Help me choose a synth!

[Gonzo476]

I'm starting an electronica project with a friend and he wants to buy a synth around 500€. After checking Thomann and reading some reviews on the internet he has reduced the list to the following:
Roland sh 201
Roland Juno Di
Roland sh 101 (used)
Korg R3
Alesis Micron

Which one would you choose and why? We are going to be playing stuff by Daft Punk, The Prodigy, Digitalism and Depeche Mode+originals.

[waleross]

I bought the Roland Sh201 ( $ 499 US) a couple of months ago. I also got the roland KC-60 amp. This is my first synthie and it really cuts through when recording on my Korg D3200. It is user friendly and the midi connections work easy. I also have the Micro Korg which sits on top of the Roland.

[sonic assassin]

the microkorg is a whole lot of synth for a little money. im sure the vocoder is necessary if we're talking about daft punk

[Gonzo476]

Bump.

[bassybill]

I don't know whether this suggestion would suit your way of working, but a laptop or netbook with an interface, controller and some VSTi synths would give you way more bang for your buck, imo.

You could even pick up a decent used synth on ebay or wherever to get started, and then use it with a computer later on as you got into the project more. It's just amazing what you can get to run as VSTi stuff these days if you're into the sort of material you mention.

[mccartneyman]

Alesis Micron. Full-size keys and more features than you will ever use. A friend has the equivalent Korg and it's tiny keys are a pain. I use Roland bass pedals to drive my Alesis and sometimes use it for pads or bass lines by playing the keyboard.

[ogrossman]

I bought a Micron ($300 used) and I think I got good value for my money. It does a great job for me of reproducing the Moog synthesizer sounds from the 70's.