Returning keyboardist needs help

[lycosa]

Hey guys..

It's been a while since I have been in the market to buy a keyboard. I did read the "Which Keyboard Should I Buy" thread, but it seems the handy guide that was uploaded has broken links and I can't read the guide. I don't want to burden people with another drone thread about which keyboard is better, but if you all could be kind enough to squeeze in a little bit of advice, it would certainly be appreciated.

Here's what I'm looking to do:

I want rich analog'ish sounds. I'm not bent on owning an analog, but damn they do sound nice. The type of music I'll be playing is sort of a "Synth Metal" type genre. I'll be chasing guitar leads a lot. We want to throw in some spacey sounds with an occasional Gary Numan cover. I have a midi controller so if I need great pads I still have my copy of Omnisphere for those... at least that's one thing that I couldn't sell when times got tough.

I'm really hoping to get further into Analog synthesis. I've owned a Roland Juno Di and unfortunately had to sell it.. Although in my opinion it sounded great, I don't want another 'select-a-patch' keyboard. I want to dive in feet first and find my own signature sounds.

The choices I have right now are the Gaia, the Venom, and the Little Phatty (since it's on sale with an 8 payment plan). From a purist perspective, the Phatty is a winner, but it seems to lack in functionality outside of doing what it does REALLY well. I hear people swear the Gaia sounds amazing and others say it's complete crap, so maybe an unbiased opinion would help here. The Venom sounds pretty unique with some good signature sounds, but it seems pretty cryptic when you have to dive in and get at your parameters. Ugghhh... a million youtube videos and reviews and I'm still not any closer to making a decision.

So if a few people could please throw me a couple informed opinions, I'd really appreciate it!!

 

[The Y_man]

I hear people swear the Gaia sounds amazing and others say it's complete crap, so maybe an unbiased opinion would help here. The Venom sounds pretty unique with some good signature sounds, but it seems pretty cryptic when you have to dive in and get at your parameters. Ugghhh... a million youtube videos and reviews and I'm still not any closer to making a decision.

So if a few people could please throw me a couple informed opinions, I'd really appreciate it!!

My biased opinion is that an unbiased opinion is near impossible because something like "nice" sound is subjective by nature....

The Y-man

 

[lycosa]

True, but I guess what I meant was...

"My highly acute ears can only tolerate the sound of analog synthesis, therefore the Roland Gaia is crap."

Just trying to avoid that opinion. I realize how much better analog sounds, but is the Gaia dsp bad? Is it terribly thin? I'd love to buy that Moog, but it's a bit on the expensive side + it's only monophonic. I have only a midi controller right now so unless the advantage to owning the Moog is incredible, the extra functions available on the Venom and Gaia are a plus for me.

 

[tassiespirit]

So you really want something that is not a pre-programed push button run of the mill keyboard, is that right? Why not get a DAW and an intelligent midi keyboard and make your own sounds and backing tracks to boot? Just a thought, as it is cheaper all round and you are not stuck with just monphonic and expense.

 

[tassiespirit]

Or better yet if you can locate Korg's Legacy MS-20 softsynth that would be a good way to go without the high expense, since you like MOOG. Not current now but was available about 2010 and may suit your situation.

 

[ootini]

For flexibility and a bit of a bargain, I'd grab a decent condition Korg Trinity + which include the monophonic Prophecy, you'll keep up with guitars no probs.

 

[Skipp]

All analogue synth are very limited in features compared to full workstations. They might sound fatter and better, but you will soon find yourself with lack of options when it comes to live band performance. If you have a tight budget, find a Korg Triton with MOSS expansion board - or if you can afford it - the newer M3 with RADIAS expansion. You'll be getting a full flagship workstation with an analogue module in it