Budget Synth Revisited

[jumpmanjr]

Hi Again,

Boy, am I ever confused now; I mentioned that I'd like to get a budget keyboard for about $500 and I get all sorts of different responses. Some say get a Yamaha, others say Roland xp30, and how's about the classic from the 90's the Korg M1. By the way, I do appreciate the reponses that I got even if the contradictory statements make the decision difficult.

I've done some thinking and I think that what I need from you the (synth expert community) is to fill me in on the trade-offs of getting one keyboard over the other. I am sure that all of the keyboards that you recommended are great but I am having difficulty picking one that suits me.

By the way, I am willing to pay a bit higher if there is enough incentive to do so; but the incentive would have to be fairly major. Maybe you can offer some advice on the trade-offs of buying one model over the other.

Here are some of my objectives or key interests:
1. My favourite keyboard/piano bands are Pet Shop Boys (early 90's), A-ha (post millenium), and most recently Keane.
2. I write music with guitar, can play piano but don't own one or a keyboard.
3. This would be my only keyboard.
4. I would like to buy a card for my computer to record songs track by track with almost no latency; my slow comp is 750 Mhz with 512 MB ram.
5. I would like something that can play many sounds.
6. It would be nice if the keyboard had a good piano sound so that I could mimic Keane's stuff.
7. I am turned off by Yamaha keyboards. I have seen the junk ones in Radio Shack and I just can't imagine buying one of the high end ones; must be a snobism thing on my part but that's life.
8. I am thinking that Korg or Roland may be the way to go.

Why would you pick one keyboard over another? What are some of the key points that I should be looking for?

Thanks Everyone,
Peter.

 

[mawtangent]

Hey jumpmanjr...this is a revision of something I wrote in another thread a while back that might apply to your questions:

My concept of the perfect keyboard (for me) has evolved over the years...I had some ancient, mid-80's dinosaurs and recorded into a boombox for a few years...about 10 years ago I was introduced to the world of pro-level keyboards. Of course the sound blew me away, but what really got my attention was having an onboard sequencer (by which, using the sounds of the keyboard, one can build, track by track, measure by measure, a full instrumental song)...

I began to envision my goal, my "perfect" keyboard...it would have 61 keys, pro-level sounds, effects unit(s), a sequencer, and a disk-drive (to save sequences) in one machine (a "workstation" keyboard, meaning that several functions are combined in one machine).

I have never been picky about the "feel" of the keys, but I have noted that some instruments feel more "solid" than others. To some people the feel of the keys is a very big deal. I'm more into getting the right sounds and making sequences than into actually sitting and enjoying live playing of the instrument.

In time I was able to intigrate the keyboard (sequencing the drums and bass, etc.) with vocals and guitar by recording to a 4-track cassette recorder. There were a lot of steps that I took before I understood what I could/wanted to do with the technology available to me.

I am suggesting that you to look at your own situation: Are you going to use the keyboard to mostly just fill-out your sound, like putting icing on the cake after you have laid down your other instruments/vocals (then you may not need a sequencer) or will you possibly want to sequence a foundation bed on your keyboard to support vocals and other instruments. Are you putting together a recording setup and how will the keyboard fit into it. Are you knowledgable about MIDI/sequencing via computer (frankly, I am not). What instruments do you already play and have you got your bass and drums covered (or will you be using the keyboard for this).

I hope this is helpful somehow... I am just trying to imagine if I was having a conversation with you and what I would ask you before I tried to give you some kind of opinion to your questions...I have participated in several threads that dealt with specific brands/models of keyboards in your price range (if you do a search under "cheap keyboards" or "inexpensive keyboards" you should find several more model suggestions, which might only frustrate you more)

 

[seismetr0n]

here my 2 cents, i have a synth and a keyboard

roland xp-80 (1998)= pros =4 banks plus 4 addtl slots for sounds
sequencer, real time phrasing, step write, full midi
pretty decent piano sound

= cons ='digital' sound
only 4 real time adjustments
cost $1500 new!!!!
no sampling


korg poly six (1982)= pros =fat analog sound
many real time knobs and adjustments (28?)
cost $150 (ebay)

= cons = no midi (cv only)
only 24 voices

so, if you like the sounds of a digital keyboard, the xp-30 is o.k., but if i did it again i'd buy a used kurzweil k2000xs(prob $1000), with the sampling option, and kurzweils v.a.s.t synthesis technology cant be beat, vast and the sampler combined can create way more digital (and close to analog) sounds then you can imagine, but its still not analog.


for $500 you could get a sequential circuits pro-one (e-bay), which has a super fat analog sound and massive knob tweaking capabilities, but no midi(i dont think). its inline for my next synth.

there's always option C:
drop a couple hundred on a 2.7Ghz, and 512mb of ram (starting at $300), spend the rest of it on soft synths (theres more than you can shake a stick at- including moog,arp, and korg emulators)throw in a soft sampler maybe, a sequencer/multitracker like cubase/cakewalk/logic and an inexpensive usb A/D converter (you shouldnt need more then 2 inputs if its just you without a drum kit).. and blam there you go

gl

 

[Riverdog]

Just do it...

I'd say that your best bet is to get any Korg or Roland / Post 1990...
Go to your local synth store and listen to Some current models that have the "older sounds on them"... ie: Try the new Roland "Juno D"... It's about 550.00 new and has great vintage sounds and things that are rather contemporary as well... Not sure about the pianos - But this may be a good place to start...

I say this as you mentioned "A-ha" and "Pet Shop Boys"... These groups at that time still used the more vintage sound of keyboards that are growing older and are starting to become "bears" to maintain...

I like "seismetr0n" 's Option C... It may be a good way to get good sound without accumulating too much hardware...

As for which keyboard is better "one over the other"...
I honestly 'DON'T KNOW'... I have many keyboards and some do better at some things than others... But one of my primary criteria is: "the sound"... I have Korg, Roland, Alesis, Kawai, (etc) and yes even an old Yamaha W7... Each does something sonically very well and something VERY badly...
It's up to you to decide what's best for your situation...

Good luck and keep asking questions - I'm hoping we can give you enough information to get a good solid decision for YOU off the runway and into the air...