Synthesizers play a huge role in modern music. These ubiquitous gadgets use electric signals to mimic the natural acoustic process, and the result is endless sound possibilities at the press of a key or twiddle of a knob. In recent times, more and more Bangkok bands have turned to synths to provide the backbone of their songs: DCNXTR, Kidnappers, S.O.L.E., to name just a few. Here, five local musicians, all avid synth collectors, talk us through the basics of these intriguing noise-making devices.
As Gramaphone Children, Jerry makes what he describes as “Synthamagic-Ear-Candy for Disco-Dancing-Doers.” His latest album, Slice & Dice Vol. 1, features nine tracks of intriguing synth grooves (including our fave, "Move Slowly"). Jerry currently owns about 12 synthesizers, with his latest purchase being a reissue of Korg’s Arp Odyssey. He dreams of owning a modular synth by the Synthesizer.com brand.
“Each synth has its own character," he says. "What fascinates me about them is learning how they work. The fun part comes once you master a particular synth and you start to tweak and shape your own distinctive sound. Once you know how to shape the sound you want and are in full control of it, that's when the fascination truly shines.”
Synth to get you started: “Korg's reissue of the MS-20 monophonic synthesizer. It’s aptly named the Korg MS-20 Mini (priced around B19,000) since it's smaller than its predecessor. The sound is fairly decent for the price, although it’s not exactly like the original MS-20. A good monophonic synth to learn from, as it’s so affordable.”
One of the forces behind Bangkok’s uber-cool synth-pop band DCXNTR, Charlie currently has nine synths to his name. He’s now looking to add the Korg Arp Odyssey Desktop Module to his collection, and dreams of owning the beautiful Moog Source analog synth. He likes collecting synthesizers to collecting action figures—“just owning them makes me really happy,” he says.
Synth to get you started:“MicroKorg S (around B15,000) as it’s simple, has built-in speakers and not too many knobs that could confuse newbies. It’s a classic. The Roland Juno 106 (B45,000) is also very easy to use and you can get a good sound out of it after playing with it for a little bit. Some synthesizers can be very difficult to play around with. It’s discontinued, though, so you may have to pay a high price."
As founder of Comet Records (home to synth-pop artists like Naked Astronaught and Liquid), you can be sure Tung, who also performs solo as Casinotone, definitely knows a thing or two about synthesizers. He owns a total of 12 synthesizers: seven keyboard synths and five synth modules.
While staying updated on newly released synths, Tung says he often has to stop himself from making new purchases in order to master the synths he already owns. He prefers smaller synths that are easy to carry around when performing live. He dreams of owning a custom-made Eurorack modular synth.“Every synth from every brand has a unique sound and filter character," he says. "When performing live, each synth sound module can be used as a different instrument just like in a band.”
Also known as Cyndi Seui, this Thai-born Filipino musician worked as a senior producer at Bangkok-based pop music label Smallroom before founding his own label, Kitsch Cat, with his friends (including Jerry, see above) to focus on full-on electro-pop music. As owner of SkyTone studio, he also consults on music production. He owns nearly 30 synthesizers, having collected them in for over 10 years. The next on his wishlist is Prophet 6 from synth designer Dave Smith.
Synth to get you started: "The Korg MiniLogue (B18,000) has has a good start-up preset that will get you started quite simply so you can explore from there. Bass Station 2 (B18,000) is small and easy to use with plenty of sounds. It’s also easy to carry around for live performances."
Raised in Las Vegas but having lived in Thailand for five years now, Tommy is a musician and sound engineer you may have seen perform in indie bands like Yaan, Srirajah Rockers, Electric Piphat Band and The Sticky Rice. Currently a Silpakorn Uni student, doing his masters in Sonic Arts, he has a total of 10 synthesizers and has decided that it’s enough for now.
“Each synth is unique," he says. Each one has so much character and the more you spend time with them, the more you understand this character and discover what it’s capable of.”
Synth to get you started: “If you know nothing and just want a taste, buy an Arturia Microbrute (B14,000) or a Korg MiniLogue (B18,000)—these are high quality synthesizers with low price tags, which don’t take up much space.”
*Note: All prices are based on official brand websites or online marketplaces.
BONUS! Check out Thailand's very own synth-maker
Piti Loves Our Instruments is the brainchild of Pitipong Somboonpon, a music-lover who always dreamt of making his own synths. After studying electrical engineering at university, he has since devoted his time to developing synthesizers. He has released two models so far, the MBX-1 and MBX-2, with a new one set for release by the end of this year. Prices start from B6,500. www.pitiloves.com
