M-Audio Keystation es's or M-Audio Radium's ?

[JGEllis]

Hey there guys,

This question springs off my other thread going around at the moment. I went into Guitar Center today and was checking out some of the boards I have been thinking of and by mistake I actually came across the M-Audio Keystation 61es board. I'm quite confused though cause the guy at GC said the Keystation was $99 bucks. I was looking at the Radium's which are around $150 bucks at the moment. So I don't know if the guy was looking at the wrong item, cause I thought the Keystation and the Radium would be matched up, as they seem to be online on M-Audio's site.

So my question is, does anyone have any recommendations of either the Radium over the Keystation or vice versa, as I am looking to pick up a board tomorrow after some rehearsals.

Any quick help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[ssscientist]

According to the MAudio web site the 61es you were offered is a $199 list item with semi-weighted keys. The diff between it and the Radium is the controller knobs and sliders. The 61es has one slider while the Radium has sixteen - 8 sliders and 8 knobs.

Once you get into soft synths the control you have over the sound will be governed by how you assign the controllers. They will become a virtual front panel for any soft synth you are playing. If you buy the $100 keyboard now it will be difficult, if not impossible, to add the midi control capabilities at a later time, let alone for the $50 price difference.

Also, Avid bought MAudio lately -- I don't know if they are clearing stock @ Guitar Center for the newly branded models or if it's just business as usual that they're letting these things go so cheap...

[tedluk]

I'd agree with ssscientist's conlcusion that, for the price difference, it's not that great a deal, but I disagree that it would be difficult or impossible to add additional control capabilities in the future. There are dedicated boxes specifically for this purpose such as the new Behringer BCF2000, BCR2000 and BCA2000, among others. Adding additional control is as simple as plugging in MIDI cables and configuring everything.

Oh, there's the little niggle of coming up with the money to pay for it as well.

Ted

[JGEllis]

Thanks so much for the help guys. I picked up the Radium 49 today and eventually got it down to 134 dollars cause I was picking up some audix drum mics too.

Thanks, loving it so far.

[ssscientist]

JG - Glad to be of service.

And tedluk - a Peavey PC1600x has been my constant companion for the last decade - it's well worth a look if you need serious NRPN's and sysex access in every concievable midi format...

[JGEllis]

Hehe, you definitely were of great service. Thanks!

I don't suppose you can help out with this last question I have hehe, take a look if you have some free time:

http://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=129056

No one else seems to know anything about it that could help

[tedluk]

I don't have a DMP3, but a quick look at its specs show that the only outpus on it are 1/4" TRS balanced/unbalanced, so yes, you will need 1/4" to 1/4" and I would recommend that you use balanced (TRS) cables to get the best signal.

Which brand of cables?- How much money do you have??

This is one of those subjects that creates a lot of debate. There can be little argument that better quality cabling will result in a better signal reaching your recording device. OTOH, some people will spend a fortune on cabling while ignoring some really obvious flaws in their room acoustics or other parts of the recording chain. This seems kind of silly to me. I mean, what's the point of getting a really great signal into your DAW if it's flawed by using a poor, improperly placed microphone and recorded in a room with serious acoustical problems?

Unless you're working in pristine conditions and you have an unlimited budget, settle on a decent, mid-level brand of cabling and don't make yourself crazy.

Ted