1st Foray Into Synth/MIDI Music

I'm looking to get into synthesized and/or MIDI composition, and I can spend at most $100 on some basic equipment. Can anyone recommend either a basic MIDI keyboard controller or synthesizer? Any help at all is appreciated.

for A hundred dollars you won't get much, if your computer is pretty powerfull, I would go down the route of a DAW and software synths there are plenty of free ones available. I would also advise that you have a good ASIO sound card so that you get Zero Latency. My set up (here in the uk cost me) ?????????600, for that I got a sound card, monitor Speakers, midi controller keyboard, and a DAW( Digital audio workstation), all of which was second hand.

Owen

[jayman]

yes..

<---------- just kidding.. no midi in my baby!, i'd HONESTLY recommend saving more than 100, like 200 oughta get you started. the presonus thingy with the midi and audio ought to start you out, i reccomended it before and it worked well.. best part is is comes with cubase and thats pretty awesome.. (although as mentioned above eventully you might need to move up to a dedicated card and interface.. a used digi 001 ought to be around 200 bucks)
now, as far as a controller you could save up another 50 bucks and buy one of those very minimum midi controllers OR just cruise thrift stores, the swapmeet and garage sales for any ol' cheap plastic preset digital thing (casio, yamaha etc...) that has midi in and out.. that way you've only spent 20 bucks max and you get the sounds that came with it, which to be honest aren't always that bad.( i have STACKS of them, but only a couple have midi ) . .. as far as soft synths the demo of reason is free, theres the mini monsta( a really good mini moog emu) the prodyssey, ( an arp ody emulator) theres also ones for the OSCar, and rebirth which i think can still be got for free that emulates a tb 303 rather well, but demos have wierd limitations..
and you initial post says MIDI and/or synth.. there is no sound in midi, just information that tells the synth what to do.. [;)]

My friend Freddie picked up a MIDI keyboard for 75 bucks at guitar center during a massive christmas sale... its a crappy keyboard, but MIDI makes it alllll completely irrelevant.

[jayman]

yeah!
and it has it's own sounds too.. that would be such a good way to start! some of those have usb, so no midi or audio needed..that would be a great first setup !

Korg actually makes some very affordable usb controllers, and since it's Korg you know you're at least getting a good value from a company who knows what they're talking about. http://www.korgnano.com/