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Sundown

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    Roland FA-06 and FA-08

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I find it interesting that Roland doesn't have a flagship workstation at the moment (Sweetwater and Musicians Friend are only selling used Fantom G8's). Surely the Jupiter 80 is their sound design flagship, but it doesn't have a sequencer.

     

    In the case of Krome and MOX, Korg and Yamaha took flagships and distilled them down to a lower price point. Roland has created a mid-ship offering without a flagship (unless you consider the Fantom, which surely contributed some of its technology). It will be interesting to see if they offer a high-end workstation soon.

    Introductions?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

     

    Hey all,

     

    I'm a mid-thirties home studio aficionado from the American Midwest. I'd give my real name, but I work for a conservative company, and I prefer to keep my professional life and my personal life very separate.

     

    Even when I was very young, I was drawn to keyboards. My first recollection of a synthesizer was Rush's "Tom Sawyer" or The Cars' "Just What I Needed". I was a big "Price is Right" fan, but I wouldn't have known then that the opening theme contained a descending monophonic synth line. :) "Flash Gordon" (1980) probably had an impact on me as well (a Queen soundtrack), which still has some great analog synths on it.

     

    When I started playing keys at 12 or 13, I was primarily influenced by Eddie Van Halen. To most he was a guitar god, but he had an interesting approach to incorporating synths (be it 1984 or 5150). Then I discovered progressive rock from the 1970's (initially Yes and later ELP). I took piano lessons, but they weren't traditional classical piano lessons. My teacher taught me theory and improvisation, which led to a study and appreciation for Jazz.

     

    From a technology perspective, I would give Keyboard and Roland Users Group the credit for teaching me the most about MIDI and keyboards. I would read those magazines cover to cover, and spend all of my free time at music shops (and playing of course). My parents weren't very supportive of my music, as they didn't understand Jazz, and having grown up under the shadow of a virtuoso organist (my Aunt), my approach only confused them further.

     

    But I was very fortunate to get a Roland D-20 in my early teens, and later a Korg W/S. It wasn't a great pairing in terms of being able to complete projects, but I still own both instruments, and the W/S serves as my main controller. When the time is right, I'll buy a proper 88-key controller, and maybe a small 49 key controller for leads. The W/S has a very noisy, relatively slow action, and it's getting old.

     

    It was the growth of the DAW that really changed my approach. When I saw VST demo'd in the early 2000's, I was sold... Affordable hard disk recording and in-the-box mixing were no longer a pipe dream, and ever since then I've continued to build my home studio one piece at a time. I did buy an XV-3080 in the early 2000's (I was short on "bread and butter" sounds, and VSTi's at the time weren't filling that void), but it might be my last module purchase.

     

    Right now my main focus is becoming a better songwriter and player. I learned long ago that there is a basic level of equipment you need to complete projects, and the rest gets in the way. I usually rid myself of GAS by knowing that the shine of new gear will quickly fade, and it's rarely a new piece of hardware or software that is missing from a song. It's in the music and in the artists.

     

    I often prefer to record and mix other people's projects, as I have a decent ear for production. But I do write my own music (everything from new-agey instrumental pieces to Jazz-influenced Drum & Bass). I'm having a ball playing again, and I look forward to what the future brings.

     

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