04-18-2019, 11:55 AM
There are so many great ways to get into synths without spending a lot of money. Since you have an iPad, there are many free synths and some inexpensive ones that sound great! Some I've tried are Moog Animoog, might be great for your drones. Sunrizer Synth by BeepStreet, a classic and straight forward interface. Getting more complex is LayR a massively polyphonic synth which works great for NDLR PADS which can play a lot of voices.
As for hardware, a really straight forward and affordable analog poly is the Behringer DeepMind 12. You can get it in desktop form, without a keyboard for under $500 USD. I use that and a Waldorf Blofeld for poly synths. You can find the Blofeld used for under $400, and its multi-timbral so you can use it for all the NDLR parts. Like the Access Virus, but cheaper, though it doesn't have the punch or knobs that the Virus gives you.
Another option for multi-timbral poly synth is known as a "Rompler". Notoriously difficult to program, but they have tons of presets you can use right out of the box. Check out the Roland VX line like the VX-3080 or 5080, and JV line like the JV-1080 series, or JV-880. I am fond of the E-mu Orbit or E-Mu Proteus 1000. They can often be found used for a reasonable price, under $200. Lots of bang for the buck if you are patient to learn to set them up.
For a hardware monosynth, there are so many good ones. A phatt mono synth is perfect for NDLR motifs. Pretty much any Moog sounds great, I have a Sub 37, Multimoog, and a Slim Phatty. Roland SE-02 has a lot of features for the price and very compact size. Novation Basestation 2, is inexpensive and fun to play if you want a keyboard, and it has presets. Dreadbox Erebus is an awesome sounding quirky boutique synth from Greece, one of my favorites, no presets.
As for hardware, a really straight forward and affordable analog poly is the Behringer DeepMind 12. You can get it in desktop form, without a keyboard for under $500 USD. I use that and a Waldorf Blofeld for poly synths. You can find the Blofeld used for under $400, and its multi-timbral so you can use it for all the NDLR parts. Like the Access Virus, but cheaper, though it doesn't have the punch or knobs that the Virus gives you.
Another option for multi-timbral poly synth is known as a "Rompler". Notoriously difficult to program, but they have tons of presets you can use right out of the box. Check out the Roland VX line like the VX-3080 or 5080, and JV line like the JV-1080 series, or JV-880. I am fond of the E-mu Orbit or E-Mu Proteus 1000. They can often be found used for a reasonable price, under $200. Lots of bang for the buck if you are patient to learn to set them up.
For a hardware monosynth, there are so many good ones. A phatt mono synth is perfect for NDLR motifs. Pretty much any Moog sounds great, I have a Sub 37, Multimoog, and a Slim Phatty. Roland SE-02 has a lot of features for the price and very compact size. Novation Basestation 2, is inexpensive and fun to play if you want a keyboard, and it has presets. Dreadbox Erebus is an awesome sounding quirky boutique synth from Greece, one of my favorites, no presets.