Help a Newbie: Synth + Laptop

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I am just exposing myself to this technology and would appreciate some advice/explanation.

I have an old Roland synth (Alpha Juno 2) and I am trying to decide whether I need/want to replace it and what with. My problem at the moment is that a couple of keys are wonky and the shop doesn't even want to look at it because they're pretty sure the problem is bothsimple (a worn rubber pad somewhere) and fatal (no replacements available). But the other 59 keys work perfectly, so let's set that aside for the moment.

1. The synth has MIDI ports (in, out, thru). Is there some kind of MIDI-to-USB cable that I can buy for purposes of recording/controlling on the laptop? I ask because I've seen boxes that seem to mediate between instruments (keybs but also guitars, etc., ie., MIDI and/or audio in; USB out) and computers.

2. Assuming my Roland won't work out for whatever reason, is there any real reason at this point to buy an actual synth? Isn't the idea nowadays that you can just buy a USB keyboard controller and then have the "sounds" on your computer? If the answer is "just go USB" what do people recommend?

Thanks!

― mitya's new york minute (mitya), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 21:53 (nineteen years ago)

2. Point in favor of actual synths -- never, ever having to worry about latency.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 22:18 (nineteen years ago)

Get an M-Audio Uno. It's a simple cable that has USB on one end, MIDI in/out connections on the other. Every music store should carry them cheap.

― naus (Robert T), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 23:19 (nineteen years ago)

http://proaudiomusic.com/software/UM1-USB-MIDI-cable.htm

USB to midi cable

― subtle-t, Thursday, 30 March 2006 01:20 (nineteen years ago)

Okay, groovy. MIDI to USB resolved. So let's go with question two: synth or controller?

― mitya's new york minute (mitya), Thursday, 30 March 2006 02:27 (nineteen years ago)

Don't have any experience with USB keyboards, but years ago I remember reading about certain cheaper M-Audio units getting stuck notes. I don't know if this was a QC issue that's been resolved or not.

― naus (Robert T), Thursday, 30 March 2006 02:54 (nineteen years ago)

what kind of music do you want to play? if you want to trigger complex samples and stuff, maybe you want to go the controller route. if you want to make some electro-pop stuff, or just 'jam' more with hit, going for a synth might be better. jordan is quite otm; its always just more of a hassle getting controller-laptop setups in order

― hdjlska, Thursday, 30 March 2006 08:23 (nineteen years ago)

Keep the Alpha Juno. It's a cool synth, and it's basic sound is way better than software. Plus, you can still use it to trigger complex stuff on the computer. Win - win!

― jng (jng), Thursday, 30 March 2006 09:05 (nineteen years ago)

I don't follow Jordan at all -- surely you still have to worry about input latency if you're sending audio from the synth to the laptop! It's actually worse, in my set-up; sending MIDI to softsynths is way lower latency than sending audio in and getting it monitored back.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 30 March 2006 18:05 (nineteen years ago)

Really? I've never had a problem running synth > interface > PC (why would this be any different than mic input or bass DI?). Softsynths through an M-Audio controller were a nightmare, though.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 30 March 2006 18:27 (nineteen years ago)

> it's basic sound is way better than software

Way better than what software? The Alpha Juno 2 is not a bad piece of kit, but it's no classic and very limited in its abilities. I could name ten softsynths off the top of my head that would prove more inspiring to play.

― Palomino (Palomino), Thursday, 30 March 2006 18:37 (nineteen years ago)

Well, look, I'm definitely going to keep the Alpha Juno. But my guess already is that the two screwy keys are going to bother me. The sounds are fine for my purposes but it's certainly not something I'm too attached to.

I guess mostly I just want something that first plays well, and second will be reliable and easy to use (in terms of connectivity, etc.).

― mitya's new york minute (mitya), Thursday, 30 March 2006 19:39 (nineteen years ago)

Controller + Softsynths are fantastic IF:

- You have a very current processor (Pentium 4 3.0 and above or AMD Athlon 64 - pref 4000 and above)

- You max out the RAM - 2GB minimum (You'd be astounded how quickly a VST host and a softsynth or two can eat up all your RAM)

I started out trying to run softsynths on a fast celeron - it was a nightmare. I didn't have latency problems so much as I had motherboard chipset problems.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Thursday, 30 March 2006 20:21 (nineteen years ago)

Ok, cool - name ten softsynths that sound better than a Juno with nothing but a sawtooth wave + square sub going through a lowpass filter.

― jng (jng), Thursday, 30 March 2006 21:55 (nineteen years ago)

Really? I've never had a problem running synth > interface > PC (why would this be any different than mic input or bass DI?).

It's not any different -- I also get more latency on mic inputs than I get on MIDI in, whether I'm using a USB mic or running through my PCMCIA card! But I only ever have latency issues with one program, so maybe it's just something strange happening with my not-so-robust laptop setup.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 30 March 2006 22:34 (nineteen years ago)

cum on my face, alright?

― shandie, Wednesday, 5 April 2006 08:36 (nineteen years ago)

Can anyone tell me if the Arturia Moog softsynths allow for an audi-in for a guitar? Think Ash Ra Tempel/early Tangerine Dream. Thanks!

― jordache, Monday, 10 April 2006 01:52 (nineteen years ago)

jordache, you can use both the Modular and the Minimoog as an VST effect on a channel to process your guitar or any other input.

― Good Dog (Good Dog), Monday, 10 April 2006 07:55 (nineteen years ago)

three weeks pass...

Buy A Mac Powerbook. The PPC versions are cheaper now. You'll thank me later.

― analretentive, Thursday, 4 May 2006 21:16 (nineteen years ago)

+ Cubase or Logic for all your VST/AU needs

― analretentive, Thursday, 4 May 2006 21:18 (nineteen years ago)

mitya, I don't suppose you know any way of restoring the AJ2's presets? or how to recreate the "what the..." (hoover) sound, anyway . . .

― etc, Sunday, 7 May 2006 13:39 (nineteen years ago)

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