Novice advice, Juno Gi, best keyboard??

[Elio27]

Hey there,
Sorry if I'm repeating any other posts but I've read the stickys and other websites but still feel I need some expert and personal advice! I'm a complete novice to (new) keyboards, and I know I should read up a lot more but I'm getting very impatient to buy a keyboard and get playing! I'd currently looking at the Juno Gi (i.e I nearly bought one today...). £750 is my limit money-wise.

Basically what I'm looking for:
8 track (or 16) recorder - so I can record full songs
Guitar/bass/microphone input - so I can record them
I'm not looking to play live (yet... I'm just fed up with bands)
I really like 80s electronic synth sounds, big organ and hammond sounds, wurlitzers etc.
Any sounds that are not studio-clean. .
I'd like to record my own drum beats if possible - i.e speed up, slow down, do breakbeat style stuff...

Importantly I'd like a keyboard that's easy to use. I have played instruments all my life but have never found the technical side very interesting. So a keyboard I can get great sound from and record easily on would be great.

Finally - if there are not sounds I like, can these be easily downloaded off the net? I heard the Juno wasn't too good for organ sounds so this would be something I'd like.

Thanks for reading, your patience, and any advice you can give!!

 

[Elio27]

Oh and also.....

I thought I could buy a decent 8 track recorder for a couple hundred quid, then a cheap second hand keyboard (i.e Korg Trinity or something...). Any thoughts on this? If its a keyboard with RAM space I can download sounds - is this right?

Or... one of those computer - studios software packages. But I think this may do my head in on the technical side... Although - can you get more sounds this way? Is it worth the hassle?

Apologies for the extra waffle! I just would really like a second opinion - not just from a sales guy!

 

[elwoodblues1969]

As someone who has over 20 years experience with hardware workstations,I must profess,that I am very fond of them and to this day,despite all of the computer software I have,I still have a couple of hardware keyboards with midi sequencing built in,as I will never lose my love for hardware gear....but I'm here to tell you just how critical PC workstations are to have
My computer software is the very core of my studio and the single most important investment I've ever made,or ever will make.
That being said,I'm here to state an irrefutable fact,which is that a budget hardware workstation like the Juno Gi is a dead end...meaning that it's closed box with no expansion capabilities.
Sure...some of the sounds will be usable & perhaps even inspiring,but I guarantee you that there will be many sounds you'll outgrow & be unhappy with.
Then there is the matter of the built in 8 track recorder,which seems like a fantastic all-in-one solution,but have you ever tried to be a one-man-band and record an entire song on your own in real time?
Believe me,that's a monumental hassle you don't want to contend with,as you are going to be riddled with timing errors you won't be able to fix,without the aid of a midi sequencer.

You need to learn midi sequencing,so that you have the option to correct any timing errors that always & inevitably come up.
In order for you to get a hardware audio/midi recording keyboard with inspiring sounds and sound expansion upgrades,you will need to spend over twice your budget and such a workstation really won't be much less complicated than a computer set up.

After many years of hardware use-I too,was afraid of technology,as I allowed myself to be intimidated by all of the horror stories of people trying to sort out all of the compatibility & technical glitches of PC recording applications & I've avoided it for years.

I eventually arrived to a point where I realized that this is something that I absolutely need to learn,if I am going to acquire all of the recording capabilities I want,the expansion capabilities I want and the inspirational sounds that I want and all for a cost that is reasonable.

I'm not going to sugar-coat my ordeal(as it were)...I went through several months of horrendous frustration,trying to comprehend & troubleshoot software installation and all of the gear I needed & how to properly integrate it all together.

Being afraid of complexity & running the other way is a terrible habit,because you will have resigned yourself to a life of limitations & expensive gear purchases.

If you're serious about creating your own personal studio & writing all of your own material and recording it all effectively,efficiently & accurately & all on a budget...you have no choice but to learn software-based recording-PERIOD.

Good news is though,is that between the companies that make the software,the other users of that software,the onsite video tutorials,the DVD tutorials for purchase and all of the forums out there...you have an enormous amount of help resources at your disposal and I think once you take the initiative to begin learning it,you will no longer be afraid of it-but rather,you'll embrace it,revel in it and be fascinated by it all.

The benefits of software will greatly outweigh any of the hassles you will experience & you'll never regret learning computer recording,once you got a handle on it.

Out of all of the software I've used,Propellerhead Reason by far,is the easiest to install,is the most stable & is the best all-in-one solution,in terms of sounds & recording.

For $400(USD),you'll have more sounds & recording capabilities than any hardware workstation can give you and then of course,you'll need an audio interface,a midi controller and a set of powered monitors...but all of this can be obtained while remaining within your set budget(but you may want to upgrade your midi controller keyboard & monitors at a later time)...but your budget will get you the essentials that are sufficient enough to get started.

 

[Elio27]

Elwoodblues - Thanks for taking the time to reply. This was really useful!

I think you are right - I should at some point get over my technofear. I have no idea how far I want to take this recording thing, but I'm sure learning how to use the computer software will be educational in itself. Seems to be cheaper too...

I'll go pay another visit to the keyboard selling people.
Thanks again.

If anyone else still has any thoughts, let me know!!