Alesis QS6

[Johnson]

I'm currently looking to purchase a keyboard.
I don't have that much cash. I am looking at
the Alesis QS6. It has a lot of sounds and
mixes. Has anyone on this site used one before? If so, is it worth buying or is there
another keyboard in its price range? I am
doing rap/hip-hop/r&b

[B.L. Zeebub]

I just recently journeyed down the same path.

After much deliberation and trips to the local music stores, I settled on the Alesis QS 7.1. Granted, I'm certainly not a synth expert...Hell this is actually my first since I'm a guitarist....but the Alesis products sounded great to my ears.

IMHO, they are built very well, and the 7.1 (76 key)was about $450 less than the price of the Roland XP-60 (61 Key).

Honestly, most of the other keyboards I tried felt...well...cheaply built compared to the Alesis.

I am trying to lay down some Stabbing Westward/Chemlab/God Lives Underwater type stuff, and I think I can squeeze what I need to from the Alesis. As for you wanting to do hip-hop and rap, if you want more than what the base QS mixes will give you, they have Q-Cards to fill the gap...AND one just happens to be for the rap/hip-hop genre.

With all the stock programs and mixes in addition to what you program yourself, it should keep you quite busy.

The only drawback to the Alesis keyboards is the lack of a built in sequencer like the one that comes on the Roland XP-60 and 80, but thats what a PC is for, right?

My advice to you is to find a local music store where you can have the models that interest you in a side-by-side comparison. Find out what sounds and feels good to you and go for it.

And on a related note, I found the best price on my QS 7.1 at www.8thstreet.com. I paid $949 (free ground shipping) as opposed to $979 plus sales tax locally.

Good luck,

B.L. Zeebub

[Johnson]

Thanks. I guess I will
hit the music store this week!

[kerberos]

Hi....I just purchased a Alesis QS8.1. Alesis makes a decent board at an affordable price, so I don't think you'll go wrong with the QS6.1. There's a lot of bang for the buck.

I really like the action(believe it's a Fatar keyboard), closest to piano action as I can tell(What do I know, I'm a guitar player, but I tried them all, this feels great!). The patches are so-so. My old Ensoniq ESQ-1 has a much better grand piano sound, but thanks to MIDI I get it all. Check out BPM Musics Web site for a price on the 6.1. I paid $1259.00 for the QS8.1, no tax (unless you're in CO), and free shipping! WWW.BPMMUSIC.COM Great Deal!! Good luck.....Frank

[hongteck]

If I'm not wrong Alesis has a sound module called Nanosynth which cramps all the sound of the QS6 into it. .. oh well you may not be interested but I'm telling you just in case you love the sound of Alesis but hate the features.

[Fishmed]

Johnson,

I don't know if you are interested in Rack gear, but I have an Alesis S4 that I would like to sell for $300. I will include the Rap-Techno-Dance card and the Grand Piano Card. I have the orginal box and documentation. Email me if you are interested.