In the market for a synth...

So, I've been playing with Syntorial for a little while and I'm itching to get my hands on a synthesizer of my own.

Now, entering in the market for a synth, feels a lot like entering the market for a new computer. It feels intimidating and potentially expensive.

Googling "what should my first synth be" or "best introductory synth" is a fine start.

Looking on Youtube for Synthesizer information can be a mixed bag. Because, sure, there are videos giving tutorial and reviews but then it's really easy to come across videos like this:

Let's take a device with too many buttons for me to currently understand, and then get 9 of them...

Alright, not the best start.

Another route is to look for the highest rated synth on Amazon and then find a reasonably priced on and then go from there. At present, the one I found was the Akai Professional MPK Mini MKII. It's got 25 keys and drum buttons, and it hooks up to computers or iPads via USB and it's got good reviews too.

Now, I was about to press the buy button but, I thought I might try one of the local music stores and I'm glad I did. It gave me the chance to test a couple out to see how they really feel. 

There were a number of synths available at the store right down the street (Roots Music Shop) with competitive pricing no less.

When I started this post, I have made a single trip to the music store but between the first and second rounds of writing, I went ahead and got 2 devices: the Korg Volca Beats and the Korg Volca Keys. They were about $100 each but I traded in an old harp for some credit. 

I've been playing with them a lot since, well, yesterday. And I haven't begun to get the hang of them but they're a heck of a lot of fun. I think they're a good introduction to this whole world of instruments and I'll probably make a post on them individually in the future.

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