Recommend me a travel synth (lots of suggestions!)

[flx]

I’m currently on a business trip again, which means I’m staying in some hotel somewhere and I’m exhausted after a long day of work. I would like to just flop down on the bed now and play some synth-thing which ideally ...

- can make a variety of expressive, ambient and experimental sounds
- does not require elaborate setup
- does not require much thinking to operate
- does not have a screen
- can be touched or played expressively (very simple keyboard or some some tactile, pressure, proximity or gesture input)
- is small and lightweight
- runs on USB or 9V power

Oh boy

Now, I have something like a Ciat Lonbarde Plumbutter in mind, which I have owned already once and which almost combines all these things. It does require elaborate patching though and my ideal instrument here could also be a bit smaller and would also be more affordable. It can be weird and “boutique” and doesn’t need to be a typical “synth”. In fact if it isn’t a Microfreak or something like that, it would even be a plus

The ultimate goal would be then to record these half-asleep, hotel room noodlings (I have a small, portable audio recorder) and make something out of them when I’m back home.


P.S. I do have an iPad with tons of apps and I even made three vacation albums on it. It’s cool, but sometimes I’d just like to get away from the screen, the tons of apps and the “complexity”.


EDIT: Thanks for the replies so far!

Here’s a list of your suggestions and other devices I found, that seem to fit my requirements mostly and/or have piqued my interest:

- Monome Norns (800$) + Grid Controller (700$)
- Monome Norns Shield (DIY, ca. 250$)
- Teenage Engineering OP-Z (550€)
- Plinky (no price yet, probably DIY only)
- Eowave Quadrantid Swarm (559€)
- Manecolabs Grone Drone Synth (465$)
- Korg NTS-1 (110€)
- Modal Craft Synth 2.0 (134€)
- Bastl Softpop (300€)
- Ellitone Multi Synth (85€)
- Ellitone E64 (250€)
- Bastl Kastle (100€)
- THC Recursive Machine (DIY, ca. 300€?)
- Dreadbox Typhoon (350€)
- Haken ContinuuMini (935€)
- Error Instruments Radio Sputnik (300€)
- Error Instruments Cloud Busting (230€)
- Moffenzeef Stargazer (560€)
- The Peeps Music Box (800€)
- Elmyra Drone Synth (280€ built, 160€ DIY Kit)
- Gotharman Tiny LD (920€)
- Axoloti (DIY, 100€+)
- Synthrotek Nandamonium (180€)
- Rebel Tech Magus (500€)
- Ouroboros Alea (650€)
- Nozoid MMO-3 (500€)
- Grendel Drone Commander (440€)
- Critter & Guitari Organelle M (600$)
- Tilde Elektriske Kretser Fjaerlett (250$)
- Bug Brand Board Chirper (190£)

Super simple stereo WAV audio recorder:
- Reloop Tape 2 (140€)


EDIT 2:
later in this thread, I started to build my own DIY travel synth with the Axoloti DSP board:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=237221&p=3347080#p3347080

[kvmet]

I assume an iPad mini is off the table? That's what holds me over while I'm on business trips. Also really comfy to play with on planes. I do a bit of noodling on the iPad using AUv3 instruments and then swap them out for my hardware synths when I get home if I come up with something I like.

Edit: oh... "Does not have a screen". Sorry.

[CliffordMilk]

Monome Norns + Grid? Yes it has a screen but it isn’t really necessary once you have something loaded up. You can DIY the Norns.

[th0mas]

OP1. Put some tape over the screen, after a week it's unnecessary

Or the OPZ

[sleestack808]

Ipad
with apps

[Dave Peck]

Ipad
with apps

... and a Sensel morph.

[22tape]

this might not be released in time, but worth a look anyway—

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=236086&p=3343468#p3343468

[Harko]

Have you checked out Quadrantid Swarm from Eowave?
It doesn't run on 9v nor USB, but it might fulfil your other needings.

[Northward]

Maybe a tad dark after a long day away from home, but if you stay in nice hotels and you’re into vintage sci-fi horror film drones this sounds excellent. No batteries it seems. I sure want one.

From Gearnews:
MS20 style lowpass filter. An eight-mode LFO. Mutable Instruments Clouds loaded with all the usual controls for freeze, texture, density and so on.

https://manecolabs.com/detalle/pedal-grone-drone-synth/

[sleestack808]

Ipad
with apps

... and a Sensel morph.

I own a synthi. A REAL one and the vcs3 app for the iPad is really close . I mean not really. You don't get the non linearity or the soft lovely saturation but the character is there. It's a fun app. Really fun. Also the Wilsononic app is great. And I love Suggester for playing with chords. Really intuitive app.Those are my recommendations. Id buy more but I have actual synths. ID Love to get the fairlight one

[Red Electric Rainbow]

elektron digitone
hydrasynth desktop
ipad + apps
novation mininova

not sure if these meet or exceed your requirements but they’re options

[Koekepan]

Roland Boutique D-05 with the attached keyboard.

Wide range of sounds.

Runs on battery.

Can be as expressive as you want it to be.

Folds up nice and small - but you can always use a larger keyboard if you have one over MIDI.

I think it might have a tiny screen, but ... probably close enough.

[ATW]

The Korg Nts-1 might fit the bill, albeit with the addition of an Sq-1 or some kind of ipad/control surface. Sq-1 and Nts1 are usb powered.

Oh yeah, check out the Massive Midi Modulator as a usb-powered way to control a TON of midi parameters on a device like the nord drum 2, NTs-1, or anything else that’ll take a bunch of cc values simultaneously. No screen, tiny, blinky pads, can

[tim gueguen]

Modal Craftsynth V2.0? Runs on batteries, has a built in touch keyboard, no screen, and is cheap.

[depth20]

OP-Z as stated earlier. It's a really nice synth and sequencer.

[Muzone]

Bastl Softpop is what I use for long journeys/overnight stays.
The wires aren't the best after a long day but if you get a set of the more flexible patch wires that Tangible Waves it's a lot easier to use

[Power Mic 3K]

The Ellitone Multi ticks those blocks and costs less than $100.

[jdkJake]

Might be a bit big, but a Lyra 8 might fit the bill (save for the +12V power wall wart). You can get a nice carrying case for it as well.

[mor4sso]

OPZ ticks all your boxes. amazing little machines.

[meska]

I mouve withe the ld3 on baterie, + amplified mic (work in the in of the ld3 ) + joué midi controleur and it very fuuuuun +

[ludotex]

OPZ is great

Model:Cycles also

(but not sure these 2 tick that box: "- does not require much thinking to operate")

[flx]

I assume an iPad mini is off the table?

Ipad

... and a Sensel morph.

I own a synthi. A REAL one and the vcs3 app for the iPad is really close .

Thank you! I do have an iPad loaded with music apps, but sometimes I use that thing all day and want to get away from it in the evening.

[flx]

OP1. Or the OPZ

OP-Z as stated earlier. It's a really nice synth and sequencer.

OPZ ticks all your boxes. amazing little machines.

OPZ is great

I've owned an OP-1 a few years ago and it was my travel synth back then. Good times I somehow did not like the OP-Z though. Had it too, but didn't like the interface and the icons that one had to learn by heart.

[flx]

Monome Norns + Grid? Yes it has a screen but it isn’t really necessary once you have something loaded up. You can DIY the Norns.

I've been checking out Norns and the controllers every once in a while for the past few years(?). They seems really cool, but at that price I don't think I'd get everything out of it I would hope for, since I'm not a good programmer and would not really want to spend time to learn more coding.

[flx]

The Ellitone Multi ticks those blocks and costs less than $100.

Thanks! That does indeed look like what I'm after. Wishlisted! Also, that Ellitone E64 seems cool: https://www.etsy.com/listing/813442285/ ... -sequencer

I'm also kind of waiting for the Nanoloop handheld, but the E64 might be even better for me.