comfortablyDumb

[jpscoey]

Hello, this is my first post on here, so please bear with me & I'll try to get to the point eventually!
I have been playing (acoustic) piano for 30 years, and have 'dabbled' with various (electronic) keyboards during that time. I am a full-time piano tuner/technician by trade, so I know all the things to look for in a good, playable, quality keyboard.
However, my knowledge of synth 'technology' is limited (I am not a complete novice, tho') & this is where I'm looking for your advice/opinion etc!
After a number of years of not playing in bands, I sold off my gear.
I have now got myself up & running again - ie: I've joined another band, & am making do with a couple of cheap keyboards for now.
I have some funds available (approx £2000 UKP/ $3000 USD) & would appreciate your views on how best to spend it!... what's out there that I don't know about?, do I go for new/used?, what are your experiences? & so on.
Here are my requirements (may seem fussy to some but, come on - you should know what it's like!).
The keyboards are to be mainly used for band rehearsal/live work... so portability is an issue - please don't suggest Korg Triton Studio 88!
A secondary but important requirement is for home-studio type purposes... ie laying down basic recordings (allied to a computer).
The music we play is melodic rock & I suppose the sounds I am looking for would be the sort of thing you'd hear by Floyd/ Yes/ Genesis through to Hawkwind-ish synth/ sound effects & stuff.
It is important that one keyboard is 88-note & weighted (I say 'one' keyboard cos I want at least two, so I can switch from one setting to another without having to pause to press unnecessary buttons -I am aware of split-keyboard options, but want the full range available- & I also feel more 'at home' behind 2 or 3 bits of kit!)
I really would appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks,
John.

 

[kanthos]

With $3,000 to spend on two or more pieces of gear, my choice would be a Korg TR-88 (recently discontinued), and a Yamaha Motif XS Rack; that should be within a $3,000 US price range. I picked those specific keyboards because you'd get a good selection of pads and synth sounds from the Korg and acoustic sounds from the Motif without sacrificing quality or paying more than you'd like. I'm not really sure what you'd get the TR-88 at (the next best option is the Korg M50-88 for $1,800 US), but the Motif XS Rack is $1,300 US. $3,000 is a tight budget to get two or more pieces of gear, so you're going to have to sacrifice something somewhere: my suggestion gives you a good controller and a rack for extra sounds; you'd be losing a lot in terms of sound quality if you went with two actual keyboards.

The other reason I suggest the TR-88 over the M50-88 in this case is because the TR series has aftertouch while the M50 series does not. Yes, the M50 series will have better sounds, but, add the sampling upgrade to the TR series or rely more on the Motif XS Rack for sounds, and choosing the TR over the M50 won't be much of a problem.

Good luck!

 

[evergreenthompson]

Welcome to the forums!

For software, if you only plan to do basic recording you could probably get away with the entry-level software for now, perhaps ACID Music Studio or Cakewalk Music Creator. They may not have all the goodies of a full-fledged DAW, but you can always upgrade to something more full-featured later. Free trials will help determine that route.

Also check out what you might find useful for free (and usually open source). Audacity is good for non-MIDI sound.

 

[jpscoey]

Thanks so much for getting on to this so soon... Evergreen - I have barely looked at the software you mention, but I will do so very soon.
Kanthos, what is your opinion on what I was considering... M-Audio prokeys 88 controller/piano + korg M50-73? I have read good things about both of these keyboards & would cost me approx $2200 USD.

 

[kanthos]

If you can, try out both keyboards before you buy them. The M50-61 and M50-73 use a new semi-weighted keyboard that doesn't really feel like anything else I'd played before. It felt weird to me in store, but I'd probably be able to get used to it. Especially with the M-Audio keyboard though, the action makes a big difference. Obviously, you aren't buying the Prokeys for its sounds, although I would compare the piano sounds with the M50. People generally don't like Korg's piano sounds as much out of the box, so it'd be good to consider how good or bad your piano sounds will be.

I've never played the Prokeys, so I can't really comment on that other than to say that it looks decent. The M50 has great sounds too, so it basically does look like a good and cheap combination, but I'd still try to play them both a bit before you buy them if possible.

 

[Mourndark]

M-Audio prokeys 88 controller/piano + korg M50-73

It really depends how important keyboard action is to you (I'm guessing fairly, as a piano tuner...). Although improvements have been made, they still fall short of a full acoustic, and are often pretty heavy.

The prokeys 88 is definitely one of the lightest around, and although the sounds are not the best, they are more than passable. I haven't tried it so I don't know about the action, but I have heard many great things. For under £350, it's a great deal, but I would stress actually going into a shop and trying one first!

Oh and finally - welcome to the forums!

 

[evergreenthompson]

Considering your background, if you can get to a store for a good listen, I'd really be curious to see what you would say about Korg M50's piano compared to other keyboards.

I've never played any of the older Korgs, but I have heard some say their new piano sounds are much better than what they had before. When I was in the store, I found it hard to say than any one manufacturer's (Casio, Korg, Roland, Yamaha) current piano sound was any better/worse than another, though I could tell subtle differences. Strings, brass, and woodwinds voices were a different story; I could definitely tell some of those voices were pretty bad.

 

[jpscoey]

Can I just clarify my background at this point... although I am a piano tuner I am definitely not an Oxford professor look-alike on a bicycle!... more like an old rocker/hippy with a good ear! (only 44yo tho!)
Ok - back to business!.. I've had a re-think about the M-Audio piano 'cos it weighs more than the Korg M50-88.
So I could use an M50-88 (with all of its other voices on hand) as a 'base' keyboard, but I still want that option of turning to a second keyboard instantly or using both at once.
Next up is the choice of second keyboard.
The thing I would like to know here is - if I got a keyboard with aftertouch (which would be very useful), would both instruments (if connected via MIDI) be linked as one, or would you be able to utilise the aftertouch/voice selection etc independently for each keyboard?

 

[evergreenthompson]

Ah, but you do have a good ear!

Note that the M50's keys do NOT have aftertouch. However, the M50 does recognize MIDI aftertouch commands sent to it, and you can set some parameters to control how the keyboard reacts to the aftertouch messages.

Once everything is connected properly (via MIDI), you should be able to use each keyboard (or other instrument) independently. Depending on each instrument, you can use one instrument to trigger things to happen on one or more other instruments.

 

[jpscoey]

yes I do

 

[jpscoey]

More investigations & I'm becoming very interested in Yamaha Motif Xs7...

 

[jpscoey]

This is where I'm now up to... Korg M50-88 + Yamaha Motif Xs7 - I know that buying new would take me well over my provisional budget but used Xs7's are selling in the UK for around £1200 ($1800 USD) & a new M50-88 comes in at £1250.
To me this looks like a good set-up - I'd like to know if anyone has an opinion on this?

 

[kanthos]

I just got a Korg TR-61 which I'm using in conjunction with a Nord Stage 73 for piano/organ/rhodes/wurlitzer sounds. I've got a MIDI setup worked out that will let me use the keys on either or both keyboards to create sound from the tone generators on either or both keyboards. The TR-61 is quite similar in setup to the M50, so if you're looking for ideas on how to use the M50 MIDIed with other keyboards, I have a pretty good idea at this point, and will have time to play the TR and make some presets tomorrow, so I should have it all worked out by then