That’s actually how Syntorial (which is excellent) teaches. Start with each knob, see what they do.
It was a fun refresher for me, in part because it really reminds you how you can get great sounds out of even an exceedingly simple synth like Primer.
Syntorial is basically an interactive version of B2B, for synths.
I found Syntorial tremendously fun. It’s so much an ear training that it transfers to dialing in knobs on pedals too.
I’m only 2/3 through the first section, but I’m really enjoying it as well.
It’s probably the best way to learn subtractive synthesis. I really wish I had had it when I learned all that stuff.
this is intriguing. i said in another thread that i am kinda learning how to play piano. my end goal is just being able to play some simple stuff on a keyboard which seems do-able, like enough that i could say add a keyboard/synth part to a song. i have no idea why i am doing this, other than simple curiosity, i’ve always sort of a little bit wanted to learn piano, and i have read many many things that it is the best way to understand on a deeper level music theory which seems useful. if i ever get to the point i can do this, it seems the logical next step will be buying some kind of keyboards. i know you’ve answered this a thousand times so allow me to annoy you and ask you for the thousand and oneth time, pick one entry level keyboard/synth to recommend. any price. for those of us who really aren’t planning on a hardcore deep dive but just want something good, basic, fun. what is the yamaha BB of keyboards/synths?
Around this post there’s a fair bit of keyboard discussion to maybe start narrowing down what you’re looking for.
I don’t know how to answer your question, but the opposite of what you’re asking for is the Nord stage keyboards.
I would absolutely recommend a MIDI controller and software synthesizers over getting a hardware synth. This would even get you pianos and so on. Your computer becomes the instrument and the keyboard controls it. This is the way many, many music producers work today. It’s what I do. It’s by far the most cost effective.
I happen to like Arturia products so something like an Arturia Keylab Essential is a good choice. I have owned one and it’s fine.
It will come with a license for Analog Lab, which is a selection of (literally) thousands of presets from Arturia’s software synthesizers in their vintage synth collection. It’s a great way to get started.
IIRC it also comes with a decent software Piano.
https://www.arturia.com/products/hybrid-synths/keylab-essential-mk3/overview
They are not the cheapest but they are quite good.
Other good brands are Novation, Korg and Akai. Native Instruments also makes solid gear.
I will defer to @howard for synths. But I’m pretty sure that Yamaha keyboards are the Yamaha BB of keyboards.
Yamaha makes a long and rich line of synths, including the DX7, which was THE sound of '80s pop and IIRC still the best selling hardware synthesizer of all time.
It’s heresy but I dislike nearly all of them, and especially the DX7 
i’m glad you said that because i wasn’t getting the concept before. i thought it was just some kind of graphics keyboard on screen. i don’t actually wind up using a computer in my day to day music work flow, i use my ipad a lot more. i will have to deep dive to see how/if this would integrate.
It should, same principle. You need an iPad USB interface for it. However your available software instrument selection will be much smaller as there are not a lot of AUv3 from third parties. They do exist though.
You might be able to get the sound out of the new MXR bass synth pedal, that I now see everyone else has recommended, but what about looking for some of the out of production stuff on the used market?
The day they dropped this video, the 4 green presets were all I needed to see. Exactly what I’d been looking for.
Sweet. You’re right. I heard the first few presets and thought, take my money!
In fact @booker_t the band recently added this to the set list and I think my new synth pedal (preset 1) will be a nice fit!
I like the first four for their funk & jazz fusion (Herbie Hancock- Chameleon) sound, but that 1st pre-set Thriller “growl” fits this song perfectly.
In my ZZZeeermaaan forum there are first arrivals of the MXR.
Short test of presets, recorded via iPhone:
In combination with Helix and MXR Octave…
