Newbie here - need some advice regarding a keyboard

[jacksmash]

Hi everyone! Glad to be here on this site.

Look, I've been playing piano all my life, and my wife and I would like to invest in a keyboard.
I would like to get one with 88 weighted keys, a great piano sound, but a synth at the same time.

Does anyone have any recommendations as to where I should start? What companies to search out? Any keyboards you guys love that won't put me into debt for 10 years!!?

I would appreciate any advice!

Thanks!

[ImaX]

Mmh, if you're already playing the piano for a long time you played on acoustic pianos I guess? If so you should go to your local dealer and test the different synths, becuse as a piano player the kind of keys might be important for you...?
In my oppinion the keys of Kurzweil synths are very good, the keys are made by Fatar and also available in Fatar and Doepfer keyboards, but thos don't have synth sections I think, so you should try a Kurzweil... an also very good board is the Roland A90, and because it's some years older now it shouldn't be that expensive anyomre - but I haven't tested the newer stagepianos, so that's all I can say about that

[Scrap]

http://www.jordanrudess.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=13

:P

[jacksmash]

Hey guys - thanks for the replies... it'll take me a few minutes to get through that one article!

I guess what I really need to do is sit down and come up with a list of things I'd like to be able to do. But here are some things I can think of right off the top of my head:

- great grand piano sound
- great synth sounds
- create/edit my own sounds and other premade sounds.
- load sounds found on the internet/other CD-ROMS
- lots of memory
- user friendly (is that possible?!?)
- weighted keys (88)


THat's for starters. Sorry if I sound like I don't know what I'm talking about.. but I really don't!
My biggest fear is that I'll go into a music store, be blown away by the first thing I see, buy it - and then regret it months later.

I guess I really need something that is flexible more than anything. Plus, I don't want to have to upgrade it in a couple years!!

THanks for all the help!

[Spacehog]

Yamaha S90 and Roland RD700 are the two "piano first but pretty good synth as well" keyboards that spring to mind. I've been impressed whenever I've played either of these. Your memory / patches / sampling needs might need to be met elsewhere though, you're talking big bucks for a synth-first with a weighted keyboard that also has a decent piano and expansion.

Martin

[jacksmash]

when you say "big bucks" what do you mean?

Why is it that its more expensive to have a keyboard with a good piano sound, but good synth sounds as well?

[merijn]

Please don't blaim me if this is stupid, but isn't the Pc1X not something for you? The Kurzweil Pc1X. It has the famous Kurzweil paino sound, nice organs nice synths, 88 keys... (no sampler) midi in and outputs. Super quality for a real good price, 1.199 US Dollars.

http://images.misupply.com/products/originalrect//PC1X_1000.jpg

[jacksmash]

I'm going to check out websites right now for the last 3 keyboards mentioned. Actually I already checked out the Yamaha S90. Good piano sound - not too sure about the other sounds though - they didnt have too many clips.

Keep the suggestions coming! You guys are great!

[Deceit]

The answer is Alesis 8.X...where X is 1 or 2 :). I think Alesis 8.1 will suit the best for you! :)
Good luck,
Deceit.

[jacksmash]

is there a website on Alesis?

[PsawniK]

Motif ES 8

BTW, I have an S90, and I really like it a lot. It's great if you don't need an onboard sequencer or sampler.

[Deceit]

http://alesis.com/products/qs8.2/

[jacksmash]

That sounds like a sweet keyboard. Please forgive me for my ignorant questions (this is all new to me), but would this keyboard allow me to use sounds that I download from the internet?
Also, it says :
"Waveform memory: 16MB, expandable to 24MB via PCMCIA expansion card. "

What the heck does this mean? I'm a computer science student - so I know and understand memory. But 16MB does not sound like a lot to work with.
Also, is 64 note polyphony enough if I were to do orchestral stuff? I've heard of keyboards having 128 polyphony.

What is the price of a keyboard like this?


Thanks for everyone's help and patience!!

[wacho]

fantom s 88 for sure

[jacksmash]

Thanks for the suggestions, but you guys that say stuff like:

"fantom s 88 for sure"
OR
"Motif ES 8"

could you please also tell me why you would suggest this one?

Also, is there any disadvantage to NOT having an onboard sequencer? Isn't a software program on my computer good enough for something like that?
Also, what is a "sampler"??

Sorry for all the questions!

[wacho]

This is why i say fantom s 88 for sure




This advanced music production studio features an 88-key, hammer-action keyboard, all-new patches and rhythm sets built from a new 64MB wave ROM, 32MB sample RAM (expandable to 160MB) with WAV/AIFF compatibility, 16MB of flash RAM for retaining your favorite sounds, 3 MFX processors plus dedicated reverb, chorus, and new mastering processor, and seamless integration of audio and MIDI using ROM waves and sampling with realtime timestretch capability. 16 velocity-sensitive pads are available for easy sample triggering, and a USB port connects to a PC or Mac for file exchange. Expandable via SRX-Series Wave Expansion Boards. 4 line outputs (2 stereo, 2 mono), stereo line input, and 24-bit S/PDIF digital output. A strong emphasis is placed on the way audio and MIDI are integrated. The result is a fluid environment in which both worlds can come together as one. Audio can be sampled using the stereo analog inputs or imported via USB, and then integrated directly as a waveform in the expressive stereo 4-tone synth engine. Audio can also be sequenced alongside MIDI data. The Fantom-S88 will even automatically stretch your samples in real time to match any tempo. Instead of just adding sampling, Roland carefully thought out ways to make it even more useful in production. To start, the Fantom-S88 comes with 32MB of sampling memory, expandable to 288MB -- more sampling memory than any other workstation and enough space to resample an entire song. The onboard USB port makes it easy to load .WAV/AIFF files, or export your finished song to a computer for CD burning or Internet distribution. To make triggering samples easier, Roland added a Dynamic Pad Bank. Samples can be easily mapped to the touch-sensitive pads; the pads can even be used to play ROM sounds or RPS patterns. Another Roland innovation is Skip Back Sampling. This function continuously samples your performances so you'll never lose a great idea. It also makes an easy way to resample any realtime knob and controller tweaks. A new Mixer View screen gives the Fantom-S88 the feel of a digital mixer, with intuitive graphic editing of a multitimbral performance in one simple screen. Mix down your song using 4 knobs and the LCD to change track levels, panning, and effects settings. Now audio and MIDI can be mixed together with the feel of a digital recording studio. Roland even makes it easy to set up your performances using the new Layer View Screen with quick graphic editing for layering and key zones. Features like these turn the Fantom-S88 from a workstation into a studio. The Fantom-S88 is loaded with a complete set of pro-quality effects to take your song all the way to final mixdown. To start, you get 24-bit reverb on par with rackmount processors and professional plug-ins, plus a dedicated chorus processor that serves up warm, rich chorus and delay. 3 multi-effects processors handle everything from tempo-synced delay and Lo-Fi processing to COSM guitar amp modeling. Slicer, isolator, and more contemporary effects are included. Finally, a dedicated mastering processor lets you add the finishing touch with multi-band compression. With onboard USB, importing samples from a PC or Mac is easier than ever. Just browse your computer's hard drive for .WAV and AIFF files, and import the sounds you want using simple drag-and-drop commands (the Fantom-S88 will appear on your computer as a hard drive). Now the audio can be used as a synth waveform or even assigned to the Dynamic Pad Bank for sequencing. Likewise you can also export a fully mastered song to your computer for burning CDs or MP3 creation. With Roland's V-LINK feature, musicians can integrate video clips with their music for a more captivating performance. Using the optional Edirol DV-7PR Digital Video Workstation, you can trigger video clips from the Fantom's sequencer or Dynamic Pad Bank. Capture your background music using Skip Back Sampling and paste it with the clip onto a single pad. Any audio/visual combination you perform can be recalled so you won't lose ideas. Never before has so much power and flexibility been offered in a workstation keyboard.



Features:

Advanced music production studio with 88-key hammer-action keyboard
Seamless integration of audio and MIDI using ROM waves and sampling with realtime timestretch capability
New 'Skip Back Sampling" for continuous sampling so you don't lose ideas
Dynamic Pad Bank with 16 velocity-sensitive pads for easy sample triggering
USB port for WAV/AIFF file exchange with PC or Mac
All-new patches and rhythm sets built from brand-new 64MB wave ROM
32MB sample RAM (expandable up to 160MB) with WAV/AIFF compatibility
16MB flash RAM retains your favorite sounds; optional SmartMedia storage
3 MFX processors, plus dedicated reverb, chorus, and new mastering processor
Expandable via 4 optional SRX-Series Wave Expansion Boards
4 line outputs (2 stereo, 2 mono), stereo line input, and 24-bit S/PDIF digital output
V-LINK feature allows the integration of video and audio in performance

[PsawniK]

The only bad thing about not having an onboard sequencer is that if you get an idea and you're not near your computer, you can't get it down. Otherwise, computer sequencers are much more flexible.

A sampler lets you load in sounds that aren't burned into a synth's chip at the factory.

BTW, I said Motif ES 8 because it has 88 keys with weighted action, a nice piano sound, lots and lots of programmability, over 170 MB of onboard sounds, tons of sample ram, a ribbon controller, etc.

[JackJens]

The matter doesn't exist !

The right choice is the MOTIF ES 8 .

Just read the features.

I own a K2600 & a Motif ES 8 !

I know what i say !

The Motif is simply th best choice nowadays !

No way !

Roland sucks. Even with the new Fantom X !!!!

[jacksmash]

I've been checking out the Motif E5 8 on line - some of the samples are quite impressive. THere's a few sounds that I'm not too impressed with though.
Are the sounds noticable superior to the sounds provided by the Kurzweil??

Also, I can't find any pricing on a Motif - but I imagine it's steep.

[JackJens]

Yes.

The presente are a lot better !

The power of Kurzweil is in the editor !

Yamaha's sounds in the Motif ES are on another level.

(year 1999 vs. year 2003 !!!!!)

[Luca_Capozzi]

My 2 Cents... [GigastudioPc]-->[Kurz LiveInput]

This IS the better choice ;)

see ya

[Deceit]

My choice on the Alesis QS8.1. It will surely fit your budget, it's so cheap!
At higher levels, go for Triton. It's the best. No way a Yamaha can compare to a Korg. Yamaha has good presets and sounds I've never appreciated, Korg has a beating synth core inside even if it loses comparison to the M-Es in acoustic sounds. And, the piano on the expansion rom for the triton is far better than the M-Es.
Deceit.