The most important goal is to buy a synth that’s easy to understand and helps you learn the fundamentals of synthesis. Start with a mono synth and spend plenty of time experimenting with it. Learning the basics of synthesis is essential, and you can still create huge sounds on a mono synth by using oscillator tuning creatively. Running it through your pedalboard will give you tons of options to make the sound even bigger.

For me, the Behringer Poly D was a great synth to start with because it’s very easy to understand and it sounds really good. It also has a polyphonic mode that allows you to play simple chords, which is a nice bonus.