Microkorg (Not XL) VS Mininova for a brand new beginner.

[PK_Daddy]

Heya fam.. Taking the plunge into getting my first Synth. I'm stuck between the standard Microkorg and the MiniNova. I have very minor music experience and want to expand on to it with synth. I played the Microkorg at a GC and liked it. I saw the Mininova and it caught my interest. It seems to be more visual with lights and display. Something that seems beneficial to a newbie like me. What do you think? I heard the Vocoder of the Mini and believe it's more audible. But on the otherhand the Microkorg has more of a classic sound to it..

I'm liking both keyboard synths but please inform which one is more easy to access for someone with not that much experience!

-Thanks!

[Chevytraveller]

Mininova every time.. or if you want hands on controls at the expense of polyphony, check out the Bass Station II

[PK_Daddy]

Mininova every time.. or if you want hands on controls at the expense of polyphony, check out the Bass Station II

What makes the Mininova that much better? I'm still learning the lingo so please dumb down the answer a little.

[Guest]

I have a MiniNova and I used to have a Microkorg.

The MiniNova is an excellent synth. It has 18 note polyphony, nice LCD so that you can see what you're editing, a rather nice front panel and above all great sounds.

I used to have a MicroKorg - nice, very useable sounds plus an arpeggiator but only 4 voice polyphony and a horrible 3 character LED display. I sold my MicroKorg and bought an MS2000 which has an arpeggiator and a motion sequencer Plus it is much easier to program as it has a proper LCD readout and lots of buttons and knobs (where-as the MicroKorg only has 4 knobs).

So, to answer your question, go for the MiniNova.

[PK_Daddy]

I have a MiniNova and I used to have a Microkorg.

The MiniNova is an excellent synth. It has 18 note polyphony, nice LCD so that you can see what you're editing, a rather nice front panel and above all great sounds.

I used to have a MicroKorg - nice, very useable sounds plus an arpeggiator but only 4 voice polyphony and a horrible 3 character LED display. I sold my MicroKorg and bought an MS2000 which has an arpeggiator and a motion sequencer Plus it is much easier to program as it has a proper LCD readout and lots of buttons and knobs (where-as the MicroKorg only has 4 knobs).

So, to answer your question, go for the MiniNova.

Then that's what I'll aim for! I know this is off topic of the thread but what's an easy way to learn keyboard synth terms and overall learn effectively?

[Dave B]

If you are after the various terms for synthesis, then search this site for the 'synth secrets' series of articles which covers synthesis from basic to advanced. It's a great resource.

[PK_Daddy]

If you are after the various terms for synthesis, then search this site for the 'synth secrets' series of articles which covers synthesis from basic to advanced. It's a great resource.

Nice! I'll definitely take a gander at that.

[Martin Walker]

Here's the temporary link to our Synth Secrets series until the older archive links have caught up with our new forum

www.soundonsound.com/techniques/synth-secrets

Martin

[PK_Daddy]

Here's the temporary link to our Synth Secrets series until the older archive links have caught up with our new forum

http://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/synth-secrets

Martin

Now after doing more research some people say the Mininova is kind of tough to learn on. They mentioned the BassStation2 is good but just looking at it overwhelms me. You think the Mininova is easy to learn for someone with minimal experience?

[Guest]

I've never played with a Basstation 2, but as far as I'm aware, it is only monophonic (you can only one note at a time).

I've found the navigation of parameters can be a bit of a problem with the Mininova, but I am in the middle of making a very simple but useful flowchart for myself.

[PK_Daddy]

I've never played with a Basstation 2, but as far as I'm aware, it is only monophonic (you can only one note at a time).

I've found the navigation of parameters can be a bit of a problem with the Mininova, but I am in the middle of making a very simple but useful flowchart for myself.

If the Mininova has flaws with navigating through the menus and what not, does the Microkorg XL make a better solution? Maybe there's other beginner synth keyboards I'm not thinking of.

[Guest]

Ever thought of a KorgMS2000 and a small midi controller? And what style of music do you want to make?

[PK_Daddy]

Ever thought of a KorgMS2000 and a small midi controller? And what style of music do you want to make?

I only have around 400 - 500 dollars to put down on my new synth. What I'm aiming for is a sound similar to Daft Punk, and a few electronic loops which sound a bit more modern. The first sound I mentioned is my priority though.

[Guest]

DaftPunk and a few electronic loops? Then maybe you need something totally different - maybe a groovebox - something like a Korg Electribe ES1 or a Roland EG101?

[PK_Daddy]

DaftPunk and a few electronic loops? Then maybe you need something totally different - maybe a groovebox - something like a Korg Electribe ES1 or a Roland EG101?

I have a Kaosilator Pro for the loops. I'm more interested in Synth Keyboards. These are pretty good examples https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjb4FGdKLtkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOLTpTP ... yy94lS_Bt0

[zenguitar]

You might want to read this SOS article from 2013 about Daft Punk.

http://www.soundonsound.com/people/reco ... -daft-punk

There might be some tips there for the kind of synth you need.

Andy

[PK_Daddy]

You might want to read this SOS article from 2013 about Daft Punk.

http://www.soundonsound.com/people/reco ... -daft-punk

There might be some tips there for the kind of synth you need.

Andy

Thanks for the article! I was looking through some of the equipment and they are thousands of dollars I'm only a beginner and wouldn't like to invest that much. I'm just looking for a keyboard synth that can produce similar sounds of Daftpunk and classic synth sounds while being easy to access for someone with little to experience. I played with a Microkorg at a store and found it fun.
Thing is, I was told if I go all out I'll grow out of the standard Microkorg. I'm looking at the Microkorg XL + and The Mininova but besides those I'm not sure what to aim for.

[Bendy Carlos]

I have to say, the Microkorg is my least favourite synth of all the ones I've ever owned.

(JX3P comes second )

[Guest]

How about an Akai MiniAk or Alesis Micron?

[Guest]

Yamaha Reface CS. Costs as much as a Mininova, really basic. Great to learn on. Well made. No menus, no presets!!! just move the knobs and learn how they affect the sound. I got one and learnt more about synthesis in one afternoon than years prodding soft synths.

[Chevytraveller]

The mininova is going to give you more for you money than the MiniKorg.. the Minikorg is a bit dated now to be honest...

Another possibility and surprised it hasn't come up yet is the Korg Minilogue.. definitely check one out as they are capable of some incredible sounds and a great interface too..

http://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/korg-minilogue

[CapnStratagee]

May I suggest a used Novation KS?

KS4 or 5 have keyboards. KS rack does not but, if you hook up a midi controller keyboard, I would say the layout of the rack makes it my preference.

It's VA (virtual Analogue) but that's irrelevant as it captures the Novation 'liquid' sound perfectly.

It has 3 Oscillators and a mixer so you can turn down OSC 2&3 and really get to grips with shaping sounds on a single osc at a time (then blend them together). The filter is clearly laid out in a natural progression style on the box itself. 2xLFO's also clearly set out so you can understand how everything influences everything else. That's the magic of this synth for me, it's all hands on knob twiddling and you don't get lost with how it all works.

Add in individual effects, Amplifier and Modulation envelopes, a vocoder and Hypersync (whatever that does, I've never used it!). When you get your head around how the sythesis works, it has performance modes and all that extra stuff you need to make more sophisticated soundscapes - it just doesn't put in the way of the main event, which is twiddling and learning.

If you look around, you can pick one up for little over £150 which is a bargain for what it can do. I was in a similar situation to you and this was my solution. I learned so much from it and I still use it now. It doesn't fall by the wayside when you know how to use it and decide to move on to more complex synths.

Have fun whichever way you decide to go, learning about synthesis is a very rewarding thing to do.

Nick...

[PK_Daddy]

May I suggest a used Novation KS?

KS4 or 5 have keyboards. KS rack does not but, if you hook up a midi controller keyboard, I would say the layout of the rack makes it my preference.

It's VA (virtual Analogue) but that's irrelevant as it captures the Novation 'liquid' sound perfectly.

It has 3 Oscillators and a mixer so you can turn down OSC 2&3 and really get to grips with shaping sounds on a single osc at a time (then blend them together). The filter is clearly laid out in a natural progression style on the box itself. 2xLFO's also clearly set out so you can understand how everything influences everything else. That's the magic of this synth for me, it's all hands on knob twiddling and you don't get lost with how it all works.

Add in individual effects, Amplifier and Modulation envelopes, a vocoder and Hypersync (whatever that does, I've never used it!). When you get your head around how the sythesis works, it has performance modes and all that extra stuff you need to make more sophisticated soundscapes - it just doesn't put in the way of the main event, which is twiddling and learning.

If you look around, you can pick one up for little over £150 which is a bargain for what it can do. I was in a similar situation to you and this was my solution. I learned so much from it and I still use it now. It doesn't fall by the wayside when you know how to use it and decide to move on to more complex synths.

Have fun whichever way you decide to go, learning about synthesis is a very rewarding thing to do.

Nick...

I'll definitely consider! I saw one synth today and It seems to be the best of the miniNova and microkorg. It's the Roland JD-Xi Do you guys have any feedback on the Roland JD-Xi? If so, would it be good for a newbie?

[Guest]

Funnily enough I was just about to mention the JD-Xi.

[PK_Daddy]

Funnily enough I was just about to mention the JD-Xi.

What's your thoughts on the JD-Xi?