Synthesizer, USB audio interface, MIDI controller - Novation's Xiosynth does it all, and at a very reasonable price. Novation's Xiosynth is several products in one. It combines a flexible MIDI controller keyboard, an eight-voice polyphonic synth with on-board FX, and a two-in two-out USB audio interface, in a very competitively-priced package. The Xiosynth is available in 25-key and 49-key versions, which are identical apart from the number of keys (we'll be focusing on the 25-key model in this review).

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The 25-key version measures 468mm x 68mm x 190mm — about the same amount of desk space required for a full-sized QWERTY keyboard. The Xiosynth features a high-quality 'semi-weighted' keyboard (just like Novation's Remote LE) that feels nicely solid and responsive. Like the Remote LE, and unlike Novation's more expensive controllers, it doesn't provide aftertouch sensitivity, but the internal synth engine does respond to aftertouch data. The top panel is home to 14 knobs (13 pots, one rotary encoder) and a couple of dozen multi-function buttons, whose meanings change according to which of the Xiosynth's modes you're working in. There's also a two-line by 16-character LCD with an attractive blue backlight. At the left-hand end of the keyboard there's a combined pitch-bend and modulation joystick, and an X/Y touchpad reminiscent of a laptop trackpad.

The joystick is spring-loaded in both directions, and this is not adjustable (Novation's more upmarket controllers allow spring-loading to be disengaged for forward-backward modulation movements). Moving on to the back panel, there are two audio inputs: one quarter-inch jack and one XLR, the latter supplying phantom power (12, 24 or 48 Volts) to condenser mics that require it. Four additional quarter-inch jacks are provided for stereo audio output, headphone output and for attaching a sustain pedal (not supplied). There's one standard MIDI output, but no inputs. A standard USB connector is used for data transmission, and can also be used to power the unit. Another socket allows a 9V DC adaptor to be used instead, and this adaptor is supplied — although the review model came with a two-pin mains plug and required the use of an adaptor in the UK. The unit can also be powered by six 'AA' batteries, and a three-position power switch allows you to select USB power, battery or external DC current, or to switch the unit off.

The Xiosynth ships with the brief Getting Started Guide, which is little more than a brochure, and a resources DVD-ROM. On the DVD there's a PDF version of Getting Started Guide, and a PDF of the more detailed User Guide. It's a pity that a proper printed version of User Guide isn't included, as the Xiosynth is complicated enough to send new users running for the manual fairly frequently. A series of video tutorials is also included on the disc. These tutorials are well made and well presented, but don't go into much detail. It seems as if Novation have decided that, since most users don't bother with printed manuals, their efforts are better focused elsewhere. They may be right — but I still would have liked a printed a manual.

The Xiosynth can be used in two distinct modes. In Synth mode, it works as an eight-voice polyphonic, monotimbral synthesizer. In Play mode, it works as a flexible MIDI controller, very much like the Remote LE. In addition to the basic Play and Synth modes, the Xiosynth also has a couple of 'hybrid' modes, which allow you make more selective use of its MIDI control and synthesis capabilities.

For example, you might choose to use the keyboard and joystick to control the internal synth, while using the Xiosynth's knobs, buttons and touchpad to control MIDI software or external hardware. Or you could set the internal synth to be triggered by data from a MIDI sequencer, while using the Xiosynth's knobs and buttons to control other external parameters. As with the Remote LE, templates are the key to getting the best out of the Xiosynth's MIDI control capabilities. A template is a kind of patch or program consisting of a collection of knob and controller assignments, and a number of preset templates are provided, tailored to suit the parameters of a number of popular instruments, plug-ins and applications.

A complete list of these can be found on Novation's web site. To control a V-Station plug-in, for example, you can simply select the 'V-Station' template and the Xiosynth's knobs and buttons will be instantly mapped to the appropriate V-Station parameters. When you want to control another instrument, just switch to a different template. You have plenty of flexibility to create your own templates, with almost every aspect of the controller's behaviour being adjustable.

The assignable knobs and buttons can send every conceivable form of MIDI data, and the exact behaviour of individual controls ('Jump' and 'Pickup' knob modes, for example) can be easily altered. Up to four different target parameters are assigned to the X/Y touchpad alone, allowing for all kinds of creative experimentation.

New templates can be created, edited and stored without too much difficulty from the Xiosynth's front panel. Novation also provide some simple template-editing software (for Windows and OS X) which makes editing templates somewhat easier. Note that this software is only used for editing MIDI control templates. It does not provide a patch editor for the Xiosynth's internal synth engine (although a basic patch librarian is included). Behind the scenes, the MIDI functionality of the Xiosynth is almost identical to that of the Remote LE (see the Remote LE review in the October 2006 edition of SOS), so there's no need to go into too much depth here. In 'Synth' mode, the Xiosynth is a three-oscillator subtractive synth.

The synthesis engine is apparently derived from Novation's more up-market X-Station range, although somewhat simplified. The Xiosynth is eight-note polyphonic, but monotimbral, meaning that only one patch can be played or triggered at a time. The three oscillators each offer a choice of four traditional 'analogue' waveforms (Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth, Square/Pulse), four noise types (White Noise, HP Noise, BP Noise, HBP Noise), and nine sampled waveforms (Organ, Harpsichord, Elecpiano, Slap Bass, 'Rhod' Piano, 'Rhod' Tine, 'Whurly' EP, Clavinet and 'Ana' Bass). The sampled waveforms are a nice addition.

If you dial up the default 'init' patch and switch the oscillator waveform to 'organ', you'll get something that sounds quite a lot like a playable organ patch right away! The others are a bit less forgiving when heard 'raw', but they're very useful as harmonically interesting starting points for creating new patches, which is really what they're for. The oscillators can be configured in several different ways, in addition to the basic layering and mixing you would expect.

Oscillators 1 and 2 can be either sync'd or ring modulated, to create a wide variety of metallic, discordant tones and textures, and Oscillator 3 can be frequency modulated by Oscillator 2, for yet more tonal variation. The starting phase of each oscillator can be adjusted, so you can choose whether the waveform starts from zero with each note-on, or picks up from later in the cycle. Another interesting feature is 'VCO Drift' which, when activated, causes the oscillator to drift slightly out of tune, in an imitation of an overheating analogue synth.

The oscillator output is passed to the filter section, which is a single multi-mode (high-, low- or band-pass) resonant filter, switchable between a 12dB and 24dB filter slope. In addition to the standard cutoff and resonance parameters, there's also a filter distortion control for adding extra 'grit', and a 'Shape' control, which boosts harmonics and emphasises filter distortion. There are two LFOs: LFO1 modulates oscillator parameters, while LFO2 modulates filter parameters. Both can be sync'd to external MIDI clock. In addition to the usual sine, sawtooth and sample-and-hold waveforms, there are some more outlandish options, including 'Chromatic', 'Major Modes' and 'Major Seventh', which can used to trigger scale patterns from a single note.

The envelope section features a straightforward ADSR amplitude envelope and a modulation envelope that can be patched to oscillator pitch, pulse width and filter frequency, with independent settings in each case. Finally, there's an Attack/Decay envelope, which is used to modulate Oscillator 3, thereby controlling the FM amount. X-Gator is a 'trance gate' effect that rhythmically mutes or attenuates the synth's volume, to create stuttering, fluttering patterns. It's driven by an internal 32-step sequencer, which is presented as a small, two-row bar graph in the Xiosynth's LCD, where the level of each step can be adjusted independently. The X-Gator can be sync'd to MIDI clock, keeping things in time with your host application.

The Arp is a flexible arpeggiator, which can also be sync'd to MIDI clock. Its output can be quite complex, playing sequences of ascending, descending and random patterns, spanning one to four octaves, following any of 32 preset rhythmic phrases.

The arpeggiator can drive the internal synth engine, external MIDI sound sources, or both together. Finally, there's an Effects section, providing a simple but effective stereo multi-effects processor, offering Delay, Reverb, Chorus/Phaser, Distortion, EQ and auto-panning. The effects are all fairly basic, but sound good and allow a reasonable amount of editing. The Xiosynth comes with 200 preset patches, divided into two banks. There are no distinct 'user' patch locations, so storing your own creations means overwriting the presets. However, the patch librarian function in the template editor makes it easy to back up and restore banks and patches, so nothing need be lost forever. The presets provide a pretty representative sample of the sounds the synth is best.

Big, fat 'analogue' basses and leads are very much in evidence, many of them making good use of the distortion available in the filter and effects sections. Producers of harder-edged dance and electronic styles will find plenty to enjoy. There are quieter, gentler sounds on offer too, including some very nice pad sounds, ranging from straightforward synth strings to much more complex, evolving, ambient pads. Some of these are genuinely atmospheric and do a good job of demonstrating the range and quality of results that can be achieved with careful programming. There are quite a few single-hit percussion and FX sounds thrown in too, including a couple of quite convincing imitations of vintage drum-machine sounds. There's also a handful of patches that demonstrate the kinds of repeating rhythmic and melodic patterns that can be produced by experimenting with the Xiosynth's Arp, X-Gator and LFOs.

Although I did struggle a bit at first, once I'd had a chance to get used to the system of menus I enjoyed programming new patches on the Xiosynth very much. It's easy to come up with good, solid, useable sounds, and digging a bit deeper can result in some interesting surprises. Time spent learning the ropes does pay off. The Xiosynth's capabilities as an audio interface are basic, but nonetheless useful. The quarter-inch input can be used for guitars, basses, dynamic mics and so on, while the XLR is suitable for condenser mics. The phantom power voltage is switchable down to 12 or 24 Volts, so if you're using a mic that can get by on less than 48V, you can reduce the overall power consumption slightly (which might be a useful bonus if you're running the Xiosynth from a battery-powered laptop).

When in Play mode, and connected to a USB port, the Xiosynth's synth output can also be recorded directly across the USB connection, simply by selecting 'Xiosynth' as the recording input in your host software. The stereo quarter-inch line outputs are straightforward enough, and have their own level knob on the front panel. These outputs can be used to monitor the internal synth sounds and the output of any software that has Xiosynth selected as its output device. The Xiosynth may not be a do-it-all workstation, but it's a surprisingly flexible synth, capable of satisfying warmth, grit, and texture.

The MIDI-sync'able X-Gator and Arp functions are good fun, and offer some interesting creative possibilities. Novation have done well to cram so much into such a small package — but in doing so they've inevitably had to make some compromises. The Xiosynth's panel is small, a bit cramped, and can be confusing for a new user. Each knob and button seems to have at least two different functions, and many of the synth's more interesting features are hidden away in menus accessible only via the clear and brightly lit but undeniably small LCD screen. To be fair, the layout is quite logical, and the most important parameters are quite easily tweakable.

Even so, this is not a synth where a patch's settings are visible at a glance. When you want to fine-tune things, you have to go digging in the menus — and possibly reaching for your print-out of the PDF User Guide. While I'm being critical, I also can't help feeling that there are a couple of missed opportunities in the Xiosynth's design. What we have here is a synth with two built-in audio inputs, a good internal effects processor and nice, fat resonant filters. If you're a regular Sound On Sound reader, chances are that a question will already have occurred to you. The answer is 'no': it isn't possible to process external signals with the Xiosynth's effects or filters.

These criticisms do need to be seen in context, though. While its interface may be a little opaque, this is simply a consequence of the Xiosynth's extremely compact and portable design. It may not offer every single feature on my personal wish-list, but it's very reasonably priced and certainly offers a lot for the money.

Novation Xiosynth £229 pros. Nice semi-weighted keyboard. Assignable knobs, buttons and X/Y touchpad. Good-sounding synth for leads, pads and basses.

Audio interface with switchable phantom power. Compact and portable. Cons. The user interface is a bit complicated. No processing of external signals.

Summary Novation give you a lot for your money with the Xiosynth: a powerful, compact MIDI controller, a good-sounding analogue-style synth, and a useable USB audio interface with phantom power. It all works as advertised, and if you're looking to build a portable or compact computer-based studio on a budget, it might be just what you need. All contents copyright © SOS Publications Group and/or its licensors, 1985-2017. All rights reserved. The contents of this article are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, whether mechanical or electronic, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers.

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I'll have to listen to those Mopho MP3s tomorrow on the good PC because they'll sound dire through this laptop, but I'm looking forward to checking them out. Sounds like you're happy with it! I've broken my no more eBay rule already and now I'm going to have to apply myself quite firmly, bargains or not.

I've now got a Casio VL-Tone, which was pocket money priced and is pretty awesome - it was Casio's first keyboard and Trio used it on Da Da Da, and it has a surprising list of famous users for such a tiny, noisy cheese machine - the 'Fantasy' preset is considered a minor classic. But it also has hidden depths - mental hidden depths. It has a calculator mode, which is good enough as it is, but you can also program the monophonic synth voice by storing an 8-digit number in the calculator memory, with each digit setting a specific parameter like voice, attack, decay, vibrato, tremolo and so on. High levels of the last two can lead to some unexpectedly complex sounds, especially with the computer sound waveforms which are rhythmical and tempo-locked.

It remains a novelty item for the most part but it's an interesting and inexpensive piece of synth history, and the programming mode is unusual and oddly rewarding (raising a 'parameter' by 2 requires performing a calculation, literally!). Also if you're using the internal speaker it's the perfect size for muting with the palm of your hand for a poor man's filter sweep. And it came in its original leather-effect slipcase, too!

And then in a slightly less budget-conscious development, but too good to pass up, I got a nicely priced Jomox T-Resonator - a stereo delay / reverb unit with crazy feedback and cross-modulation options and a really nice filter for each channel. The various videos of it convinced me it was too good to pass up - its self-oscillation noises in themselves will be worth it.

But that has to be it now, I don't care if someone tries to flog an 808 for £15 on the work notice board. I've broken my no more eBay rule already and now I'm going to have to apply myself quite firmly, bargains or not. I've now got a Casio VL-Tone, which was pocket money priced and is pretty awesome - it was Casio's first keyboard and Trio used it on Da Da Da, and it has a surprising list of famous users for such a tiny, noisy cheese machine - the 'Fantasy' preset is considered a minor classic.

That was my first 'proper' electronic keyboard - we had a Stylophone, a Major Morgan and some bright orange toy thing with animals on it, but they don't really count. My school had one, and my first year juniors teacher was also the school's music teacher and pianist for hymns during assembly. All the school's musical instruments were stored in a cupboard at the back of her room.

I used to enjoy the glockenspiel and xylophone (glock for preference) and then one day she pulled out the VL-Tone. It didn't have proper keys like a piano, and none of the other kids knew what to do with it - they'd hit it with the glockenspiel mallets.

I sat with it, started messing around and it became 'my' instrument for the rest of the year. My teacher mentioned it to my parents at a parent-teacher conference, and they bought me a Yamaha PSS-130 for Christmas. I played with that for a few years before I was upgraded to a couple of different Hohners (Casios made under license, I think. I know the second one was a PSK-75, because I've still got it somewhere). I started taking keyboard lessons, discovered electronic music and, well, here I am. And it all started with that VL-Tone. That was a very bloggy post.

Anyone else want to share how they got started with their gear lust? It seems you suffer from GAS quite a bit. This is true on every level, but usually I'm quite good at simply window-shopping, I've just had an unfortunate run of reasonable luck recently gear-wise, and it's been one of those situations where having Thing A makes it extremely tempting to get Thing B. I'm doing my best to put a lid on it now, though - I've deleted much of my eBay watch list and I'm reminding myself I have to sort out Christmas presents etc. I'm going to have that clearout too, as God is my witness. But you're right, I'll just have that clearout and then gradually start picking things up again.

All part of the fun, though. I started with a complex PSS780 which had the joystick device and midi, although i never used the midi. After being into C64, Electro/Hip Hop and techno music, i heard rave and thought - i could piss that music. So i bought a Roland W30 and started doing sample based tracks - although at no point in my life did i ever learn anything about music (or release a track). I built my studio around an old Mixer, BossSE70 effects unit and a Yammy rompler but it all got stolen After that i went computer based. I've been through mine before here - Amiga initially with Octamed, got a MIDI interface for that with a simple piano-roll sequencer and then picked up a PSS keyboard in a junk shop, which had some rudimentary FM synthesis. Then spent a couple of years buying and trading in a variety of el cheapo bits and bobs by necessity, which gave me a decent grounding in assorted techniques and probably also got me hooked on trying out new stuff.

The most instructive phase was when I was trying to emulate analogue sounds without really knowing what they were or having any kind of suitable equipment. I remember adding modulation to one of those PSS FM patches by routing it through my parents' old Amstrad hi-fi and manipulating its graphic equaliser. I started with an Amiga 500 with ProTracker.

Got my first keyboard when I was 18 and while it wasn't a proper synth, it was nice to be have a proper sound generator and learn MIDI. My first real synth was a CS1x I bought about a year later. Then the Amiga went out and I started using the Silicon Graphics computer I had at the time as a multitrack recorder, creating using the CS1x for sounds and a RM1x as sequencer.

Then I expanded with a FS1r for better sounds and a AN1x for analogue style sounds. Then I ended up in a bit of a honeytrap when I went to live with my girlie and had only a shitty room for my stuff and hardly any inspiration. I didn't do much for a couple of years, but always kept my stuff with the idea I wanted to return to it.

This moment came about 2 years ago, when my interest was rekindled and I also had the means to expand a bit. So in the last two years I bought loads of stuff and sold some of the older stuff. Of my 'first batch' of stuff, only the FS1r remains, the rest has been traded or sold for better equipment. I started with a Bontempi Reed Organ! It had a fan to make the sound by forcing air through the reeds and there were chord blocks on the left. It's polyphony was limited, but not in the usual way.

If you pressed down too many keys the fan didn't have enough 'puff' to push air past every reed! By the way I'm 32, not 82! Here's a pic of the one I had After that I had a Bontempi monophonic kids keyboard, then a Technics SXK 100 and then a Casio HT 3000. I'm looking to buy a DX100. Anyone got one and willing to part with it?

I've already got the rackmount version of the DX11, the TX81z, but the DX100 is dinky and cool. The DX100 is cute enough but a TX81Z widdles all over it feature-wise. I'm sure you're aware of that, though, and sadly I don't have one to offer you. I do track the DX synths on eBay because I'd like to have one again, but they rarely seem to end up going cheap these days. The Sound on Sound readers' ads are a better bet for that kind of thing, I think, or local music shops if you have any.

Maddeningly the best DX bargains seem to be on DX7s, which would be great if the reason wasn't that they tend to be collection only, and I'm not in a position to drive around the country picking up enormous metal synths. Just as well. It'd be so cool to have a DX orchestra with all the major keyboard models, though, and do some stuff exclusively with them. Edit- cocking images off, link here: Your solution right here. Yamaha FS1r: FM synth module with Formant Shaping. Super powerful synth with pretty unique features like formant shaping.

Better sound engine than the original DX synths. Compatible with DX7 data format.

Onboard FX which sound great. Good filters. More operators and more algoritms. The most powerful hardware FM synth ever made. So fucking complex you need a PC editor to get anything out of it beyond the presets.

And largely unknown and unloved because it was a huge commercial flop. But oh my, isn't it great. Thanks for the replies chaps. The reason I'm after a DX100 is because I can use it as a mini controller keyboard, but still mess around on it without a laptop. Since my son was born 7 weeks ago my keyboard and racks have been put away (wont be permanent mind) and I don't really want a modern controller even if has more functionality. The FS1r does look very cool though.

By the way Napoloen and Rowan, you two have enviable recording setups. Napoloen you have loads of AMAZING stuff, esp the Dave Smith Prophet:wub. Rowan is there any vintage Roland stuff you don't have yet?

A 606, 707, 808, 909 AND a 303. Nice suggestion, that's a new one for me. I've been tempted by the more recent desktop module Yamaha made that I can't remember the name of, but it was essentially a DX groovebox with a 7-op FM engine. But in my case I need to investigate the Micron's FM features before I go down any other alley - it's only 3-op but you can then combine it with any of the other features such as the nice filter engines and the VA synthesis. The REAL solution is the TX816, eight DX7s in a rack.

That's just mental - potentially a 128-note polyphonic FM synth and 48 operators to see to - you'd have to be history's greatest madman to attempt programming it, but eight layered detuned FM bass patches playing at once would be. I don't know, it'd probably kick off the Rapture. By the way Napoloen and Rowan, you two have enviable recording setups.

Napoloen you have loads of AMAZING stuff, esp the Dave Smith Prophet:wub. Rowan is there any vintage Roland stuff you don't have yet? A 606, 707, 808, 909 AND a 303. Oh lord, I wish. I've got a 202, 303, 606 and 707.

Very nice but not quite making it on the drum machine side, and I won't be adding that extra 1717 for a long time. The Micron is actually smaller than the DX100, believe it or not, and makes a great standalone unit because it has multitimbrality, a percussion part and a sequencer.

A bit more money but not that much more and they don't seem to do spectacularly well on eBay at the moment. Plus it has full-size keys, despite being smaller, and can do some FM. The Microkorg is even smaller, but it has the mini keys. I'd love to understand FM synthesis.

The other types are relatively simple, but FM just blows me away. Its a shame as FM8 is really capable of some stunning sounds.

I think i can do what your on about - at least, i can open 8 instances of FM8. That's cheating. FM's not too hard, but I think FM8 actually makes it harder to learn than a regular DX synth.

You're using several standard sine waves (I'll stick with sines to keep it simple but some synths offer others) and at least one goes to the amp and makes a sound. The others either go to the amp to add voices or act as modulators on one of the other sines. 3 4 v v 1 2 v v -+- -amp- - Here's a four operator patch with sines 1 and 2 are going to the amp, so you have a two-voice sound. Sine 3 is modulating voice 1 and sine 4 is modulating voice 2.

The amp value of 1 and 2 obviously determine how loud the are, but the amp value of 3 and 4 determine how 'deep' their modulation of 1 and 2 is. If 1 and 3 are both set to 100% and set to 440hz, say, then you'll get something a bit like a raw square wave. Drop 3 to 0% and 1 will return to being a simple sinewave. Very, very basically you could think of modulation as FM's equivalent of filtering.

Lowering the amp of 3 would be like closing a low-pass filter in our basic setup above. You can also modify the pitch of 3, which in the setup above would detune 1 to varying degrees - of course these degrees can be quite extreme as you have a lot of scope for pitch variation. Then you can start applying envelopes and LFOs to any of the sines, so an envelope on 3's amp will create a simulated filter sweep, for example. Or apply a sample and hold LFO to sine 3's amp and it'll be like applying a s&h to filter cutoff on a subtractive synth.

Where it gets tricky and fabulous is in the modulation of modulators. 8 - 7 1 with 1 playing and 2 modulating 1, and take time to learn how manipulation of 2 affects the sound of 1, from subtle tweaks to massive changes, then you've got the core principles of FM synthesis and it's really just a matter of extrapolating them to monstrous multi-op patches. Yeah, good luck with that. Another good method of learning is to take an FM VST with some nice presets - FM8 or Abelton's Operator, say - and note the effect on the sound as you turn individual operators off and on.

When you've spotted the difference, check that operator's position and parameters and try tweaking them. I think a 4-op hardware synth like the DX9, 27 or 100 is the best learning tool - the 6-op synths and VSTs probably offer more power than is useful when you're starting out, though of course you can always limit them to fewer operators if you have the willpower. Nice suggestion, that's a new one for me. I've been tempted by the more recent desktop module Yamaha made that I can't remember the name of, but it was essentially a DX groovebox with a 7-op FM engine.

But in my case I need to investigate the Micron's FM features before I go down any other alley - it's only 3-op but you can then combine it with any of the other features such as the nice filter engines and the VA synthesis. I think the DX200 (because that's the unit you mean I think) isn't as uber as the FS1r.

Note that the used price of a FS1r is more than twice that of the DX200 too. It has some serious grunt under its bonnet. Compare the specs of the to those of the, it's quite a difference. Yeah, I'm sure the FS is a killer under the hood. The allure of the DX was the whole standalone package with the sequencer etc. I don't get on with rack modules so well - I never give them the attention they deserve, really. I got heavily into programming the 05R/W and Akai SGV01 half-rack modules but that was due to necessity at the time.

The only way to get any flexibility out of the Akai was to send a score of NRPNs at the start of a track to deal with the ghastly reverb presets and so on, and I ended up with loads of memorised digits. It was quite an alarming misuse of brain power really. I'm sure the FS is a lot more user-friendly than that but it's still better off with someone who's got a nice master keyboard and sequencer setup - I'd just waste it, like having a PS3 and only using it to play Krazy Ivan.

You got a point there. The FS1r isn't user-friendly at all, it's a complete bitch to work with. The PC editors are helpful, but even then it takes a lot of time to get anything decent out or even know what you're doing.

It literally has thousands of parameters to edit and when you start stacking stuff up it gets worse. However, those moments that you just dedicate yourself to creating a patch you can make it sing like you won't believe.

I don't think I'll ever sell it, even though it's now the oldest machine in my setup. Oh lord, I wish.

I've got a 202, 303, 606 and 707. Very nice but not quite making it on the drum machine side, and I won't be adding that extra 1717 for a long time. The Micron is actually smaller than the DX100, believe it or not, and makes a great standalone unit because it has multitimbrality, a percussion part and a sequencer.

A bit more money but not that much more and they don't seem to do spectacularly well on eBay at the moment. Plus it has full-size keys, despite being smaller, and can do some FM. The Microkorg is even smaller, but it has the mini keys. Thanks for the mini synth suggestions.

I'm gonna see what I can get cheap on Ebay. Oh and Rowan you're Roland collection is still amazing even if I did overstate the drum machine side.

606 hi-hats are my favourite. Yeah, hats + accent on the 606 is a very, very nice combination. On the subject of mini synths I've been going through the Micron tonight as I'm trying to figure out what I might be able to get rid of, and it has some pretty staggering depth that I hadn't explored.

The modulation matrix is massive - behind the pesky editing menu (and there are PC programs to do all that more intuitively) it has some great pseudo-modular options and some very useful tools, like a random mod source for each voice plus a global random source shared by all voices. It looks like you can also reassign the portamento data to any other parameter, which could be pretty mind-boggling. There are around 40 modulation sources and almost twice as many destinations, and you get to make twelve connections, though that includes standard stuff like velocity. The rhythm setups are interesting, too, especially for live tweaking - you create a kit from existing patches, and they all bring across their modulation settings for the two slider controllers. So when you move slider 1 it transmits a message to each voice in the kit and tweaks the associated parameter, which means that by setting your voice parameters carefully (or just trusting to blind luck) you can create beats that transform wildly with slider movement - have slider 1 controlling the kick's ring mod level, the snare's decay, the hats' filter cutoff and the rim's oscillator mix, for example. It's pretty remarkable and looks even more like the best option if you want an affordable, flexible hardware synth.

Many software developers use this kind of tools to test their projects before they are released. You should not use the numbers in any commercial transaction.

I'm going to try to do some stuff purely on the Micron with no mutlitracking, I think - maybe the song contest entry. Thanks for that Rowan. Micron is definitely on the short list, as is the Novation Xiosynth. But I already have a Novation SuperNova so I prob wont go for one at I'm sure they will sound similar.

The MicroKorg is out as well as its only 4 note poly which isn't enough for me. Those 4 notes disappear pretty fast with the more advanced sounds, too, because having two layers in a voice halves it. That gives you a choice of two oscillators and four voices or four oscillators and two voices, whereas the Micron offers three oscillators and eight voices.

The Micron also has a few more tricks up its sleeve for making basic patches sound more interesting without compromising the polyphony. Modern VAs will have better polyphony but will probably lack the price point advantage of the Micron. The Blofeld goes up to 25 voices but £300 only gets you the keyless module version. For some reason the Microkorg seems to remain more expensive than the Micron.

It can still sound great for sure, but I wouldn't sell it as a main or standalone synth. With the permission of the recipient, I thought I'd post up a message I sent yesterday aimed at recommending audio production software to someone approaching the subject for the very first time. I'd be very interested at hearing alternate views on things which I have opined in this. 'I imagine if you've contacted several people about this then you've probably already received a lot of contradictory advice and opinion. The truth is that there are hundreds of ways of approaching electronic music production using software, which is great if you know what you are good at because it means you can choose a program to suit your style and abilities, but if you're new to things then it can get very, very overwhelming very, very quickly. The most important thing in my opinion is to start using something that you are comfortable with and stick with it. Learn it inside out.

Learn how to get the most out of the limitations of the software, and learn what it is especially good at doing. This is a good approach because often people make the mistake of downloading every possible piece of software, softsynth, effect plug-in and add-on and then find their productivity and enthusiasm wanes because they have too much choice. A good exercise I like to practice is to compose an entire piece of music using just one instrument. Choose a synth, and then fuck around with it in so many different ways that it ends up generating pads, leads, bass - even rhythmic 'hits' you could call drums. It teaches you about your own skills and about the instrument you are using.

I like to think that adopting a similar approach when it comes to software choice will benefit you greatly - the problem is, which piece of software will you be most comfortable with? I think you have two options: Reason and/or Ableton Live. Not only are these both well supported, readily available for downloading (torrenting), supplemented by downloadable tutorials, and complimented by a very helpful user base, they also represent industry standard audio production software packages that will teach you about the basics of the fundamentals of signal routing, production techniques, audio manipulation - all the things that are involved in the process of creating a piece of music that you might not even think of considering initially. When I work on things, I often use both for different tasks, but I maintain that you should learn using one. If I were you I'd start with Reason. Although it is a steeper learning curve, in the long run it'll teach you much, much more that'll be more relevant to other software (and hardware) you might get to use.

Just remember to think of it as a piece of hardware too. Everything in Reason is based on reality: The software looks like a rack unit, at the top you have a mixer, underneath it you have a synth, or a drum machine or whatever you 'mount' in the unit. Flipping it over (looking behind it) shows you the wiring. Although this might sound horrific, it is really important in learning how and why a signal ends up where it does. It is really logical and you can even mess around with the cabling yourself if you are interested, perhaps by wiring a reverb unit into a compressor before wiring the compressor into the mixer to get the signal out, for example. A good tutorial (video tutorials are readily available on torrent sites) will guide you through it, but if you want you can just add units and mess around with the sounds they create and not worry about the wiring at all.

The main thing you need get to grips with as soon as possible is the sequencer. This is where the elements of your mix are 'drawn' into the software for playback as the playhead moves along the timeline. It is the fundamental aspect of every software application relating to audio that you will need to master. In Reason, it is very difficult to comprehend without help, so you'll need a guide here.

Again, there are many tutorials that'll walk you through it. Essentially, once you have the sequencing aspect down, you'll be writing little MIDI-based melodies and then patching different sounds in to the synth to play it in different ways, editing the automation (automatic volume adjustments, etc.) no problem, and brilliantly everything you learn here can be applied to sequencers in all other programs. You only need to learn it once. The sequencer is definitely where you need to concentrate your learning.

After that, the technology will become less of an obstruction and you'll be able to focus on getting your ideas down faster and more accurately than ever. In contrast, Ableton Live offers all of these elements in a more familiar software environment.

It is clip-based, so you create little clips of audio - four bars of bass might be a clip, a 32-bar drum pattern might be a clip, a synth solo might be a clip. These clips can be edited in the track view, and then arranged in the arrangement view to be played.

It is great, because it is very intuitive and learning on it can throw up loads of great surprises. Each channel can be assigned an instrument along with any number of effects, and then, within that channel, you build your clips - elements of the piece of music - one at a time to be arranged later in the arrangement view. For example, I might create a new channel, call it 'Bass', add a software instrument with a bass noise to it, add a reverb plug-in to the effects section, create a new 4-bar clip on it and then draw in the notes using MIDI (or 'play' them if I have a MIDI controller and the track is 'armed'). Very nice - it also has lots of VST plug-ins you can download freely over the Internet for things like reverb, EQ, limiting, etc., but also offers some of the most fundamental ones built-in as standard. If you want to put together something quickly, Ableton Live should be your weapon of choice.

It is easy to get to grips with (beyond the initial, obvious curve of learning what each button does) and has everything you need for some simple noise manipulation built into it. If you are more serious about this, fancy getting stuck in to some of the more conceptual noise mechanics and sound engineering principles, and ultimately produce better music in the long run, Reason should be your port of call. Like I said, I usually use primarily Ableton because I have everything I need inside it and know which elements of it work best (and I also have all my useful third-party tools built inside it), but I still use Reason for certain things, sometimes drums, always piano, etc., etc.

And there is no reason why you can't learn the other one further down the line once you've gotten to grips with your selected tool. Like I said; choose something and stick with it. There is nothing worse than being a 'jack-of-all' in this game - you won't ever create anything worthwhile. I'd like to know what you eventually decide and why; if you need any other help, the guys in the audio thread are fantastic and I'm pretty sure we are all happy to receive PMs with any specifics you might have.' Sounds like fine advice - I think the point about sticking to one thing initially and learning it inside out is a very good one, and it's interesting to consider it in this age of torrents.

Back when I had no money it's what I was forced to do - grab at something I could afford (ensuring I couldn't afford anything else) and then learn to live with my choice. I became very familiar with Octamed and could do all kinds of stuff in there.

These days I don't use it but the stuff I learned through necessity there has stuck with me. But when young people nowadays with their modern haircuts and mobile rap phones can just download whatever they fancy, that focus is probably lost. I think Reason is a good candidate for starting out too, for many of the reasons you mention. The signal routing side should be invaluable, and also the idea of bringing discrete machines together to do a job. I hate Reason's sequencer, though, I'd recommend Live for that aspect myself. But Live is all about manipulating waves, really, and I think Reason remains the better beginner's choice as an all-round learning tool. Was that for Palo Alto?

There's some very sound advice there. I started writing a similar post for his thread on Ask the Forum, but since I only really know my way around Reason it was difficult recommending FL Studios (hell, I still call that one Fruity Loops) Ableton, Cubase and so on.

My choice for good beginner's software was ReBirth. It's free, it's dead easy to use, and teaches a lot of concepts used in bigger and better software like drum programming, basic synthesis and constructing tracks from patterns. Everything you need is all in one package, and it works fine without a MIDI controller - even though you can draw in notes in Reason or use the Matrix pattern sequencer, I wouldn't like to use it without a keyboard. Plus, what you get in Rebirth emulates pretty much the exact equipment acid house was invented with. Maybe I'm showing my age, but playing with the first demo of ReBirth (back when it cost £100+, before the 909 was added), having the 808 kick and snare playing and opening up the filter on one of the 303s. It was magical, because I'd heard this exact sound so many times.

It's like playing with an arpeggiator, delay unit or vocoder for the first time. It's music history at your fingertips.