Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

73/76 key ultimate gig-board


Recommended Posts

very few vintage keyboards use it. DX7 is the biggie, and I'm know there are a few others. But Organs are usually 5 octaves (61), as are many Wurli's and other vintage mainstays.

DX7 was 61 keys.

 

The non-88 Rhodes was 73 keys, the Wurli was 64 (so a 61 costs you the bottom three notes). Some of the RMI pianos were 68, but not too many people care about getting RMI sounds, just some of the prog rock die hards. ;-)

 

The Clavinet was 60, but it went F-to-E, so if you want to have the full range of a clav, a 61-key C-to-C won't give it to you. Same with the Pianet.

 

If you're doing a left hand bass split, 61 keys is very limiting. Though an octave shift button that can affect just your right hand sound can be very helpful, and there are some boards that can do that.

 

I've thought that a 69 that starts on a low E would be a good one to have, as it encompasses the full range of the Wurli and Clavinet/Pianet in addition to the usual 61 of an organ manual, plus would have the low E for LH bass. So that would be the smallest size that could still be pretty universal in what it covers.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Replies 39
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Thank you Scott - this is great information.

 

No, I"m asking between the MODX7 and the FA-07, Scott. Are either of them close to a TP/9S? Will either of these do the splits and MIDI channel assignments I described? I"m pretty much down to those two boards. Unless I"m completely overlooking another board with similar capabilities, under 20lbs.

MODX7 definitely does not feel like a TP/9S, I have both (the Fatar in the Numa Compact 2X). I played the FA-07 only for a little while some time ago, so I don't want to say for sure, but I don't think it felt as good as my Numa.

 

Actually, the Numa Compact 2x has the TP/9P action. I was shocked at how good it is and loved it for the 3 weeks I had it - but I sent it back today. Technical difficulties.

 

FA-07 splits 16 ways, MODX splits 8 ways internal plus 8 ways external.

 

Either would work for me - I rarely even need 4, but always need 3.

 

MODX will not respond to MIDI on any channel that you haven't assigned an internal sound (part) to. I don't know how the FA handles that. As I said earlier, worst case, you could assign a silent/muted patch to a channel, but hopefully there's a better way, because even assigning a silent patch may affect your polyphony.

 

I'm not worried about polyphony much, since I probably wouldn't devote sequenced channels to either board, just use it for my live parts. It's funny how each manufacturer handles this. On the Alesis Quadrasynth/QS series a CC7 value of 0 would cause a channel to not use polyphony. I thought that was a convenient feature.

 

Sending out the MODX MIDI and USB ports simultaneously could be an issue. It usually only sends out one at a time, but it is possible to do some external redirection to get around that. See https://www.yamahasynth.com/ask-a-question/modx-midi-usb-and-midi-5-pin-simultaneously (and also the other posts linked to from there). This may or may not address what you need to do.

 

I'm thinking this is another issue that won't affect me, as I would probably use a lot of Mixes/Combis/Whatevers in a 3-way split of Organ/Piano/iPad or Organ/Piano/Module, for example. In fact, depending on how happy I am with the keyboard I may not even bother trying to play the modules, just use them for sequences. Simplify.

 

The other variable (besides action and MIDI capabilities) would be the actual sounds. You said you need "good pianos, EPs, acoustic guitar, and brass (mainly a lead trumpet)." The Roland has their recent SuperNatural piano and EP (though personally, I'm so-so on the SN piano and not at all a fan of the EPs). The stock acoustic guitar and brass sounds come from the XV-5080 (so about 20 years old), though you can improve that selection with the freely downloadable SRX-based expansions. Yamaha's sound set is generally more modern, though which is better can be subjective. One big difference, though, is that the MODX also gives you a gigabyte of space for loading new samples, so you can get other pianos and EPs for it (including Busch's nice Purgatory Creek EPs).

 

And this is where it gets so damn hard. The Yammy has clear advantages in sound and future sound, and is lighter and more compact, but it's action seems universally hated.

 

Are the Roland pianos/EPs lifeless? Too thin?

 

It's not an easy choice. Off-hand, I'd say FA is simpler (well, depending on what you're trying to do), has the advantages of a VA engine and a clonewheel engine, and a stereo assignable auxiliary output (to which you could send the organ to get a better rotary sim out of it), and can split/layer 16 sounds (internal or external) instead of 8 of each, has a full sequencer, lets you assign multiple sounds to a MIDI channel, has sample trigger pads, and arguably might have the better action. That's a lot of advantages. But personally, I think Yamaha tends to sound better, it has better seamless patch transitions, it has a DX7-compatible FM synth, the ability to load in new sample sets, the ability to put two insert effects on a sound instead of one, touchscreen interface... each has a lot to offer.

 

Hmmm...since I currently run my sequenced drums out of an L/R pair, separating snare/kick, I wonder how feasible it would be to use the FA-07 drums instead, out of the Main Outs, and the keyboards out of the stereo Aux Out? And if you could do that globally, or would you have to repeat the assignments for each Performance/Setup/Whatever.

 

Thanks again for breaking this down. It seems like the Roland hits more marks for my particular situation, and I was Jones-ing for an Integra when it came out (2 rack spaces/weight killed it for me), so I may go that way, even if it is a bit of yesterday's mashed potatoes in the latest and greatest Keyboard Wars.

 

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

AFAIK, the FA-07 is a Fatar TP-9S action. It feels a little different from my Komplete Kontrol Mk2 because the latter has aftertouch and the FA-07 does not.

 

Like I believe I said, it's quite a nice keybed feel and action in this price range that feels a little bit out of place built into a cheap quality plastic slab. But that's ok, it's kind of like driving a KIA that somehow has a leather captains driver seat in it that's hand made out of whale leather.

Yamaha U1 Upright, Roland Fantom 8, Nord Stage 4 HA73, Nord Wave 2, Korg Nautilus 73, Viscount Legend Live, Lots of Mainstage/VST Libraries

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, the Numa Compact 2x has the TP/9P action. I was shocked at how good it is

Ah yes, a different variant of the TP/9, and it is the better one, at least if you want to play piano from it.

 

It's funny how each manufacturer handles this. On the Alesis Quadrasynth/QS series a CC7 value of 0 would cause a channel to not use polyphony. I thought that was a convenient feature.

There's advantages to both approaches. The ones that have silent patches use up polyphony may have the downside of, well, using up polyphony, but it also means that you can strike a layered chord that is initially only sounding one of the layered sounds and subsequently bring in the second sound underneath. Ideally, a board supports both approaches, i.e. a "volume zero" that uses polyphony and keeps the sound active even if silent, and a "mute" that doesn't trigger the sound at all. (Yeah, that breaks the paradigm that, on a real mixing board, unmuting a track DOES bring in whatever was already playing, but it's a different environment with different needs. Though I suppose that could be a gray area, depending on whether you're using the board for live performance or in a workstation sequencer capacity where you specifically want to mimic an analog recording desk?)

 

And this is where it gets so damn hard. The Yammy has clear advantages in sound and future sound, and is lighter and more compact, but it's action seems universally hated.

I don't hate it. I think it's quite poor for piano, but for lots of other sounds, it's fine. So it depends on the application. The distinction is worth making because there are indeed some actions I'd hate for anything.

 

Are the Roland pianos/EPs lifeless? Too thin?

They don't sound/play like real EPs. It's not that they inherently sound awful, I think they just do a poor job at emulating the instrument they're supposed to be emulating. But, you know, when the DX7 first came out, people thought that its EP sounded just like a Rhodes, and a CP80 sounded just like a real piano. It's all relative. Maybe all that has to happen is for the Roland EP sounds to be used on some big hits, and then people will be clamoring to duplicate that sound! I'm not saying you couldn't make good sounding music with it, I'm only saying that, if you want something that duplicates the Rhodes experience, you can do better.

 

I was Jones-ing for an Integra when it came out (2 rack spaces/weight killed it for me)

I thought it was actually surprisingly light, it's bringing a rack in the first place that's the hassle. ;-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you Scott - this is great information.

 

No, I"m asking between the MODX7 and the FA-07, Scott. Are either of them close to a TP/9S? Will either of these do the splits and MIDI channel assignments I described? I"m pretty much down to those two boards. Unless I"m completely overlooking another board with similar capabilities, under 20lbs.

MODX7 definitely does not feel like a TP/9S, I have both (the Fatar in the Numa Compact 2X). I played the FA-07 only for a little while some time ago, so I don't want to say for sure, but I don't think it felt as good as my Numa.

 

Actually, the Numa Compact 2x has the TP/9P action. I was shocked at how good it is and loved it for the 3 weeks I had it - but I sent it back today. Technical difficulties.

 

FA-07 splits 16 ways, MODX splits 8 ways internal plus 8 ways external.

 

Either would work for me - I rarely even need 4, but always need 3.

 

MODX will not respond to MIDI on any channel that you haven't assigned an internal sound (part) to. I don't know how the FA handles that. As I said earlier, worst case, you could assign a silent/muted patch to a channel, but hopefully there's a better way, because even assigning a silent patch may affect your polyphony.

 

I'm not worried about polyphony much, since I probably wouldn't devote sequenced channels to either board, just use it for my live parts. It's funny how each manufacturer handles this. On the Alesis Quadrasynth/QS series a CC7 value of 0 would cause a channel to not use polyphony. I thought that was a convenient feature.

 

Sending out the MODX MIDI and USB ports simultaneously could be an issue. It usually only sends out one at a time, but it is possible to do some external redirection to get around that. See https://www.yamahasynth.com/ask-a-question/modx-midi-usb-and-midi-5-pin-simultaneously (and also the other posts linked to from there). This may or may not address what you need to do.

 

I'm thinking this is another issue that won't affect me, as I would probably use a lot of Mixes/Combis/Whatevers in a 3-way split of Organ/Piano/iPad or Organ/Piano/Module, for example. In fact, depending on how happy I am with the keyboard I may not even bother trying to play the modules, just use them for sequences. Simplify.

 

The other variable (besides action and MIDI capabilities) would be the actual sounds. You said you need "good pianos, EPs, acoustic guitar, and brass (mainly a lead trumpet)." The Roland has their recent SuperNatural piano and EP (though personally, I'm so-so on the SN piano and not at all a fan of the EPs). The stock acoustic guitar and brass sounds come from the XV-5080 (so about 20 years old), though you can improve that selection with the freely downloadable SRX-based expansions. Yamaha's sound set is generally more modern, though which is better can be subjective. One big difference, though, is that the MODX also gives you a gigabyte of space for loading new samples, so you can get other pianos and EPs for it (including Busch's nice Purgatory Creek EPs).

 

And this is where it gets so damn hard. The Yammy has clear advantages in sound and future sound, and is lighter and more compact, but it's action seems universally hated.

 

Are the Roland pianos/EPs lifeless? Too thin?

 

It's not an easy choice. Off-hand, I'd say FA is simpler (well, depending on what you're trying to do), has the advantages of a VA engine and a clonewheel engine, and a stereo assignable auxiliary output (to which you could send the organ to get a better rotary sim out of it), and can split/layer 16 sounds (internal or external) instead of 8 of each, has a full sequencer, lets you assign multiple sounds to a MIDI channel, has sample trigger pads, and arguably might have the better action. That's a lot of advantages. But personally, I think Yamaha tends to sound better, it has better seamless patch transitions, it has a DX7-compatible FM synth, the ability to load in new sample sets, the ability to put two insert effects on a sound instead of one, touchscreen interface... each has a lot to offer.

 

Hmmm...since I currently run my sequenced drums out of an L/R pair, separating snare/kick, I wonder how feasible it would be to use the FA-07 drums instead, out of the Main Outs, and the keyboards out of the stereo Aux Out? And if you could do that globally, or would you have to repeat the assignments for each Performance/Setup/Whatever.

 

Thanks again for breaking this down. It seems like the Roland hits more marks for my particular situation, and I was Jones-ing for an Integra when it came out (2 rack spaces/weight killed it for me), so I may go that way, even if it is a bit of yesterday's mashed potatoes in the latest and greatest Keyboard Wars.

 

I play MODX7 as a single board rig. I like the action fine, so I"ll give one vote that its fine for gigging. It doesn"t feel like you"re playing AP obviously. but i mentally adjusted to expect how the keys will play and I wasn"t coming from something amazing that MODX had to live up to. I played Motif XF7, slightly better keys but not a huge change. I played MOXF6 for a bit as a travel board, slightly worse but closer still.

 

The new Phantom wasn"t out when i added it, it does seem to have more features overall. I like Yammy sounds generally and thru Motif XF I had a large library of current band programming i developed over 7+ years that could import to MODX in a snap to be up and running on the new board in an hour. that was a key factor for me personally. I love my MODX7. I"d love the Phantom, probably. Its really at a personal level of how you value this vs that.

 

I"d scratch off OP"s need for XLR outs and internal PSU from my spec. Both are nice and fine but easily solvable offboard whereas other needs have no easy off board solution. I get the cleaner look of internal PSU but that is so trivial to me. XLRs - meh, i have several DIs in my gig bag that do that for me.

The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

AFAIK, the FA-07 is a Fatar TP-9S action. It feels a little different from my Komplete Kontrol Mk2 because the latter has aftertouch and the FA-07 does not.

 

But that's ok, it's kind of like driving a KIA that somehow has a leather captains driver seat in it that's hand made out of whale leather.

This is hilarious and accurate. :laugh:

 

And this is where it gets so damn hard. The Yammy has clear advantages in sound and future sound, and is lighter and more compact, but it's action seems universally hated.

I don't hate it. I think it's quite poor for piano, but for lots of other sounds, it's fine. So it depends on the application. The distinction is worth making because there are indeed some actions I'd hate for anything.

 

Are the Roland pianos/EPs lifeless? Too thin?

They don't sound/play like real EPs. It's not that they inherently sound awful, I think they just do a poor job at emulating the instrument they're supposed to be emulating.

 

I'm not saying you couldn't make good sounding music with it, I'm only saying that, if you want something that duplicates the Rhodes experience, you can do better.

I agree with Scott here.

 

While I prefer Yamaha for EPs and APs over it, IMO, the Roland FA is a better Swiss Army knife KB (sounds, sequencer, sampler, etc.).

 

Of course, I use a different KB for EPs but the FA is the perfect complement to it for everything else. :cool:

 

 

PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

These two quotes:

 

I don't hate it. I think it's quite poor for piano, but for lots of other sounds, it's fine.

 

I like the action fine, so I"ll give one vote that its fine for gigging. It doesn"t feel like you"re playing AP obviously. but i mentally adjusted to expect how the keys will play and I wasn"t coming from something amazing that MODX had to live up to.

 

If the knock on the MODX7 is that's not good for piano by virtue of it being more of a synth action, I'm more than fine with that, and have been playing piano parts on synth actions since the 1980s. In fact, coming from an organ background, the heaviest action I've ever owned is my flat-top Rhodes Mark II Stage Piano, or my Kurz PC3. Just to let you know where I'm coming from. The complaints I've heard about MODX7 had me thinking it was particularly bad when compared to other synth or "semi-weighted" keybeds. Like Kross 61-level bad.

 

It's funny how each manufacturer handles this. On the Alesis Quadrasynth/QS series a CC7 value of 0 would cause a channel to not use polyphony. I thought that was a convenient feature.

There's advantages to both approaches. The ones that have silent patches use up polyphony may have the downside of, well, using up polyphony, but it also means that you can strike a layered chord that is initially only sounding one of the layered sounds and subsequently bring in the second sound underneath. Ideally, a board supports both approaches, i.e. a "volume zero" that uses polyphony and keeps the sound active even if silent, and a "mute" that doesn't trigger the sound at all. (Yeah, that breaks the paradigm that, on a real mixing board, unmuting a track DOES bring in whatever was already playing, but it's a different environment with different needs. Though I suppose that could be a gray area, depending on whether you're using the board for live performance or in a workstation sequencer capacity where you specifically want to mimic an analog recording desk?)

 

I had a very practical use in my sequences: instead of using program changes to go from playing a piano patch to a lead patch, then back to the piano patch after the solo, I just layer piano on 1, lead on 2, and use CC7 to instantly switch between them without program change hiccups. It's nice that whichever patch is currently at 0 isn't using polyphony.

 

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the knock on the MODX7 is that's not good for piano by virtue of it being more of a synth action, I'm more than fine with that, and have been playing piano parts on synth actions since the 1980s. In fact, coming from an organ background, the heaviest action I've ever owned is my flat-top Rhodes Mark II Stage Piano, or my Kurz PC3. Just to let you know where I'm coming from. The complaints I've heard about MODX7 had me thinking it was particularly bad when compared to other synth or "semi-weighted" keybeds. Like Kross 61-level bad.

Your Rhodes was a hammer action. Kurz PC3 is in the semi-weighted category. MODX7 doesn't push back as hard as PC3 (which I consider a plus) but is not as good at letting you control dynamics, so overall, I'd rate the PC3 higher than MODX7 as a piano action. MODX7 is better than Kross mostly by virtue of being more consistent from front to back, it's kinda like a Kross where you're not basically limited to playing the front half of the keys. But don't take that analogy too literally. And it's not impossible that you may fine piano playing perfectly acceptable on the MODX7, as Dave does.

 

the Numa Compact 2x has the TP/9P action. I was shocked at how good it is and loved it for the 3 weeks I had it ... I was Jones-ing for an Integra when it came out

Maybe it's worth looking at this from a whole other angle. What about a Numa Compact 2X (a good sw action that you know you like), driving an Integra 7 to provide the multi-way splits and more multi-timbral operation)? You could save up to 64 configs (Studio Sets) in the Integra, and recall them with the user preset select knob of the Numa. Though that assumes you have one unchanging setup for a particular song, as the Numa provides no real way to quickly switch Studio Sets in the middle of a song (or to selectively enable and disable tracks).

 

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the knock on the MODX7 is that's not good for piano by virtue of it being more of a synth action, I'm more than fine with that, and have been playing piano parts on synth actions since the 1980s. In fact, coming from an organ background, the heaviest action I've ever owned is my flat-top Rhodes Mark II Stage Piano, or my Kurz PC3. Just to let you know where I'm coming from. The complaints I've heard about MODX7 had me thinking it was particularly bad when compared to other synth or "semi-weighted" keybeds. Like Kross 61-level bad.

Your Rhodes was a hammer action. Kurz PC3 is in the semi-weighted category. MODX7 doesn't push back as hard as PC3 (which I consider a plus) but is not as good at letting you control dynamics, so overall, I'd rate the PC3 higher than MODX7 as a piano action. MODX7 is better than Kross mostly by virtue of being more consistent from front to back, it's kinda like a Kross where you're not basically limited to playing the front half of the keys. But don't take that analogy too literally. And it's not impossible that you may fine piano playing perfectly acceptable on the MODX7, as Dave does.

 

My main concern in playing a substandard keybed is finger/wrist/arm pain. A lifetime of playing standing, with a lot of my weight shifted to my left leg, sitting on stools made primarily for guitarists, and the everyday leaning over a keyboard and leaning in to a microphone has developed into some C5/C6 vertebrae issues, causing some pain and numbness in my right arm. I began to also suspect that one culprit was the 22 year old QS7.1 that I use as a controller. So I switched it with the newer-condition, better keybed spare that I bought from Night Ranger"s keyboardist a few years ago. Some of the issues subsided. So that, and needing a lighter keyboard to lift out of my backseat, started me on this quest more than other reasons, like sounds. I"m fine with my sounds. This is why I"m seeming obsessed with the keybeds. I loved the NC2x keybed and thought it was the answer, but the awful and limited number of internal sounds, ham-fisted interface, plus perhaps a bad unit (it wouldn"t connect to any of my 3 computers) forced me to return it.

 

the Numa Compact 2x has the TP/9P action. I was shocked at how good it is and loved it for the 3 weeks I had it ... I was Jones-ing for an Integra when it came out

Maybe it's worth looking at this from a whole other angle. What about a Numa Compact 2X (a good sw action that you know you like), driving an Integra 7 to provide the multi-way splits and more multi-timbral operation)? You could save up to 64 configs (Studio Sets) in the Integra, and recall them with the user preset select knob of the Numa. Though that assumes you have one unchanging setup for a particular song, as the Numa provides no real way to quickly switch Studio Sets in the middle of a song (or to selectively enable and disable tracks).

 

Nah. Can"t do 2 rack spaces, plus I don"t want to re-work hundreds of MIDI sequences. I"m just looking for a keybed that"s healthy to play, with decent AP/EP/Acoustic guitar/clean Electric guitar/Trumpets, in a lightweight, compact 76 key board. If I get all that I won"t even need to play module sounds from the keyboard, saving me some wiring and configuring.

 

Also, I thing those legacy Roland sounds, like the legacy Kurzweil sounds, are a little long in the tooth. At least Roland was smart enough to package them all for a last hurrah in the Integra, creating a unit that flew off the shelves and really boosted their revenue. Kurzweil is sleepwalking.

 

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the knock on the MODX7 is that's not good for piano by virtue of it being more of a synth action, I'm more than fine with that, and have been playing piano parts on synth actions since the 1980s. In fact, coming from an organ background, the heaviest action I've ever owned is my flat-top Rhodes Mark II Stage Piano, or my Kurz PC3. Just to let you know where I'm coming from. The complaints I've heard about MODX7 had me thinking it was particularly bad when compared to other synth or "semi-weighted" keybeds. Like Kross 61-level bad.

Your Rhodes was a hammer action. Kurz PC3 is in the semi-weighted category. MODX7 doesn't push back as hard as PC3 (which I consider a plus) but is not as good at letting you control dynamics, so overall, I'd rate the PC3 higher than MODX7 as a piano action. MODX7 is better than Kross mostly by virtue of being more consistent from front to back, it's kinda like a Kross where you're not basically limited to playing the front half of the keys. But don't take that analogy too literally. And it's not impossible that you may fine piano playing perfectly acceptable on the MODX7, as Dave does.

 

My main concern in playing a substandard keybed is finger/wrist/arm pain. A lifetime of playing standing, with a lot of my weight shifted to my left leg, sitting on stools made primarily for guitarists, and the everyday leaning over a keyboard and leaning in to a microphone has developed into some C5/C6 vertebrae issues, causing some pain and numbness in my right arm. I began to also suspect that one culprit was the 22 year old QS7.1 that I use as a controller. So I switched it with the newer-condition, better keybed spare that I bought from Night Ranger"s keyboardist a few years ago. Some of the issues subsided. So that, and needing a lighter keyboard to lift out of my backseat, started me on this quest more than other reasons, like sounds. I"m fine with my sounds. This is why I"m seeming obsessed with the keybeds. I loved the NC2x keybed and thought it was the answer, but the awful and limited number of internal sounds, ham-fisted interface, plus perhaps a bad unit (it wouldn"t connect to any of my 3 computers) forced me to return it.

 

the Numa Compact 2x has the TP/9P action. I was shocked at how good it is and loved it for the 3 weeks I had it ... I was Jones-ing for an Integra when it came out

Maybe it's worth looking at this from a whole other angle. What about a Numa Compact 2X (a good sw action that you know you like), driving an Integra 7 to provide the multi-way splits and more multi-timbral operation)? You could save up to 64 configs (Studio Sets) in the Integra, and recall them with the user preset select knob of the Numa. Though that assumes you have one unchanging setup for a particular song, as the Numa provides no real way to quickly switch Studio Sets in the middle of a song (or to selectively enable and disable tracks).

 

Nah. Can"t do 2 rack spaces, plus I don"t want to re-work hundreds of MIDI sequences. I"m just looking for a keybed that"s healthy to play, with decent AP/EP/Acoustic guitar/clean Electric guitar/Trumpets, in a lightweight, compact 76 key board. If I get all that I won"t even need to play module sounds from the keyboard, saving me some wiring and configuring.

 

Also, I thing those legacy Roland sounds, like the legacy Kurzweil sounds, are a little long in the tooth. At least Roland was smart enough to package them all for a last hurrah in the Integra, creating a unit that flew off the shelves and really boosted their revenue. Kurzweil is sleepwalking.

 

As you"ve read, ask 5 keyboardists about keybed feel and you"re gonna get 5 answers. I am near you in that I"ve played semi or synth weighted mid to value level keybed almost exclusively for the last 10 years, and also back in earlier days when i played in a lot of bands. I only really played extensive true weighted AP was when i was a kid. For me - sure it feels nothing like playing a piano but i have no trouble playing AP with MODX7 at all. i don"t play very expressive pieces live so that reduced nuance range is no issue for me. Thats typical of playing AP on any and every non-weighted keybed so you already know exactly what this means. Keybed is better than MOXF6 which sold a kazillion boards. Motif XF7 felt slightly better as its much heavier and more 'solid' but for me it wasnt really that much different that i didn"t get used to the change in a single full gig or so of playing.

 

I LOVE MODX7 weights 16 lbs, i can flip that thing around with one hand and I wear it on my back walking into most gigs. I doubt i ever go back to a heavier more solid board ever again. if i play on a backline x-stand, i have to tape the bottom of the MODX to the stand or I"ll literally throw it off while rocking. My Ultimate AX stand has no issue.

 

 

I love how compact it is, great for both travel gigs and tight stage footprints. love the UI improvements for a bigger vs the menu-diving of prior Yammy interfaces. Probably not fully to where they need but at least now its in the ballpark of other user-friendly boards. What I don"t know as I"ve not personally touched or seen - maybe Roland is even more awesomer still.

The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...