Originally posted by spalding:
as usual we are going to get confused with technical specifications and actual musical applications. The XS can layer up to 8 elements in one go and they boast this in their demos all the time. But my brother actually owns the XS. How many sounds in the XS actually use actually use up to 8 elements in one sound ? . You will struggle to find more than 20. The only genuine application yamaha have for this is in their drawbar organs. Any other sound that uses anymore layers than 4 or 5 make very little musical sense unless all you intend to do is make lush pads that oscilate and crossover and fade over time. Put a few of them in a song and what do you have....one hot mess !!! The korg PA2X can layer up to 16 . I have never had the need to layer more than 4 or 5 at a push..so what ?????
And another thing ..how many records do you know where the sole instrument used from start to finish and all production was done entirely on one keyboard King frog? None ! Zero Zip! Whether i use the Korg, XS or Fantom it is only the basis for the scratch pad (a decent one yes) but never the less the scratch pad for my production. An arranger such as the PA series can fit in very well as part of that production.
Listen to a commercial RnB or Hip Hop record King Frog and tell me what you hear. Pick one you think cant be done on an arranger . Send me a link to it on youtube and i will do my best to reproduce it on my PA1X. Just bare in mind i don't have a multi million dollar studio :-)I#
I dont want to keep debating this with theoretical talk , i want to show you with a practical example. WE could even have some fun with it and see who on the forum can get the closest to it on an arranger :-) I am game
Eight Elements can be used in a hurry if you use them for things like the sound of the dampers hitting the strings on a key off. Other elements for the guitars such as harmonics, slaps, squeaks. Multi sampled velocity alone on different parts of the keyboard can easily use up 8 voice spots each with their own key assignments,
velocity assignments, Effects, arpeggios, controllers on and on...the possibilities are endless...One may not use 8 elements all the time but certainly it's nice to know one can add a sound(s) to a voice to make it sound more realistic then determine how and when that voice triggers, and being able to get it done without delving into layers of menus using available keys, knobs and buttons. You are right,most of the XS voices use 4 elements and they are good enough.
The idea is EASE and intuitive work flow. Sure you can create anything on a PA2x as someone on a Fantom or Motif. But the guys using the WS will do it in half the time, and with far less "left" brain activity.IMO The Work stations are more intuitive and geared toward the creative process and not manual intensive, few multi depth menus to dig through to change an envelope or filter. Lots of buttons and controllers that can be tweaked then saved. Every part of a voice can be muted or soloed using buttons...Can't do this on the Tyros. I cannot even play the MIDI part selected on the Sequencer on the Tyros!! On the XS just select the track button and go.....easy. Now the PA2x is easier and like I said as close to a workstation as an arranger enthusiast will get.
The idea is what is a particular keyboards PRIMARY purpose? It's "workflow design"
Arrangers are designs to pick a style set into endings parts and go....Any more than that and its dive into the screen menus...
find workarounds...
Workstations are just that. They are designed for those to tweak things quickly no deep menu layers to do simple things like filtering,velocity switching, envelope, voice part soloing, adjusting, transport controls for the DAW,,,,,,on and on...s very intuitive.
Like building the same exact house with a hammer or nail gun.....the result can be the same but the nail gun will be faster and easier which means a lot if someone values their time and would rather spend more time experimenting then chasing through LCD menus to so the simplest of things......
[This message has been edited by Kingfrog (edited 05-21-2009).]
Previous Topic
Index
