Questions about keyboards/synths (Very N00b warning)

[pretty.odd]

Hey so recently i have wanted to play keyboard just for fun (i have absolutley no knowledge about piano or anything) just to play along with my favortie bands. I did a little research and i find that some bands use synths. also. Im not even sure what that is lol but if i wanted to just get started with a beginner synth. or keyboard what direction should i head in?

Can i get one that connects to my computer? and if so what programs are good?

[TheSkyline]

Um.. synth is.. I can't really explain it. It's like asking what a guitar is..

It's a keyboard that makes.. electronic kind of noises? Google it or something.

Yeah you can get one that plugs into you computer, it's called a Midi Keyboard. You can use one in Garageband, which is free on macs (if you have one.)

[pretty.odd]

is an Midi keyboard good to learn on?

[TheSkyline]

Well... I guess. I mean it's the same thing as a keyboard, but you'll need a music program to play on it.

I would get a keyboard to learn on, there's no reason you would need a midi keyboard. Plenty of keyboards come with some kind of synth setting.

[CTMarshall]

I have the microkorg and its a cool little synth. It may be a little too much to start learning on, but if you can afford it without any prior knowledge, and want a pretty good synth, then look into it.

[CTMarshall]

also check out www.music123.com. I'm sure they have some nice beginner keyboards/synths.

[pretty.odd]

thanks man!

[Hyp]

Google "music synthesis basics"

Synthesis is the process of creating sound from one or more waveforms and being able to edit those waveforms in many different ways.

[brandnew741]

I have Yamaha Portable Grand keyboard I use as a MIDI controller along with Reason. Reason is a pretty good program with some good sounds. I also use an Axiom 25 MIDI controller by hooking it up to my computer via USB. So depending what kind of software you have, its a pretty cool way to get a lot of sounds.

[ReadyForAction]

an alesis micron or a microkorg are great synths to start on, if you were to tell us some of your favorite bands that use synths we could tell you what they use

[Bruised26]

I think a great synth for anyone is the Alesis Micron Synth. It's easy to use, yet many professionals use it (All Time Low, Gym Class Heroes, etc). It has many features and you can make your own setups (lead, drums, pad). I personally use it, and am very fond of it. If you want a more professional synth, check out a Moog (Motion City Soundtrack), but warning- they are very expensive. So for a beginner, I highly recommend the Alesis Micron!

As for a keyboard, I'd recommend a Roland FP-7 if you just want a really basic-easy to use one, that still has a lot of voices.