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do you have an ipod touch/iphone/ipad? the synthstations by akai are pretty sweet and pretty solidly built. Alesis and akai both make some decent low end tabletops. I'm no synth expert though. Korg and Roland seem to run the synth game though.

Really it kinda depends on what you want to do. Analog synths are good for beginners because there are no sub-menus, which makes it a lot easier to understand what's going on inside the synth. Digital synths usually offer a lot more options per dollar vs an analog synth, but many will argue that the analog synths sound "warmer."

If you want to try a microkorg or micron, I would suggest going with the synths that they're based on: the ms2000 and Ion respectively. The ms2000 usually can be had for about the same price as the microkorg, but the Ion costs roughly twice as much. The advantage is that the ms2000 and the Ion are easier to program because there are fewer sub-menus to navigate. I would suggest spending a lot of time here: http://www.vintagesynth.com/

I've also heard good things about the moog prodigy and it's not insanely priced like some vintage synths.

If you're looking for cheap then psyre's right, i-pod/pad/phone based is probably the cheapest.

Be a little more specific.

What kind of sounds do you want to make in what genre? Do you need realistic type sounds like pianos and organs? How much polyphony do you need? Is a monosynth ok? Do you want to program your own sounds, or just use some nice presets? Do you want keyboard, desktop or rackmount? Would you be open to DIY soldering kits? What is your budget? Are you willing to buy used?

Psyre wrote:do you have an ipod touch/iphone/ipad? the synthstations by akai are pretty sweet and pretty solidly built.

I have one of those and it's not bad at all for what it is. The app has some really nice functions and sounds. The actual unit is head and shoulders above the korg nano stuff inbuild [my nano key's jack didn't last long] and can be used as a usb controller for your computer without a i-thing plugged into it... I've even used it going into my laptop then my laptop to my slim phatty and then the slim phatty going into the audio interface into the laptop

http://www.amazon.com/Alesis-MICRON-Ana ... B0002OJPE6

300 for a nice synth seems pretty fair.

I couldn't find a cheap synth that appealed to me in my price range, so I got a midi keyboard instead. It's worked out great for me. A lot of people have worries about latency and delays, but I've had no such trouble. Though I'm still looking for an analog synth for when I get some money together, I'm happy with what I've got.

I'd go for a vintage digital. They haven't changed that much, and you can use em as midi keyboards. My Yamaha CS1x was $115 and has more than enough options for amateur synthing plus all the "organic" keystuffs.

I kind of ended up with a bunch of quirky character synths, but if I were to do it all again and pick one synth to start, I'd probably try out an Alesis Fusion. I've never had the opportunity to actually play one, but I've probably listened to every demo online, and it seems to be a nice jack-of-all-trades synth. It does VA, FM, physical modelling, sampling, and ROMpler synthesis, and can be layered to make some really unique sounds.

If you'd prefer a hands-on recommendation, The Ensoniq ESQ-1 (or SQ-80) is a very nice board you can find for cheap. It's got 3 digital oscillators, a nice analog filter, and the page editing is really not all that bad. I think it does both analog and digital sounds well, and has a character I find much more appealing than any modern entry-level synths.

Look em up.