best keyboard for around 350?

[DAS19]

title says it.

[altitude909]

Look used, you should be able to find something nice. What r u looking for in a synth?

[misscc803]

Emu PK-6(proteus 2000 sounds) I own it and i love it. You gotta have something to sequence it though. But software can do that for you. Nice keyboard. I have the Mo Phatt Expansion Rom on its way to go in it. So that means I have the Proteus 2000 and Mo Phatt in one board. Now thats lovely.

[ssscientist]

If I were in the market for a new keyboard this would be my choice.

[misscc803]

Originally Posted by ssscientist

If I were in the market for a new keyboard this would be my choice.

Please yall dont let da size fool you either. That thing can work wonders.

[DAS19]

Hmm seems like a good buy ill look into it thanks.

Does that thing produce a good piano sound though other then just synth?

[treymonfauntre]

check out used roland juno ds, yamaha s03s, alesis qs6.2....

[WERNER 1]

Good topic!!!

I was actually looking into this myself over the past couple of weeks.......

I asked our keyboard player this exact quesiton, and he just laughed.......then he asked me what I thought about those 100 dollar guitars at WalMart ----> His point was well taken -- I'm a guitarist with some really high end gear, and he's got thousands upon thousands of dollars in Keyboard stuff (And some of the most killer sounds and talent I've ever heard from any keyboards ---- and as a general rule I don't even like keyboards....or their players )

anyway...


I was looking to add a "decent" keyboard to my home studio set up so that who ever came over wouldn't have to drag all of their stuff around.. But, I want something with good overall sounds so that I don't get that rolling of the eye's when the keyboard players see it......you know what I mean

Thanks,
Rick

[mawtangent]

Random thoughts on this subject:

One should determine how many keys they need to have on the keyboard (I like at least 61 to have the semi-illusion that I am sitting at a piano)...If the keyboard's sounds are going be used for sequencing then one should consider how many notes the keyboard can produce at once (its polyphony).

Some keyboards have no onboard sounds of their own but are designed act as midi-controllers (to be hooked up to other devices which actually produce the sound). Determining your needs will help you concentrate your buying power on the features that are specific to your situation. Better to have something that does the one thing you want it to do very well than to have something that has a dozen features but does not shine in the area in which you want it to shine.

I have a Roland XP-50, it came out in the mid-90's, I've seen them on ebay in the $300-$400 range, it has 61 full-size keys, it's own sounds, a (admittedly un-user friendly) onboard 16-track sequencer, and a disk-drive for sequencer/song storage)...In my readings the Roland XP series sounds (except for the XP-10) have held up well over the years. I've also heard good things about the Korg N-series (N-364, N-264) from that same (mid-90's) era but I haven't priced a used one lately.

If I were buying a keyboard currently produced and wanted to feel like I had a truly "respectably perceived" professional instrument I would look at the Roland Juno-D and the Yamaha So3 (as treymonfauntre suggested)

I've been derided here for even suggesting that someone consider a Yamaha PSR series but I think the ones with touch response that have came out in the last 5 years sound pretty good and would be compatitable with a lot of home recording set-ups (that is, the keyboard would probably not be the weakest element in the songs produced)

The Yamaha DGX series (with has been praised by others here before) seems to be a step up from the PSR series (especially in piano sounds) and starts at around $300.

[50cal]

Originally Posted by misscc803

Emu PK-6(proteus 2000 sounds) I own it and i love it. You gotta have something to sequence it though. But software can do that for you. Nice keyboard. I have the Mo Phatt Expansion Rom on its way to go in it. So that means I have the Proteus 2000 and Mo Phatt in one board. Now thats lovely.

this is not true,I had a pk6 its not even close to the proteus2000.I seen an Asr10 goin for about $300 on ebay recently,you cant beat that,Mo phatt is alright,But I wouldnt get one of those never,I guess it depends what kind of music you are trying to make as far as getting a recommendation,But the producers I know who make beats dont use mo phatts,not saying it cant be used.

[fraserhutch]

Look for a used Roland JV1080. I'm falling in love with mine all over again

[misscc803]

Originally Posted by 50cal

this is not true,I had a pk6 its not even close to the proteus2000.I seen an Asr10 goin for about $300 on ebay recently,you cant beat that,Mo phatt is alright,But I wouldnt get one of those never,I guess it depends what kind of music you are trying to make as far as getting a recommendation,But the producers I know who make beats dont use mo phatts,not saying it cant be used.

You dont know what u are talkin about because the Pk-6 is the Protues 2000 keys. Dont believe me read for your self. LOL at you.

"The new PK-6 Proteus Keys is a sleek keyboard with E-mu's Proteus 2000 sounds and features. The PK-6 comes with the Proteus's 32 MB "Composer" soundset, and additional Proteus expansion ROM soundsets can be added up to 128 MB. The sounds cover the whole spectrum of synthesizer type sounds, from real instruments to bizarre sounds and effects. The keyboard is a full 61-keys long with 16 real-time controllers. There's also 16 on-board syncable/programmable arpeggiators and the Proteus 2000's Super BEATS interactive Groove Mode. With 16 mute/enable buttons this keyboard is set for live and on the fly performances with plenty of real-time controls! Unlike the Proteus 2000 which is 128 voice polyphonic, the PK-6 has just 64 voices and only 4 audio outputs as opposed to 6 in the rack modules. The PK-6 also features multi-mode resonant filters, 24-bit DACs, and an affordable price tag! "

Read the rest here - http://www.vintagesynth.com/emu/pk6.shtml

[sweetpeee]

I like the Casio WK3200

http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Casio...ard,__9352124/

It has a six track midi sequencer so you can do drum patterns, bass rhythm and solo over it. I also has some pretty cool draw organ sounds with lever simulation (I don't know the technical description of what it does... lets just say there are a lot of different ways to change the organ sounds). I gave my old wk1200 to my niece and went out and replaced it with this.


"Does that thing produce a good piano sound though other then just synth?"


This Casio has some built in piano sounds like a Grand, a rag time etc as well as orchestration instruments, synth sounds. I use it to practice and tinker around on, but the keys aren't weighted. For weighted keys I use a keystation pro 88 and for better piano/strings type sounds, I midi out into a Yamaha Motif es Rack. Point being, for starters it's a decent keyboard that will allow you to record songs on it (provided all instrument sounds are generated by the keyboard) and you could always get some decent modules and just midi out from the Casio.

J.P.

[50cal]

Originally Posted by misscc803

You dont know what u are talkin about because the Pk-6 is the Protues 2000 keys. Dont believe me read for your self. LOL at you.

"The new PK-6 Proteus Keys is a sleek keyboard with E-mu's Proteus 2000 sounds and features. The PK-6 comes with the Proteus's 32 MB "Composer" soundset, and additional Proteus expansion ROM soundsets can be added up to 128 MB. The sounds cover the whole spectrum of synthesizer type sounds, from real instruments to bizarre sounds and effects. The keyboard is a full 61-keys long with 16 real-time controllers. There's also 16 on-board syncable/programmable arpeggiators and the Proteus 2000's Super BEATS interactive Groove Mode. With 16 mute/enable buttons this keyboard is set for live and on the fly performances with plenty of real-time controls! Unlike the Proteus 2000 which is 128 voice polyphonic, the PK-6 has just 64 voices and only 4 audio outputs as opposed to 6 in the rack modules. The PK-6 also features multi-mode resonant filters, 24-bit DACs, and an affordable price tag! "

Read the rest here - http://www.vintagesynth.com/emu/pk6.shtml

beleive me it aint even close,Ive compared both side by side....i had the pk6 maybe one day when you compare each bank and see the differences you will know,Ive probably played with almost any keyboard you can think of(not to sound snotty)....IF you like the pk6 thats cool..its a cool keyboard.nice build nice size keys,I make Hip hop beats and this had some alright sounds but majority I wasnt feelin.....the proteus 2000 is another beast notice even above it says pk6-comes with the 32mb composer sound set...I bought it because i Thought it had the same sounds...it was misleading..it said sounds of the proteus,I think it has same capabilities,filters,editing,but the onboard sounds maybe from the previous proteus.....I got rid of it and got a voyager,and motif....and I use a MPC3000 for drums and sequencing..I had to get rid of the voyager but I have a jp8000 that has enough knobs and sliders to keep me busy.

[misscc803]

^^^^^

Ok you are entitled to your opinion and i respect that. But im loving the PK-6 and im maxing it out. Good Luck with your beats.

[50cal]

^^^^ah hahaha..O.K. I just wanna post one more thing....man I feel great almost like the guests on the maury povich show..YOU ARE NOT THE FATHER.

I clicked the link you provided. http://www.vintagesynth.com/index2.html


and off to the right are the specs.
Polyphony - 64 voices
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oscillators - 32 MB "Composer" Sound Set ROM (expandable to 128 MB), four 24-bit DACs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LFO - 2 per voice
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Filter - 50 types of 6th- and 12th-order Z-plane filters
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Effects - 24-bit dual stereo-effects processor with 29 reverbs types, 15 delay types, 8 chorus types, 7 flange types, 5 distortion types
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keyboard - 61 keys (velocity and aftertouch)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Memory - 1152 Presets (640 ROM, 512 RAM)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Control - MIDI
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date Produced - 2002
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Est. Value - $899

now on that same link I went to the proteus 2000. http://www.vintagesynth.com/index2.html
and found the specs on the right.
Polyphony - 128 voices
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oscillators - 32 MB "Composer" Sound Set ROM (expandable to 128 MB), four 16-bit DACs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LFO - 256 (2 per voice)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Filter - 128 (multiple types with resonance)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Effects - dual stereo-effects processor with 29 reverbs types, 15 delay types, 8 chorus types, 7 flange types, 5 distortion types
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keyboard - None
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Memory - 1536 Presets (1024 ROM, 512 RAM)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Control - MIDI (32 multitimbral parts)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date Produced - 1999
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Est. Value - $800

notice the pk6------ Memory - 1152 Presets (640 ROM, 512 RAM)
now proteus2000----- Memory - 1536 Presets (1024 ROM, 512 RAM)