Which Keyboard

[speedracer]

Hi, I am a guitar player who wants an inexpensive keyboard to put some simple stuff on my tracks. I can play a little but know nothing about them. I was looking at the Yamaha PSR-GX76, sounded pretty cool, also the Casio WK-1600. anyone have any comments on these or somthing in this range?($300.00) Also in the future could I hook up a synth module (I think thats what they are called) to it? Thanks for any help !

Speed

[Rev E]

I don't know much about the $300 keyboard range, but as far as a module in the future... As long as the module has MIDI ports then you should be safe to use a module in the future. Also, you should consider getting a MIDI controller and a Module. There are some MIDI controllers made by Studiologic. They have some in the $100+ range. The controller is just a keyboard with no sounds on it with MIDI ports. You can hook up the controller to an inexpensive module (Roland Sound Canvas, Alesis Nanosynth, Kurzweil Micropiano, Korg N5X, Roland JV 1010, etc) Also consider used modules, you may find something nice.

Rev E

[DavidK]

Speed, you can get a midi keyboard controller and
a sound module and still be in the price range.

A midi controller, if you dont know, is a
keyboard that makes no sound, just controls
modules. Guitar Center had a 49 key touch
sensitive model, Kaysound MK4901, for 79 bucks!!!!!

You then get a midi cable and run it from the
Kaysounds Midi Out (thats all it has) and run
it to the midi in of a sound module, and THATS IT!

Alesis NanoSynth is $179. I have that, and a JV1010,
which I got by looking around, and got some
good advice from good ol Rev E., youth pastor
extraordinaire and Synth Advisor!

The Roland is $ 399, 220bucks more than Nanosynth.
It is in a slightly different league than the
NanoSynth, with fatter sounds, cool panning
effects, nice velocity effects (you get
different timbres by hitting the keys harder).
So if you can swing it, try for the JV1010.

If not, the Nanosynth still is a nice little
unit, and would be probably great for your needs.
It has nice drums, killer organs, great steel
guitars, the piano sounds lack a bit,
but it has 540 sounds, and is really easy to use.

I havent heard the yamaha and casio products
you mentioned, but I would assume that the
Nanosynth and a midi controller would be
10 times better, especially over the casio.
those types of keyboards tend to be for home
fun, whereas the JV1010 could be used in any pro
studio out there, and to a lesser extent
the nanosynth as well.

Both of the boxes can do amazing stuff when run
with a sequencer, like playing 16 parts
at one time, etc, and even though you probably
arent going to be doing fancypants stuff right
now, you might in the future, and most of
the Casio-type boards cant do that kind of stuff.

Good Luck, and please follow up and tell us
what you decided. David

[speedracer]

Thanks for the info guys. Hey, has anybody used a yamaha dx-21? seems you can get one of these used for not much more than a controller.. waddaya think?


Thanks again, SPEED

[DavidK]

Speed, I had a DX21, way back in 1987!!
I personally would not go that route, based on one
thing:
The DX21 is not a velocity sensitive keyboard.
Hit a note hard or soft, it all sounds the same.
Todays modules can do wonderful things in that area,
like hit a bass key, sounds like bass, hit it hard,
its a snapping bass.

The Dx21 is FM synthesis, good for its time, but
it wouldnt hold a candle to todays stuff, so I
dont think I would be able to use any of the sounds
on it these days.

I must say, however, that I really liked my good
old DX21, I had a blast with it and learned a lot,
but the velocity sensitive thing was a drag. David

[speedracer]

Thanks David!

SPEED