Keyboards with sequencer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Roel
  • Start date Start date

Which way to go?

  • Buy Kurzweil.

    Votes: 16 25.0%
  • Trinity.

    Votes: 6 9.4%
  • The triton, definitely.

    Votes: 20 31.3%
  • Roland XP series. Get rid of JV1010, it's editing sucks anyways.

    Votes: 4 6.3%
  • You're over 25, buy the M1 by way of nostalgia.

    Votes: 1 1.6%
  • Go for the saxomophone. Keys will never get you laid.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Buy other keyboard. (Specify)

    Votes: 11 17.2%
  • Save for house and children.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Give a free cookie-party with loads of milkshakes and disco music for that kinda money!!

    Votes: 6 9.4%

  • Total voters
    64
I tested them, so I didn't have to pay for them thank goodness :)
Pretty amazing though ... tested them against gepco, mogami and monster, blind test - picked the zoalla every time, which to be honest I didn't think would have been possible. Amazing specs, you can check it out at http://www.zaolla.com
 
Scriabin said:
do any of these keyboards have a sampler? see my problem is i want spectrasonics "symphony of voices" but i need a sampler to play them through kurzweil ive got now. the symphony of voices sample cds are only in akai, roland ect sample formats... so this means ill have to dish out another $600 plus for a sampler on top of the $500 bucks for the sample cds! sry, i just had to rant.

Kurzweil reads Akai and Roland and .wav/aiff
 
(The sampler in the kurzweils is an option board, but shailat is right. And the option is less expensive as a sampler...)

The motif also has a build in sampler (no option), and it reads AIFF and WAVE, and has also 'comprehensive import functions for Akai S1000/S3000 and Yamaha A3000/A4000/A5000 samplers'.

I'm really thinking about the motif... Or a second hand kurzweil 2500... Have no idea on how they compare soundwise.
The kurzweil has 4 more outputs, and the yamaha is more portable. That's about all I know 'till now. And, kurzweil stops making keyboards while yamaha just scored with the motif. So far for customer support...
 
Roel said:
(The sampler in the kurzweils is an option board, but shailat is right. And the option is less expensive as a sampler...)

The Kurz only needs sample RAM not a board.

kurzweil stops making keyboards while yamaha just scored with the motif. So far for customer support...

Actuly Kurz came out with the k2600 about half a year ago.
They have amazing software support for their synths even the 9 year old k2000 still has upgrades. While most other companies drop the line you can forget about seeing any upgrade, Kurzweil takes steps in updating even an old synth.
 
Something is really happening with kurzweil. You can't get anything from kurzweil in Belgium, Holland, Germany,...
But I don't really care. Since I'll get a used one anyhow, and I can do most of the servicing myself.

I've heard alot of good things about the KB3-thingy. Like that alot. Also like the fact that you can build in a harddisk. But it doesn't have alot of rom-sounds (Motif has ALOT)? But I'm pretty sure that the sampler is an option. Perhaps not on all versions. It is on the K2000. (I was looking at a demo-model 2 days ago. But they asked way too much for it.)
 
To sample sounds yourself you need a board but to play samples from a cd all you need is sample RAM.

There does seem to be a problem with Kurzweil Eroupe.
I think its a distribution problem.

The k2000 uses a digitech effect chip while some of the newer k2500 models and all k2600 use a processor called KDFX.
I would consider this chip to be in Lexicon league.
KB3 is nice. Are you sure the k2000 has the option?. If not Sweetwater has a free excellent version that is alike the KB3.
I find the seq. to be comfortable and powerfull.
The k2000 is an old model so comparing it to the motif is asking a bit to much from the k2000, but it still rocks.
 
So to play back samples from CD, you only need ram? That's really cool... My friend has a sampler, I have a scsi burner, so I don't care about the sampler option no more. Really cool.

I was aiming at at least a K2500... Just a K2500 actually, cause the 2600 will cost me too much anyways.

How about the romsounds? How do they compare to the motif? Any ideas? And the possibilities of the sampler?

The K2500 also has the digitech chip standard. The KDFX is an option... The K2600 has the KDFX builtin...

Don't know if the K2000 has the KB3...
 
If this helps ...
My reason to buy the Motif was as follows (considering I have other keyboards)

- sound quality - the primary consideration as far as I'm concerned, and yamaha has the choice samples nowadays.
- the sampler of 4 mb can be expanded to 64mb, so its ideal for sampling studio produced material which needs to be performed live.
- space for 3 more expansion cards.
- scsi port, and 6 assignable analog audio outputs as well as optical and S/P DIF digital outputs, which makes recording easier and higher quality compared to other makes.
- easy to use control surface.
- MIDI sequencing on-board.

All the above ment, for me, that the motif is the best writing / production tool. I can basically write whole songs on it, then take it to the studio, track what I need to keep at a very high quality, and have parts ready for all others to play. Then, when finished, I can sample sounds from a finished recording and program them in the motif, to play live.

http://www.yamahasynth.com/pro/motif/ is the best motif info site, I think.

Another good option to buy now is a used Korg Triton. Plenty for sale, as many people are swapping them for motifs.
 
Thanks sjoko...

But...
On Kurzweil's side we have:
* up to 128MB sample RAM
* also extension cards
* eight outputs
* also built in sequencer, 32 tracks!
* KB3 mode, Hammond simulator WITH drawbars!!
* SCSI
* Possibility to built in a harddisk... MAJOR plus if you're planning to use the sampler live...
* Also 3 additional ROM-sound boards available...
* Possibility to built in KDFX-board, HIGH quality efx.
* ALOT of controllers on keyboard...

On the other hand...
* Standard only sample playback, sampler analog inputs are (expensive) option. But we can sample with my friends sampler in studio, and exchange it using SCSI-media...
* For K2500, KDFX is option, and built in efx suck bigtime...
* Digital out option (?)

Don't know how the romsounds compare... However, the motif is popular, so the sounds will also be quite popular.

Back to Sjoko? :)
 
I've got one - it sucks - hardly ever gets used for recording - that's why I bought the Motif :)
 
sjoko2 said:
I've got one - it sucks - hardly ever gets used for recording - that's why I bought the Motif :)

Woaaaaaaaaa............... :)

I use a Kurzweil k2500 and it is the most powerfull instrument in the market. The V.A.S.T. is unbeatable as of today.
That is why many pro's use a Kurzweil...
I personaly have done over 10 albums using the k2500 as my main axe...
You may or may not like the internal sounds its a matter of taste but to me, most of them are good.
It's also the fastest loader of samples I know.

Lets see Yamaha support it ten years from now....
So back to sjoko :D
 
Oeh...

But I have an idea...
Sjoko, how about it? I take 2 weeks of holidays, come over to your place, help you out a little in building your studio, recording, whatever interesting things an electronics engineer can do at a studio, and take that sucky thingy away, leaving place for another nice motif... :D Would cost me alot of travelling, but I might learn something, and I'd have a souvenir...

I still don't know... Shnitzels. :(
 
keyboards

Maybe I am out of line here, but, I have a Yamaha PSR 540 and many of the timbrels etc are outstanding. It has a ton of features such as recording to floppy, multi-effects, etc. etc. but the main thing is the great sounding synths. The flutes, trumpets, drums, and many others really sound great. Just thought I'd jump in for a second.
 
I bought a Yamaha EX-5, 76 key, 128 note poly., 16 track song seq., 8 track pattern seq.

I use it to record and play live.

<><
George
 
I just thought I'd tell you --- as we've had the motif now for a while. Eventough I have not worked on music much 'coz of health crap, others have worked with it, I've heard it, and the uniform opinion of everyone is that it kicks any korg, roland or kurtz's ass very firmly, with a steel tipped boot!
 
Although I'm not around as much these days I cant let Sjoko get away with "booting" the Kurz.

Just the KDFX effect unit in the Kurz alone could wipe the Motif's ass....
From what I hear the Motif is a nice toy. But then again Sjoko..I'm sure your friends know what they are talking about....they mostly do hip hop and RAP, no?!?!?.

Hope you are feeling better...from your post it looks like your still sick.... :p
 
ROFL!! Now I now why I miss you ;)

HipHop and Rap? ......... ehhhhhhhhhhhh I aint never done no rap!!
Let me just enlighten your little ass :cool:
The studio "arsenal" consists off:
A 7' yamaha, a triton (loaded), mini moog (ancient), arp (geriatric),
2 old Rolands (loaded), a K2600 (loaded), wurlitzer. fender rhodes sp, waldorf q, DJX, yamaha ypd, various rackmounts and other bits and pieces.

Let me repeat, ' coz it looks like you didn't read - the Motif kicks ass! Seriously, I don't care what name is on what I use. Priority 1 is quality of sound, priority 2 is ease of use and possibility. The Motif outscores everything on all fronts (until someone comes up with something better).

Next year I'm going on a B3 quest
 
Korg N364, Trinity, Triton.
They're just great gear...
Hot & Cool at a same time.
You won't be sorry... !!!
 
sjoko2 said:
The studio "arsenal" consists off:
A 7' yamaha, a triton (loaded), mini moog (ancient), arp (geriatric),
2 old Rolands (loaded), a K2600 (loaded), wurlitzer. fender rhodes sp, waldorf q, DJX, yamaha ypd, various rackmounts and other bits and pieces.

Well... My studio "arsenal" consists off:
Tiny JV1010, Roland A90, an ARP Pro Soloist (ancient, 3 years older than me :cool: ), me (loaded), and some of my friends (loaded)... :D
 
I recently got the Triton and am relatively pleased with it. It's true some of the sounds are kinda flat, but there are plenty that are nice, rich, full sounds as well. My main gripe with it is the sequencer. Often times, a given program will not maintain the effect&controller parameters that I set in program mode in sequencer mode. Besides the fact that it's simply not the most user friendly interface (the sequencer that is), which isn't a problem for me in that that's where the PC comes in. All things considered I don't even feel the need to use the sequencer at all as a result of such hassles. I guess I was just wondering if the Motif's sequencer avoids some of the problems, and just how much fuller the programs sound?
 
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