Agent 8-Bit

Im looking into buying a synth, and want a good beginner synth(ive messed around with fruityloops and nanoloop at a friends, but ive never touched a real synth)

from what ive heard from friends and the internet, i should be getting something like the microkorg or alesis micron or something.

whats everyones opinion on this subject

tl;dr
need a synth, debating microkorg v. micron for beginners

im new here, so if this is in the wrong forum or something, my apologies.

Freebase Dali

Both the Micro and the Alesis are good enough for starters as they're very cheap, compact, and have enough capability to keep you entertained for a while.

Eventually, though, if you stick with it you might find them a bit limiting. The thing about synthesizers is you're either using them simply to use the sounds they have, or you're using them to create your own.
Both those synths will let you down in the creation department, but with the microkorg coming out on top with more superior editing capability than the Alesis.

If you're interested in cultivating your own sounds, you'll need to look into something that's programmable down to oscillator types, LFO, filters, etc...

Also note that neither of those synths are true analog synthesizers, but are analog "modeling", which is the equivalent difference between an actual Mesa-boogie tube head and a software modeling of one. So, keep that in mind if you're focused on specifics.

Depending on your price range, there are some very powerful synths out there that have enough depth to allow you to learn and grow with just that single synth, never fearing hitting a dead end in terms of capability and flexibility.

I can recommend some if you'd like, but you're generally going to pay upwards of 1,500 USD on even the lesser models.

Let me know what your price range is, and I'll see if I can't come up with something that fits.

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SATCHMO

Is the OP talking hardware or software?

I would go for a midi controller/soft synth combo. For the price you would pay for a hardware synth you will get a lot more versatility

Freebase Dali

The OP is asking about hardware synthesizers.

But yea, I would recommend midi keyboard / soft synth combo as well.
It's just really dependent on the application. If I were playing live, I'd rather a hardware synth.

Besides, if you really want some analog sound, you won't get it from a softsynth. But that's synth-purist territory right there.

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SATCHMO

You wont get it from Korg or Alesis for under 2 grand either.

If you have a reliable laptop and no latency issues a soft synth will serve just as well, unless of course you're going to be doing a lot of real time parameter tweaking.

Freebase Dali

That's what I said in my reply to him.
I'm still waiting for him to let us know what his application will be, because it's a factor.

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million dollar basher

I have an old Juno 6 Analog Poly Synth.

You can get get them pretty cheap on ebay, and they sound great. They're not as versitile as Moog products or some of the Korgs, but they have a signature sound that I'm personally a big fan of.

I ended up getting mine from a friend for $200, so I'm sure you can get them at the same price, if not cheaper.

Nicktarist

I myself like the Oberhiem (matrix 12 is probably the one you want if you have more money). I had a matrix 6 for a while, and was able to play around on a 12 at the University back in the day.

I wouldn't ignore the Juno 60 either. As for affordable synths, it is quite top notch. Juno 6 is pretty hard to find on ebay.

peace,
-nick

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million dollar basher

Yeah, I always wanted to get my hands on a Juno-60. They seem to be more versitile when it comes to recording and live sound. As it stands, I'm just going directly into my interface (sometimes with a compressor) with my Juno6.

That's one thing to address when looking for a synth.