#41

Live 10 suite is doing a 90 Day trial right now as well.

3 Likes
#42

Novation Circuit

Offers:

  • two six-voice polyphonic wave-table Nova synthesizer engines with 8 macro controls for each synth engine
  • a 4 part sample player with 4 drum controls per part
  • 3 sequencers for above with pattern chaining, back-lit RGB buttons
  • onboard effects and mixer sections
  • can be battery powered
  • Midi i/o over USB or midi jack
  • Browser based or desktop app (Electron I think) providing access to all synth parameters
  • mod matrix
  • a lot more

Circuit is a super fun, well built device with a workflow that encourages experimentation. It can be used as a “sketch pad” for ideas, a standalone “groove box”, multi tracked into a DAW, as a part of a larger setup, or turn down the volume and use it as a (battery-powered) class compliant midi sequencer and controller for your iOS or computer DAW setup.

I can’t speak enough good about this amazing little box. They go for as low as $200 and I think they retail for around $300.

I also own a Circuit Mono Station, which I purchased recently to pair with my Circuit. Novation offers them in their shop for $200 refurbished, and $250 new. It’s very fun paired up with Circuit.

Yamaha Reface CS

8 voice polyphonic analog modeling synth. I don’t own one of these yet, but I really want one and it looks like a great value.

7 Likes
#43

While I don’t think DIY is always as economical as it might seem, especially if you are just starting out or don’t have a deep knowledge of electronics, fixing gear you already own is a great way to save money.

I discovered a key on my MIDI controller had died today. A past self would have just become frustrated and sold the whole keyboard with everything else working for parts on craigslist. But after 3 hours, YouTube, and a bit of isopropyl the keyboard is good as new. Also saved tons of money just replacing bad pots this year.

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#44

Seconding this Guitar Center recommendation. I got a perfectly working Mackie 1402 14 channel mixer for 80 dollars. It was listed as “unpowered” which just meant I needed to buy a 5 dollars ac power plug. Some of the eq pots are a little scratchy which is easy to fix.

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#45

It may seem a bit counter intuitive but DIY rarely comes out ahead in money saving. When I was less experienced, I rarely considered the value of time I spent pursuing DIY builds. I think if you factor in tools (especially if you haven’t already invested), failures, shipping delays, troubleshooting, studying documentation (or lack there of) etc. the small costs, and setbacks, I rarely break even over a retail version.

That said, I am a continual DIY hobbyist and I am not planning to stop DIY builds. There is tons of value in it, understanding the technical aspects of the synthesizer, or contributing to an open source project/community. Also consider patronizing small synth builders directly (if it’s possible for you to do so)!

Not all DIY is made equal, my personal preference is to try and find projects with PCBs with SMD parts pre-soldered (this is after investing in work bench tools to do exactly this) The Norns DIY, and Fates DIY kits are examples of DIY done right.

I guess I would caution that “DIY will save you money” isn’t entirely accurate advice.

15 Likes
#46

For me in 2020 buying hardware music equipment can be looked at as a fetish mostly. I don’t understand why anyone who buys hardware would wanna “keep it cheap”. Kinda defeats the whole point.(unless thats your fetish)Stay on the computer no? Since I wanna touch and look at things thats not a computer then I want the good shit thats got outstanding design, vision and last not but not the least, sonic, aesthetic and tactile qualities that will fill me with desire to utilise and explore it for at least 10 years and ideally way more…

I want something I cannot get on a computer…but the call of the computer is getting stronger and stronger these days…theres so many forward thinking insanely creative approaches to new music creation in software land that im questioning how relevant it is to continue to pay heed to these desires of the discrete music machines territory as far as electronic/computer music goes.

When the computer can give you so much if you desire more than that I would go for something that a computer can not give me and that gets into a totally different territory…as i said before aesthetics etc…money no object to an extent off-course…

Like I totally get the vision of a proper software setup and then having something like n original arp 2600 as the only hardware synth and thats that.

Ultimately its not about any of this but about the music you desire to create and how you wanna have the most fun doing it.

An important line of thought that I feel is more important in our current era is “just because I can should I?” I dont understand why people are so thrilled with a market so flooded with cheap stuff as it makes no sense why anybody needs half the disposable crap being made brand new today and is gonna be outdated/outshined in less than 5 years. For eg: what purpose is there for a dedicated hardware tracker instrument thats almost the size of laptop? Did the designers think it through before deciding this needs to exist for the masses?

6 Likes
#47

My personal experience on ‘value’ and maximising it with my purchases:

  1. Have a project…my personal angle (coming from a music-as-worship background) has always been towards live performance, so if something doesn’t fit into that, then I tend to steer clear if I can.
  2. Tend towards things that allow for deep exploration. This is why I’ve focussed on kit like modular (software and hardware), the Synthstrom Deluge, incorporating field recordings into my music.
  3. Try and purchase multifunctional kit if possible - mixer or field recorder that is also an interface, a synth with a built in sequencer, etc.

That’s my feel anyway. Maybe the 1st is the key - with a project there is more focus on the process and less on amassing gear.

3 Likes
#48

I’m cheap. I like good deals. And I’ve found it to be a trap too, when you’re out there scanning for bargains, making deals and trading, shipping etc. Like food and eating, you need to learn when you’re full. Right, normally economy limits this, but it’s good to have a clear focus on what it is you do, and why.

For me it’s important to see that nowadays – kids/working full time – my most limited resource is time. I need to spend it wisely. Jumping on bargains might mean I will put time into reading manuals instead of creating. DIY, well as been said, not always cheaper and takes time.

I think the best advice was mentioned early on: Do with less. Limitations can be a blessing. They give you focus and having to make something simple work breeds creativity.

And since I don’t always practice what I preach, I buy used. To resell with no loss.

3 Likes
#49

I sort of agree and sort of disagree :slight_smile:
I guess a lot of lines readers are in reasonably well-paid jobs (no evidence, just a gut feeling). If you cost your time as if you were in your regular job, then diy probably isnt cost effective - agreed! If you only build one module and have to buy all the tools eg oscilloscope, bench psu, soldering station, etc etc then it wont be cost effective.
But, if you treat your time as hobby time/relaxation or try to cost it as learning time/gaining experience (eg I try to make sure that I understand the electronics and firmware, if it is open source, for everything I build) and build several (or lots) of modules then it can be very cost-effective. In material costs, you can end up paying less than 10% of the commercial module - I wont name modules!
I think I agree that the cost savings can be very variable and you should go into it with your eyes open but in terms of absolute cash leaving your pocket, the savings can be very substantial. But if you make mistakes it can cost more…

9 Likes
#50

I agree with what has been said above about DIY, but will also add that as rewarding as it is, it will also steal a lot of time from you that could have otherwise been spent playing music. This is important if you already find it hard to make room for music time.

Also, if you can buy a piece of gear second hand, you can often resell it once you are done with it, breaking even (or almost). This is often harder, unethical or downright not allowed with DIY gear. However, it’s true that if you find a DIY partner with whom you can split component (and especially PCB) costs, then it can indeed be cheap.

That said, I also would not trade the knowledge and experience I got from DIY music equipment for anything. Thanks to it I have been able to fix guitars/basses from friends who just needed a switch or pot replacement, as well as speakers with damaged jack sockets that would have otherwise been thrown away. A better understanding of the circuits and software that makes all these bleeps and bloops has definitely been super valuable to me too.

3 Likes
#51

so a few things:

be patient and wait for the offers. A lot of companies do regular ‘deals’ - I didn’t pay full price for Ableton or Soundtoys (you need to be patient with Soundtoys - buy one when they have a real cheap offer on single plugins and then keep an eye out for various deals - eventually you get an offer on the whole package :slight_smile: slow but well worth it)

The Arturia Microfreak and Modal Craft and Skulpt are really cheap for what you get - yeah not perfect but I’d have killed for synths like those in my youth :slight_smile:

Supercollider and PD - these are really powerful and in conjunction with a cheap midi controller you have a lot of flexibility in your hands

As others say - limitation is a key to creativity. These days I’m trying to narrow down my choices not increase them

9 Likes
#52

I was super happy to find that I’m able to use my old OWC Thunderbolt 2 Dock with my 2017 USB-C-only MacBook Pro via Apple’s Thunderbolt 3 (USB C) to Thunderbolt 2 dongle. I’ve got power and one dongle connected to the Mac, and everything else is connected to the dock, including my Motu Track 16, same as how I had been using it with my older mid 2015 MacBook Pro.

This is great because I thought I needed to pony up a couple hundred for a new Thunderbolt 3 dock, but the problem was solved with a $49 adapter.

Glad I was able to keep it cheap. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
#53

Just recently stumbled onto this site… fair warning, I found it on Reddit and have not given it a full look but maybe something useful in there.

EDIT: eh, looks pretty basic. Some good info already covered but consolidated in one place.

5 Likes
#54

On this front, I’d like to heartily endorse Renoise.

While it doesn’t ship with a ton of fancy soft synths, it does have support for vsts/aus that you can acquire elsewhere, and it ships with a very serviceable library of effects (imo, i don’t use any non-renoise, ymmv).

All the modulation options are super routable, the sampler is quite deep, there’s a huge library of community plugins, and it’s extensible as all heck if you don’t mind writing a little lua (good practice for your DIY norns :wink: ).

Probably not a great choice if you’re going to be tracking bands, but if you’re making weird electronic music and like working with samples, it’s a dream :slight_smile:

All this for the low low cost of $75 USD.

10 Likes
#55

Second renoise. It’s also amazing for sequencing vcv rack. I think you could probably do some really cool stuff with udp from ORca to renoise.

1 Like
#56

Third Renoise. I could never get into Ableton but Renoise always clicked for me. Its sample editor alone is worth the price and it only comprises about 5% of the application. I am a little sad that they nerfed the chorus in 3.x but there’s a hack to get the old one back :slight_smile:

1 Like
#57

Using my Raspberry Pi as a MIDI host was a bit of a costsave for me as well as a fun micro-project.

I’ve got a few bits of MIDI gear plugged into it and using a very small, very easy script, I use aconnect to get it all to talk to each other. I think those iConnectivity devices probably do a bit more than what I’m doing but they’re also quite expensive and maybe they even run on aconnect under the hood anyway…

I also use the Pi for several other things - it can handle quite a bit and doesn’t mind all the USB connections via a hub. I also haven’t detected any noticeable latency in MIDI messages.

4 Likes
#58

‘cheap’ can be a vague word, with a somewhat negative connotation.
‘affordable’ might be a better word(not that any of this bothers me nowadays, just that when someone called my parents’ ‘cheap’ long ago, i felt like defending their honor by saying they simply like to keep things ‘affordable’ and the person to whom i was speaking appreciated the difference in terms, and since have heard others think this is a more ‘respectable’ term too… it applies even here: i’m heavy into Renoise, but i don’t think of it as cheap(that same amount can feed a child for an entire month in many third-world countries), it simply holds good affordable value)… just my 2cents, though, not a big deal :innocent:

Along with Renoise, I’d say Reaper is also nicely affordable.
On a more general note, as it becomes more and more possible with newer tech, one thing that can help keep things affordable is to learn how to make digital hold similar quality to analog - artists like Autechre make it evident that the difference doesn’t even matter when you know your medium, add to that their ability to ‘compose’ well and it proves plainly that good song-writing is the most priceless asset.

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#59

Really good points ­— I mostly went with ‘cheap’ in order to make a good title. Maybe I’ll reword the post to make that more clear

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#60

Not to be too contrarian, but I’m a fan of the word “cheap”. On a related note, I adore Tom Ellard’s concept of fleacore.

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