A good affordable synth for basses

[socratez]

Im looking for a synthesizer with good basses and wich is affordable. Can anyone recommend me something good and affordable??? <$300

peace

[eric justin]

I just bought a used Novation Super Bass Station for $270 I originally bought it because it has a built in MIDI/CV converter(used to MIDI old analog synths/SH-09n in my case)but found that the internal sounds arn't to bad at all. If your into SH-101/Juno style bass, it's a good synth to have. Also, all the knob movements can be recorded in real time. To top it off, there is an audio input so you can filter an incoming audio signal.
my 2 cents
:D

[Kenny Carvajal]

Eric,

Great deal! I had a Basstation synth a few years ago but sold and regreted it ever since.

I recently purchased an SH32 which I mainly use for leads and strings. But it's definitely programable and has some patches that you can play with to get the bass sounds. I saw a floor model at Guitar Center last Friday for $100 bucks.

Kenny

[eric justin]

Originally posted by Kenny Carvajal:
Eric,

Great deal! I had a Basstation synth a few years ago but sold and regreted it ever since.

I recently purchased an SH32 which I mainly use for leads and strings. But it's definitely programable and has some patches that you can play with to get the bass sounds. I saw a floor model at Guitar Center last Friday for $100 bucks.

Kenny Is the SH-32 Polyphonic? The Super Bass Station is not.

[Kenny Carvajal]

As a matter of fact it is. It's also a 4 part multitimbral unit. Pretty convincing Moog type leads. Worth a listen.

Kenny

[GrantB]

Juno 106

[Chicago Skyway Music]

Originally posted by GrantB:
Juno 106 I heard that some Juno's were buggy. So look out. I'll see if I can find the link.

[Chicago Skyway Music]

Originally posted by socratez:
Im looking for a synthesizer with good basses and wich is affordable. Can anyone recommend me something good and affordable??? <$300

peace It all depends on what you're looking for.

If you are looking for a analog synth that doesn't have midi and that's fun to play with you should look into a Roland MC-202. CRAZY ASS BASSES!!! Also, It's the closest thing to a TB-303. I use to sync it up to my 909. It's similer to the Roland SH-101 only really small. You can also make some really cool lead and EFX sounds on it. But, you can't save any of the sounds on it. :(

The MC-202's usually goes any where from $230-$400.

Check it:
http://www.synthmuseum.com/roland/rolmc20201.html

If you want something MIDI I would suggest the Korg Poly 800. Although I've never owned one, I heard it makes some really cool sounds.

Check the link:

http://www.synthmuseum.com/korg/korpoly80001.html


A lot of the Detroit cats used this one to make those crazy ass metallic sounds.

Same thing with these though, you can usually find them from $200-400.

Hope this helps.

Good Luck,

Sean Hernandez

[GrantB]

Originally posted by Sean Hernandez:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by GrantB:
Juno 106 I heard that some Juno's were buggy. So look out. I'll see if I can find the link. </font>[/QUOTE]Huh? The 106 is rock solid. The only ones I have heard of having problems were _abused_, and they still mostly worked! I've heard of the 6 and 60 having build quality issues, but not the 106. Also those two are of limited usefulness sonically when compared to the 106. Perhaps you are thinking of the Alpha Juno 1 & 2? Those really do suck and are a pain to work with. Fortunately they will all go away when their crappy membrane keypads wear out. Good riddance! I would be interested in checking out that link.

I suggested the 106 because it can make some huge bass sounds which are very classic and recognizable for house. The DCOs make the basses more defined and forceful than say the 101. Also it is a good buy because it is easy to use and is capable of much more than bass. It's polyphonic and makes some really nice 80s disco polysynth sounds, pretty good pads, and crazy FX. It's not a Jupiter but it's as close as you're going to get for $300. If you saw the video of Metro Area live in Belgium, that's the keyboard they are jamming out on the whole time.

[GrantB]

I will definetly second the recommendations of the SH101 and MC202. Get the 202 if you want it sequenced, or the 101 if you want to play it. If you have both you can use the extra track on the 202 to sequence the 101 or play the 202 from the 101s keyboard. These have more of a warm fuzzy sound than the Juno 106.

I tried for hours to get a bass sound I liked on my friends Poly 800 but it was always too thin. Maybe for some Teutonic techno it would work for bass. It is cool in its own way for the cold edgyness. The Mono/Poly and Polysix can both make good warm basses, but look out for the leaky old batteries on the Polysix.

[ December 29, 2003, 08:49 PM: Message edited by: GrantB ]

[Brian]

yeah the juno 106 is a sweet sounding synth .. so sweet i bought 2! (only because i got an insane deal on them from a clueless music dealer smile.gif )

[Specter]

go with the classic yamaha dx-100. Should be able to find them pretty cheap. Only thing sucks about it is the small keys. So you cant use it as a master in your midi setup. Still dope though

[Brian]

it's kind of a challenge to program/tweak sounds with the dx's though

[O'love]

Originally posted by GrantB:
I've heard of the 6 and 60 having build quality issues, but not the 106. Also those two are of limited usefulness sonically when compared to the 106the juno6, 60 and 106 have exactly the same synth-engine inside..only the 60 and 106 have patch-memories, and the 106 has MIDI...... some people say the 6 and 60 series sound warmer than the 106..... i don't know, i love my juno6 ;)

i think you can get good bass-sounds from almost all kinds of synths, digital, analogue, software.... i tend to use the TC mercury 1 softsynth a lot for fat basses, and the waldorf pulse is also a mean bass machine.... for more quirky stuff yamaha FM synthesis is *very* nice..i tend to love the attack/transients in FM-basses....DX200 all the way baby, my FB01 has no use here..so socratez, if you're interested in picking up an FB01 for little money give me a call..

Olaf

Olaf

[socratez]

Originally posted by Specter:
go with the classic yamaha dx-100. Should be able to find them pretty cheap. Only thing sucks about it is the small keys. So you cant use it as a master in your midi setup. Still dope though Im buying a dx27 next week. Its the bigger key version of the dx100. I bought it because it was way cheaper then one f them masterkeys, and because i love that sound. There is software for the DX series wich will make the editting a lot easier.

[socratez]

Originally posted by O'love:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by GrantB:
I've heard of the 6 and 60 having build quality issues, but not the 106. Also those two are of limited usefulness sonically when compared to the 106the juno6, 60 and 106 have exactly the same synth-engine inside..only the 60 and 106 have patch-memories, and the 106 has MIDI...... some people say the 6 and 60 series sound warmer than the 106..... i don't know, i love my juno6 ;)

i think you can get good bass-sounds from almost all kinds of synths, digital, analogue, software.... i tend to use the TC mercury 1 softsynth a lot for fat basses, and the waldorf pulse is also a mean bass machine.... for more quirky stuff yamaha FM synthesis is *very* nice..i tend to love the attack/transients in FM-basses....DX200 all the way baby, my FB01 has no use here..so socratez, if you're interested in picking up an FB01 for little money give me a call..

Olaf

Olaf </font>[/QUOTE]Ill google on that one Olaf, what brand is it the FB01????

[socratez]

Originally posted by GrantB:
I will definetly second the recommendations of the SH101 and MC202. Get the 202 if you want it sequenced, or the 101 if you want to play it. If you have both you can use the extra track on the 202 to sequence the 101 or play the 202 from the 101s keyboard. These have more of a warm fuzzy sound than the Juno 106.

I tried for hours to get a bass sound I liked on my friends Poly 800 but it was always too thin. Maybe for some Teutonic techno it would work for bass. It is cool in its own way for the cold edgyness. The Mono/Poly and Polysix can both make good warm basses, but look out for the leaky old batteries on the Polysix. dont know about the states, but over here in Holland the 101 and the 202 are pricey.

[O'love]

Originally posted by socratez:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by O'love:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by GrantB:
I've heard of the 6 and 60 having build quality issues, but not the 106. Also those two are of limited usefulness sonically when compared to the 106the juno6, 60 and 106 have exactly the same synth-engine inside..only the 60 and 106 have patch-memories, and the 106 has MIDI...... some people say the 6 and 60 series sound warmer than the 106..... i don't know, i love my juno6 ;)

i think you can get good bass-sounds from almost all kinds of synths, digital, analogue, software.... i tend to use the TC mercury 1 softsynth a lot for fat basses, and the waldorf pulse is also a mean bass machine.... for more quirky stuff yamaha FM synthesis is *very* nice..i tend to love the attack/transients in FM-basses....DX200 all the way baby, my FB01 has no use here..so socratez, if you're interested in picking up an FB01 for little money give me a call..

Olaf

Olaf </font>[/QUOTE]Ill google on that one Olaf, what brand is it the FB01???? </font>[/QUOTE]yamaha..... it's a small module, editing is only possible by software, which only exists for DOS or AtariST..although i believe sounddiver or another big synth-editor also support the fb01..

Olaf

[Chicago Skyway Music]

Originally posted by GrantB:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Sean Hernandez:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by GrantB:
Juno 106 I heard that some Juno's were buggy. So look out. I'll see if I can find the link. </font>[/QUOTE]Huh? The 106 is rock solid. The only ones I have heard of having problems were _abused_, and they still mostly worked! I've heard of the 6 and 60 having build quality issues, but not the 106. Also those two are of limited usefulness sonically when compared to the 106. Perhaps you are thinking of the Alpha Juno 1 & 2? Those really do suck and are a pain to work with. Fortunately they will all go away when their crappy membrane keypads wear out. Good riddance! I would be interested in checking out that link.

I suggested the 106 because it can make some huge bass sounds which are very classic and recognizable for house. The DCOs make the basses more defined and forceful than say the 101. Also it is a good buy because it is easy to use and is capable of much more than bass. It's polyphonic and makes some really nice 80s disco polysynth sounds, pretty good pads, and crazy FX. It's not a Jupiter but it's as close as you're going to get for $300. If you saw the video of Metro Area live in Belgium, that's the keyboard they are jamming out on the whole time. </font>[/QUOTE]I stand corrected. I can't find the dang link for the Juno that I was talking about. Grrrr!!!! I vaguley remember it had something to do with the polyphany.

Oh well.

Don't get me wrong though, I would LUUUUUVE a Juno 106!

Actually, I have a soft synth called JunoX2.

smile.gif

[GrantB]

Originally posted by O'love:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by GrantB:
I've heard of the 6 and 60 having build quality issues, but not the 106. Also those two are of limited usefulness sonically when compared to the 106the juno6, 60 and 106 have exactly the same synth-engine inside..only the 60 and 106 have patch-memories, and the 106 has MIDI...... some people say the 6 and 60 series sound warmer than the 106..... i don't know, i love my juno6 ;)
</font>[/QUOTE]Hey Olaf, I just looked it up on google and saw some reviews on the web to that effect. The last time I used a Juno 60 (5-6 years ago), I remember thinking it was floppy sounding compared to a 106, but now I see online reviews that say it's punchier? That was one of my problems because I was trying to make a really punchy poly sound and it wouldn't click. No problem with that on the 106.

Oh well, that raises an important point with regards to vintage analog synths, which is you can't always make a judgement about the model based on one instrument. Maybe I just used a bum one last. If that's the case then we're really splitting hairs. Get 106 if you want MIDI built in, get a 60 if you want an arpegiator built in.

graemlins/beerchug.gif

[GrantB]

Originally posted by Sean Hernandez:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by GrantB:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Sean Hernandez:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by GrantB:
Juno 106 I heard that some Juno's were buggy. So look out. I'll see if I can find the link. </font>[/QUOTE]Huh? The 106 is rock solid. The only ones I have heard of having problems were _abused_, and they still mostly worked! I've heard of the 6 and 60 having build quality issues, but not the 106. Also those two are of limited usefulness sonically when compared to the 106. Perhaps you are thinking of the Alpha Juno 1 & 2? Those really do suck and are a pain to work with. Fortunately they will all go away when their crappy membrane keypads wear out. Good riddance! I would be interested in checking out that link.

I suggested the 106 because it can make some huge bass sounds which are very classic and recognizable for house. The DCOs make the basses more defined and forceful than say the 101. Also it is a good buy because it is easy to use and is capable of much more than bass. It's polyphonic and makes some really nice 80s disco polysynth sounds, pretty good pads, and crazy FX. It's not a Jupiter but it's as close as you're going to get for $300. If you saw the video of Metro Area live in Belgium, that's the keyboard they are jamming out on the whole time. </font>[/QUOTE]I stand corrected. I can't find the dang link for the Juno that I was talking about. Grrrr!!!! I vaguley remember it had something to do with the polyphany.

Oh well.

Don't get me wrong though, I would LUUUUUVE a Juno 106!

Actually, I have a soft synth called JunoX2.

smile.gif </font>[/QUOTE]Found it:

----------------------
Reliability: 6
Well after owning this little gem, she is beginning to exhibit the signs of old age, especially with custom IC VCA/VCF filter chips, with this fault esp. in Poly Mode-1 use lose a note (every 6th note) when u play the IC's cycle through and one drops out, hence the dead note, a lot of Juno-106's have this problem, and it's a shame too, a lot of them are now being sold or bought up for spare parts to keep other Juno-106's alive. How many of you Juno-106 owners are experiencing the same problems out there.
----------------------

Fortunately, this is easy enough to test for... just play six notes. This could happen to just about any analog polysynth, because almost all of them use custom or discontinued chips. I might feel the same way as this guy if mine had gone bad, but I truly have used "a lot" of these instruments and have never heard of this problem.

[GrantB]

Originally posted by socratez:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by GrantB:
I will definetly second the recommendations of the SH101 and MC202. Get the 202 if you want it sequenced, or the 101 if you want to play it. If you have both you can use the extra track on the 202 to sequence the 101 or play the 202 from the 101s keyboard. These have more of a warm fuzzy sound than the Juno 106.

I tried for hours to get a bass sound I liked on my friends Poly 800 but it was always too thin. Maybe for some Teutonic techno it would work for bass. It is cool in its own way for the cold edgyness. The Mono/Poly and Polysix can both make good warm basses, but look out for the leaky old batteries on the Polysix. dont know about the states, but over here in Holland the 101 and the 202 are pricey. </font>[/QUOTE]I saw a "mint" 202 go on ebay for $225 last year, but now I see 101s are going for $400+ with no grip. Yikes! If I was going to spend that much on a old mono I would find a Pro-One.

Do you have to pay a lot of taxes if you get it shipped there?

[Brian]

i've got a 101 with the grip and a suede Roland shoulder strap. i like to put on my tight white levis and rock out with that thing. oh and whoever owned it before me painted an MTV logo on it smile.gif

[eric justin]

http://www.vintagesynth.org/roland/images/sh09.jpg
The SH-09 is very similar to the SH-101 but includes an audio input. If its bass you want, buy one of these and thank me later, ;)

[socratez]

Originally posted by GrantB:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by socratez:
[qb] [QUOTE]Originally posted by GrantB:
[qb]

Do you have to pay a lot of taxes if you get it shipped there? Awww man, shipping, taxes, insurence + all the riscs of damage or getting ripped of. 20% of the taxes on top of the price,, +shipping and handling, so:(

[Number Two]

I had a Juno 6,60,106 and an SH101 all at once within a years time frame back in 93. It seemed like the Juno 60 was more of a powerhouse as far as punchy bass sounds. Lately I have been useing my Korg Poly-61 and my ARP Odyssey (both with MIDI) for a fat bass sound. The ARP is kinda tinny sounding which I don't like. I think the Minimoog has the best overall sound as far as basslines. Prophets are great as well,but pricey. Look into some VST programs as well. You can find some great sounds from softsynths if you are on a budget like me. Peace.

[Boyd Jarvis]

You might wanna check out some software synths
Spectrasonics Trilogy $349 has Some awsome basses & 3Gig Sound Library Its the bomb Or the moog.

Check em out

[JorgeG]

Originally posted by Boyd Jarvis:
You might wanna check out some software synths
Spectrasonics Trilogy $349 has Some awsome basses & 3Gig Sound Library Its the bomb Or the moog.

Check em out Mr. Jarvis, I always felt you was the reason for those great bass lines on every record with your name on it. I love your records. When I go to the record shop and the cover has Boyd Jarvis on it I don't even listen to it I just take to it's proper home my tables. Really dig that Summetime and Elements EP among many others, Thanks for them all and please do continue we all need you.

For Socratez:

http://www.vintagesynth.com/

[ February 05, 2004, 07:12 AM: Message edited by: JorgeG ]

[juju]

how about the ol' DX7!

[TheDeeperMovement]

Originally posted by Boyd Jarvis:
You might wanna check out some software synths
Spectrasonics Trilogy $349 has Some awsome basses & 3Gig Sound Library Its the bomb Or the moog.

Check em out Aw man I love my moog!!...but also recently come across a package called reacktor4 (native instruments) which blew me away abit. Without going into too much depth u can replicate any synth ever made...this sounded rediculas to me at first also, however, presets are availabe for various quality synths such as the juno 106 or korg ms20..we tested these software presets to the hardware its self (106 - ms20) and and we really couldnt pick up on any diference at all! The reason for this is that the virtual instrument structure was cloned down to the very last lfo and filter etc producing the classic sounds in exactly the same way, and if u had the time and knowlege u could could build any of ur old fav synths (no me niether).

If you are thinking of running it as a plugin though ur probably either gonna have to have a dual proccesor or run pluggins through second computer via an ethernet connection for best results. And it runs better on pc's than macs for some reason?

Its around £350 ($500) which is the bad news but hey....if u never could afford it anyway, get a crack copy and give them the money for a real one when ur EP blows up ;)

any one else had any experience with this good or bad? Drop a line bk.

DM.

[O'love]

i also compared a juno6 ensemble in reaktor to my roland juno6...couldn't hear a lot of difference, especially not in a mix....

i don't like the interface of reaktor though...so i tend to look at dedicated plugins like the GMedia ones...

Olaf

[TheDeeperMovement]

yeh i know what ur sayin there o'laf that deffinitly isnt a strong point, alough i do like the midi learn capabliity though with outboard controlers and yeh things do seem to sit nice in a mix.

Deffinitly wouldnt mind knowing what demarkus lewis is using for his basslines at the minuite. Just listening to some off his stuff now - awsome. hail.gif

[dennis f]

here's a few....

Analog

Korg MonoPoly...this was Korg's answer to the Minimoog...I had an absolutely mint one and I have regretted ever selling this thing...

mc 202...damn i love that thing...makes the biggest 909 kicks you have ever heard. Really...
and the basses are huge....the sh101 can't hold this things jockstrap!

Pro One....cuts through a track like you wouldn't believe!! Gotta get a kenton box(converts midi to cv/gate) with it though so that kinda prices you out....but still worth a thought.

juno 106 - very round subby basses...but it has very distinctive sound...always can tell one on a record

Digital
hmmmmmmm

Korg Ms2000 ....the absolute best sounding digital analogue modeler i've heard...the basses out of this are ridiculous!! I've had tons of synths and we haven't put this thing down for 3 years. It looks like a toy but believe you me it definitely ain't!! You just have to program some basses as the presets don't really show off what that thing can do.

peace
dee

[O'love]

also would like to add the alesis Ion.... we tested it besides a korg ms10 and a macbeth M3X...damn...this thing might be Virtual Analogue, but it really stands out...it can easily compete with these real analogue monsters..alesis has designed it to sound "american" like oberheim and moog..although there are also korg and roland filter-types inside....

Olaf

[altrrdst8]

dunno about JUNOs for basses. yes they can make good bass noises. but before long you just end up with square wave bass varients. plus they can lack some warmth.
Handy hint for Juno owners, never switch it off.
just buy a novation bass station for a good all-rounder.


altrrdst8
(Juno-6 owner)

[Digiman]

roland sh-101....

[Digiman]

Originally posted by juju:
how about the ol' DX7! ...or not smile.gif

[socratez]

After a long search ive found that the Microkorg is the best buy for the buck (same engine as the MS2000)

A friend of mine has a microkorg, a juno and a
Alesis Ion,

ive found that:
-Monopoly, Pro-One etc are all to expensive and you need to midi fit them.
-Juno, too specific sounding that is hard to get around, synth is to simple to realy get a personal sound out of it.
-Ion: good interface, nice sounds but the bass sounds are a little square compared to the microkorg and the Ion is 3 times the price of a microkorg
-Microkorg: Easy editable, sounds good for lots of different styles. Very cheap and nice interface.
The only competition for this synth is the Alesis micron but that one is also nearly twice the price.

[ November 30, 2005, 10:37 AM: Message edited by: socratez ]

[Chicago Skyway Music]

Originally posted by socratez:
After a long search ive found that the Microkorg is the best buy for the buck (same engine as the MS2000)

A friend of mine has a microkorg, a juno and a
Alesis Ion,

ive found that:
-Monopoly, Pro-One etc are all to expensive and you need to midi fit them.
-Juno, too specific sounding that is hard to get around, synth is to simple to realy get a personal sound out of it.
-Ion: good interface, nice sounds but the bass sounds are a little square compared to the microkorg and the Ion is 3 times the price of a microkorg
-Microkorg: Easy editable, sounds good for lots of different styles. Very cheap and nice interface.
The only competition for this synth is the Alesis micron but that one is also nearly twice the price. Wow Socratez, I forgot about this thread. I too own the Microkorg and I have to agree it does have some good bass sounds.

If you go on Yahoo! Groups and sign up you can get a lot of cool patches for the Micro and the MS2000.

Enjoy!

Sean Hernandez

[pipecock]

Originally posted by socratez:
After a long search ive found that the Microkorg is the best buy for the buck (same engine as the MS2000)

A friend of mine has a microkorg, a juno and a
Alesis Ion,

ive found that:
-Monopoly, Pro-One etc are all to expensive and you need to midi fit them.
-Juno, too specific sounding that is hard to get around, synth is to simple to realy get a personal sound out of it.
-Ion: good interface, nice sounds but the bass sounds are a little square compared to the microkorg and the Ion is 3 times the price of a microkorg
-Microkorg: Easy editable, sounds good for lots of different styles. Very cheap and nice interface.
The only competition for this synth is the Alesis micron but that one is also nearly twice the price. no offense, but youre insane. the mono/poly or pro-1 might need a midi-cv converter (you definitely dont NEED to retrofit them with midi), which might bring the price up a bit. you can get new kenton joints for $200. and with that, you can get a pro-1 or mono poly for around $400 if youre patient and theyll both sound WAYYYYYYY better than the microkorg, especially for bass. i mean, whatever i understand people want to go for cheap convenient things, but if you want quality you have to use the old stuff which might cost a little more and be a little less convenient.

of course once you have the midi-cv converter, it makes purchasing more CV synths even easier since you dont have to worry about it! i have 2 CV synths now, the mono/poly and the sh-101. id buy more for sure, since theyre the best sounding synths i own and far and away the most fun!

[socratez]

Dont know about where you live, but over here in Europe you got to pay at least $700(600 in euros) for a monopoly. Monopoly is dope though,, no doubt.

[pipecock]

Originally posted by socratez:
Dont know about where you live, but over here in Europe you got to pay at least $700(600 in euros) for a monopoly. Monopoly is dope though,, no doubt. damn, that is quite pricey! i live in the US, and i guess i might have gotten a really good deal on mine. it was $400 on ebay in excellent condition except for the $25 filter chip that needed replaced. ive used that synth to get a decent 303 emulation, and even did some nice 808 kick type sub hits with it as well. it actually wouldnt be hard to take a sampler and it together and make an entire track just from sounds from it. its a very diverse sounding synth without sounding too typical. i can spot it on some records for sure (id bet my ass that jeff mills and recloose use a mono/poly) but for the most part it can be either as distinctive or not as you prefer. its complexity combined with a simple synth like the sh-101 is so great!

[<Socratez without password>]

Does the Monopoly have velocity sensitive keys and synthesis???

[pipecock]

Originally posted by &lt;Socratez without password&gt;:
Does the Monopoly have velocity sensitive keys and synthesis??? ha, no. depending on what kind of midi to cv converter you have, you can use velocity though. i have this:

http://www.frostwave.com/quadmiditocv/

to control multiple synths, and it takes velocity and you can assign the extra CV out to one of the many CV ins the mono/poly has. thats definitely one of the best things about using the mono/poly with a cv converter like that, you can hook almost any parameter up to it.

[<bumpin>]

I've had 2 106(s) and an HS-60 at different times. One of the 106s had the ic oscillator issue. The part was cheap, cost a bit for the labor. I am in the camp that the 106 is limited as a bass machine. The 60 is warmer because it's oscillators are not digitally controlled. Had an SH101, very deep and fat. I 2nd the DX100 suggestion or the FB01. But you need to have a way to dump patches into them through your computer. I like the 80s POP fm basses.

Digitally speaking I think Yamaha has deeper basses than say Roland or Korg. I have never tried one of those new mini Korgs with the vocoder they seem cheap though.

[socratez]

get the dx100 or dx27, the fb01 sounds very different from the dxes.

[Craig Patane]

Originally posted by socratez:
Im looking for a synthesizer with good basses and wich is affordable. Can anyone recommend me something good and affordable??? &lt;$300

peace I have a bassstation and I love it.... it can really come close to a tb303.

[Craig Patane]

Originally posted by Craig Patane:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by socratez:
Im looking for a synthesizer with good basses and wich is affordable. Can anyone recommend me something good and affordable??? &lt;$300

peace I have a bassstation and I love it.... it can really come close to a tb303. </font>[/QUOTE]the virtual bass station is excellent also!

[dennis f]

Hands down Korg Mono/Poly(the poor man's MiniMoog)
or Pro-One. I've owned both...each has it's own distinctive character with the pro-one edging out the Mono/poly for more mid punch on bass. The kenton box is cheap...you're nuts if you overlook these.

[Free Russell]

The best bass sounds are going to come from classic synths from the 70s and 80s-Pro One, Moogs, Oberheims, CATs, Korgs, etc. The newer stuff is more convenient but not as powerful, but that difference isn't crucial because house music never used alot of the classic synths anyway-the bottom line in house was always affordability and midi, since most of these dudes couldn't play and needed something that would easily sync to a sequencer and drum machine-mainly inexpensive new and used Japanese synths because they were more progressive in incorporating midi and sync features at low prices. Mid-80s Casios and Yamahas and used budget analogs from Roland and Korg already had midi and didn't cost much.

-The older stuff requires a little more work-buying an inexpensive Kenton midi interface at least, and modification of the synth in a few cases ie. Moog Rogue. With patience you can find used monophonics and Kenton boxes inexpensively.

Deeper sounds generally come from digital synths, fuller sounds from analog.

For inexpensive but very typical house bass use either a Casio CZ synth or any one of the Yamaha FM synths, all of which sound very similar. Stay away from the FB01 though, it can't be programmed except with PC software. If you want a rack, get a TX81Z, which is programmable and has more waveforms than the FB01. The TX81Z is the rack version of the DX100/27. The best value IMO is the less-known TX-802, the rack version of a DX-7 II.

[ December 08, 2005, 02:56 PM: Message edited by: Free Russell ]

[Free Russell]

..

[ December 08, 2005, 02:35 PM: Message edited by: Free Russell ]

[pipecock]

Originally posted by Free Russell:
The TX81Z is the rack version of the DX100/27. the tx81z is a great synth that you can get for next to nothing. the only drawback is that programming it is the exact opposite of userfriendly and easy to understand. FM synthesis is pretty nutty anyway, and editing only with 4 buttons on a 1u rackmount with a green screen is no fun whatsoever. there are lots of good sounds in the presets that can easily be tweaked to give them more character. for the $65 or so that one will cost you, everyone who uses hardware should have one. its old 12 bit digital, which sounds significantly more interesting and maybe dark sounding than today's pristine digital synths.

[Free Russell]

FM synths are reputedly hard to program. They're harder to program than analogs but are still not that bad, given a little patience.