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kaptainkeys

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Posts posted by kaptainkeys

    Building a two board rig, what is a good pairing?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    40 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

    Krome is not derived from Kronos. Kronos has nine engines, Krome has one engine... and its one engine (EDS-X) is not any of the nine that are in the Kronos (EDS-X is kind of a scaled down version of the Kronos' HD1 engine, with differences including, I believe, that HD1 uses uncompressed samples and EDS uses compressed samples). However, Krome does have sampled versions of some of the Kronos' modeled EP sounds, and scaled down versions of some of its multi-gigabyte SGX pianos.

    I know that, I had no illusions that I'd be getting the SGX-2 and EP-1 engines from the Kronos.

    19 minutes ago, Old No7 said:

    And... And... And TWO MOVING BLANKETS!!!

    Unironically, I think I have some in my garage from when I last moved, but I'm going to probably pick up some semi-hard SKB or Gator cases for the boards.

    Building a two board rig, what is a good pairing?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    43 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

    Although Kross 2 is a lower end model, it does have some features absent from the Krome (and Krome EX), i.e. the sampling/trigger pads, battery operation, audio input/vocoder. But overall, unless one of those Kross-specific features is really important to you, I'd take the Krome, for the improved pianos/EPs (much larger sample set, based on Kronos sounds), the touchscreen (advantage for overall ease of use and patch selection), and the more capable EDS-X sound engine (vs. EDS-i in the Kross) which gives it more sonic potential (e.g. 8 velocity layers instead of 4, more EQ flexibility).

    The Kross specific features such as battery power and the trigger pads are not that important to me, neither is the vocoder.  I'd rather have the better soundset derived from the Kronos, touchscreen and better sound engine at the expense of a little extra weight (like 4 pounds, which doesn't matter that much to me, since the board is still less than 40 pounds).

    Building a two board rig, what is a good pairing?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    22 minutes ago, Mighty Motif Max said:

    I would say the Krome will have better sounds, except for EDM-type synth and drum sounds. I owned a Krome for 4 years.

    EDM synth sounds and drum sounds are not really my focus anyway, I don't think I will use keyboard drums in a live situation (I'd probably use a dedicated drum machine or a real drummer instead), and I don't like or play EDM music, most of the synths sounds I will use are 80s sounds (synth brass, synth strings, some vintage sounding leads, pads, synth bells, some synth bass).

    Building a two board rig, what is a good pairing?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    44 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

    I'd say MX88 generally has better orchestral instruments and acoustic piano sounds than Kross 88, but there are other sounds where I think Kross is stronger. Kross has more overall flexibility when it comes to MIDI, splits/layers, effects, sequences. You can get around the MX's split/layer limitations with the John Melas software, but it's nice to have it on the board, too. On the board, the MX only supports splits/layers of up to two sounds. But maybe splits/layers and MIDI zoning becomes less important if you're combining with a PC3-something (i.e. rather than something like the VR-09). Kross would probably be cheaper than MX. What do you think your budget for the 88 is, assuming you put the Kurz on top?

    I found a PC3LE6 for $700, so that would leave me with about $800 for the upper board.  An original Kross would then fit into that budget, but I'd like to see if I could get a Kross 2, since it isn't fire truck red and has the sample pads.

    Building a two board rig, what is a good pairing?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    48 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

    so it's good that you found one near you, so you can play it first

    Unfortunately, I contacted the owner and he said he already has a buyer lined up for it and he just forgot to take the post down.  I also probably wouldn't pair it with the PX5S, since the soundsets are very similar.  I'm thinking the PX5S or MX88 and PC3LE6 is probably what I'm going to go with, unless I can find a better combo (like a cheap MOXF8) or prices on FA07s magically come down in the next week or two.

    Building a two board rig, what is a good pairing?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    5 hours ago, Shamanzarek said:

    I would second the Casio XW-P1 as an inexpensive top Keyboard that can cover a lot of ground. The tone wheel organ section is more adjustable than ROMpler organs and can do a couple things the much more expensive tone wheel simulators can't. It has a very full-featured programmable hex layer synth section. There is an assortment of other sounds like pianos, strings, brass, etc. The XW-P1 was discontinued but a used one might turn up with some searching. 

    Did some research into this board and found one for sale near me.  It is a nice looking and sounding board, I may consider it.  What board would you recommend pairing it with?

    23 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

    XW-P1 has been gone for quite a while. I think they discontinued it in 2018. It's too bad, especially since there's been effectively no replacement.

    Shame, a successor to this board would have been great imo, especially if they made it a bit more premium feeling in terms of quality and looks.  If they upped the organ engine and upgraded the PCM samples, and maybe gave it 8 parts instead of 4, it would sell like hotcakes.

    Building a two board rig, what is a good pairing?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    35 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

    Korg Kross 88 could be a possibility, either generation. You lose the real-time knobs and sliders, but you get 16 zones (internal or external) vs. 4 internal + 4 external. You also get the expression pedal input, and monophonic synth options (instead of poly only). Though Casio wins on polyphyony and patch remain. Orchestral sounds are stronger on Korg.

    The Kross has the ability to control external modules in Combi mode?  From reading the manual, it didn't seem that way.

    Building a two board rig, what is a good pairing?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    27 minutes ago, Mighty Motif Max said:

    For the MX, much better organs, IMO better EP's and pianos, better acoustic instruments, better brass, and (IMO) a significantly better keybed. But yes, it does lose out on master control capabilities. I'd think you could use the PC3LE as your master controller if needed. Also you should be able to set up all your zones etc on the PC3LE so you don't need advanced capabilities on the MX in that scenario.

     

    The Juno suggestion is because I've generally found that Roland and Kurzweil soundsets complement each other well. The Juno would be strongest of any of the boards discussed in the synth side of things IMO.

    On the MX88, is there a way to make zones to control external gear?  Like if I wanted to control a sound module or a patch from the Kurzweil I could do that?  Does the John Melas editor allow you to do this?  (I'm going to buy it if I get the MX because programming on the MX's tiny screen does not sound like fun)

    Building a two board rig, what is a good pairing?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    16 minutes ago, RABid said:

    I’m a strong proponent of a dual Rompler setup. That way if one keyboard goes out you can get through the gig.

    That's why I'm looking at building my rig around a PX5S and PC3LE6, both have good APs, EPs, brass, strings, and synths.  If one stops working, or if I only want to bring one board, I can still get through the gig.  The only downside is that the organs in the PX5S are quite subpar, but are probably decent enough to make it through a song or two if I'm just playing chords, though I wouldn't use it for searing Jon Lord solo.

    Building a two board rig, what is a good pairing?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    55 minutes ago, synthizen2 said:

    I use a MOX8 on the bottom, cost me about $800 used. It's essentially the same as MOXF8 except 64 notes polyphony (instead of 128) and you can't import sounds. Otherwise the same board.

    Unfortunately, inflation and supply chain have driven up the used prices of the MOX8/MOXF8, the going rate in reverb is around $1000 for both.  Having the ability to import user sounds and more polyphony is something I would like, but not 100%.

    55 minutes ago, synthizen2 said:

    When my PC3 was in repair for a few months, I used a controller on top and used the MOX8 for ALL of my sounds, including the organ. While the Yamaha B3 "rompler" sound isn't as good as the modeled KB3 engine in the Kurzweil, it was passable enough for gigs (pretty good, in fact... just a somewhat poor leslie simulation).

    Certainly good to know that if necessary, I could get by using just the Yamaha on a gig if I only need organs for one or two songs.

     

    -GotKeys

    Building a two board rig, what is a good pairing?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Mighty Motif Max said:

    I’ll throw something else in here. Provided you’re comfortable using midi to move sounds around and don’t require lots of controllers on the top board, how about a used FA-08 or MOXF8 with a used Hammond XK1c up top? That would give you great synths and organs with solid other sounds.

    I had considered doing that but have yet to find an affordable hammond clone.  A used MOXF8 or FA08 is going for just above $1000, so even if I haggled, I still only have like $500 to buy a hammond, and I've yet to see an XK1c or SK1 for that price, or really any hammond board.

    Building a two board rig, what is a good pairing?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    1 hour ago, AnotherScott said:

    Bottom:

    Casio PX-5S: 24 lbs, nice action, above average pianos/EPs at its price, good MIDI functionality, apart from not having an expression pedal jack.

     

    Top:

    Roland VR-09, as Elmer said: 12 lbs, good for organ/brass/strings/synth. It helps if you have an iPad for synth editing, if need be. 

    The DS61 alternative is somewhat better on the MIDI front (except maybe for sending Program Changes, not sure about that), and has better patch navigation, on-board editing, better split/layer functions, I'd say better strings/brass (with the free orchestral expansion), but the organ and synth are weaker. I know you said rompler organs are okay, but you are concerned with the Leslie effect, and none of the rompler organ boards have Leslie effects that are as good as those in the boards with organ engines. But maybe it will be "good enough." Though since we're looking at used stuff, I think you might find a Yamaha MOXF6 or MOX6 at around the same price as a DS61. Those Yamahas have pretty much the same pros and cons vis-a-vis the VR09 as the DS61 does, but they are much better from a MIDI perspective, and I think generally better sounding and more flexible.

     

    These boards have all been around long enough that I think you're reasonably likely to be able to find used ones, to get to roughly your budget. (There's also a DS76, which would give you the advantage of more keys, an option those Yamahas don't give you, but that's going to be pricier, and it hasn't been around as long as the others, either.)

    In terms of the top board, another board that would fit my criteria is a 61 key Kurzweil PC3 (PC361, LE6, K6, A6).  Has a decent synth section, a dedicated organ engine with a decent leslie sim, and is fairly lightweight.

    Building a two board rig, what is a good pairing?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    As the title suggests, I'm looking to put together a two board rig, somewhere around the $1500 USD mark, as I am starting to put myself out there as a gigging keyboardist in my area.  I'm open to buying used, and need a rig that is fairly lightweight (ideally no boards above the 50 lb mark, before a case), and covers APs, EPs, some clavs, decent hammonds with a good Leslie effect (not necessarily an organ engine, good rompler organs are ok with me), assorted brass and strings, and a wide array of synth sounds.  Ideally, I'd like to have a weighted 88 key board on the bottom and something 61 or 76 up top, and I'd like for both boards to have some kind of master controller functionality.  If this is to much of an ask at this price, let me know, and I look forward to your suggestions.

     

    -GotKeys

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