers") since few presets ever sound like the album. Personally, I can vouch for the Roland D50, it's been the cornerstone of synth sounds for my band for 20 years now and I've yet to find something else that can do a wider variety of sounds in one machine. It's a bit of a pain to program, but it's fairly flexible for its cost (some may disagree).
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For that price, you'd probably be looking at used, and you need at least 61 keys for stuff like Subdivisions. Depending on what era of Rush you are doing, you may want something fairly programmable, not just fixed digital presets ("ROMplers") since few presets ever sound like the album. Personally, I can vouch for the Roland D50, it's been the cornerstone of synth sounds for my band for 20 years now and I've yet to find something else that can do a wider variety of sounds in one machine. It's a bit of a pain to program, but it's fairly flexible for its cost (some may disagree).

I'm liking what I'm seeing here, something in that style is definitely what I want, if anybody has other suggestions

 

Sorry I didn't really have an idea of what I wanted, didn't really make it easy, lol. Thanks

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I use a Roland JV1080 Synth module with some expansion cards. I run that either through an M-Audio controller or through a device called a Digikick Footar, which is similar to the Korg Pedals used by Rush. I think the guy that made it went out of business though.
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Been checking out the Roland jx-3p, really good price on this one, any opinions on it?

 

I mostly just want to play Rush stuff, but also will create my own stuff on it too.

 

I'm partial to Roland. The JX-3P is a great deal because it's not as collectable as the other vintage Rolands with more knobs and sliders, so much cheaper (typically around $300). It has all the required sound editing parameters to do a decent replication of classic analog synth sounds used by Rush up to the mid-80s or so, though the absence of multiple controls will make it harder as a first synth (bonus if it comes with the PG200 programmer). It will however sound a bit dated on your original stuff, unless that's what you are going for, and it won't do much for the digital sampled sounds used from the late 80's onwards.

 

Here is a demo on what to expect, some of the patches will sound familiar.

 

The JV1080 is also worth looking into. It is a workhorse synth and has gone down in price, even considering you would need an external controller. I have not had a chance to experiment with one, I recently missed an expanded one for $200, that's how low they are going these days.

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Been checking out the Roland jx-3p, really good price on this one, any opinions on it?

 

I mostly just want to play Rush stuff, but also will create my own stuff on it too.

 

I'm partial to Roland. The JX-3P is a great deal because it's not as collectable as the other vintage Rolands with more knobs and sliders, so much cheaper (typically around $300). It has all the required sound editing parameters to do a decent replication of classic analog synth sounds used by Rush up to the mid-80s or so, though the absence of multiple controls will make it harder as a first synth (bonus if it comes with the PG200 programmer). It will however sound a bit dated on your original stuff, unless that's what you are going for, and it won't do much for the digital sampled sounds used from the late 80's onwards.

 

Here is a demo on what to expect, some of the patches will sound familiar.

 

The JV1080 is also worth looking into. It is a workhorse synth and has gone down in price, even considering you would need an external controller. I have not had a chance to experiment with one, I recently missed an expanded one for $200, that's how low they are going these days.

Just found a cover of Countdown on the JX-3P, I'm liking what I'm hearing, the $200 dollar difference is nice as well.

 

I'm pretty much down to the D-50 or the JX-3P, thanks for all the help guys, I think I just need to do a little more research on each to find out which one I want :D

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