Home Music Producer

The Ultimate Music Production Resource

Can You Play A Synthesizer Without Electricity?

If you’re into music production or know a bit about it, then you have obviously run across the term synthesizer.

these electronic instruments have become a go to for most modern producers because of the general direction that music has taken over the years.

for the newbie producers you may be looking to buy one of the synthesizers that you see online and may be wondering how they exactly work and wish to have a better understanding.

so then Can you play a synthesizer without electricity?

USB and Battery powered Synthesizers can be played without electricity.

to break it down further,

basically when it comes to synthesizers, there are three kinds of power sources that they could have.

In this post, I’ll run you through some popular USB, Battery and AC power synthesizers ,

and then you can make an assessment as to which one would be the most beneficial to you.

USB Powered Synthesizers

Aturia Microfreak

this is a great and affordable little tool.

it uses USB power and AC power,

the synthesis features that come with it are pretty awesome, don’t let it’s small size fool you.

its oscillators delivers enough range to the user, plus the filter is as versatile as they get, furthermore the matrix calls for exploratory modulation.

the real power is the combination of these three concepts.

Roland Boutique D-05

the Roland boutique invites an 80s retro sound to the table and affordability.

it has fresh features, including a 64-step polyphonic sequencer and a multi mode arpeggiator.

it uses USB power with optional AC power, which offers you great options in nay case that you don’t have a place to plug in your USB to use your synth.

Roland JU-06A

the roland JU-06A is most notably distinct by its authentic sound of classic house and techno in one package.

this is quite the impressive versatile synth as compared to the Roland JU-06 which is its predecessor.

plus it covers great styles of club sounds.

it is USB powered and has a battery,

therefore allowing you to unplug it and use independent of any connection.

Modal Skulpt

the modal skulpt is an affordable virtual analogue synth that boasts of high-end sounds,

it has a fairly simple and straightforward subtractive synth engine housed in a proper compact frame.

another amazing feature is its 32 digital oscillators capable of producing quite a number of sophisticated patterns.

it is USB and battery powered.

Roland SH-01A

roland has quite the range when it comes to USB powered synths.

with the Roland SH-01A being the emulation of the Roland SH-101 from the 80s ,

plus it has great sounds that can compete with the original SH-101, wouldn’t go for this synth if you’re looking for a 100% analogue synth.

yoc can use USB or Battery for power.

AC/Power Adapter Synthesizers

Korg Minilogue

the Korg Minilogue is an AC powered,

powerful analogue synth that takes inspiration from the prologue synth,

as far as price goes this is one of the more mid priced synthesizers.

if you have a few dollars to spare you can opt for the standard Minilogue which is like a hybrid version of the Minilogue and prologue synths.

Studio Logic Sledge

this little tool costs over 800 bucks, but it should be not over looked

it is a light weight synth but has a great build.

the interface of the Studio Logic Sledge emulates the Mini Moog with its three oscillator plus filter, plus dual envelope design.

its friendly and familiar design makes it a great choice for everyone,

and it is AC Powered.

Electrone Digitone

the Electrone Digitone is a frequency modulator synthesizer,

that can be used as a midi sequencer.

furthermore,

this synth can be used as a simple module triggered from a midi controller,

plus it makes a fairly decent impression of classic style Frequency Modulation.

it is AC Powered just like the studio logic Sledge.

Arturia minibrute 2

a very competitive synthesizer, it runs a semi modular synth engine and a mini jack patch bay for flexibility.

it uses AC power and is particularly cheap.

definitely the synth to go to if you’re looking for analogue grit.

the arturia minibrute 2 runs using a power adapter and is fairly inexpensive.

Novation Circuit Mono Station

this synthesizer is a combination of a pad based sequencer and an analogue synth engine.

it is powered by Power adapter,

and is equipped with some great controls such as a multi channel sequencer,

a flexible modulation matrix and automation.

these features make for a great and creative workflow unlike any other synthesizer that you’ll find on the market.

Conclusion

there are a lot of synthesizers on the market available for every producer,

the list I’ve provided here is merely for illustration purposes, in order for you to further research these synths and figure out how they work and their power sources.

therefore it is not uncommon to play a synth without electricity,

because there are some synths that use batteries that can be used and then swapped out when they drain.

for some other synths their main source of power is a usb connection, then for some others it is an AC power unit that you have to plug into.

if you’re looking to buy a synth the ones listed in this post are a decent start,

as a start it’s always a good idea to buy a relatively cheap synth, then use it until you figure out if you really need a synth.

Related Articles You May Find Interesting

Do I Really Need A Synthesizer?

Can You Plug A Synth Into A Guitar Amp?

Can Synthesizers Be Played Without Electricity? – My New Microphone

How do synthesizers work? – Explain that Stuff

Can You Play A Synthesizer Without Electricity?

One thought on “Can You Play A Synthesizer Without Electricity?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to top