Marillo

Nord Electro 6 + Yamaha MODX7 has cured me of GAS for the most part, it gives me almost everything I could need for live performance...may just add one of the Roland Boutiques for analogue.

I have an Electro 6D 73 under a MODX7 and I can't envisage needing anything else for my classic rock band. Organ speaks for itself but also the 'Bright Grand' piano cuts so much better than the Yammy's CFX and the sample synth section is highly useful too - the Prophet Brass pad patch is the most versatile polysynth pad I've ever used in a live situation, everything from the pads in 'Final Countdown' to the chorus of 'Everyone Wants to to Rule the World'.

Totally agree on the MODX7. The best bang-for-buck synth of the last 25 years for me, but that keybed. I guess a Montage 7 could be in my future. I use a Nord E6 underneath it as I much prefer Nord's Bright Grand piano to anything else i've tried in a live context (including Yamaha's CFX sample) and the organs sound nicer than this latest Yamaha release too. Generally most players will use two boards and this Nord + MODX setup is the happiest I've been with a setup in years.

Had the 8 but sold it for the 7 since I also couldn't find a piano sound I liked for live playing. So got n Electro 6 on bottom tier for that and EP/organ duties. For synth duties it's great; I mainly use presets and the Scenes are invaluable for live work. Have learned basic programming of Superknob for volume / bringing in strings/pads. FM engine is powerful but haven't got into programming. Strings and brass also A1. Touch-screen works fine for me (and makes the Nord seem stone-age) but keybed as mentioned above is really bad. Plasticky, narrow keys and bottoms out horribly. I've made a few mistakes because of it and cursed it, but overall the board's power outweighs all that.

Sorry, I meant the QSC CP 8

I know they're the Voldermort of keyboard amplification but has anyone tried the Roland KC 220, the stereo version of the dreaded KC series? I'm in a similar market as the OP but as well as gigging I like the idea of setting up my keys at home (on an X-stand so studio monitors are out really) and playing through something other than headphones. The stereo of the KC-220 would be attractive to me for home use (particularly piano patches) as well as having the single-unit form factor as oppose to two active speakers. Budget-wise it comes in around the same price as a single QSC K8. I'd be interested to know if anyone owned or had tried one.

Sounds like we have exactly the same rig and similar needs (I'm in a classic rock covers band and an 80s tribute)! I kept the Electro 6 for piano and organ since I find the Nord's pianos far superior to the Yamaha in a live setting, especially the latest White Grand sample. And as you say, some of the strings and sample synth patches are very useable too (eg the Prophet A1 pad is one of the most versatile poly synth patches I've ever come across in any board) The MODX does everything else brilliantly, of course. Might it be worth waiting for the OS update in late October, which apparently includes a Moog filter of some sort? Failing that, I did put a Roland SE-01 boutique on the right hand side spare space of the Electro...but did find the small knobs almost impossible to operate live. Ended up selling it. The Minilogue XD module IS very tempting (if it would fit in the same space) and looks a little easier to find the knobs when you need them.

This is great news. The only thing i was keeping my Juno DS for was the pattern sequencer and some of the analogue basses - hopefully this takes care of it on MODX and I can sell the Roland (great little keyboard btw)

Really sad to hear this. I was that rare thing, a UK owner of the Spacestation, and it served me very well. His spirit of invention and enthusiasm as evinced in his YouTube videos were one of the reasons I was happy to buy and support the product.

Generally house PA and Yammy DXR10 for monitoring (overkill I know). The Pop/Rock Imperial Grand does have more bite, but again not the clarity of the Nords for me.

This board does a lot of great things but oddly for Yamaha, piano isn't one of them. The CFX sample seems severely downgraded from the P515 which I also own (granted. this is a dedicated piano) and I despite endless twiddling I can't get anything that doesn't sound pretty boxy and lacking in sparkle. I've tried the various iterations of Rock Piano etc but these are also pretty thin, especially in a live mix. Anyone else experienced this and got any tips on fixing it? I sold a Nord Electro 5D to get the MODX and while i have no regrets I do really miss those Bright and Silver Grands which seemed to have such a full, present sound.

I've had MODX 8 about two weeks and just wanted to sing the praises of the Scene buttons, without which I wonder how i ever managed. Here's an example based on that famous last two minutes of Mr Blue Sky, the coda after the big chord. This sounds complicated but the MODX makes it easy. Scene 1 - Piano patch in Part 1 for the chords with pedal bass note. Also has a choir patch on Part 2 which is silent until I bring it in via a fader for the repeat. Scene 2 - Same phrase but now thickened with String section added in Part 3 (so piano, choir, strings) and played an octave higher. Scene 3 - Mutes piano/choir and add 2nd string patch in Part 4 with more attack for descending arpeggios moving to the slower chord section. Scene 4 - Add piano back in under strings for the rippling, descending arpeggios. Scene 5 - After piano/strings figure hits climactic high note in Scene 4, this mutes everything except string section to play the final cello figure Scene 6 - Piano added back in for that last big chord. All this is without any note cut-off since I'm only using four parts (piano/choir/two string sections). I have to say i'm looking to add a 5th part for the vocoder at the end but that might actually cut out the last big chord of Scene 6. This four-part cut off IS a limitation that's quickly reached on the MODX, especially since a lot of the most impressive patches use more than 4 parts fairly regularly. Switching between those does result in cut-off. The once that don't (single parts, labelled green) are therefore the ones you're more likely to build your sounds from - and they're basically the Motif soundset. So I'm not finding the individual sounds themselves particularly mind-blowing (actually since i mention choirs here, the single-part patches are quite poor in this area!) But it's the possibilities for sculpting those sounds using the performance parameters that are exciting, and I've yet to really explore the Superknob etc. Add in the scenes as above, the light weight (altho the board is fairly deep) and the great price-point, and I think the MODX is a keeper.

To add another perspective from the UK, I recently sold both a Nord Electro 5D 73 and a Roland Boutique SE-02 for prices I was happy with (£1075 and £275 respectively). I couldn't shift a 61-note Roland Juno DS, however.

Well, the Gemini module is about £300 more than the Legend EXP, and drawbars extra. The EXP is very competitively priced indeed.

Apols for off-topic question chas, but could you give me an idea of how bulky you find the EXP in use, particularly live? I'm considering adding one to the space on the right side of an 88-key MODX. But the specs say it's 29cm deep, which would leave it hanging over the back of the board. It seems unnecessarily unwieldy compared to others like the HX3