No Subject

[mtune!homxc!reebs@rutgers.edu]

Re:   Synthesizers

From: Jim Reeber 
      (201) 949-5320 
      
Hi!  Glad to help out a fellow Bush-ite if I can.

The first thing:

	Identify your needs.  If your main interest is composing,
	analyze _how_ you compose.  If you sit at a piano and sing
	while picking out the chords, you're used to many things that
	you may not realize. (For example, the way the piano responds
	to your touch, the way it echoes in the room, the way the
	sustain pedal operates, the loudness of the piano, etc.)  If
	you're not used to singing with headphones on, you'll need an
	amp or PA (Tack on another 4 bills).

Secondly:

	Learn about the synth before you buy.  Buy a few issues of
	KEYBOARD magazine.

	Personally, I wouldn't buy a synthesizer that didn't have 
        the following characteristics:  

        - touch/velocity sensitivity: This means when you play softly
          it plays softly; when you play loudly, it plays loudly.

        - After-touch: This is good for sustained sounds (violins,
          trumpets).  Basically, after-touch allows you to control the
          sound (make it brighter, give it vibrato) by "leaning" in on
          the key after you play it.

        - MIDI (in, out, and thru): MIDI is the Musical Instrument
          Digital Interface.  If your synthesizer doesn't have MIDI
          (which I can hardly imagine), it's obsolete.

        Consult your yellow pages under musical instruments.  When you
	go there, test out some synths and really pick the salesman's
	brain (And ASK THAT "STUPID" QUESTION!!!).

	- Spend time deciding--it's your hard-earned money you'll be
          spending.

        - Don't feel obligated to buy there.  There's plenty of stuff
          available through mail order (Sam Ash [1-800-4SAMASH] is
          great for price comparison).

Third: 

	Be Choosy.

     	Nothing is a substitute for your own ears.  However, in the
        $800-1600 range, make sure you check out the Roland D-50, 
        Korg DSS-1, Casio CZ-1, Ensoniq Mirage and EPS, Yamaha DX-7. 
        On a budget, you can't afford NOT to be choosy.

Hope I helped.  Feel free to call.

Jim