Which means it's fun to use and quick to learn. Why are there so many knobs and sliders? Well, there's no awkward menu diving with the System 8, everything's there in front of you. You just have to follow the panel from left to right, knob-twiddling and slider sliding as you go. The signal flow – the steps needed to build your sound – is laid out in a super-intuitive manner. The top panel may look crowded, but it is an absolute joy. Well, don't worry, this is an amazing synth to learn on. You may also be looking at the front panel and, once your eyes have become accustomed to the green glow, thinking 'that's rather a lot of knobs and sliders'. Then there's cross-modulation, side-band filters, a vocoder, an arpeggiator, a powerful sequencer and a handful of very useable effects.Īs a newbie, you're probably thinking all this sounds a bit complicated for a beginner synth. It can do dark and menacing, it can be a brash bass demon, it can excite with soaring leads or calm with tender ambient textures.Īll this is possible because the System 8 boasts multiple flavours of analog-style and digital oscillators, including FM. The System 8 engine is an absolute stonker, a future classic in the making. Since then, musicians have begun to appreciate that there's much more to this synth than excellent recreations from Roland's back catalogue. The truth is the plug-outs sound uncannily like the originals, almost exactly the same but in tune (there's even a condition setting that, if you so wish, remedies this by making it sound old and flaky). When Roland, ahem, greenlighted the System 8 back in 2016, internet forums lit up with dull posts bemoaning the fact it wasn't analog and endless debates arguing over how accurate the modelled sounds were. A growing library of other models are waiting to be downloaded from Roland Cloud too, such as the manic PROMARS and basstastic SH-101, and all have matching plugins for your DAW. There's the System 8 engine, plus three additional expansion 'slots' to host models of Roland classics such as the included Jupiter-8, Juno-106 and JX-3P. In fact, thanks to Roland's 'Plug-out' architecture, it's actually four synths in one. It may be greener than a seasick Kermit on a cross-channel ferry in a Force 10 gale, and as plasticky as inflight cutlery, but the System 8 is one of the best synthesizers around. More than that, it's just so well designed and so intuitive to use, especially for beginners. Its plugouts – Jupiter-8, Juno-106, JX-3P, SH-101 etc – let you bask in the warm glow of '80s nostalgia, yet its astounding internal sound engine is a modern classic. Roland's venerable System 8 (opens in new tab) wins the day though. It's the biggest bang for your buck here.Īt the other end of the price scale there's serious competition from the big brands, not least those mentioned above. Want even more fun? Then link it up with other Volca models and really get your groove on. Which is the whole point of making music. What it lacks in features, it makes up for in character and the opportunities it gives you to have fun. Korg's Volca Keys is a real blast for next to no outlay, and that's its true USP. Yamaha's Reface CS is a serious contender too, a fantastic beginner-friendly synth that's big enough to get your fingers around but small enough to take anywhere.īut there can only be one winner (OK, two). It's a similar story for the Moog Grandmother (opens in new tab). The brand-new Sequential Take 5 (opens in new tab) is perfect if you're set on that iconic Dave Smith sound and the prestigious brand name. If this were an awards ceremony, right about now as we break open the big gold envelope we'd be waffling on about the quality of the entries, how difficult it has been to decide on a winner and so on. Best beginner synthesizers: Our top picks Ready to get started? Take you pick from our list of the best beginner synths and get knob twisting! We've got some useful buying advice further down the page if you want to learn more, too.
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