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Synth people, is it worth getting a MidiPlus MidiEngine for my little lad to mess with or is it better getting something a touch more expensive if only for better resale value?
He's currently using my bass guitar and a load of old pedals to make noises with but I'm not totally cool with him using the bass so my cousin has offered to lend us a midi usb keyboard. He's a bit of a synth nerd and doesn't have kids so all his advice is a bit advanced and a touch too involved right now.
He's only 4 so I don't want anything too complex / expensive though I suspect I'll end up messing with it too so it needs to be better than a £30 Casio keyboard.
Do you have an iPad? There are some pretty good synth emulators on there.
Though at 4, I'd have thought Garageband would be fine!
Something like the Microkorg synth? Can be had for about £200 on t'bay.
Got a great range of sounds, and infinitely tweakable. Pretty robust too, I gigged with mine for quite a few years.
Garageband is software, I'm after hardware.
He's interested in dials and keys and cables not computer screens.
He’s interested in dials and keys and cables not computer screens.
He's 4.
Sounds more like Dad wants some new toys!
You can get USB controllers that work with GB etc anyway.
Thanks for (in true STW style) not answering my question.
Thanks for (in true STW style) not answering my question
No, thank you (in true STW style) for the passive aggressive knobbishness.
No, it is not worth you spending a fortune on a hardware synth for a 4 year old, unless he is the reincarnation of Keith Emerson.
Happy to help.
To answer your question, the Midiplus MidiEngine doesn't appear to exist, so no, it's not worth it.
The Midiplus MiniEngine is 60 quid, so hardly a fortune.
Garageband would involve buying some kind of Apple hardware.
Pocket Operators entertain me:
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/teenage-engineering-pocket-operators
Something like a Korg Volca would be ideal, I'd probably go for the Volca Keys as it's a proper mini synth and pretty cheap, can be used with midi keyboards
Without wishing to also be accused of being a knob, soft synths / pad &loop apps are worth looking at. My kids get hours of fun out of Reason / Launchpad that apart from the physical sensation are damn good. I dare say you have a phone to at least try them out on, for spending nowt.
Think the MiniEngine just plays the GM tones so soft synths might be better for making squelchy noises .. I have some Ammoon pedals though and they've been good quality, be interested to know what its like if you give it a go.
Pocket Operators look cool but not sure how user friendly they are, yes its press and play but will it keep him involved?
I have been eyeing up the Volca stuff but more the bass one than the keys
I found the pocket operator both fiddly and difficult. While I didn't find it fragile I would expect the average 4 year old to smash it in about 5 min.
I had the volca bass keys, drums, and bass. They were easier to use than the pocket operator and looked a bit more robust. Still covered in fragile knobs.
The Korgs work best as a set- thats £300+
Main issue with software is all our computers are Linux and we don't have any tablets so getting any software to run is less than easy. Also as I said, he likes the physical aspect of it, strumming the strings and twiddling the dials. My initial thoughts were to just find an old lapsteel or similar but that's not proved a worthwhile route to go down.
Genuine advice, get a computer running Windows or iOS and a cheap midi controller, without a DAW you're fighting a losing battle, unless you want to jump into the eurocrack wormhole. He might like twiddling knobs but you need to be able to sequence things or you'll just end up with a load of incoherent phrases that will be gone as soon as you turn off the gear. Build up a small collection of synths and eventually a decent hardware sequencer or even something like a volca or beatstep pro.
Not fussed for buying a new computer thanks.
If he takes to it more seriously then I'll consider investing further cash and equipment for more capability but not right now.
Come on let's be sensible. A four year old needs nothing more than this.
Were those the ones that sounded like they were powered by a breathless geriatric? Fairly sure my mate had one.
I know nothing about such things but just looked up the MidiPlus thing out of curiosity. This was linked at the bottom of the listing:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/AKAI-Professional-MPK-Performance-Ready-8-Assignable/dp/B00IJ6QAO2
It's like £20 more than the MidiPlus and has a lot more proddybuttons™ for your anklebiter to make fart noises with. There's a lot of options around that price point in the Compare With list too.
Might be of use also: https://www.slant.co/topics/6067/~daws-for-linux
I thought the Akai was just a soundless controller so yeah lots of proddybuttons but no fart noises... unless I plug it into the computer and run software that I cant run.
I have synths - a small Eurorack system, a Make Noise 0-Coast, a Beatstep Pro and a Korg monologue. This is all due to a thread on here a year or so ago rekindling my teenage love of all things bleepy.
I also have a 4 year old (girl, although that isn't important here). I wouldn't let her use my synths yet - she will be allowed one day but at the moment they are too fragile and too complicated. The first one I'd let her use is the monologue. It's an awesome little synth and sequencer and self contained. Available for £205 at the moment, if you're serious on getting him a proper synth.
Alternatively: something like this would probably be better for a four year old: http://www.argos.co.uk/product/5401381
The Midiplus appears to be a general midi box - this means it will playback a stock set of sounds only. You won't be able to edit or create new sounds.
That Akai keyboard is just a controller - no sounds.
He has a basic Casio keyboard and is bored of it.
You won’t be able to edit or create new sounds
The sounds can be edited (live) by the keyboard functions such as sustain, octave up / down, no?
Perhaps I should rephrase my original question
"considering I've got a USB / Midi keyboard, what hardware box full of noises should I get?"
A DFAM obviously. 😉
I've played around with a mates Korg MS20 + MS50 expander. Lots of fun but old analogue hardware is a bit pricey.
Re Linux, have you tried JACK + ZynAddSubFX or one of the many other softsynths and effects racks - maybe not up to Steinberg softsynths or whatever, but still good fun - get a cheap midi controller keyboard with knobs for twiddling on it and good to go (something like an Akia MPK mini).
edit: ooop see the MPK has been mentioned already.
On the MidiPlus MiniEngine, you can play the sounds, as in playing notes, sustain, etc. but they have a number of presets, like the Casio. Programs 1-10 will be pianos, for example. You can't edit the pianos.
The monologue allows you to do the classic VCO->VCF->VCA signal chain that a lot of synthesis is built upon.
Something similar to use with your MIDI keyboard would be a Beringher Model D - which is a Mini Moog clone, without a keyboard.