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 Synth Zone BBS
 General Discussion
 Help! Young keyboard player in pop band
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| Author | Topic: Help! Young keyboard player in pop band |
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nigeldean Junior Member |
posted 12-28-1998 07:41 PM
   
We need some advice please. My daughter is 14 and playing keyboards in her newly formed pop/rock band with her sisters. She is currently using a Casio CT 700 which is woefully inadequate. Two questions really; Firstly, what do current live keyboard players do who don't rely on midi when they need a number of different sounds in the same song? Such as an organ sound and some horn section stabs, etc? Or is midi the only solution? Secondly, the Casio needs replacing with something better. I'm a guitar player and I'm trying to get to grips with the range of keyboards out there but it's a bit mind boggling! My daughter ideally wants useable quality live sounds in a band comprising drums, guitar, bass, keyboards, 6 octave keyboard, as the Casio's 5 is a bit limiting, and it needs to be affordable, as most of their saved pocketmoney has gone into the PA! The band is covering pop classics and chart material for pubs and clubs. Many thanks in advance! |
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SMachine Junior Member |
posted 12-29-1998 09:58 PM
A lot of modern keys can give you an access to several different sounds at once. I use mostly Korg synths, so here's a brief rundown on 'em. Since you want an affordable synth, then Trinity-the flagship-is out of question, I guess, as is the Z1, which is a brilliant performance and sound designer machine, but is very pro level and might not suit your application very well. This leaves us with the N-series synths. N1 is too big and heavy, it's an 88-key fully weighted action keyboard. N5 and N364 are 61 key synths (I think they go for $800 to $900 these days, but you need to check on that). They stack a bunch of good usable sounds that will suit many different styles. N5 is a newer synth that has more sounds but lacks the sequencer of N364 (I don't know how important this is to you, or to her), plus it looks rather fragile to me (it's made out of plastic). So, I'd say take a look at N364 or N264 (the 76 key version of N364). It's sturdy built, has 400 programs, 400 combinations + General Midi capability along with a built in disk drive for easy back up and loading new sounds, and really makes a good first pro-level synth (although a little dated in terms of its sound engine). In combi mode it gives you access to up to 8 different sounds that you can split across the keyboard, layer, etc. (I guess you can squeeze out 16 sounds in sequencer mode at once if you really want to). The polyphony is 64 notes (single mode), 32 notes (double mode) which is quite good, plus some people say its horn section stabs sound good (I never use those sounds in my music, so I can't comment on 'em). So, go to a nearby dealer and play it. Some things to watch out for if you do decide to go with the N-series, are a rather steep learning curve (can be pretty frustrating at times cause the synth's manual is far from being the best in the world), the programming is not a walk in the park either (small LCD, a lot of menus), and also, although it does give you the ability to use 8 different sounds at once in combi mode, it's really not the same as playing 8 separate programs because of the effect section limitation, but this is the case with practically all modern synths in one form or another (except, maybe Trinity, which is much more flexible, but also more expensive). There are also some nice synths from Roland, like XP 80 and XP 60 that you might want to check out, too. If all that seems too complicated, there are always Yamaha's PSR keyboards. Hope that helps, S-Machine |
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chodan Junior Member |
posted 12-30-1998 07:57 AM
I have an alesis 6.1 it is a 61 key synth I got it for 739 dollars . It can be set to split the keyboard into zones with different sounds in each zone. but that still limits her to 2 sounds unless she has 3 hands hehe. Some of the sounds are a combination of 2 or more sounds layered together. but it has an excellent piano sound and alot of other really great sounds. If you want to hear how it sounds I`ve posted one song on my page using the QS6.1. It`s at the bottom of the list and its called mmmm fine. its in real audio format. http://members.tripod.com/~jonathanf/music.html |
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WS Member |
posted 12-31-1998 12:15 AM
I like Korg but for a 14 year old maybe Alesis would be the way to go. You are looking for a keyboard that has zones and some allow you to have more zones then others. All this means is that you can assign an instrument (i.e horns) to the first zone (which you can decide how many keys. Let's say the first octave of the keyboard). then you can assign another instrument to the next zone (bass, violin,etc...to octaves 2 to 4). Then, assign the rest of the keyboard to piano or organ or your main instrument. Some keyboards have more zones then others. My Wavestation by Korg has 8 zones. Some have two. Alesis is a step up from Casio but is not as complicated as the pro synths and has alot of good sounds. Yamaha makes some very good keyboards too that are in that consumer>pro gear range. All new keyboards are midi but you probably don't want to look for something with a sequence on it. |
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danb Member |
posted 12-31-1998 01:07 PM
What I use in live performances are two keyboards. A dedicated midi controller with piano sound in the bottom and a Korg X5 on top. One thing I like with Korg X5 is you can split the sound. Plus you can switch back and forth with three buttons which assigned to a different sound. The combi which you can assiged to whatever combination you want, program which you can assigned any sound too, and the midi. |
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Cinda Private Member |
posted 12-31-1998 04:14 PM
I toss my hat in the ring for the Roland XP-10. This keyboard can be set up with something called performances. It's kind of like having a pedal board in front of a guitar player that will change effects and other things except it can be used to change voices that are playing fairly rapidly. All keyboards mentioned here though are fine for startes: The Korg X5 or X5D, Roland XP-10, Alesis QS6 or possibly 6.1. |
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aj Member |
posted 12-31-1998 08:16 PM
Hi there If your Daughter wants to play two sounds at once she really will need two keyboards .You could survive with one but its a pain .Some one suggested a korg x5 or on x3 they would be a good start at a first keyboard or a roland xp-10 (as previously suggested)But dont be seduced by the latest keyboards, most of them have stunning sounds ,erally top class ,except when you play live they get tend to get lost in the noise (even in a big P.a.)If she is playing everything live then for the second synth (or the first)you probably wont need any more than 16 note polyphony(unless you do lots of piano then you're looking at as much as you can afford ie.32 upwards)as a comparison The gear I am curently using on stage is a roland juno2 and a w30 ,now i do have a few more modules midi'ied up to these but this just to illustrate the the fact that these "boards are 8 to 13 years old but still can cut it live .In short ,Dont shell out oodles of cash for new gear ...for live stuff (unless you're a solo live electronic act)you wont hear the difference.Hope this is some kind of help.......Best of luck for '99 |
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buinu Member |
posted 01-01-1999 01:53 AM
You may want to check out some of the earlier Ensoniq synths such as the SD1. In addition to having a -very- easy to use and powerful (for a workstation) sequencer, there are two little buttons above the mod wheel which allows you access to three other programmed sounds without having to do anything other than pressing the button(s). The TS series offers all of the same but does not sound as good and sells for a whole lot more. I recently sold an SD1 for $450 but it was in show room condition so you should be able to find one for less. By the way, I had this board for ~7 years and it was only in the shop once. |
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kay Junior Member |
posted 01-13-1999 10:30 AM
Hi, if your daughter will only use one keyboard, she has to buy the ALESIS 6.1. Don't buy her any used instrument. If you are not a keyboard player you won't know wether the used one is really without damages. They are not cheeper, because prices go down daily. And only the new keyboards have the sounds you can hear in new songs! Kay |
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hayleyoneyre Junior Member |
posted 02-02-1999 11:57 PM
I think you have alot of info already, but if you need to play more than 1 sound, you need to find a keyboard that can be split, ie having two sections (or more) with the same octave range is good. To me one of the yardsticks for a good keyboard is whether the piano sound is good. This may sound simple, but the piano is one of the hardest sounds to copy. I have an XP80 ($5000 Australian), but I don't agree that you need two keyboards, a split mode works really well. I have only ever used three splits. Most of the time I use two. As long as those settings can be saved, and brought up whenever you need them. Perhaps even to save them with your own name (ie the song name). I think that the keyboard you get is a matter of preference. Good luck, email me on Trevor Hayley
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