I bought a Fantom X7 for $2500 a few months ago. Now I owe some money to the IRS so that one of the things I am selling. I would like to get another synth in the future but I was thinking about it. Can't you just get a $200 synth module nowadays and hook it up to a laptop and with all the software out there you can make any sound out of it with a few plugins.. So besides the fact that it is nice having everything built in the synth.. Doesnt it make sense just to get a synth module? Or am I missing something?

You certainly can, but you lose the keyboard interface. One other option would be to get a cheap synth and playback through your laptop.

tj963

I currently have totally software sampler / sound library based studio solution on my home PC with external midi-keyboard being the only hardware in addition to the audio card. This system should be totally possible to move to a laptop environment, as long as it has enough memory and processing power, which shouldn't be a problem nowadays. So you definitely do not need external hardware synthesizers if you can find virtual instruments you like and which offer the sound possibilites you are looking for.

My main system consists of Steinberg's Cubase sequencer program into which I have attached various VST instruments (from Spectrasonics and East West Quantum Leap for example) and GigaStudio sampler via Rewire connection. This setup offers truly vast possibilities and I have never run into the need for hardware synthesizers.

Ok thanks.. thats is what i will do

I was so stupid for buying the fantom x7! Now I hope to sell it for atleast $1000 because the IRS wants money from me very soon.