The essentials

[augerinn]

OK, So I need B-3, Wurli, Piano, Clavinet, and Rhodes. You know, classic rock bar band stuff.

Currently, my Yamaha Digital is a great piano. But not gig-able.(100 lbs)
B-4 covers B-3, and Reason has a decent Clav & Rhodes. But giggin' with a lap top is chancy.

I'm thinking of plunking down the cash for Nord Electro 2 61. (Why is the 73 $400.000 more ?, it's only 12 keys)

Anything elese out there that can compare ? I know Voce, Roland etc make stand alone B-3 modules/boards, but that's all they do.

[Scrap]

I know Voce, Roland etc make stand alone B-3 modules/boards, but that's all they do.

Look into the Roland VR-760/V-Combo. It has all of those great 'lounge lizard'-type sounds you want, plus tonewheel emulation.

Nord stuff is ridiculously overpriced, IMO.

[Over The Edge]

Dude,

I can't believe I'm saying this to you Scrap but
methinks the guy ought to look into picking up
a KARMA....incredible sounds and totally gigable.




FL
www.franklucas.net

[Deceit]

...but terrible weightless keys.
You see, he needs a hammered action keyboard...and for acoustic sounds Korg isn't the answer...I love Korg pads, leads, synth sounds and strings, but IMHO acoustic sounds are much better on Roland or Kurzweil boards. I won't be talking about Yamaha, because the overmentioned brands are much more serious (have had some bad experience in the past), however it has some good pianos but not much else.
So I'd say, with some small tweaking you can take good overall sounds from an Alesis QS 8.X (1's better 'cos it has 2 exp. slots). Roland XV88 or even newer Fantom S88/X8 are nice boards, but I'm not mad for the organ patches. You might consider to buy a master keyboard (some Fatar or Oberheim will do) and Vintage Keys Rack from E-Mu (check their site)...I'm sure you'll find some suitable sounds there!
Deceit.

[Spacehog]

E-mu Vintage Pro doesn't have any acoustic piano sounds on it... you'd need to budget for the Sounds Of The ZR rom card for acoustic piano sounds (also has a great selection of church organs and a lovely harp on there).

I'd 2nd the suggestion for the Roland V-Combo VR760, it's one of the few Roland's I've really gotten into, I've played 3 in different music shops and it's a great board.

Martin

[Scrap]

You see, he needs a hammered action keyboard

All of those EPs and organs in their native form do not have weighted keys in the traditional piano sense, nor do they have 88 keys (with the exception of the Rhodes-88 ), so what in the world are you talking about? It would actually be a -hindrance- rather than a help to have weighted keys for organ playing, as opposed to traditional semi-weighted waterfall type keys (found on the Electro and VR-760/V-Combo). :roll:

[sam]

are the organs good in the e-mu vintage pro rack????

[Deceit]

Well I use weighted keys for acoustic instruments, because they give me the feeling I need. It is my absolute rule: weighted keys for aco's and semi-weighted for synth/lead/pad patches.
That's it!
Deceit.

[augerinn]

You see, he needs a hammered action keyboard
All of those EPs and organs in their native form do not have weighted keys in the traditional piano sense, nor do they have 88 keys (with the exception of the Rhodes-88 ), so what in the world are you talking about? It would actually be a -hindrance- rather than a help to have weighted keys for organ playing, as opposed to traditional semi-weighted waterfall type keys (found on the Electro and VR-760/V-Combo). :roll:
Yeah, a REAL Hammond is not weighted and not touch sensitive. A real Rhodes is both. I looked at the Roland VKR, but DANG, that things pricey.

I'm still leaning towards the Nord. Guess I should go play some of these first....

[Jerry]

The electro is phenomenally musical.

The keys are just right for being able to do some organ gliss stuff as well as giving you some feedback for e-pianos. The acoustic piano on it is less than adequate. Nearly everything on the electro benefits from the overdrive, which doesn't have a lot of parameters but sounds good. The leslie sim is great. The funky drawbar system takes work, but I could see how people could do some idiomatic work with it. The electro doesn't do many sounds, but it's a blast to play. More so than any other vintage emulator (include the Korg CX and the Roland VR, for me). Oh the B3 is good, the clavs are good, the rhodes are good, the wurlie is sweet.

Did I tell you that it's musical? :D

Jerry