Kaoscillator og - the yellow one (or pink limited ed) is always my go to.
It rocks and is seriously better than any other Kaoscillator.
Plus beginners always gravitate to the synths on a kaoss pad.
This has key, tons of scales, a gate arp and an easy looper!
Another classic, but much more spendy is og OP-1. Winner every time.
I have an 8 year old that will spend an hour with my TR-8, sometimes with a friend of his. Itās fun turning it on and seeing what wild pattern they made, at 300 bpm.
Iāve tried to show them my SH-01a, but they donāt quite get it. Basically just mash the keyboard, but I mean, who doesnāt.
My absolute humble opinion would be to focus on one simple device to play with as a group. A drum machine works nice because of the āsimpleā sounds, and lets them discuss what to add next.
I got my 8 year old a po-33 when he turned 7 and he loves it.
He enjoys messing around with my syntakt sometimes and he used to rock Rytm and maschine a bit when he was a toddler.
Great thread
j
0=0
Yeah that is a good point. I think thatās what Iāll need to target. I really like the look of the verselab compared to the 101/707. It seems easier to comprehend. I wonder how well it works as a live tweaked 16 step pattern. The price has dropped absurdly low right now. I want the zencore sounds!
We were rocking the pro for a while. The lights were pretty but it didnāt have staying power. The yellow is superior? Iāve heard some awesome performances on them
That might be the end result of this scheme. Iām in too deep now though
Thanks J. Iām impressed your child got along with the PO33. Mine might be impatient.
I really want a maschine+ standalone, the sounds are great and the pads look inviting. Do you think a kid could manage to get stems going on one alone? Basically if a midi clock has already started on the deluge and they need to join it with a live improvisation
Just want to +1 the sentiment above for circuit (tracks), itās cheap, light, made of durable plastic, and I would think easier to handle, and get a handle on, than deluge. Global filter could be a lot of fun and cut out the need for a DJ mixer as you mentioned above.
I did wonder how much of the purchases were for you vs the kids haha.
I also donāt think we should underestimate their ability to get a handle on more complicated devices.
Everyone is different but Iām not sure I agree with the Circuit Tracks suggestions. On paper it seems like an obvious pick, but it sounds like these guys are more into mucking about with loops and stems than programming drum patterns or synthlines. I think the Circuits are fairly powerful if you have a specific idea in mind, or really approachable for a first play, but I think thereās an inbetween where they can feel quite shallow if you donāt have a clear idea of what you want to do.
Just found this guy using a boss rc202 to launch time synced vocal parts, Iām impressed
Yeah I was surprised the Deluge was such a hit. I think depth is acceptable as long as they can get a good sound out of the machine immediately and it has an appealing UI
The rc 202 is probably your best bet here, simple to use, it has those nice light rings which help getting what is happening and two tracks with overdub/undo/redo, it has fx are more than enough to have fun without getting too complicatedā¦The sound isā¦Sufficient ! 
If that was ānot for funā I would have advised getting the Rang III, but more expensive and probably a bit too abstract for kidsā¦
Got an iPad or Smart Phone?
I thoroughly recommend Koala App.
My kids 5&7 picked it up instantly, understanding whatās going on and how to sample and make sequences then play if back manipulating the effects.
No other piece of gear of software Iāve seen does the same quite so simply.
Can also be hooked up to something like an Akai MPD218 so kids can hit the pads instead of smacking the ipad screen.
If thatās substracted from their screen timeā¦ 
A collaborative jam is a cool idea. I am wondering, however, if there is any way to collaborate using your already existing setup. That way, you could gauge the kidsā willingness to collaborate before dropping a bunch of money on a setup that may or may not work.
The 202 has a seriously limited set of FX and no track faders. It pales in comparison to the 505. I tried and rejected it in less than 5 minutes.
Sure, but is the 505 relevant in the context of this thread ?
It would be if they were my kids 
I was consistently surprised by what my kids were excited about, and what failed to catch fire with them. With other peopleās kids, forget it. Itās just speculation. We can maybe jog OPās memory, or toss a curveball that might land. (Do curveballs land? I am not a sports person.) I hope to hear reports back about what worked and what didnāt, and I promise not to second-guess any decisions.
Yāall know about this: Synth for kids? and this How do you get YOUR kids interested in making machine-music?
Just mentioning as I found out about Dato and Blipbox in these threads. Not that I bought either. My guys went straight to Octatrack.
I donāt have a setup yetā¦ itās been a revolving door of synths looking for something that hits like the Deluge. The IK UNO Drum was the only other device they clicked with, somehow.
They did really enjoy using a CDJ 800mk2 and a kaoss pad quad, remixing The Hamster Dance over and over.
Thanks for the detailed reply. We did have an EDGE that was pretty fun, but again lost attention. The CAT was not interesting to them. They donāt want to do sound design. I am thinking maybe they need to older and have deeper interest, or they just arenāt the type.
I still want an excuse to get a Strega. I had a vision of EDGE+Strega with light up patch cables, but when they lost interest in the EDGE quickly, I had second thoughts.
The main musical child is mostly interested in making chiptune videogame music or something that sounds like deadmau5
I will bump this thread with updates. Currently selling off all of the gear. Excited to try the new ideas, but updates will be slow
Well that settles it. Iām getting a Spectralis and a Tempest and I will force them to master both
A man of taste !
5 and 10 years oldā¦ a Blipblox and XTC?
And a real drumkit to piss of mom.