I'm planning to play keyboard Synthesizer but i don't have any base of music.My friend ask me to group a band.He said that the are gonna play happyhardcore/Experimental.Such as Enter Shikari.So,i decided to join play synth.My friend willing to teach me abit of piano lesson.but still don't know
what it will produce when im playing synth coz its not in my hand yet.When i was goggling,i found this synth "alesis micron".Dont know wheter is good or not.I need some opinion/guide and get as much help to buy and play synth.

If I'm not wrong, the synthesizer is damn easy to play. You know piano then no problem laio

well actually almost any instrument is very easy to play at the begining. its just when u advance, then it starts getting tougher.

i play the piano and well i guess it is sorta similiar.



the synthesizer (or better known as the keyboards) have much more different voices or effects to play around with.

they have the same keys as the piano (slightly less in number though)

it can make all sorts of noises - piano, guitars, drums, strings, woodwinds, special effects..... the list goes on hah!

a synth is not a piano. If you want to play piano take piano lessons. If you want to learn synth take synth lessons. Anyone who offers to teach you piano and says "Oh synth is the same thing" is a conman. I do have a bit of piano background and i totally suck on a synth (usually doing moog and hammond sounds). So it's very different.

i have to agree. a synth is a synth. its very different. i believe there is more technical knowledge required (basic electronics, sound/physics) when playing a synth too. you need to know things like sine waves, filters, etc in order to generate different sounds you're after.

only noobs would say its the same as piano. its like saying 'you can play guitar thus you can play bass'. they both look similiar, have the same tunings but theyre very different in terms of playing.

echobrainproject & bassix are a bunch of musicians i see?

haha just a wild guess. what do u guys play?





when wanna jam?

obviously i major in guitars. play other instruments too but aint too good.

bassix is in the other side of the world so i dont think we can jam. anyways, here's a beginners series to synths.

http://www.sonicstate.com/articles/article.cfm?id=144

havent really watch it all. studying for a test tomorrow.

piano is not synth, like what they said.
u can play piano but the synth is a total different feel.

1. most synths dont have the heavy touch like piano.

2. for synths, u have to really study how to edit the parameters of the patches to craft your desired tone. need to experiment here and there, like the attack, release, delay, all those stuffs.

3. synths mostly use right hand (lead synth players concentrate on the right hand, while their left hand control the pitch bend. its like bending the string on the guitar).

4. dont ever skip the manual for the synth. you'll be freakin lost in front of your synthesizer if you dont read the manual. shitloads of buttons and knobs but dont know how to make use of it.

5. if you're a beginner at piano, u probably can play chords or arpeggios first on the synth. use it more like to make the band sound 'fuller'.

6. for lead synth playing, u'll have to know some music theory. from there, you'll be able to improvise according to the chords.

http://www.sonicstate.com/articles/article.cfm?id=147
http://www.sonicstate.com/articles/article.cfm?id=148

more informative stuff to watch.

izzit any different noise effect in every keyboard?
i meant in different brand such as roland,yamaha,korg or others brand?

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Added on March 26, 2008, 3:06 amwhere can i find synth lessons?in music store?
b4 this,i think that piano as same as keyboard synth but said not?Y?
do i need any music background to play synth or not at all?
and where can i learn the music notes for synth if not from piano or keyboard?

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Added on March 26, 2008, 3:20 amcan u brief more about "technical knowledge"
basic electronics, sound/physics?where can i learn this?
"have the same tunings but theyre very different in terms of playing"
now i understand..same like keyboard but different kind of playing..rite?

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Added on March 26, 2008, 4:15 ami watched i video clip..synth can be mix with others sound.
can synth record back the mix sound any play it agan?

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Added on March 26, 2008, 4:18 amnice! method to play synth...

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Added on March 26, 2008, 4:31 amso,what should i know b4 buying synth?
which synth is better for knob like me?
can u suggest

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Added on March 26, 2008, 4:34 ammidi keyboard controller same as synth or not?

This post has been edited by maiyorneese: Mar 26 2008, 04:34 AM

midi keyboard controller is same as synthesizer i think?
im not too sure about that.

well for the technical knowledge thing, its more into studyin the sound waves. like there are knobs for attack , decay , sustain , resonance.. u can experiment turning the knobs by urself to find out urself if you dont wana spend time readin the manual. (thats what i did la .)

the notes played on the piano are the same as the synth. the keys are also the same. but why they say its different is because the synth is more flexible in a way that it offers thousands of tonal differences.

lets say, u select a 'patch', which is a factory-setting sound sample.

then from there you can add the attack, or decay, or resonance or whatever, and u can even combine two 'patches' together. lets say u choose piano and guitar. so whenever u play 1 note, it will have piano AND guitar playin simultaneously.

u need musical knowledge to play the synth. theory-wise, it is the same as piano and guitar.

1. yes, different synths produces diff sounds.
2. take synth lessons from musci schools. make sure theyre not cheating on you by giving you piano lessons.
3. where to learn all of it? read alot from books or magazines (there are good synth mags that are available out there) or the internet. learn from a teacher and also learn from experience. another method to learn is to try to play covers, that way it forces you to come up with sounds closest to the cover song.
4. to record and playback again, the synth must have a built in sequencer. there are other ways to do this, such as using a DAW on your computer.
5. midi keyboard controller IS NOT a synth. but it can be used as a synth if you hook it up to a synth. note that it is just a controller. it doesnt produce any sound of its own but instead sends/receives midi data. basic midi knowledge is required. nowadays, most midi controllers have USB thus making it easier to connect to a computer.

you PM me about axiom25 and axiom49 brand new prices. im not too sure. maybe everdying knows? im guessing the axiom25 is around 900 range and the 49 about 1+k.

my suggestion:
get a midi controller(such as the axiom), hook it up to a laptop/pc and run it through programs like reason or ableton live. a ASIO compatable soundcard or audio interface is recommended to avoid latency and also handle connections(as you're in a band, you would prefer to hook up to a keyboard amp so everyone can hear you).

there is a synth thread somewhere here. please do drop by and read up. i'm sure suggestions like those have been posted up many times.

one question.. do u know any place which gives synth lessons?

i have my music theory til grade 8 abrsm already.. so i just wana learn how to operate a synth and all the technical stuffs

once again, midi keyboard controller is not a synth.

well the basics besides types of waves (saw wave, sine wave, etc) is the ADSR.
A-attack
D-decay
S-sustain
R-release
well if we could go on for years just talking on the controls on a synth. itll never end. i still dont get most of it.

i wouldnt really say the notes are the same. synths are very felxible and programmable. one of the most basic use is to transpose the notes. as a result your C key (on a piano) wouldnt be sounding a C key at all. also synths keys can be devided into different zones, anything from trigerring to being assigned to diff parameters/sounds. possibilities are endless.

also take note that a keyboard is an example of a synth. there are other synths too that are not in the form of a keyboard (such as rack units or button based). having them in keyboard form just makes them generally easier to play.

no i dont know any places where you can get synth lessons. i'm a self taught musician.

me too. (besides piano)
never heard of synth lessons in malaysia before.. so i think its kinda hard to look for synth lessons.
best way is to experiment it by yourself (which kinda takes shitloads of time to acquire the sound you want)

There used to be a technics in Subang Jaya that gave pretty decent synth lessons from what i heard. I guess you could try ask around at any technics dealer for teachers. They do deal in synths so i guess it's a good place to start looking. However like ebp said, watch out that you're not getting piano lessons.

let me see........ synth.
well, synth is not easy 2 use. especially if ur keys are touch-sensitive. u can either go for the weighted keys or the touch sensitive 1.

There are tons of stuff u can do with a synth. u can hook it up ur laptop and run programmes like REAKTOR 5, Virtual Instruments and so on. This programmes can aid u in ur quest for more samples and all kinds of music. If i'm not mistaken, Virtual Instrument's online library got around tons of samples.

u can also create ur own lead sound like Jordan Rudess of DT. i manage to create a "Monster Lead" sound on a keyboard. (best!!!!!!!!!!!). the sound contains flanger+distortion+wah-wah+Chorus +..............
There is so many things u can do wif a synth. u can even programme it say, the upper keyboard play strings while the lower half play piano sound.

if u wanna get keyboards, go to CK Music. they have the best........

there are many brands of keyboards. see wat u 1, there are the old skool analogs like minimoogs, prophet 5 and so on. there are also the korg and roland keyboards. 1 of my fav keys are the KORG KARMA and TRITON series. ( if i have the $$$$, i will get them)

i saw the video on youtube,the person hold i key,and its looping or playing all over again.its that program on the synth?
i just know notes on guitar and abit of piano..is that enough to create a sound on synth?
i dont hv the synth on hand yet..so im still searching the suitable one..

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Added on March 28, 2008, 12:12 pmhow do i know b4 buying the synth built in sequencer?WHATS WROTE ON THE PACKAGE BOX?
what is DAW?must used the comp?what are the used of software such as Reason 4 or anything same like it?
can all synth and midi contr. hook up a keyboard amp or must connect to comp first and then the amp?

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Added on March 28, 2008, 12:14 pmyea..where huh?

This post has been edited by maiyorneese: Mar 28 2008, 12:14 PM

Keyboard Synthesizer all falls under keyboard instruments be it a Digital Piano, Workstations, Midi Keyboard, etc. They're basically have different functions and feature cater for each purpose, while Music Workstations being the most powerful of all.

http://xahlee.org/UnixResource_dir/writ/piano_action1.html
http://xahlee.org/UnixResource_dir/writ/piano_action2.html

Nowadays, even a Synthesizer have full range digital piano functions, like the Yamaha S90ES, Roland's RD700SX, Roland's RD700GX, etc. These are Stage Piano + Synthesizer.

There's also the more powerful Music Workstation, like Roland's Fantom X8, etc.

To put it simple, it's simply a low end keyboard to a high end keyboard.

As for playing capability, of course, it's different in DETAILED manner, but the basic point is having to pickup and play, since it's keyboard instruments, if you're familiar with playing keyboard instrument, then you can start/pick-up easily since you're familiar and used to playing it.

bro if u want to learn more bout this synth..go to MPH and find a magazine that called computer music..there a tons of thing that u can learn bout this synth..i learn to used synth from computer music..they even give free dvds with many sound, freeware etc..i used esi keycontrol 25, laptop, software, and a tons of plugin..im also new..need more study bout it..chow

you can play synth like a piano but then it'll be pointless IMO (ok well, depends on the music la). nice thing about synth is that it comes with a wealth of features not found on piano.

anyway i still have my Roland and i play it once a while. I used to play Yamaha organs too.

hye dude..long time no see
computer music rite..ill find it later
esi keycontrol 25...midi controller rite?
is there amp plug in?all synth hv amp plug in rite?

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Added on March 31, 2008, 11:18 pmthanks for the info dude...

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Added on March 31, 2008, 11:25 pmi went for the 'horse the band'- NintendoCore in MCPA
it was superb amazing!
they play like hell.
i saw the synth,kawai brand or smth like tht
sounds like Nintendo game
so,i learn some music lesson,how to mix the synth with the band.

This post has been edited by maiyorneese: Mar 31 2008, 11:25 PM

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Apr 1 2008, 09:23 AM

aprilfool!!!