Music is an essential part of life. It’s a form of art and the greatest thing ever created. Can you even imagine a world without music? A world without instruments and incredible vocals aligned in a 4-minute masterpiece? Instruments are of great importance for the music industry. It wouldn’t exist without them, especially the synthesizer. It is considered to be one of the most important instruments because it is suitable for every music genre.
What is a Synthesizer?
The synthesizer is an electronic instrument, therefore the sounds it produces differ a lot from the sounds of an acoustic one. It works with an electronic generator and artificially reproduces sounds. The musical keyboard was developed to answer the needs of musicians and composers that wanted to be able to create and work with broader sounds.
With the synthesizer, one can make basic tones but also all kinds of overtones that can’t be made with acoustic instruments. In a way, acoustic instruments limit the artist. There’s a definite amount of sounds that a person can create with an acoustic instrument. Opposite of that, the synthesizer gives limitless opportunities. This is one of the reasons why musical keyboards nowadays are the most important and widely used instruments for music production.
There are a lot of different types of synthesizers for different budgets. You can buy a synthesizer for sale, go for the newest models or try working with a vintage one. Either way, this instrument is a real game-changer and it can help you make incredible music.
The synthesizer first became popular in the 70s and 80s. Since then it is on the top of the list of must-have instruments and this doesn’t seem like changing any time soon.
How Many Types of Synthesizers are There?
Synthesizers are either digital or analog. But, aside from that, they can be divided into many categories. You can come across desktop synthesizers, arranger keyboards, polyphonic synthesizers, monophonic synthesizers, vintage synths and keyboard workstations. What you end up choosing depends on how and for what you plan on using the synthesizers. Each music keyboard has its own pros and cons.
Desktop Synthesizers
These are ideal for people that don’t have much space to spare for a full-size synthesizer. Although smaller, desktop synthesizers are just as functional and also suitable for live performances. Compared to the regular synths, the desktop ones are more mobile and easier to transport from one place to another. When it comes to features, desktop synthesizers have exactly the same features as regular synths do, so you won’t feel any difference regarding that.
Arranger Keyboards
These keyboards are primarily meant for live performances. And compared to all the other types, arranger keyboards are considered to be ones that have more functions. So, if you need a keyboard that can give you more, this one is the right choice for you. Musicians benefit a lot from arranger keyboards because of all the opportunities they offer. Arranger keyboards can produce more than 2000 different sounds. They have a lot of build-it styles from which you can choose and are great at style conversion.
Polyphonic Synthesizers
What is polyphonic synthesizer? It’s one that allows for two or more notes to be produced simultaneously. With this synth, you can combine notes, play them at the same time and create rather complicated and unusual sounding music.
Monophonic Synthesizers
The monophonic synthesizer is the complete opposite of the polyphonic one. It can only produce one note at a time. And precisely this is the reason why monophonic synths are smaller and cheaper too. They don’t have that much to offer. What are monophonic synths used for? Producers use them to create music, naturally, and choose them because they are very simple and efficient.
Vintage Synths
Vintage synthesizers tend to be pricier than all the others because of many reasons. They are more difficult to make, contain pricey components (since they’re analog) and also because the demand for those types of synths is greater. But for the money you get a valuable instrument that’s durable, produces clear sounds and incredible music and looks amazing. These synths are vintage music tech icons.
Keyboard Workstations
Keyboard workstations are equipped with more effects and allow the composer more freedom for artistic expression. In the keyboard workstation, you’ll find everything you need to create a whole composition on your own. With it, you can record original sounds and reproduce them later to create something unique.
How Much does a Synthesizer Cost?
The price of the synthesizer depends largely on the model. As I mentioned before, vintage synths are expensive and so are polyphonic ones because they have a higher quality and are equipped with all sorts of features and effects. This doesn’t mean that cheap synths are no good, you’ll just have to work with more basic and fewer effects. On the other hand, you can try and find a good synthesizer for sale and save money that way. It’s not unusual to find good deals on quality synthesizers.
Then again, take into consideration that a synthesizer is very important for music production and it’s worth investing money in it. After all, you buy it once but use it for years and it’s worth every dollar.
The Benefits of Learning to Play a Synthesizer
If you don’t know how to play a synthesizer already, you’ll want to learn after hearing about all the benefits. Playing an instrument, in general, is a good thing, but the synth is on the top of the list because it helps with the development of motor skills and it activates both sides of the brain in the person playing. Playing on the synthesizer can help you further improve your aural awareness and help you understand sounds and music better.
There are also studies that show that people that play the synth have better health, normal blood pressure and heart rate, a healthy heart and an impeccably working metabolism. It doesn’t matter how old you are. It’s a good idea to start playing and feel the benefits first-hand regardless of your age.