4 Best Synthesizers Under $1000
[2020 Update]
Even non-electronic savvy people nowadays are familiar with how synthesizers imitate musical instrument sounds.
Anything from sounds like pianos, flutes, and guitars, a synth can imitate and convert these sounds into digital versions.
After all, EDM artists aren't the only ones to use these; fields from advertising to film see synthesizers recreating sounds like ocean waves and much more.
Most professional synths cost a lot. But if you are a penniless musician, you can set your budget to about $1,000 for a device that can be used for track-making or live gigs.
Synthesizers can vary in price from $100 to $2000. So if you're seriously thinking about this purchase, you'll find this list of the best synthesizers under $1000 invaluable:
4 Best Synthesizers Under $1000 - 2022
1
This is definitely one of the best synthesizers under $1000 considering the price and value ratio. Yamaha is a highly reliable brand and this product proves it.
This is a graded hammer keyboard with 88 GHS keys. It produces really high-quality sounds and is really suitable even for live performances.
The product comes preset with dynamic music creation tools. There are automatic generators for pattern and arpeggiator already installed.
It has panel setting changes for things like customizing performances or recording tracks. The panel is easily accessible.
The synth is quite close enough for an actual genuine piano considering the price range.
Overall, this synthesizer allows for highly versatile song recording. It comes with eight tracks and one Pattern track.
This is not quite on par with a professional synthesizer, but the sound range is respectably versatile as well.
We were impressed by how easy this was to use. There’s no need to spend weeks trying to understand the manual.
We recommend it for live performances, but there are some things this synth cannot do.
You won’t be able to do any balancing or major mixing for example. We managed to set 5 songs to memory in one session.
+Pros:
- Quality build
- Real piano sounding keys
- Very easy to use
-Cons:
- No mixing or balancing on professional level
2
Because this is a Roland synthesizer, we had high hopes. We were not disappointed.
This is one of the JUNO synths by the brand, which are known for high-quality sound and ease of use. This 88-key synth is enhanced to produce good sound and streamline easy operation.
The keys are weighted action keys, so they can realistically imitate real piano sounds.
We really liked how this synth felt like a real acoustic piano. The sounds matched almost all piano sounds.
It was also impressive how versatile this synth was. It is partially due to the lightweight action keys.
The synth comes with plastic housing, so the device overall is lightweight too. The plastic is durable and does not easily scratch.
The panel is easy to use for recording and programming. The synth is capable of recording premium sounds to be used for live gigs.
The onboard sequencer doesn’t allow recording in loops, however. It doesn’t compare to Roland’s super popular F-08, but it offers excellent value for the money.
We can confidently say this is one of the best synthesizers under $1000.
+Pros:
- Surprisingly real piano sounds
- Plastic housing
- Lightweight keys
- Premium sounds
-Cons:
- No loop recording
3
First of all, this was a surprisingly large synth that looked quite professional. It’s wide, but narrow on the sides.
Faithful to the size, this synth can produce really loud and sharp sounds. We thought the recreation of piano sounds was quite spot on.
Overall, this synth can quite genuinely recreate whatever the original sound played.
If you are familiar with the brand, you’d know that Korg had an older Arp Odyssey synth.
This is not the same thing; this model has been improved according to the manufacturer.
The brand has completely redone the original circuitry, so the sounds are much better than they used to be before.
This synth comes with a semi-hard case that looks very sophisticated. It has three complete generations of circuitry.
The overall design looks the same as the older model though. The unit comes in two color schemes: black and green.
This is a good product for at home synth warriors and perhaps for minor live gigs.
It should be noted that this synth has a wide ranging pitch of 20 Hz to 2 kHz. But only two noise sounds—white and pink—can be produced.
+Pros:
- Improved version with professional looking case
- Variable pitch
- Louder and sharper sounds
- Excellent reproduced sounds
-Cons:
- Only two noise levels available
4
Unlike for keyboards, budget guitar synthesizers are rare. So this one is like heaven sent.
The biggest advantage of this synth is that it can be plugged into a guitar with a standard quarter-inch jack.
That means you won’t have to ruin the finish of your guitar with additional pickups.
It created quite expressive sounds. We didn’t like the preset sounds at first, but eventually, we got used to them. The trick here is to spend time learning everything.
Don’t be hesitant, because this synth is really easy to learn and is made to be simple even for beginners.
We managed to use the “terrible” presents as templates for recording songs. This synth comes with 70 presets and 100 slots for player defined songs.
The software allows for any number of patch creations. It also has more than a dozen effects pedals combined with three oscillators.
Each has full parameter adjustment. So, you can easily create sounds like overdrive, distortions, flangers, and phasers with this synth.
It is incredibly versatile and we managed to create dozens of crazy new sounds.
You can use the synth to play single string sounds, or “band” sounds that make it seem like multiple instruments are playing.
But be aware that it will take time to learn to do all of this.
+Pros:
- Easy to plug into guitar
- Won’t deface guitar
- Unlimited patch creations
- Sound versatility in incredible
- Single or multiple instrument sound creation
-Cons:
- Preset sounds are not usable right away
How to Buy a Good Synthesizer Under $1000
When shopping for a synthesizer with a $1000 budget, keep the following in mind:
The best synthesizers from the seventies or the eighties undoubtedly sound better. But these vintage ones will cost you a lot of money.
So buy a product that imitates this older model. Korg Odyssey mentioned above is one of these.
Before buying, make sure the synthesizer can make the sound you want. Not all will be able to.
Consider your instrument before buying.
Synthesizers are not known to be kind on guitars, so you will have to buy one like the Boss mentioned above that won’t cause physical damage to your instrument.
Don’t aim for highly realistic sound.
Unless you are spending thousands of dollars on an expensive professional synth, audio will only come so close to the real thing.
