Keytar

[Bernardo P.]

I'm sorry if something similar with this thread have been posted, but I wanted to know almost everything about keytars. I'd like to know a few models, if there is anyone with more than 45 keys, what kind of sounds can we find, do they worth anything, can we play them both hands...

and can you give me some sites of pictures, modles, please? :oops:


Thank you very much.

[hephiroth]

i've never seen any w/ more than 45 keys...and honestly, the only one i know of that is still in production is the roland ax-7

http://www.rolandus.com/products/details.asp?catid=8&subcatid=38&prodid=AX%2D7

could be others, maybe someone else on here would know...as far as sounds, it has a general 128 voice MIDI collection, but usually these are used as controllers for other synths.

hope that helps

-jeff-

[Bernardo P.]

Thank you very much, man! Oh, just one more thing: does it have some stuff like the pitch bend? the modulation stuff?

[hephiroth]

yeah it does...that's what's on that "handle" part of it...also, it has "d-beam" controller, which is an infrared, assignable thing roland keyboards usually have...it can do various things, depending on what it's set to

-jeff-

[Tigerfolly]

Thank you very much, man! Oh, just one more thing: does it have some stuff like the pitch bend? the modulation stuff?

Just a quick note to add to this:

Check out Jeff Abbott.. this guy is hands down the most impressive keytarist I've ever seen. I had the pleasure of meeting him at a clinic my store hosted, and he was pretty cool. He didn't even mind all of my annoying questions.

There are still a few keytars floating around.. a lot of people can't get past that 80s stigma of how it looks, which is a shame because like picking up a different guitar, it just makes you play differently, and could be quite inspirational. The Roland AX-1, AX-5, and AX-7 are still around, but only the AX-7 is still in production.. or at least it was a year or so ago.

These keytars do not have any onboard sounds, they are controllers.

The Roland AX series has a couple really neat features on it. The extended handle along the left side of the keyboard has a ribbon controller, and a spring loaded lever that operates much like a pitch wheel would. On the back, where your thumb normally rests, is a small button that acts like a sustain pedal, and you have access to shift your keyboard an octave up or down really easily from that position. It also has a D-beam, which may or may not be useful.. I personally don't find them all that useful, but your mileage may vary.

You can play with both hands on them, and with a little practice you can come up with techniques that are difficult to recreate on a normal keyboard. Jeff Abbott used his ribbon controller in a way I've never seen anyone do before, in that he was simulating slide guitar and octave jumps so smooth, they seriously sounded like a guitarist. He performed mostly covers, just to show what the gear can do, and what he as a musician can do, but he does have some original tunes as well. When you see someone with one of these Roland AX keytars pulling off Van Halen solos, "Lay Down Sally" and "Cocaine" (complete with an extended solo section) from Clapton, and sound better than most guitar players, while sounding -exactly- like a guitarist.. it's just amazing.

Oh yeah, he's also not a bad singer either, but that's neither here nor there.

[rutgerv]

These link was very usefull for me:
http://www.vintagesynth.org/misc/perfkeys.shtml

Since a couple of months i own a Casio AZ-1. As many people i'm almost offended when hearing the word "Casio" in professional music context. But i made an exception...just for the AZ-1 :).

I once played on a Roland AX-7 and read about several other portable key-instrument. The problem with alot of them is the controls... The Roland AX7 has a ribbon controller and a D-beam and a modulation controller. But for really good and fast pitchbending this is not very handy. A ribbon is way to slow to make quick bends and vibratos and you get really sore fingers after a while...

Almost the only keyboard that's really good from the control-eye-of-view is the Casio AZ1. It has small and very smooth wheels. 1 pitchwheel and 2 (assignable) mod-wheels. The great thing with the pitchwheel is that it's easy to make a wheel-vibrato, which sounds more convincing to me than the preprogrammed modwheel vibrato's. When you push the wheel up (!!!) it bends up (viewed from the keys it bends in the opposite way compared to a normal synth). You can make vibrato and bends like a guitarplayer does, like he's bending up the string... It feels great!!!

For the rest there are 2 assignable modwheels, 2 assignable knobs, 1 assignable slider. And sustain, portamento and program keys.

The only thing it can NOT do is transmit multiple programchanges on different channels, but you can enter digits that correspond to a certain patch number on the synth you control...

I once opened the Casio to clean and fix a broken midi-output and it's well-built. The feels like fragile plastic, but is quite sturdy. The inside is very well built, good quality actually :).

Just wanted to share my enthousiasme about this keyboard with you, sorry for the long story. Once you get me started about keyboards i like......

Regards,

Rutger

[Over The Edge]

I used to have a Yamaha KX5. I really regret selling it.
It had a breath controller input and also really smooth
ribbon.



FL
www.franklucas.net

[Axe2Grind]

That's a shame, the KX5 was and is a great little controller....

I used to have a Korg RK1, it was really heavy and did not have velocity sensitive keys...I think if ever a wireless MIDI Keytar comes out, then I'll go for it, until then I'll stick to normal keyboards.... :)

[Leper Affinity]

Wireless as in power supply? Can't the AX1 run on batteries alone? Or do you mean totally wireless?

[Axe2Grind]

Wireless as in power supply? Can't the AX1 run on batteries alone? Or do you mean totally wireless?

I mean MIDI Wireless, not power. All keytars I have ever come across can work on batteries but it would be good to see one with MIDI wireless too so you'd be completely wire free. Blue Tooth once had a midi wireless system in the making but not sure if this was ever made and there was talk of fitting the blue tooth wireless kit into a keytar....that would be cool would'nt it...! :D

[Axe2Grind]

Take a look at this ....

http://www.kentonuk.com/products/midistream.shtml

:D

[Bernardo P.]

These link was very usefull for me:
http://www.vintagesynth.org/misc/perfkeys.shtml

Since a couple of months i own a Casio AZ-1. As many people i'm almost offended when hearing the word "Casio" in professional music context. But i made an exception...just for the AZ-1 :).

I once played on a Roland AX-7 and read about several other portable key-instrument. The problem with alot of them is the controls... The Roland AX7 has a ribbon controller and a D-beam and a modulation controller. But for really good and fast pitchbending this is not very handy. A ribbon is way to slow to make quick bends and vibratos and you get really sore fingers after a while...

Almost the only keyboard that's really good from the control-eye-of-view is the Casio AZ1. It has small and very smooth wheels. 1 pitchwheel and 2 (assignable) mod-wheels. The great thing with the pitchwheel is that it's easy to make a wheel-vibrato, which sounds more convincing to me than the preprogrammed modwheel vibrato's. When you push the wheel up (!!!) it bends up (viewed from the keys it bends in the opposite way compared to a normal synth). You can make vibrato and bends like a guitarplayer does, like he's bending up the string... It feels great!!!

For the rest there are 2 assignable modwheels, 2 assignable knobs, 1 assignable slider. And sustain, portamento and program keys.

The only thing it can NOT do is transmit multiple programchanges on different channels, but you can enter digits that correspond to a certain patch number on the synth you control...

I once opened the Casio to clean and fix a broken midi-output and it's well-built. The feels like fragile plastic, but is quite sturdy. The inside is very well built, good quality actually :).

Just wanted to share my enthousiasme about this keyboard with you, sorry for the long story. Once you get me started about keyboards i like......

Regards,

Rutger


Gee, thanks! But wich of those keyboards in that site are still on sale? I mean, not in second-hand.

[rutgerv]

Actually, the only portable keyboard that is still in production is the AX7, which also is quite pricy.

So if you want something else then the AX7 i suggest the second hand market :).

Cool idea, that Kenton wireless MIDI. I heard rumours that M-Audio was making something similar, and a little cheaper.

By the way, i once heard from someone who brought the casing of his white AX7 to a paintbrusher... he paintbrushed extremely cool colors, flames, etc on it!!!! That makes it much more interesting to look at, than just plain white...

Regards,

Rutger

[Nolan]

I have an AX-1.
It's collecting dust but I will never get rid of it.
It once was awfully 'fisher-price' red, but I had a carpainter make it metallic black.

Only my girlfriend won't let me use it till I loos my beerbelly.


Coen

PS Check out David Garfield, He also use a keytar (with beerbelly)

[Keytarist Jeff Abbott]

Rutger, the m-audio rumors you heard are false...

Also as far as pitch bending, imho, the ax-1 is superior to any other keytar still available. While you are on the Kenton midi wireless site, check out my video.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Actually, the only portable keyboard that is still in production is the AX7, which also is quite pricy

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/700203/

Doesn't seem pricey to me.