AudioPilz Goes Dumpster Diving: The Cheapest Synths That (Kinda) Slap

AudioPilz kicks off with a no-nonsense look at the lowest rung of the synth ladder—sub-$100 machines made for broke producers, cheapskates, and anyone who thinks ‘premium’ is just a fancy word for overpriced. Forget those Behringer Model Ds and Roland Aira toys; this is about stretching your lunch money for maximum groove. These aren’t just knockoffs, they’re the weirdos of the gear world, each with their own flavor and a hunger for chaos.

From the Behringer JT Mini—a Jupiter-8 homage that’s more street food than fine dining—to the Korg Monotron Delay, Teenage Engineering PO-33 KO, M-VAVE FM-1, and Akai MPK Mini Play MKIII, every box here brings something odd to the table. This crew isn’t winning any beauty contests, but they’re all about raw fun and surprise, perfect if you like your beats a little messy and your gear a little sketchy.

Each synth gets a moment in the spotlight—and none escape AudioPilz’s roast. The Behringer JT Mini tries to flex with three oscillators and a filter that’s more paraphonic than polyphonic, but you’ll need patience for its wobbly keys and lack of FX. The Korg Monotron Delay? It’s noisy, has zero MIDI, and the ribbon controller feels like playing a synth with a noodle. But hey, that chaos turns into dubby, grainy madness that’s pure lo-fi magic.

The PO-33 KO from Teenage Engineering is a sampler for beatmakers who think ‘vintage’ means ‘I found this in the lost and found.’ Syncing is possible (sometimes), the workflow is janky, but you get punch-in effects and gritty sample rates. The M-VAVE FM-1 is a wild card—DX7 DNA at a flea market price, packed with FM operators and a sequencer, but with connectivity that’ll make you want to throw it out the window. Rounding out the set is the Akai MPK Mini Play MKIII, which fakes its way into the pro league with General MIDI sounds, a decent filter, and a built-in speaker. Just don’t expect to sequence anything unless you’ve got tricks up your sleeve.

AudioPilz doesn’t just stack these synths—he tries to actually make them talk to each other. Getting the Behringer to play nice means wrestling with the Synth Tribe software and living that firmware update nightmare. The PO-33 KO can sync (if you bribe it with the right cable), but analog sync won’t tell you where you are in your pattern. Pro tip: always reset your sequencer before you hit play, or your groove will be more scrambled than diner eggs.

Things get even messier with the FM-1, which refuses to sync with anything but its own reflection. That’s when cheating with Ableton as a master clock becomes the only way out—so much for a DAWless dream. The MPK’s best trick is note repeat, and the internal speaker is good enough for apartment jams (just keep your expectations low). If you want these boxes to really shine, AudioPilz suggests tossing a cheap multi-FX in the mix. Remember, workflow is the real challenge—not just the sound.