AlanB

Thanks David and Mike for the 2nd keyboard suggestions. I bought the Kronos2 61 to use as workstation to do some sequencing at home as I stopped playing live over 20 years ago. However, after playing live with Roland pianos for years, I missed the 88 keys and I purchased an RD2000 and started using both keyboards with Cubase. However, after dealing with some major health issues, I took up the opportunity to play in a band again! The Kronos was the first choice for the band as the keyboards parts were mostly synth and organ. To be honest, while I love playing the pianos and EPs on the RD2000, I don’t think the “other” sounds such as synth and organ are good enough to play live as they sound a bit dated! In addition, while the RD2000 is a fantastic controller keyboard with great piano sounds, it is just too heavy for me to transport, particularly along with the Kronos. Perhaps, if we had a “big gig” somewhere I could manage to use two keyboards but even then it would be a physical challenge! So, after setting up combis for about 40 songs for the 8 piece band and playing a few gigs, I like the organ and synth sounds as they cut through the mix when needed. Piano is challenging in a mono setting but I plan to play through the stereo PA and use my Behringer amp as a monitor. In other words, the Kronos sounds are excellent, the set list feature is fantastic and the 61 note keyboard is fine for playing “ keyboard parts”. However, I could do with more keys for splits, layers and the occasional solos or piano parts. The Kronos2 61 is fairly heavy but still portable although I don’t really want to have to haul it up lots of stairs! SO - this is what led me to the Yamaha MODX7 with 76 keys and half the weight of the Kronos. Furthermore, although I don’t know for sure, I hoped the MODX pianos would sound better than the Kronos pianos particularly in mono. There have been some negative comments about the organs sounds on the MODX but IMO there is a good range of organ presets and I think they would sound ok when playing live. For now, I am not that keen on the Nord Stage or the Yamaha YC. Too many buttons and knobs to tweak live! I prefer to program my sounds at home and then do minor adjustments when playing live. I suppose this is one of the reasons why I was attracted to the MODX as I thought the motion control and scenes would be slightly more user friendly than the Kronos sliders and knobs. Anyway, as I have had so much helpful and constructive advice on this forum, I thought I would just do an update and provide some additional information and background. Thanks to everyone who has commented.

Mike, thanks for the Yamaha P121 suggestion. I will do some research on this keyboard. Does anyone have any experience with Korg LS 88? I know they were not a very popular model and that it has been discontinued but I came across a used one advertised on Gumtree. No aftertouch, semi weighted action and only slightly heavier than my Kronos61. I will probably look at it tomorrow and see how the lighter action feels although I think it will be similar to my current synth. Only really considering it because it is 88 notes, I am familiar with the Kronos and the set lists should be transferable. At least, I hope so!

"I thought you said the YC73 was "too heavy for gigging and difficult to transport in the car"? Hi AnotherScott! Yes, I did say the YC73 was too heavy but this was a mistake on my part after reading the specs of so many instruments! It is actually lighter than my Kronos!! Ultimately, keyboard players are always looking for the right set up for live playing taking into account issues such as portability, cost, playability and sound but NOT necessarily in that order. I also take onboard the notion that the keyboard you are searching for may actually be the keyboard you are playing! Yes, I did appreciate the comparison with girlfriends and cars which I thought both accurate and amusing! Someone commented that maybe I am just a bit “bored” with the Kronos sounds. Maybe this is true, but I find the operating system “quirky” and not very intuitive. However, since I started playing live, creating my own combis and tweaking programs, I have rediscovered the potential of the keyboard and reminded myself why I bought it in the first place! Points for consideration about Kronos2 61: it is now a discontinued model the operating system is perhaps a bit dated - not necessarily a negative point but an issue when you don't really understand the file management system while the editing is extensive, it is complex and particularly challenging to use on a small screen - sometimes the icons are just too small! I would prefer 73/76 keys rather than 61 Most of the musicians who have commented on this topic seem to use more than one keyboard and apart from a few exceptions, weight and portability does not seem to be a problem. Some have commented on lack of stage space for keyboards and that is obviously an issue to be addressed. 88 note keyboards and/or multiple keyboards can take up considerably more space on a small stage. Unsurprisingly, my Korg Kronos2 61, is probably the ideal keyboard in my current 8 piece band. It has an excellent range of sounds and the set list feature is excellent. So rather than a replacement keyboard with more notes, maybe I need to think of an "additional" keyboard and stack it to minimise the footprint. Perhaps, the MODX7plus and utilise the IOS functions/apps? Apologies in advance for my apparent indecision but the forum comments have made me reconsider my options. Every comment from forum members has been thoughtful, supportive and relevant! This has been an excellent experience and I have learned so much about playing keyboards in a live setting. Thanks.

Thanks to AnotherScott for his comprehensive feedback and Drawback for his advice on my Kronos2 61. I agree with the conclusion that the Nautilus73 is NOT a lighter alternative to the Kronos2 61 and that the Montage does not provide any significant advantage over the MODX. The VOX and the Roland look and sound ok but although lighter, are they really better sounding than the Kronos? This leaves me really with the Nord Stage 3 or the Yamaha YC73 for consideration as a gigging keyboard. The MODX with IPad is still worth considering though and I will research this further. Again, thanks to all for your valuable insight and considered advice.

Thanks to everyone for the comments! I did not expect to receive so much detailed advice and suggestions! I had not considered the Vox, Hammond, Fantom, VR730, PC4 or Main stage. Clearly, I need to review these options bearing in mind your comments! I have not considered using my RD2000 for live gigs because there a only a few songs in the current sets that require piano and the Kronos just about manages it ok although the samples are mostly quite short, at least in comparison to the Roland. I only use piano, EP or clavs on a few songs - I Wish, Superstition, Pencil Full of Lead, House of Fun, Come Together.. I use the organ on songs such as Town Called Malice, Ghost Town, Mercy, Smooth, Rhythm Stick, Here Come the Girls and Rudy. For some of these songs, I layer or split with piano for a more authentic sound such as in Smooth. On songs such as Funky Music, You should be Dancing, Pull up to the Bumper, Disco 2000, 7 Nation Army, Somebody Told me, and Uptown Funk, I use synth, guitar and occasionally strings. I will continue using the Kronos as it seems to be capable of producing most of the sounds I need with the quality and flexibility of a professional keyboard. Does the lighter 76 note Yamaha MODX7+ present itself as a better keyboard for my live playing? Possibly, although the negative comments on organ have put me off a bit and I will need to check this out. Finally, I am slightly surprised that nobody in this forum has suggested any of the Montage keyboards for live use. The Nautilus 73 was mentioned but there seems to be no personal recommendation for live use. So, thanks to all for sharing your experience and views of the current keyboard options.

Thanks Timwat. Everything you say makes perfect sense. You obviously have taken the time to read all my comments. Thanks to Eric as his comment about bigger the band, the smaller the keys! AnotherScott suggested the Nautilus 73 BUT I think that is quite a heavy beast. I want to thank you all for your constructive comments particularly those related to playing parts in a cover band. I want to play WITH the bass and lead guitarists not against them. In addition, I want to enjoy the playing experience by producing the right sounds for each song. I think the point about cover bands acquiring their own identity enables bands to “interpret” songs so that the “live version” swings a bit more or has a slightly more funky feel etc. Which keyboard(s) do I need to perform well in an 8 piece cover band? For now, the Kronos2 61 certainly does the job with some songs having a couple of splits and layering in combis. At the moment, I like tweaking programmes into combis and saving them to the excellent Kronos set list. When playing live, I just press the correct slot, follow my playing notes and play! I can mute, adjust volume, experiment with the joystick and ribbon controllers but mostly I just play each song as planned. At this stage, I am not sure that I want a Nord or YC with all the control available on the front panel! On the other hand, I have not really tried either of these keyboards and that is what I plan to do after all your helpful comments. Once again, thanks for all your advice and insight. Will keep you updated!

Thanks Timwat. Everything you say makes perfect sense. You obviously have taken the time to read all my comments and effectively dealt with all my issues. The Kronos is programmed with my sets and I am unlikely to stop using it right away which gives me time to consider my options. I have not seriously considered the Nord option ImproKeys. However, when I did some research a few months ago, there was some discussion about the Nord build quality and reliability. Obviously yourself and Yannis would disagree with any negative comments about Nord keyboards?

Thanks for the Juno suggestion. While it is light, around the same weight as the MODX7 +, I think that the sound quality may not be as good as the Yamaha. However, it is cheaper and I have not played the keyboard! Maybe the absence of a touch screen and live set lists may be an issue but I will look into it and hopefully have a play on one next week. Thanks to Viv for the endorsement of the MODX7. I agree that it is a good all rounder and covers most bases, maybe not quite as good in some areas but probably enough for my playing needs live. Will also have a look at the Kauai ES110. While I am here, I might as well mention the stereo/mono issue when playing live. I am playing the Kronos through a Behringer amp and some patches sound so different in mono! I wonder how other stereo keyboards, including the MODX, cope with only a mono output.

If I was certain the Montage 7 or YC73 was the right keyboard, I would spend the money. I am in the UK so the budget could stretch to approximately £3000. However, in my opinion, the keyboards mentioned above are too heavy for gigging and difficult to transport in the car. The other issue is that I am running out of space at home already having the RD2000 and Kronos set up for use with Cubase. I am thinking of selling both these keyboards and using Montage/MODX for recording and gigging. Total overkill would be to have the Montage 8 at home and the MODX7 for playing gigs. To be honest, I cannot see me playing live with the RD2000 which is a good piano but dated range of organ and synth sounds. The Kronos does the business BUT it is 61 keys and I rarely use Karma or the sequencer.

HI! The basic sounds are organ, synth and piano. I am playing in an 8 piece band with a brass section which means that the majority of the set will have an element of brass based songs e.g. Ghost Town, House of Fun, Mercy, Let’s Dance etc. To be honest, I could probably just play with my right hand on my 61 note Kronos BUT I get more into a “groove” using both hands. in addition, splits and layering are easier to programme when there are more keys! Hope this makes sense!

I have just joined the forum and looking for advice on a suitable gigging keyboard for a cover band playing functions, pubs etc. Currently, I have a Kronos2 61 and recently programmed the sets on this instrument. Set list was really useful but sounds could still do with more tweaks to cut through mix! However, I feel more comfortable with 76 keys and do I really need to bring an instrument to a gig with Karma and sequencer that I will never use? Then there is the issue of weight and portability. I have a Roland RD2000 but I do not want to take this heavy instrument to gigs! I am considering going for the lightest keyboard which is the Yamaha MODX7+. I do not want to spend twice as much on the Montage 7 just to gig in pubs and clubs! Yes, I know the MODX keyboard is not great and the set list is not as good as the Kronos but I played the MODX7+ in the music store and I think it would be easily transportable, scenes would be helpful when playing live and it has 76 keys! Any views would be really welcome.