Which keyboard for £1500 / $2000 US / $3000 AUD / $2500 Can.

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Kaneda

Yes, precisely, which is why my comment reads ... if only it was based on the D1.

The D1 does have the RH3 keybed.

If only Korg released an updated Pa4X arranger in 88 key RH3 form with the SST of the Kronos, hell why not just make an Arranger version of said Kronos?
 
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Seems to be an 88 key version of the EK-50

It is a kross (bad pun intended) between the B2 and the EK50.

Looking in detail at it seems like it shares the B2 body with the EK50’s display.

Hopefully it is the start of good things at Korg, with 88 key units and arranger functions.
 
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Yeah, I guess it's the first Korg 88 arranger since the Havian 30... and it addresses some shortcomings of that model, i.e. it has Line In, Line Out. Still no 5-pin MIDI jacks, though. And only one pedal, so you can have damper or expression, but not both.
 
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What Biggles needs is a 88 key PA1000 with the RH3 keybed and physical drawbars ;)
 
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I did ponder an 88 key MIDI controller keyboard and software as the way forward for me.

Then I looked at the cost of an 88 key controller which here in the UK for a quality unit is c£800 for an Arturia Keylab mk 2 88 or NI S88.

Hence a Korg D1 or Roland FP30 comes on the radar, an 88 key DP with MIDI connections.

Then if I am spending £800 why not spend more and get a unit that will do it all and yet have MIDI connections and the oh so important SST.

This is why the Roland FA 08 is in the centre of my radar.

With bids on my arranger it is history come next Monday
 

happyrat1

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Why not get it over with, sell a kidney and buy a Genos? :D

My Behringer Crave that I ordered during boxing week is arriving Monday. I'm looking forward to integrating it into my system when the ASM Hydrasynth arrives as promised in two weeks. :D

Then it's time to update the flowcharts and photographic record and pump out a few new tunes.

I'm pumped. The Hydrasynth has been a preoder now for the past 4 months. :p

Gary ;)
 
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So with NAMM over and done with and nothing released that floats my boat.

Well only the RD88 from Roland sort of comes close but it is likely to cost c£1000 here in the UK where a Roland FP30 at £450 would do what I want from a piano and they share the same keybed.

On with the Laptop and time to watch some of the tutorials vids then off to my local store.

At the store it took about 10 seconds to realise that the vids were u/s, yes they show what to do but they do not tell us the key combinations to use and the manual, well Korg’s are in Klingon and Roland’s are Vulcan, all precise and logical yet telling you zilch.

By now you are wondering what buttons I have been pressing, well I was stood in front of a Roland FA07 pushing buttons by the score and achieving nothing. That said just spinning the dial on each category and playing a riff with the keys did not disappoint at all, very similar to the Korg sounds that I am used to but with much superior piano sounds. Add in a little reverb and chorus and then play with the controls to achieve some really pretty good sounds.

Whilst there I also had a play with an RD2000, FP 30, FP 10, Yamaha P45 and lusted over a Fantom but given its cost I kept my hands off it even though it was all lit up like Star Trek’s Enterprise.

So more research on Studio Sets and splitting the keyboard and another trip to the store is called for.

Then do I go for an FA06, or an FA07, plus a DP like an FP10/30 or P45 or just get an FA08?
 
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I know you also mentioned the Juno DS a possibility (albeit "outsider"), here's a thread on the comparison:


But I think the DS88 and FA-08 are both on the bulky-and-heavy side. Also, that 88 action is a notch below the FP10/FP30/RD88.

But you haven't really said exactly what you need out of a board (other than some seamless sound transition implementation), so it's hard to make a specific recommendation!

One brand you did not mention that you might not want to overlook is Casio. The PX-560 is really nice, and I think has a better action than the Rolands.
 
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Great comparison in your post on the other forum Scott, the pros of the FA are more in keeping with what I seek.

I would prefer a workstation with good piano sounds (but will not consider a Yamaha, since I do like their piano sounds but not others) and ideally one with a good feel to the keybed. Weight is not an issue it is for home use only.

The FA 07 that I played in the store had a good feel and I could certainly live with one or maybe an 06 if that has the same keybed which seems to be velocity sensitive synth. I did try to see if the SST worked on the FA and primarily it did, where it did not Fx had been applied to the sound.

My thinking of the FA v DS is that the FA has a better interface and a much superior inbuilt Sequencer. Creating the layered sounds and split keyboard on the FA looks far better than what I was used to with the Kross. I cannot remember what I did on layering on the DS when I was shop testing one.

I am jittery about the FA simply because it is an old model
 
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I would prefer a workstation with good piano sounds (but will not consider a Yamaha, since I do like their piano sounds but not others) and ideally one with a good feel to the keybed. Weight is not an issue it is for home use only.
If by workstation you mean a board with a full built-in multitrack sequencer, at the price of the FA (or lower), I think the only other options are the Korgs. Or if you're opening the field up to boards with fewer and non-hammer keys, there are some Casios, notably the MZ-X500.

The FA 07 that I played in the store had a good feel and I could certainly live with one or maybe an 06 if that has the same keybed which seems to be velocity sensitive synth.
FA-06 action is a step down from the FA-07 action.

I did try to see if the SST worked on the FA and primarily it did, where it did not Fx had been applied to the sound.
IIRC, on the FA, SST works in two ways, with different limitations:

...Within a Studio Set, you can seamlessly switch among any set of 16 sounds you have defined, but not to anything outside the set of 16

...When playing individually tones, seamless switching works from most sounds to most other sounds, except there may be a momentary effects-related glitch; and it won't work at all if switching with a SuperNatural Organ tone.

My thinking of the FA v DS is that the FA has a better interface and a much superior inbuilt Sequencer. Creating the layered sounds and split keyboard on the FA looks far better than what I was used to with the Kross. I cannot remember what I did on layering on the DS when I was shop testing one.
FA does have the better interface overall, Both have dedicated front panel buttons for split and layer. DS does have a better interface for managing 2-way splits/layers, with its dedicated sliders for the volumes of the two parts, and a split interface that makes it particularly easy to change the octave of either sound on the fly, or change one of the two sounds without impacting the other.
 
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For myself, at $2500 Canadian I would buy a used Korg Kronos 61 key or 88 key because:

1. it's ridiculously fun to play. the sounds are amazing. the depth of the instrument's capabilities is amazing. there are like 6 or more TYPES of sound engines in it, and tens of thousands of sounds at the flick of a wrist.

2. you could gig with it, not that I currently do.

3. you can load new sounds into it.

4. it's a workstation. it does everything.

5. it's a great master controller.

I think an 88 key might be hard to get used for $2500 canadian, the 88 keys stay around $3000 canadian, but it's close. You might find such a deal if you were sharp.

If I needed 88 key weighted at $2500, and I wanted to go new, I'd get the Yamaha MODX 8. At $2349 it's a beast.

If I wanted a new Korg at $1500-canadian I would go with the Korg Kross 2, and I'd be sad every day that it wasn't a kronos.

None of these would make me a better musician. I already own an acoustic piano and I think that time on my best instrument, spent in a disciplined manner building technique will make me a better musician, not anything I buy.
 

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