Keyboard for drums?

[Smoobg]

I was going to get a drum machine, but I thought todays keyboards probably have good enough drum sounds in them. I'm thinking about the Roland RS-5 or RS-9. Any advice?
Thanks

[laj35]

The novation drumstation is a slightly old rackamount *synth that basically has replicas of the old 808 and 909 modules. It has lotsa knobs so tweaking is a breeze, and it's really not that expensive last I checked. Or you could just get a sampla and save yourself the trouble....




Laj

[Chriss]

yea, a sampler is also 'aight, or a korg Rack Attack (yum)

[Rev E]

If you want to update your drum sounds someday in the future, a sampler or a keyboard that has expansion cards is a must. After a quick look at the RS-5 and 9, I don't see any expansion slots in the spec sheet. This is a major red flag.

Roland bills the RS series as performance keyboards (read: "not the keyboard that you want for serious studio work"). Since the sounds are based on some of the XV sounds, it will probably sound great "right now". But in 2-5 years, the sounds are going to be dated. At least with an expansion slot you could buy new drum sounds. Plus, I don't know a keyboard or module yet that has all of the drums that I want to play in the basic setup.

If I were buying, I would leave the RS in the store and get a sampler or a keyboard/module that had expansion slots. If you like the Roland soundset, perhaps you should think of the XV3080 or 5080 with a Studiologic controller (or some other brand of controller). If money is an issue, even the Roland JV 1010 or the XV5050 has one and two expansion slots, respectively.

Bottom line: If you want current drums you have to get a sampler. If you don't have a sampler, you need a keyboard or module that has expansion capabilities. Anything else is a serious compromise.

E

[Jamal]

MPC! MPC! MPC!

[Trak]

What Jamal said.

[Chriss]

MOTIF MOTIF MOTIF!!! or.. RS7000 RS7000 RS7000!!! or YAMAHA A5000 YAMAHA A5000 YAMAHA A5000!!

[Chriss]

What Chriss said.

[Riggy]

Drum machines usually have simpler interfaces than keyboard sequencers plus they might include drum related features like rolls and flams. If you dont need a keyboard dont waste yer money getting one. If you need a keyboard and a drum machine try to find one that does both...............

Just because a sound or drum machine is old does not make it outdated though. The old juno keyboards are still eing used today in dance music that I know of because of the rich analog sound you can get from them. Rolands 808, 909, 303 etc are also examples of a synth and drum machines that are not upgradable but are still widley used.

[James Argo]

Originally posted by Riggy
Just because a sound or drum machine is old does not make it outdated though.

He was right... !!!
The question is what kind of music you wanna make ? dance ? Rap ? Hip Hop ? No problem... But Rock needs more "human expresive" sound...

[DJTNA]

Another option you can look into is ebay. Research a few keyboards you may like then try to find them on ebay. I don't know much about keyboards either, but I just bought a Roland Juno 106 with a 3 tier keyboard stand for $300. I know it's an old keyboard, but a few artists I like still use it. So I figure if it still works for them, then it's good enough for me to learn on for a decent price.

Good Luck,
Anthony

[DJTNA]

oops...

I posted this in the worng place...
Sorry!