Which of these Keyboards have built in track recording

[ncl1994]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this place and will be purchasing my first keyboard soon.

I've been considering the following keyboards and want to know which ones have built in track recording and how many tracks can be recorded on each keyboard:

 

Korg Poly 800

Korg Wavestation EX

Korg X5

Roland A-80

Roland JV-30

Roland RS-9

Roland XP-10

Yamaha KX49

[Sven Golly]

 

http://www.vintagesynth.com/

http://www.korg.com/

http://www.rolandus.com/

http://www.yamahasynth.com/

 

[Dave Bryce]

IIRC, of that list, only the Poly 800 is capable of recording at all...and I think it's only one very short track....stepped values only, not real time.

 

The A-80 is only a controller. It makes no sound on it's own. I have no idea what a KX49 is, but my guess would be that one is just a controller too.

 

dB

[ncl1994]

Thanks for that, Vintagesynth.com is a good link

So

Korg Poly-800 - Yes

Korg Wavestation EX - Yes

Korg X5 - Yes

Roland A-80 - I think so

Roland JV-30 - I think so

Roland RS-9 - Yes

Roland XP-10 - Yes

Yamaha KX49 - Yes

[Synthoid]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this place and will be purchasing my first keyboard soon.

 

I would not recommend the Poly-800. I owned one for about a year... was happy when I sold it. Not the greatest build quality, mushy keybed, and tedious to program.

[Mogut]

maybe an original motif 6 classic would be a good choice... i had one of these for many years

[Dave Bryce]

Thanks for that, Vintagesynth.com is a good link

So

Korg Poly-800 - Yes

Korg Wavestation EX - Yes

Korg X5 - Yes

Roland A-80 - I think so

Roland JV-30 - I think so

Roland RS-9 - Yes

Roland XP-10 - Yes

Yamaha KX49 - Yes

I'm not sure what you're looking at...but I'm going to stick to my earlier post that most of these do not, in fact, have "built in track recording".

 

dB

 

 

[midinut]

I agree with DB. If you can be clearer about what you are referring to when you say "track recording" then maybe we can advise you better. To most of us, track recording would be loop-based, or pattern recording - where you record say a drum track for 4 bars, then record a bass track over top of that on another track, then a horn part, etc. You can build these up and then loop them so you can play over top of them. Or, you can chain them together into a song for example Pattern 1 (Intro) > Pattern 2 (Verse) > Pattern 3 (Chorus) > Pattern 4 (Bridge) > Pattern 2 (Verse) > Pattern 3 (Chorus) and so on. Most of us have learned to call this Pattern or Loop-Based Recording.

 

You can also do "Step-Recording" in which you manually enter each note one-at-a-time and then have it loop this over and over (add nauseum). Arpeggios tend to play the notes you hold down in an up-and-down, down-and-up, random over one to several octaves. These are simply called arpeggios and you don't have much control over them.

 

On the other, you can also do linear recording, which basically means you record a song (one track at a time) from beginning to end - overdubbing more tracks as needed. This method more closely resembles using a multitrack tape recorder. So that is a basic primer on what page WE are all taking to you on.

 

As DB mentioned, none of the items on your list will do much more than basic arpeggios or possibly step-recording if at all - IF that is in fact what you are looking for. So hopefully you can understand why you are receiving the responses you are getting. If you can explain a bit deeper what is you are wanting to do then maybe we can advise you better.

 

One more thing. If you are in fact wanting to record in the manner I described above, a used Motif Classic as Mogut suggested would probably be your best bet. These can be found used for $500 or less if you look hard, but be prepared for a hell of a learning curve. Good luck anyway!

[bloodyMary]

You must realize that all of these keyboards are super different.

 

Comparing Korg 800 to Yamaha KX49 is like comparing an acoustic guitar to electric bass.

[ncl1994]

Yeah, I really am new to this as ya can tell but yes, I think I may have phrased that wrongly as midinut said. What I meant is that I want to be able to (as midinut described) pattern record any compositions.

Please forgive my noobishness

Did any of those keyboards I listed offer that as a feature?

[ncl1994]

I think I might be talking about a keyboard workstation with a sequencer

[Dave Bryce]

Did any of those keyboards I listed offer that as a feature?

No.

 

I think I might be talking about a keyboard workstation with a sequencer

 

dB

[ncl1994]

OK, much appreciated, thanks for your help.

I may buy a sequencer to go with one of the moderately priced keyboards I found.

[Mogut]

Sounds like a "workstation" is what your after... they can get pricey, but you could find older models im sure

[Dave Bryce]

I may buy a sequencer to go with one of the moderately priced keyboards I found.

Note - a couple of the keyboards you listed in your original post (A80, KX49) don't make any sound on their own - they're meant to be hooked up via MIDI to other sound generating devices...

 

...and you should definitely avoid the Poly 800. It has limited sounds and voices, and can only do one part at a time.

 

dB

[ncl1994]

Brilliant advice, it all makes so much more sense now

I must say how very new I am to the world of keyboards but also how eager I am to get learning.

I feel I can go and buy with confidence now!

[Synthoid]

I must say how very new I am to the world of keyboards but also how eager I am to get learning.

 

Trust me... the learning part never stops.

[bloodyMary]

I think you might want to get something like the Roland RS9 (by 'something like' I mean 61 keys, a lot of built-in sounds, 16 part multitimbral and not older than mid-90's) and use a computer as a sequencer. It's much more convenient. There's plenty of inexpensive sequencing software to be found.

 

Look up the history of the model you're after. It might be worth to pick up the model that was a super-expensive flagship back in 1993 (Korg O1/W), for example, or Kurzweil K2000) than a low-end model from 1998. They will cost the same.

 

 

I'd go look for:

 

Korg - 01/W, N, Trinity, Triton series

Roland - XP, JV

Yamaha - W,EX,S, Motif series

Kurzweil - K2000, K2500

Alesis - QS series

[J. Dan]

Yeah, you could pick up something like a Korg 01/W or Roland XP-50 for a few hundrd bucks used on Ebay.

[midinut]

Some of the keyboards you listed above that are not just controllers are "monotimbral", meaning you can only play one patch at a time. "Multitimbral", on the other hand, is what you are looking for. Something that can play drums on channel 1, bass on channel 2, guitar on 3, electric piano on 4, etc. That is why you are seeing some of the recommendations you are seeing (XP-50/60/80, O1/W, RS7/9, Motif). The ones they are telling you about CAN do multitimbral. If you followed your instincts and bought one of the cheap ones - and an external sequencer to go with it, you will be limited to recording one sound on one track and that's it (it would depend on how many different voices (tracks) your keyboard would have. Hope that clears up even more confusion.

 

BTW - you may want to do some research at this web site: www.tweakheadz.com

 

It gets recommended alot around here and for good reason. It will demystify alot of things for you. Then come back and fire the questions at us! Good luck!

 

And like Synthoid said - "Trust me... the learning part never stops".

[midinut]

Just for clarification purposes:

 

Korg Poly 800 - Monotimbral

Korg Wavestation EX - Multitimbral (but would need ext seq)

Korg X5 - Multitimbral (but would need ext seq)

Roland A-80 - Controller Only (no internal sounds)

Roland JV-30 - Multitimbral (but would need ext seq)

Roland RS-9 - Multitimbral (but would need ext seq)

Roland XP-10 - Multitimbral (but would need ext seq)

Yamaha KX49 - Controller Only (no internal sounds)

 

Some models that have been suggested - and why:

 

By the way, we suggest you look for these used on Craigslist or ebay. Most have been discontinued,

 

Korg Triton or Trinity - Workstation, multitimbral, built-in seq

Yamaha Motif Classic/ES - Workstation, multitimbral, built-in seq

Korg O1/W - Workstation, multitimbral, built-in seq

Roland XP-60/80 - Workstation, multitimbral, built-in seq

Korg M1 - Workstation, multitimbral, built-in seq

Roland Fantom - Workstation, multitimbral, built-in seq

 

And if someone comes along and recommends a Korg Oasys - just pay them no attention ... I'm sure others will chime in with more suggestions and boards to look out for. The logic behind a workstation is to have it "all in the same box" as opposed to seperate devices. An example: You buy a used Roland A-80 (great controller BTW), and an Alesis MMT-8 Sequencer, and a Roland JV-1010 Sound Module - now you've got three seperate devices - cables all over the place - and three units to learn to use. The simplicity of something like a Motif (aside from the learning curve) is it has everything all in one unit.

 

The best advice anyone here can give you is take this list and try to find these items and try them out. You will find one that works best for you and inspires you. THAT should be the one you choose.