Keyboards of the 90's... I missed that

[Synthoid]

I started playing synths in the mid-eighties and bought several (Ensoniq ESQ-1, Roland D-50, Yamaha DX-21, etc.) through the end of the decade. I remember auditioning the Korg M1 when it first came out, but got married right about the same time and suddenly became busy with that life change, new job, step kids... etc. I slowly lost track of what was going on in the synth world (and also didn't play out as much).

 

Flash ahead 9-10 years. I bought a Korg Triton and got back into song writing and playing regularly at church. I've accumulated lots of new toys since then, but often wondered what I missed during the 90's. I've read various reviews about keyboards that were popular then, but... I'd like to know what everyone here has to say.

 

What was your favorite keyboard from the 90's and why? (Extra credit for gig photos from that time).

 

[wjwilcox]

Most of my current rig is '90's gear...Ensoniq SD1, Roland JV1080 and E-Mu Vintage Keys plus a wayward Alesis Ion. All of them rely on sample playback and limited (if non-existant) real-time control. But they all still sound great and the SD1's sequencer is relatively intuitive and powerful.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii300/archidawg/IMG_2882.jpg

[Cygnus64]

My Keyboards in the 90s were a K2000 and Emu Proteus among others. Both were awesome.

[johnchop]

I only had two, but they were great.

 

Kurzweil K2000. STOLEN by the way.

 

JV1080 with a Fatar controller.

 

-John

[kanker.]

The only truly great piece of gear I owned from the 90's was the Roland A-90. It was the last great 88-key hammer action MIDI controller.

[Geoff Grace]

I remember the '90s as a lull for analog synthesis and the rise of virtual analog synthesis; but mostly, I remember the '90s as the decade that sampling came of age.

 

If you could afford tens of thousands of dollars for a Synclavier and knew how to use one, you were almost guaranteed work with prominent recording artists or blockbuster films during the first half of the '90s. The Fairlight CMI was also a heavyweight in high-end sampling. However for most of us, it was hard enough to scrape together five or ten thousand dollars to buy Akai S-series, E-mu E-series, Kurzweil K-series, or Roland S-series samplers and max out their RAM. The decade also saw the birth of sample library manufacturers like East West, Quantum Leap, Big Fish, Prosonus, InVision, Sampleheads, Ilio, Zero-G, and Best Service to help keyboard players make full use of their samplers.

 

I'm torn between the S1000 that I used in the early '90s, my E-IV from the mid-nineties, and the E-mu E4XT Ultra I purchased near the end of the decade. I guess I'll go with the E4XT Ultra, since that's the only one I still use sometimes today:

 

http://www.geoffgrace.com/Pictures/E4XT.jpg

 

The end of the nineties saw the birth of software samplers, most prominently the Nemesys Gigasampler, which introduced hard disk streaming, greatly reducing demands on RAM. It signaled the death knell for hardware samplers and ushered in the era of computer-based, huge sample libraries that we enjoy today.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Sven Golly]

For me, the JV-2080 was the 'game-changer' ; slapping the Keys of the 60's and 70's and Vintage Synthesizers cards into it let me cover everything without having to wait for samples to load (although I kept an S1100 around for those "only a sampler will do" needs).

[Theo Verelst]

I suppose I would still like a Yamaha S99 from the 90s. I played some on the Roland JD800 (the one with the knobs on the pannel, that was fun. I tried out one of the first Norths in the store, fun too. The Kurzweil 2000 or so (those with sort of instruments like strings and so on) were fun and very good when they came out (I tried them on a tradeshow). Emu 3 I think I used, was fun too,but I didn't like the interface much. Wavestation I used during Fusion band rehersals, quite fun, but a touch limited, or maybe it said good what the technology could and also could NOT do... The M1 I used for some jams I found fun, but I suppose somewhat overrated. In fact my TX802 (8-fold splittable DX7-2 rack) I had at the time still from the 80s was quite more interesting me and more sonically varied and strong than any of the sampled stuff.

 

I had the Yamaha TG500 Rompler for quite a low price not tooo long after it came out, which worked good, but by that time, I didn't gig with it, but in the home-studio it has great samples (for the time) which would still be *musical* and varied, which I cannot say for a lot of other machines and software (there are musical mpg on the web with examples from this machine).

 

I suppose there were the early imitations/emulation of analog synthesis like the further developed Rolands, Novation comes to mind, and still later on the abovementioned Korgs with interesting oscillator algorithms. Developments of those types of sounds I guess like "Mr. Vain" or so. Cool.

 

Not to forget: the Yamaha VL-1 I think it was called: the first usable (to my knowledge) Physical Modelling machine that actually worked and luckily indeed didn't sounds like a sampler (there are examples on the web of the sounds).

 

Theo

[richwhite9]

I think you missed nothing.

 

The emphasis in the 90s was on better acoustic emulations through samples and waveforms. These go obsolete quickly. This differs from the classic minimoog era of analog synth as performance lead instrument.

 

 

[synthdogg]

I don't know, I thought the 90'swere kind of exciting for keyboards. Looking back now, it really was the age of the ROMpler which doesn't seem so exciting today, but at the time things seemed to be progressing pretty fast before hitting a bit of a plateau at the end of the decade.

I agree that the JV1080/2080 was pretty huge at the time. The Roland synth I really fell in love with in the 90s was the JD-990. Great stuff.

I worked my K2000 and K2500 to death through that decade, I used those for just about everything.

 

The 90's also brought us virtual analog synths....the first Nord Lead, the Virus, the JP-8000.

 

Geez....the 90's also brought out a bunch of clonewheels with Hammond's XB's and XK-2, Korg's CX and Roland's VK's

 

....and then there were the Keytars!

Okay, I'll stop there.

 

Overall, I thought there was a huge amount of evolution in the 90s...it was a great decade of growth for synths.

[Marzzz]

Waldorf Microwave 1

 

I played in the 70's and sat out the 80's (no DX7 for me!), around '91 I got back in with a Roland A-80 and a WaveStation A/D. The Microwave1 had that analog sound I was looking for, but I sold it and the WaveStation to get a Kurzweil K2000R. The uWave was a bitch to program, but wow did it sound great.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rScBRKlTdoE/TCk5rgGrdyI/AAAAAAABM98/y7eYpdP5KQU/s1600/%21Bwsk5lg%212k~%24%28KGrHqEOKj8Ew%287fMfrdBMKNjuMn1w~~_12.JPG

[mcgoo]

I worked in music retail thru most of the 90's. 'Twas a pretty interesting time for keys. As already said, it was mostly about ROMplers, but clonewheels were just making a comeback (Hammond XB-1, Roland VK-7), Virtual Analog synths were just starting to appear (Nord Lead, Roland JP8000), physical modeling became the next big thing (Yamaha VL-1). Manufacturers were taking some risks (Roland JD 800, Korg Wavedrum). And, 88 note controllers were made for players (Roland A-80, Peavey DPM C-8). On the non-keyboard front, hard disk recording became affordable (Roland VS-880). Software sequencers were just starting to explode.

 

I'm sure I missed a boatload of cool things, but that was off the top of my greying, AARP-eligable head. Things are much more mature now, but alot of those instruments certainly didn't suck.

[Sven Golly]

I think you missed nothing.

 

The emphasis in the 90s was on better acoustic emulations through samples and waveforms. These go obsolete quickly. This differs from the classic minimoog era of analog synth as performance lead instrument.

 

 

Funny, but the raft of Minimoogs and other analog synths that were being tossed out for DX7's and M1's would seem to shoot a hole in your argument. Only in the last decade has the "vintage analog renaissance" occurred (and most of the goobers looking for those keyboards are just buying into the hype, and couldn't program their way out of a paper bag (YouTube supports this argument pretty well).

 

The truth is we're just a hugely fickle bunch of gear geeks whose tastes run hot and cold faster than we change our socks.

 

[Steve Force]

I think you missed nothing.

 

The emphasis in the 90s was on better acoustic emulations through samples and waveforms. These go obsolete quickly. This differs from the classic minimoog era of analog synth as performance lead instrument.

 

 

Funny, but the raft of Minimoogs and other analog synths that were being tossed out for DX7's and M1's would seem to shoot a hole in your argument. Only in the last decade has the "vintage analog renaissance" occurred (and most of the goobers looking for those keyboards are just buying into the hype, and couldn't program their way out of a paper bag (YouTube supports this argument pretty well).

 

The truth is we're just a hugely fickle bunch of gear geeks whose tastes run hot and cold faster than we change our socks.

 

You talkin' to me?

http://rohanmanoharlovetobe.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/taxi-driver-you-talkin-to-me-5000052.jpg

 

YOU TALKIN TO ME???

 

http://images.paraorkut.com/img/pics/images/y/you_talkin_to_me-1586.jpg

 

 

[Synthoid]

Software sequencers were just starting to explode.

 

Any serious injuries?

 

[Griffinator]

Software sequencers were just starting to explode.

 

Any serious injuries?

 

 

I got a nasty electrical shock trying to wire up my microphone through a series of adapters and transformers in an effort to record vocals onto an Anvil Studio sequence once during the mid-90's. Does that count?

[CrimsonianKing]

Software sequencers were just starting to explode.

 

Any serious injuries?

 

 

I got a nasty electrical shock trying to wire up my microphone through a series of adapters and transformers in an effort to record vocals onto an Anvil Studio sequence once during the mid-90's. Does that count?

Ouch!

[Synthoid]

Software sequencers were just starting to explode.

 

Any serious injuries?

 

 

I got a nasty electrical shock trying to wire up my microphone through a series of adapters and transformers in an effort to record vocals onto an Anvil Studio sequence once during the mid-90's. Does that count?

 

The things we do for music...

 

 

[Griffinator]

 

Any serious injuries?

 

 

I got a nasty electrical shock trying to wire up my microphone through a series of adapters and transformers in an effort to record vocals onto an Anvil Studio sequence once during the mid-90's. Does that count?

Ouch!

 

"Ouch!" I got shocked, or "Ouch" I was using Anvil Studio?

[Mizu]

I sold my Kawai K1 and K4 in the early 90s to upgrade to a Korg 01/W and a Wavestation EX. I loved the 01/W, but it didn't have resonant filters - the substitute (or better: placebo) was called Waveshaping and there were one or two unique sounds because of that. The one thing I was missing was a decent piano sound, which led to several revolving rack modules, until I got a Kurzweil PC 88 and swapped the 01/W for a 01/RW rack module. I remember the 90s as the era where romplers still had some grit and personality, before the sounds became über-perfect in the next decade.

[J. Dan]

I was on a budget then, so in the early 90's I bought a Roland JV-30, which was basically a sound canvas (of the sc-55 variety) with a 61 note keyboard. Compared to what I could do with the Korg Polysix, casio cz-101, and casio cz-8m I had been using, it was incredible. 16 part multi, 28 note poly, REAL sounds (samples)! Later I replaced it with a sound canvas and an A-70. My home "studio" was built around an Akai S3000XL, with the effects and filter boards. You could do 2 ch HD recording on it, which I did with a SCSI Jazz drive (remember those?). No DAW, just a computer based sequencer (performer on a Mac classic), a MIDI patch bay, the S3000XL, and all my modules and keyboards through a mixer. Of course I had my analog an FM stuff from the 80s still, but you didn't ask about that.

[Outkaster]

I too had a Kurzweil PC 88. I also owned at different times; Korg M-1, Korg TR-Rack, Korg T-3's, T-2's, Tritons, Roland XP-50 with the Keyboards of the 60's and 70's Vintage Expansion Card, Voce Micro B, and some other rack units. I think the 90's is where I had the most different gear.

[eric]

My favorite keyboard in the '90s was the Hammond XB-2. While it has been beat many times by now, it truly was a game-changer for clonewheels at the time. I toured with two of them for the better part of that decade. Leslie sim of choice was the Dynacord CLS-222 and my rompler was first an M1r replaced by the Roland JV-880.

[orangefunk]

As I spent the 90s pretty much broke... I was using old 70s and 80s stuff. I had a rhodes, JX8P, RD300s, Korg PE1000. These days the only 90s keyboard I have is a Korg Z1. Pretty nice but haven't used it for years.

 

I have owned a few of the 90s boards since (Wavestation, EX-5. etc.).... I don't feel I missed much... though the Yamaha VL-7 was quite nice.

[Song80s]

I started playing synths in the mid-eighties and bought several (Ensoniq ESQ-1, Roland D-50, Yamaha DX-21, etc.) through the end of the decade. I remember auditioning the Korg M1 when it first came out, but got married right about the same time and suddenly became busy with that life change, new job, step kids... etc. I slowly lost track of what was going on in the synth world (and also didn't play out as much).

 

Flash ahead 9-10 years. I bought a Korg Triton and got back into song writing and playing regularly at church. I've accumulated lots of new toys since then, but often wondered what I missed during the 90's. I've read various reviews about keyboards that were popular then, but... I'd like to know what everyone here has to say.

 

What was your favorite keyboard from the 90's and why? (Extra credit for gig photos from that time).

 

 

I got married in '81, bought a house, and raised a daughter, so there were no

keyboards for me during the '80s and thru 1995.

 

I got the X5 in 1996 and later added the JV880. a year later I sold the X5, got and X5DR and an A-50 Roland controller.

The A-50 was the best semi weighed controller. I recall adding several of the Voice Crystal RAM cards to the JV which was cool at the time.

 

I later added the E-mu Orbit 9090 which stood out among the romplers I had.

[richwhite9]

Let me put it another way--was there anything collectible from the 90s?

 

I've got a Roland 2080 with a full complement of cards but it I don't think its in the same league as a Prophet-5, Jupiter-8, or Matrix-12 as a collectible or as an instrument.

 

Collectible Vintage Sound Canvas just sounds so wrong. OTOH I think Voyagers, XK-3C, the Nord Wave, the Studio Electonic stuff etc. might be around for quite a bit and be keepers.

[synthdogg]

Let me put it another way--was there anything collectible from the 90s?

 

I've got a Roland 2080 with a full complement of cards but it I don't think its in the same league as a Prophet-5, Jupiter-8, or Matrix-12 as a collectible or as an instrument.

 

Collectible Vintage Sound Canvas just sounds so wrong. OTOH I think Voyagers, XK-3C, the Nord Wave, the Studio Electonic stuff etc. might be around for quite a bit and be keepers.

 

Well...I agree that if you're a collector, the 90s aren't a good time to look for keyboards.

 

If you were a keyboard player in the 90s, it was a little more exciting.

[Michelle ggurl]

I don't know if you *missed* anything, but if you're interested in another small-time laundry list, here was my gear:

 

Fatar weighted-88 controller (don't remember the model name/number)

Roland U-20

Voce Micro BII

 

I think I had some other stuff too ... I seem to remember a stint with a Korg MicroPiano half-rack module. But I don't own any of this anymore. The only pre-90s gear I have are a Pedulla Buzz fretless bass, a Juno-106, and a couple of acoustic pianos. Aside from the upright acoustic piano, I don't plan on parting with any of that. Of all the gear, I'd say the Kawai 5' baby grand was my favorite, and still is. Of course that was an 80s instrument, not 90s ...

 

... a SCSI Jazz drive (remember those?)

 

Yes, I do! This reminds me that I had an Iomega Zip drive and a Roland VS-880 toward the late 90s. Awesome, LOL. My how times have changed.

[Theo Verelst]

Oh yeah, I played one of those Roland piano modules of at the time a friend of mine, too, at "dance" party of the *normal* kind of interpretation of that word, it actually sounded good, but that might have been end of 80s. Of course I used **all** my equipment from the 80s, also when I was doing some gigs with my own stuff during early 90s: TX802, Yamaha Rev-7 (important reverb/effects unit for with the synths and piano), Roland HP3000s/RD300 (for all kinds of pianos from funk to jazz) and as master keyboard, Korg DW8000 with split (great sound on a stage), of course my atary with scci harddrive since halfway 80s and a "upgrade" from pro24 (the very first version, with official dongle) to the quite well working cubase (I know people who still are willing to work with such machine+software), and I remembered I also had a Kawai spectra (I think it was called) as a master keyboard with pitch bend and modulation and aftertouch for the synth modules, which had it's own 16 bits samples too (not up to my por standards but pretty nice) and STRAPPABLE! Never used it on stage that way. though.

 

I also recall playing one of those at the time new Roland touch sensitive drum machines, with which I made a nice hit cover recording of a disco hit, ad I'm sure I still played at times on the original DX7 (of which I *loved* the keyboard sensitiveness). on a ROland 606 (I think)), alpha, acoustic pianos and some moderate grands (none of them I liked much), enfin lots of "stuff". I'm sure I didn't have the money to buy some heavy analog and some really new things like the PM machines, or I would have.

 

Theo

[Stephen Fortner]

Throughout the latter half of the '90s I gigged on two Kurzweil K2000s (both maxed out with a whopping 128 MB of sample RAM) and a Roland VK-7 clonewheel. I definitely missed a bit of realtime control for synth sounds, but I really felt that there was nothing I couldn't do with that rig.

 

A '90s synth (albeit very late '90s) I regret never picking up is the Korg Z1. That thing was seriously funky.

 

Now, my high school and undergrad gig rig was a DX7 and a Korg Poly-800. When the '80s became the '90s, that got augmented with an Ensoniq ESQ-1. Played frat partied and campus socials with that rig and felt like I was Geoff Downes.