Keyboard for the studio

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NYMorningstar

Recording Modus Operandi
What's an adequate keyboard that would do pretty much everything needed in a studio environment, Roland, Korg, model??
Thx
 
Thanks Zeppe. Any more from all you keyboard players out there? What do you want to see when you hit the studio to record?
 
I used a Yamaha DX7S for a long time and lots of keyboard players, even today, are fine with them. You can get them for very cheap, $100 if you're lucky.

For the last few years I've been using M-Audio controllers, and while they are made cheap, they have a lot of features. Right now I have a MK-361C and a MK-461C.

The DX7 was dramatically better made than the M-Audio. If you can get a used DX7 they are still viable keyboards. I'd forget about onboard sounds - I use modules (Roland SC-8850 mainly).

I'm used to unweighted 61-note synth keyboards and like them but some keyboard players out of the "piano only" bag will want 88-key weighted units. The Kurzweill keyboards have always been higher quality that the others I've seen.

I'd go for whatever controller I could get cheap if I didn't need a specific one. I need two big mod wheels and can't stand the lever they use on Roland units.
 
actually the thing i want to see is an action that simulates the feel of a well maintained grand...

so do yourself and your keyboardist a favor and start by looking in piano stores where you'll be able to feel them...

i play a kurz and love the action on it is made by fatar for them and is wonderful...

as tyo whats available now... i have 2 close friends that have the roland g8 one may be x8... anyhow i've played them lots and can recommend them as well...
 
thank you for all the responses. I think I'm going to take dementedchord's advice and shop around a few piano stores, actually I have a friend who works in one I should be asking. Dang that Roland G8 is looking good.
 
Vote#2 for the Fantom G8.

I own a G6 with the brass expansion card. Monster keyboard. I've recorded with a G8, and I love, love, love the feel and action on those. I'll likely be moving up to an 8 soon.:cool:

Pros: Good to excellent electric pianos.
Good stock brass patches.
Excellent stock bass patches.
Good woodwinds patches (but they do require a bit of tweaking IMO)
Awesome synth and techno patches.
Excellent choir and vocal pathes.
Huge freakin LCD screen. USB mouse functionality (Very useful for edit and tweaking).
Excellent Library program for your comp. Connect the Fantom via USB and bingo, you're there.
Very high quality FX processors and excellent FX navigation.


Mehs: Dissapointing strings. They're ok, but not to the level of the other pathces.
Not really sold on the pianos. Better than their earlier attempts, and certainly better than the X series, but
I exected more. Not bad, just not stellar.
Really good percussion and drum sounds that have some very odd velocity envelops. Once these are
tweaked, they're damn good.

Cons: It's pricey.
Not a fan of the phrase based sequencer.
Pads are virtually useless with their stock velocity settings. You have to hit them with a hammer to use em.
I haven't tried to tweak them yet.
Beautiful brushed aluminum chassis, and a particle board bottom? WTF?
 
The older Kurzweil SP88X is a nice controller with excellent feel and sound. Use it to control outboard modules like another poster mentioned.

You should be able to pick up one at a good price if you can find one.
 
I have owned a ton of boards and pretty much sold all of them for software,but I will always love the Yamaha motif keyboards.

They have the best realistic sound out of all of the big brands. I will say that I love roland's synths tho.

Like someone mentioned before you can also get a midi for about $200 or so and just get a few new or used modules and you will come out the same as a 61 key or 76 key keyboard.

That is the route I went. I got tired of spending $2000 on keyboards for only 1000 sounds. I bought a Yamaha KX61 midi controller and a couple sound modules. Worked out great and saved a ton of money.

Then I went software crazy and havent looked back. I mean you get thousands of great quality sounds for only a few hundred bucks.
 
ddash85 said:
I have owned a ton of boards and pretty much sold all of them for software,but I will always love the Yamaha motif keyboards.

They have the best realistic sound out of all of the big brands. I will say that I love roland's synths tho.

Like someone mentioned before you can also get a midi for about $200 or so and just get a few new or used modules and you will come out the same as a 61 key or 76 key keyboard.

That is the route I went. I got tired of spending $2000 on keyboards for only 1000 sounds. I bought a Yamaha KX61 midi controller and a couple sound modules. Worked out great and saved a ton of money.

Then I went software crazy and havent looked back. I mean you get thousands of great quality sounds for only a few hundred bucks.
Click to expand...


I know this thread is regarding a studio keyboard, but I'm curious, and hopefully you can teach us something, if possible:

Can your software example be done LIVE, and if so, what does that look like and entail? Give example of the computer hardware & software requirements, and then the motions, i.e. changing programs for songs, effects, etc. Is it simple?
 
Toddskins said:
I know this thread is regarding a studio keyboard, but I'm curious, and hopefully you can teach us something, if possible:

Can your software example be done LIVE, and if so, what does that look like and entail? Give example of the computer hardware & software requirements, and then the motions, i.e. changing programs for songs, effects, etc. Is it simple?
Click to expand...

I used to run midi controller/module on stage for years. You don't need a comp for that unless you want to use some sequences on stage or some custom samples to trigger. Even then, you may not need a comp depending upon the controller you use.
Now if you want to go VSTI synth plugs and use them live, then that's a whole 'nother ballgame. There's a user, TerraMortim, that does alot of that live, plus sequencing. Might give him a shout or drop him a PM and see how he's doing it.
 
Cheapest 88 weighted midi controller keyboard you can find.
 
If other keyboardists are going to be recording on it I agree with MoreofSound and Dementedchord. I like the Kurz PC88 for this purpose. The 88 weighted Fatar keys is decent but you have to beware of squeaky keys. The problem is not difficult to resolve if you are into working inside the keyboard.
The PC88 has 4 midi sliders which are handy when the person is auditioning and or blending sounds and it has some decent sounds to complement your sound modules and or software synths. They go for under $500.

You can get older Studiologic master keyboards without sounds or midi faders for closer to $300. Ensoniq KT-88 with Fatar keys for around $400 but I like the PC88's operating system better as a studio master keyboard. I like the Ensoniq more for live work.
 
I just saw a used Kurzweil PC88 for only $419 on Guitarcenter's used section.

I have been wanting to buy a kurzweil keyboard for a while. I am cheap at times tho.
 
Zeppe said:
My vote is for a Korg Triton or Yamaha Motif.
Click to expand...
I can't comment on the Triton but my friend and occasional bandmate had a 1st-gen Motif 88 so I'm reasonably familiar with it. One thing that would rule it out for me immediately in terms of studio use is only two pairs of outputs, especially since you can't even get 4x mono if you want effects at all, the routing is really awkward, etc, etc. I was also felt that apart from keyboard sounds, most of them were disappointing, especially the choirs. Finally, he had huge problems with the hammer-action keyboard, he had the keyboard in the shop every three months, and he's a classically trained pianist, so he knew what he was doing.

dintymoore said:
I used a Yamaha DX7S for a long time and lots of keyboard players, even today, are fine with them. You can get them for very cheap, $100 if you're lucky.

For the last few years I've been using M-Audio controllers, and while they are made cheap, they have a lot of features. Right now I have a MK-361C and a MK-461C.

The DX7 was dramatically better made than the M-Audio. If you can get a used DX7 they are still viable keyboards.
Click to expand...
I used to have a DX7s myself and it was the best synth keyboard I've ever played (not that I'm very particular, but I know what I like). You have to make sure it's the second-generation DX7 (with the rounded D logo, not the pointy one), though, otherwise you won't enjoy it one bit as a MIDI controller (channel 1 only, velocity up to 100 only). One keyboard that comes close in terms of feel and is a very versatile controller is Yamaha's own AN1x - I own two and I love them.

TeyshaBlue said:
Beautiful brushed aluminum chassis, and a particle board bottom? WTF?
Click to expand...
I find that kind of cute, and it's a long-standing Roland tradition. I remember being similarly shocked when I saw the giant plastic casing married to particle board on my Korg DSS-1 though, so I understand where you're coming from.
 
MMensch said:
I find that kind of cute, and it's a long-standing Roland tradition. I remember being similarly shocked when I saw the giant plastic casing married to particle board on my Korg DSS-1 though, so I understand where you're coming from.
Click to expand...

Heh...I owned a DSS-1 too. I had a huge disk library for that thing...I think I owned every single disk Korg released and a whole slew of disks from the Korg rep of 3rd party/indi developers.
Now that was one heavy keyboard. I used to call it my boat anchor.:D
 
Sometimes, I'm kinda sorry I sold mine. I could definitely use a multitimbral DW-8000 that would do layers and use any sample as its oscillator, and then a pair of those lovely Korg delays for modulation, but I'm not sure if it would be worth the bother with the disks and all, and of course the size. Man the size of it ... it was so big that the guy that came to pick it up from me had to fold down the back seats in his Mazda estate (it was a mid-sized estate, but still).

Hmm, I've just looked at some pitcures of it and it doesn't look *that* humongous, maybe it's grown in my mind over the years or something. But I still don't think I'd have anywhere to put it without it being a hassle of one kind or another.
 
MMensch said:
Sometimes, I'm kinda sorry I sold mine. I could definitely use a multitimbral DW-8000 that would do layers and use any sample as its oscillator, and then a pair of those lovely Korg delays for modulation, but I'm not sure if it would be worth the bother with the disks and all, and of course the size. Man the size of it ... it was so big that the guy that came to pick it up from me had to fold down the back seats in his Mazda estate (it was a mid-sized estate, but still).

Hmm, I've just looked at some pitcures of it and it doesn't look *that* humongous, maybe it's grown in my mind over the years or something. But I still don't think I'd have anywhere to put it without it being a hassle of one kind or another.
Click to expand...

No. Your memory is correct. You could land small aircraft on that thing. :laughings:
 
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