Another good question I haven't thought about. No idea really what I would like to spend. I would like to keep it cheap at first and as time goes on I can always build up things more. I have no idea what is a normal price for a synth really. I would like something which with I can do several things so that I don't have to buy like ten things at once to be able to do something, know what I mean? I would like to keep my startup nice and simple and I can always expand later I think.

actually, i'm not sure if there is something cheap in general, all musician equipment is overpriced. if you need something "all in one" then you should use computer for that, that's the cheaper solution. with good software you'll get all what you need, i think. ask Ekko, maybe he can recommend something.

erm... i can't say it's cheap, but it seems you need few good  things: sampler, drum machine, and some good synth. i'm just not sure if you can buy only one synth to create whole music. how much of money you're gonna ruin for synth?

it depends what kind of music you're going to make, and what kind of function you want synth to do - synthesis or sequencing, etc.

the stuff ruined...

well... dunno why, but i uploaded a couple of my very old bullshit works.. actually it's my first steps in digital music that i did somewhere in 1998...

these tracks made with DEMO version of "music editor" for General Sound card for ZX-Spectrum.
before listening these tracks, remember, that i cound NOT do these actions because of bugs/demofunctions:

1. do any operations with samples (edit/load/save). i had to use samples from other module, or run to my friend and make there operations on pc.
2. copy/paste stuff
3. use more than 4 channels, it's hardware limitation
4. don't remember

some technical info:

ZX-Spectrum - 8 bit computer, originaly made in 1982 and had 48 kilobytes of RAM, 16 of ROM, 6 kilobytes of video memory (256x192x2 + 768 bytes of attribute coloring), 3.5Mhz.
I've got russian clone ZS - Scorpion 256k turbo +, 7Mhz, 49 HDD, 3.5 FDD, 5.25 FDD, General Sound card

General Sound - a musical card made in 1997 by russian X-Trade group, hardware Amiga mod file player for Spectrum-compatible machines. 38Khz, 4 channels, software interpolation, 512k of internal memory (128 in base model).

anyway, before downloading make sure you know what are you doing, because it's not actually great tunes or something, it's just my first experiments with really madly bugged soft and very limitted hardware. so, i undertake no responsibility if you don't like what you downloaded.

my first(!) digital track, used "oedipi children" or something mod samples, but there are some chem's samples and stuff:

http://tsd.urbankillah.com/temp/0.ogg

some experiments with Prodigy's poison:

http://tsd.urbankillah.com/temp/poison1.ogg
http://tsd.urbankillah.com/temp/poison2.ogg
http://tsd.urbankillah.com/temp/poison3.ogg
http://tsd.urbankillah.com/temp/poison4.ogg

some bullshit with samples from Wind It Up/Fire/Out Of Space

http://tsd.urbankillah.com/temp/expmix.ogg

all tracks are sampled directly from my Speccy, i was lazy to convert that stuff to proper mods... sorry. anyway, i ruined quality a bit to 112kbps ogg, so, files are not so big.

btw, it seems winamp sux, i mean ogg plugin for winamp sux, it seems some one advisedly made there some serious bugs, sounds like dirty provocations, anyway, i found a proper player that plays all files normally, much better than winamp to me in general:

http://www.quinnware.com/downloads/qcd-latest.exe

sorry for ogg propaganda, but it's really nice file format, it's just winamp plugin sux, but the format rox.

yeh, one more thing, about Ritm 2 examples, i think to make some demo track or something with using these sounds, coz i attached some overdrive and the sound really rocks, it may will be interesting, dunno yet.

Then you have a promo-synth, eh? ;-) Harr Harr!

lol... well... there were no any words like "promo" in USSR before 1995-1998. so, i think it just made in 1982 and so...

Sounds good

yeh, the synth rocks, Liam wanted to buy/exchange that synth when the Prodigy were doing gig in St. Peterburg. there were russian band Spirals at warm up and Liam liked the synth and he asked the band if he could get it, but it wasn't Spirals synth, they took it for a gig, because it's pretty rare synth, and Liam didn't get it...

I plan on buying a Moog Rogue soon (my favourite analog synthie), still saving up.

i got Ritm 2 (trans. as Rhythm) a couple of days ago, the sound is very similar to Moog. i just finished to repair the synth (it's 20 years old stuff), so, now it works and looks like new one, i'm really happy actually, the sounds is really awesome, really great. i'll attach distortion effect processor tomorrow i think, heh, i hope i'll get a really raw sound. i can upload a couple of examples, but anyway you can check that stuff here
http://www.ruskeys.net/eng/base/ritm2.php

btw, it seems there is a little mistake, there says the synth created in 1984, but my one is manufactured in 1982...

The Karma is a nice instrument...

yeh, it seems it's a good synth... but i need to see and touch it to understand what are you talking about. maybe i'll get a chance to find and see some Korg's Triton and EA-1, i just found some dude around who owns these ones.

Mhm, I renounce to ban myself.
Besides, I talked bull anyway, I still thought we were in your offtopic-area, so I didn't offtopiced anything, *mwuahahaha*
Okay.

i'll comeback to my area and kick ya arse there!

Only programms I know are Buzz, Modedit, Modtracker, Fasttracker the best tracker in the mid90's, Ultratracker.
Of course they are all very very old, but fun anyway.
Yeah, you caught me, this was just namedropping, in fact I

goooooood morning, Vietnam!

today we'll talk about modules. i know there are only 2-3 persons who knows about it here. but anyways...

yesterday i found that new mo3 encoder is out and that stuff rocks! plus, new version of xmplayer.

okay, if you don't know what is "mo3" means...

mo=module, 3=mp3. and whole mo3 means a module (xm, mod, etc) with mp3 packed intruments. so, it makes modules very small in size, but with a good quality.

in new version of mo3 encoder we've got ogg support and stuff...

i've checked the packing, and that's really cool. i've tryed to pack my most big module (remix of Carmen Queasy) it's 58 megs, and it's became 5 meg in mo3, but sound still not bad, and the file is still editable, because you can freely unpack mo3 back to xm.

secondly, xmplayer - really cool, small and nice. the only things isn't so good is playlist navigation, but anyways, the player is great.

and all that stuff is freeware!

http://www.un4seen.com/music/

I agree!!!

of course, you speak russain, as i remember  

Ekko, forgive him  

oh yeah... i forgot....
there are some base directX plugins...

http://www.permonline.ru/%7Esitnikov/acid_fx/fx1.ziphttp://www.permonline.ru/%7Esitnikov/acid_fx/fx2.zip
http://www.permonline.ru/%7Esitnikov/acid_fx/fx3.zip

^^^^
it's not just for acid, it's in general directX plugins..

and some more

http://mnemonic.nizhny.ru/download.cgi

p.s. sometimes russian language is soooo f**kin useful!!! ;-)

http://www.permonline.ru/%7Esitnikov/soft/acidpro3.zip

http://www.permonline.ru/%7Esitnikov/soft/retro.zippretty cool analogue synth

http://www.permonline.ru/%7Esitnikov/soft/soundforge5.zip

http://www.permonline.ru/%7Esitnikov/soft/reaktor304.zipthat's cutted version of reaktor, i.e. without macroses, instuments and ensembles. actually that stuff you may take from reaktor 2, it should work

http://www.permonline.ru/%7Esitnikov/soft/rubber.ziprubber duck - classic acid synthesis.

http://www.permonline.ru/%7Esitnikov/soft/rebirth.zipclassic synthesis too

http://www.permonline.ru/%7Esitnikov/soft/flp3full.zipfruty loops.. erm.. fruty loops 3...

http://www.citenet.net/noise/it/it214v3.zipimpulse tracker

for other stuff check
http://www.soundtrackers.de/

good luck

p.s. http://t-s-d.narod.ru/god_i_luv_this_cd.gif

Well, Ekko, it would be nice if some one give a subject to discuss. Because even just technical side of making music is pretty big, and it would be easier to start if we get some concrete subject. I mean something like "how to ..." for example. I will be glad to share my knowledge. I just need something concrete to discuss...