Keyboard/synth recommendation and then some....

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kcseek

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I am not a piano player but I play one sometimes to add to my own songs. Having a good piano sound as well as pipe organ is important but also sampled or good existing sounds to add subtle layers just to sweeten a recording.

I am not sure how important the number of keys would be for me and having them weighted or not but using it as a midi trigger would be useful. Reading other posts I know some of the built in sounds can be limited or not up to snuff but the ability to expand on them is important. Have even used a cheap keyboard in the past that could sample up to 8 seconds and used a human voice to guitar riff to add an unusual synth sound. External effects helped to smooth and enlarge the cheap keyboard sound.

I am a bit all over the board as far as using a lot of different instruments in a song. Stringed, woodwind, and brass will be used. Range from Beatle-ish to modern hard rock to bare bones acoustic everything. I don't own a bass anymore so I would like to use the keyboard for that and save my fingers. Have a Alesis HR16 drum machine I bought way back when to help get song ideas down. Have a Tascam DP001FX/CD recorder being shipped along with a Blue Baby Bottle mic.

Would also be interested in checking out some computer recording programs for mix down and such. Until I can afford a Mac laptop and Pro Tools program something which will help me learn to use them and work with a Windows XP operating system would be a big help. I see there is a number of free software recording programs available you can download.

I know a little bit about everything and a whole lot about nothing LOL.

Will
 
Reaper costs only $50 and runs on Windows XP.

If you're getting a new computer and DAW, the DAW should have a number of virtual instruments built in. All you really need is a MIDI controller that feels good to you.
 
What's your keyboard budget?
After a lot of shopping around, I went for the Casio WK500 - 76 keys, midi, sampling and some decent onboard sounds. Not rugged enough for gigging, and no weighted keyboard, but can't beat the price for home recording use.
 
Maybe a MIDI keyboard controller and a synth module.

The Akai MPK series is nice, but you have to buy the 61-key version to get a split-able keyboard. Not a weighted keyboard but stiffer action than my old Roland U-20, diving board keys, lot's of MIDI parameter-change options, each pad/switch/slider/knob is programmable via software.

NO ONBOARD SOUNDS!!!!!! Gotta get those via synth module or softsynth or whatever.

GC has been blowing those out since last summer.

For synth module, I dunno. I switched over to soft synths.
 
Id suggest NI's kontakt....i think it would cover just about everything you need....other than Brass stuff, which lets face it still sounds shite on anything, its libraries a pretty impressive and always affordable

at its current price it a bit expensive but if you buy it in its Komplete bundle you are just about covered for everything you'll ever need in synths, drums, and GR4 which rather than just a guitar soft amp is actually a brilliant sound module in itself..

I have komplete 5, its up to 7 now, and it was worth every penny of the discounted sale price I paid for it :D
 
I appreciate all the response folks

I have been searching on all the options mentioned. Spent a lot of time reading up on Reaper which is in my price range.

Will look into all the keyboards/synth stuff mentioned as well. The most I could afford right now is $300 but I have seen a few of the ones valued at that level and more go even cheaper with some research. Cosmetic flaws don't faze me and even some electrical issues I may be able to fix because of my background in electronics. Certainly don't intend on touring with this stuff and I have retired from live performances since Halloween of 2008. Found a guy on Craig'slist with a decent Casio for only a $100 and he had the Tascam DP-01FX/CD for $150 but he never replied back to me so I found same recorder on Ebay for only $100.

Thanks again everyone and looking forward to reading more.

Will
 
before you run off consider a JV1080 module...its a bit bread and butter and comes in at around $200 on fleabay/c'list, but its the expansion cards that are still really desirable imho and they range from $50 - $150 so could be right in your price range

Roland JV-1080 | Vintage Synth Explorer

if you need some samples of instruments try here

SR-JV80-03
 
mjbphotos said:
What's your keyboard budget?
After a lot of shopping around, I went for the Casio WK500 - 76 keys, midi, sampling and some decent onboard sounds. Not rugged enough for gigging, and no weighted keyboard, but can't beat the price for home recording use.
Click to expand...

Casios generally make good controllers, but they're definitely stay-at-home players, as you say. You could even use an old MIDI-capable mini-keys Casio as a desktop controller if you could live without velocity and aftertouch.
 
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