Wanting to get a synth.

[teh_universe]

I've always liked Techno Rock, and I've wanted to get a synthesizer for a while. What exactly do I need? I assume just the synth, a looping device, and a keyboard amp, right? What synth would you recommended? The Korg microKORG looks okay to me.

[Squizz]

Do you play keys? If not, FL Studio is pretty powerful. It's free and tremendously easy to learnand use. Of course, you aren't really playing an instrument. But it sounds damn close. Other than that, there always seems to be inexpensive keyboards on craigslist.

[MobBarley]

I'd get something with 88 keys, honestly... if you're serious about music and not just making star trek noises.

[62' Jazzmaster]

I've always liked Techno Rock, and I've wanted to get a synthesizer for a while. What exactly do I need? I assume just the synth, a looping device, and a keyboard amp, right? What synth would you recommended? The Korg microKORG looks okay to me.

Dont bother with a keyboard amp, just get some good monitors.

Oh and the cheapest professional synth IMO is the Roland Juno at around $900US

I'd get something with 88 keys, honestly... if you're serious about music and not just making star trek noises.

Eh. Not really. 76 keys work great, you wont particularly miss the top and bottom 6 notes. 61 is when it starts to get a little restricting, but still offers an incredible range, better than a guitar actually.

[TeleTristan]

I got the MicroKorg... it's really fun. I don't really mind the small keys. It was $250 from Craig's List. The only other one I'm interested in trying is the Alesis Ion.

[Neur0t0xin]

Just thought I'd jump in and say that there's plenty of choice out there for relatively cheap.

For example, my ideal synth would be a Korg X50, but alas, right now I have no money.
Personally, I can't fault the X3 or X5, or if you want something with more all-round use, the Triton LE.
On Roland's side, though, the Juno D is a nice piece of gear, and equally you might find yourself looking at a Nord Lead (Lovely synths if ever there were).

It's definately worth looking around and playing whatever you come across to find what's 'right', like any other instrument. However, some of the best synths out there are older, and you may well have best luck in used gear shops.

As for speakers, some half-decent monitors will definately do you fine, as I'd assume you would use MIDI or a Line right into an interface for recording. With a digital synth (and this is my opinion), there's no real gain for micing up speakers whatsoever.

As for a looping device, a lot of workstation boards already have this functionality. From memory, the Triton does, for one.