Your favourite arranger duo

The game is simple, what two keyboards ( only one is not an option ) would be your perfect set up. (At least one of them should be an arranger) And why?

Bachus, most of us have, at least at one time in our lives, had stacked keyboards. And, for the most part, those of us that have been there and done that will never, ever go back to that configuration again. Fortunately, today's arranger keyboards, MOTL and TOTL have everything we need in a single package.

I could be wrong, though,

Gary

Ditto Gary

The only reason for that is. Probably the fact that you are gigging musicians and dont want to haul two keyboards to every gig...

It might be different for homeplayers like me.. I currently only have a single keybed, and i very much miss the flexibillity of a 2nd keybed... Not just for the extra flexibillity, but also for the difference between hammer action and synth action keybeds.. ( keep in mind they never leave my home, so things like weight are not a burden for me )

Currently i am set up with just a T5 ( i traded it, with some extra money for my PA3x last week) And my macbook running ableton live, logic rewired and my VST collection) when i traded the T5, i knew there needed to come a 2nd keybed... As i missed that also a lot with the PA3x...


I am now trying to find a keyboard, with great 88 key hammeraction, .... That also fills the other less strong points of the T5 ( since there is no perfect keyboard, which got me thinking, might there be a perfect keyboard combination )

And so i sat down took my typewriter and made a list of things i missed or could be improved on the T5, and instead of writing letters to Yamaha, find them in my 2nd keyboard. Which, however should not be an arranger, as one arranger fits my bill..


So i came to this list :
- 88 weighted keys
- synth sounds ( compared to synth workstations )
- synth engines ( i miss the VL, AN and DX engines of yamaha, or the stuff i did on my v- synth)
- knobs, for real time controll over cuttoffs and effects..
- piano sounds, however i will never get the cheer quallity of my Pianoteq vst,( yes i am spoiled ) having better or more diverse piano sounds in hardware is allways nice..
- real time controll ellements like ribbon, D-beam and vector stick
- daw controll
- touch sensitive drumpads
- t5 has very small sliders

And i must admit, most typical arranger players will not miss this stuff even half a seccond, i do.. And i want to find it in a 2nd keyboard...




Oh yes... I am really enjoying my T5 right now, i fell in love with the possibilities of the ensemble voices... Its so much fun... Yet i bought the T5, knowing that there eventually would be a big 88 key brother.. But i have learned from the past, that one of the things i like, and the main reason i change keyboards a lot, is the fact that i just love discovering new features and learning how to tame the new beast.. And lately i have accepted this fact... Not being a gigging musician makes it quite easy to change keyboards.

My favorite " gig " rig is my Tyros3 & Hammond SK1-73 or the SK1-88 with Leslie M2101 and Leslie 2121. Awesome sound. Depends what my needs are for that GiG

Bachus,

Take a good look at the Yamaha MOXF8. ;-)

Bill G

Korg Pa900 and Kurzweil SP4-7



I love the light weight and versatility of the Pa900 package, but prefer 76 keys. This combination, that I only set up at home, allows me to enjoy the sounds and feel (I like the semi-weighted rather than a piano-like hammer action) of the Kurzweil workstation and use it as a midi controller for the Pa900.

I simply take off the music stand, disconnect three cables at the back of the Pa900 and it's ready to go...

PS, apologies, but I am unable to orient the photo in portrait in this post. It shows as portrait on my PC.

It's old , but (like me) still works great. Yamaha psr 1000 ,korg i5s with a Logitech
2300 system and a laptop

That's OK, I was eating Tacos when I read this post - looked fine to me!

Not really Billy... All the MOXF adds is more of the same sound.. And actually lower quallity then the T5, the new effect section make the T5 outshine the MOXF and even the Motif XF in many things soundwise..

In that same pricerange, i think the Roland FA08 would add much more... And most of all, it adds a fresh naturall sound..

That was my conlusion earlier this week after looking at both these and the Krome ....

I rarely use a second keyboard, but when I want full 88 note weighted action, I just midi a Yamaha P-85 to my Tyros4. I tend to use the Tyros4's sounds although the P-85 has a nice piano as well.

It's only when I want to do full piano backed pieces, and nothing but 88 weighted/graded hammer action will suffice...76 semi-weighted just doesn't feel right to my fingers for piano pieces.

Ian

Here is one of my Favorite Arranger Duos...

Graham,

Nice set up!

I was able to download your photo to my Mac and the orientation was portrait. I used Photobucket to upload it and orientation should look OK now.

BTW. Graham ... I love the wall piece ...

Bachus, Do you miss the Pa3x? I have a Pa3x and the T5 and as much as I like the T5, not sure I could do without the Pa3x. Some days I'll sit at the T5 and think WOW what an arranger, then the next day I play the Pa3x and think why haven't I been playing this beast in a few days? If I had to give one up the decision would be difficult.

Now we both know Susan makes that duo

Thanks guys. Stephen, I clearly need a Mac!

Its just been a week, and i have been so busy that i even would not have missed the misses if she would have moved back to the monster in law...

I never regret making decisions, they are not allways wise, but you just cant change them back... And while i seriously want two keybeds, i dont see any need for two arrangers...

So what do i miss from the Pa3x? Synthsounds and pads, chordsequencer and some of my favourite styles ( but i am converting them to the T5 ) ..

That little lady makes daddy proud...daddy's no slouch, either.

I'm probably the one around here who intentionally uses multiple keys each job; especially when music people are part of the audience.

Part of the deal is sort of pathetic showmanship. It's like when I was playing only guitar, I used a double neck, a jazz box, a Fender Tele, a nylon string, a tenor banjo and sometimes more. Of course, this was a house job.

Now, if it is more than just an hour "in and out", I use a jazz box, a nylon string, a primary keyboard, a digital piano on my left hand and a synth on top; one good for playing left hand bass.

I like to change the mix so that I sound slightly different
on different nights, or for different kinds of audiences.

Truth is, I only know 4 songs on each instrument, so I have to lug lots of stuff around.


Russ

Gents...when i gig with my duo i use a pa900 and a psr 910...when i do a jazz solo gig i use my pa900 with my mox8 or vr09...both rigs have great possiblities - just depends on the event type....stevec

mox8, pa900, psr 910, dgx 650, microarranger and vr09

I think its a great setup... Soundwise yamaha and korg add to eachother... Where Yamaha in my opinion shines with acoustic and naturall sounds, thats where Korg shines in pad and synth sounds..

I think having two keyboards of different brands can certainly add a lot sound diversity. Thats however the main reason keeping me from adding an MOXF to my Tyros5... Because as hinted by others, MOXF is an awesome beast, almost a Motif Xf, but i think the Korg Krome and espescially the Roland FA-08 might add more that i dont allready have at the same price

Don't forget the Kurzweil Artis or Forte!

Since one of thw eaker points of the Tyros 5 is the synth sounds, i would guess the PC3k is the best Kurzweil to add to a tyros 5....

Hi,

1. Audya Ajamsonic
2. Yamaha S950

This way I have that live feel that only comes with the Audya plus all of AJs creations, plus all the fab styles that comes with having a Yamaha.

It simply gets no better than this - Or wait, maybe if I can exchange the S950 for a Tyros 5...

Henni