Yamaha CK61 and CK88

[niacin]

I have both and agree the Vox is much better for electric pianos. 

 

The winner though is the Mojo 61, a little ahead of the Vox , with the Yamaha a distant third.

[Paul Woodward]

Have the Grandstage which has similar sound engines to the Vox and have the YC61. I had a CK61 and still say that the sounds aren’t quite as good as the YC. Prefer the pianos on the Korg, they have some real bite to them.

[CNPCNP]

Thanks all for the nice informative replies, much appreciated!  

It looks like I can arrange an opportunity to test the Vox Continental (61) and the Yamaha CK61 side by side (with emphasis on Rhodes/Wurli), so I'm curious, but probably already know the outcome then.
(Must admit I'm biased; I was about ready to jump for the CK61, but then learned about the Vox Continental, and the plastic-does-more vs sturdy-metal-nicestEPs started itching 😉 )

When I testdrive them, what I also plan to do then is to compare them next to a laptop running Keyscape and/or the Arturia Stage V2,
and while may be a bad bad idea (and something the store-owner might not like, because then he might not sell any of these two machines... 🫣  ),
I'd still like to hear for myself how they compare.

How would you people rate them vs software? Possibly the gap between Vox & Yamaha is smaller than both of them vs software.

I do realize that in a band-situation/busy mix any difference in sound can become pretty irrelevant, and a non-crashing laptop could be worth a lot more.
But for at home noodling on a hardware machine (where non-crashing is less important), it'd be so nice to get that same organic idea that e.g. a Keyscape Rhodes happens to give me.  

I sure do hope that the Vox and/or Yamaha come reasonably close to the laptop-software-instruments, and that I leave the store with one of them.
Since the idea is to get me a decent & motivating ready-to-go machine to toy around & learn to play keys - without having to mess with a laptop.

(I'm an experienced guitar- & bass-player, but a beginner on keys, so must admit the pros and cons of the various keybed-principles ... I'm not worthy yet 😉 )

 Thanks all, best regards from The Netherlands,

  Peter

[CNPCNP]

3 hours ago, drawback said:

I've had both of these keyboards and will agree with points Adan & AnotherScott posted. I sold the Vox and bought a CK61 which I'm happier with, mostly because it has greater sound shaping ability and is a pretty good controller for sounds where it falls short. The jury is still out on whether I'll keep the CK, however, and have been thinking I might like to go back into a more tactile EP-based musical instrument with enough sound editing functions to keep me happily tweaking, be light enough to take out of the house. This points me at a Crumar Seven or Seventeen... have you considered these options? Or are you committed to semi-weighted?

 

After having 'studied' the CK61, and then looking at the Vox I initially thought as well it be going down drastically in terms of FX & shound shaping, but since some of the Vox Fx are scattered earlier in the chain and there's the shift+rotate-knob, the difference seems to remain within bounds.
It's a pity though that on the Vox, the Lowpass-Filter & Envelope can not be used on all sound-categroies, whereas for the CK61 this is possible for all of them I thought to have understood.

I had a look at those Crumars you mentioned, thanks, and while I love their gorgeous retro-vibes, the relatively minimal direct controllability made me remove them from the shortlist unfortunatley. 

Thanks/bye!

[AnotherScott]

7 minutes ago, CNPCNP said:

When I testdrive them, what I also plan to do then is to compare them next to a laptop running Keyscape and/or the Arturia Stage V2,

 

One more wrinkle... If you intend to largely use their internal sounds but may also want to use them to drive a laptop/tablet/smartphone... the Yamaha beats the Vox in MIDI integration.

 

Expanding on what's been said above, moving beyond EPs but just comparing the boards in general, just as a whole, I think the Vox generally sounds better and plays (feels) better. What the Yamaha has is mostly the much better operational ergonomics and overall flexibility. Things like 3-way splits and layers (easily configurable/editable besides), the sheer number of dedicated controls, 20 banks of 8-button patch select, on screen display of things like the names of the sounds that are assigned to the buttons and the names of the individual sounds you're selecting (vs. a 2-digit number you'd need a chart to cross-reference). If I'd kept the Vox, I think I'd have set up an iPhone/iPad for patch selection, I think that would really improve live usability, at least for my purposes. Other advantages of the Yamaha include the 4 MIDI zones, more complete set of organ controls, better sound editability (e.g. full range of filter and envelope settings instead of 9 from min to max), lighter weight, speakers, USB audio interface.

 

28 minutes ago, CNPCNP said:

the plastic-does-more vs sturdy-metal-nicestEPs started itching 😉 )

 

You might also consider the YC61. Apart from the better drawbars, IMO, the operational interface isn't as nice as the CK (nor the split/layer facilities), but it's still better in those respects than the Vox; and it gets you the metal build (internal power supply, too), and it has a greater variety of Rhodes sounds than the CK (more like Vox in that respect). Keys are probably also "in between" the two, but closer to CK than Vox. Better Hammond organ sound than either of them. Some of the "auxiliary" sounds are better, too. In the end, I think the Vox is still the pick of the litter for overall sound and action (with the notable exception of Hammond organ), but if you end up having a tough time choosing between the Vox and the CK, in some respects, the YC might be something of an in-between compromise, depending on which things you're most focussed on.

[CNPCNP]

3 hours ago, niacin said:

I have both and agree the Vox is much better for electric pianos. 

 

The winner though is the Mojo 61, a little ahead of the Vox , with the Yamaha a distant third.

Thanks for the suggestion, nice to hear you have both the Mojo 61 and the Vox, and I saw pretty reasonable prices for the Mojo 61.
Just curious, in case you have compared them with one of the software EPs, do the Mojo 61 and Korg/Vox hold up, or not really?

(Among other sound-properties, I must admit I'm loving those 'side-& release-noises' that say a Keyscape-Rhodes makes. No idea to which extend the hardware ones address this as well.)

Thanks & best regards,

  Peter

[CNPCNP]

51 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

 

One more wrinkle... If you intend to largely use their internal sounds but may also want to use them to drive a laptop/tablet/smartphone... the Yamaha beats the Vox in MIDI integration.

 

 

 

Thanks once more for the valuable info!  The Yamaha with the audio-in path+FX makes that laptop/tablet/smartphone integration indeed pretty elegant.

 

51 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

Expanding on what's been said above, moving beyond EPs but just comparing the boards in general, just as a whole, I think the Vox generally sounds better and plays (feels) better. What the Yamaha has is mostly the much better operational ergonomics and overall flexibility. Things like 3-way splits and layers (easily configurable/editable besides), the sheer number of dedicated controls, 20 banks of 8-button patch select, on screen display of things like the names of the sounds that are assigned to the buttons and the names of the individual sounds you're selecting (vs. a 2-digit number you'd need a chart to cross-reference). If I'd kept the Vox, I think I'd have set up an iPhone/iPad for patch selection, I think that would really improve live usability, at least for my purposes. Other advantages of the Yamaha include the 4 MIDI zones, more complete set of organ controls, better sound editability (e.g. full range of filter and envelope settings instead of 9 from min to max), lighter weight, speakers, USB audio interface.

 

 

I figure the CK61 is the rational one to select, it has so many usable things like you described, and I do like the styling of the Yamaha as well (the rearside with that white line, the 'MXR-style' knobs etc).
 

But then came that red/orange Korg/Vox Continental along, a bit quirky... (I like that). And as if it knew that for drawbar-sections, I had been looking at controllers with motor-faders for that very function, just the week before ...   🤩  ... for which the touch-LED drawbar-section of the Korg/Vox seems a reasonable solution (apart from the rough resolution).
 

So there it is, the Vox with as I thought to have understood  more character in sounds and looks & the more study metal case  -vs- the many utility-possibilities of the Yamaha.
 

Splits definitely of use, but if I would go for the Yamaha CK61 I don't think I'd fully employ all its split/zone/layering possibilities.
It could be an alternative to make a combination of say the Vox and for when there's a laptop* involved anyway, then add my existing Arturia Keylab controller for controlling the fancy stuff that the Vox can't do.

*: I realize the Yamaha can go a lot further with sound-shaping than the Vox, but say Analog Lab on a laptop really drives the point home here, so that could step in then.

 

55 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

You might also consider the YC61. Apart from the better drawbars, IMO, the operational interface isn't as nice as the CK (nor the split/layer facilities), but it's still better in those respects than the Vox; and it gets you the metal build (internal power supply, too), and it has a greater variety of Rhodes sounds than the CK (more like Vox in that respect). Keys are probably also "in between" the two, but closer to CK than Vox. Better Hammond organ sound than either of them. Some of the "auxiliary" sounds are better, too. In the end, I think the Vox is still the pick of the litter for overall sound and action (with the notable exception of Hammond organ), but if you end up having a tough time choosing between the Vox and the CK, in some respects, the YC might be something of an in-between compromise, depending on which things you're most focussed on.

 

Thanks for the suggestion & perspective! I saw the YC61 is a bit beyond budget, as in, what I as key-newbie consider myself worthy for now 🫣

 

1 hour ago, AnotherScott said:

I think the Vox is still the pick of the litter for overall sound and action (with the notable exception of Hammond organ),

 

All this keyboard-searching actually started when I ran into two of those 'standalone drawbar machines' ((1) standalone Oberheim/Viscount (the oldest one, probably actually not any better than what the Vox-Hammond can bring, and (2) the Boehm/NI controller for B4-II), so it could be an option to place one of them on the flat empty part of the Vox.

A really great forum this place, thanks again for all the info & ideas, much appreciated.  

[Fleer]

I have both the CK61 and the Vox, actually three of the latter, a 61 and two 73s on top of each other on that great stand. 
Love the Vox, as you can imagine. It’s an instrument indeed, that’s the best way to describe it. 
Love the CK61 too, for all it can do, but especially for noodling on the couch. 
It’s like an MacBook Air. 

And I’m getting a Grandstage X, which has the Vox sounds in a 88-keys weighted keyboard, with almost double the sonic content of the original Grandstage. 

 

[CyberGene]

Being able to connect the CK to an iPhone or iPad or a Mac with a single cable that transfers both MIDI and audio in both directions and thus use great virtual instruments, makes it the better instrument IMO. The CK has two Rhodes types and I like only one of them but it’s awesome and I don’t need anything more. I haven’t tested a Vox, only listened to demos but I don’t like the acoustic pianos. The CK has better pianos IMO. 

[niacin]

i think once you go down the keyboard + software  path you’re reconciling yourself to adjusting the velocity curve to get something playable.  This is where the Mojo-61 has it over the rest imo, the finger to sound connection is really good out of the box: the way it responds makes me want to keep playing.  I also have a GSI Gemini module with the same electric pianos, but I haven’t been able to get them to play as nice hooked up to other keyboards.  ymmv.

[Paul Woodward]

I will second the Yamaha for its iPad integration. It really expands its versatility. I managed to get a YC for the price of a CK, so it’s worth looking on the used market. It’s a nice upgrade in build quality and it’s still a current model for new sounds in firmware updates. No idea yet if they can or will add new sounds to the CK.

[AnotherScott]

6 hours ago, CyberGene said:

Being able to connect the CK to an iPhone or iPad or a Mac with a single cable that transfers both MIDI and audio in both directions and thus use great virtual instruments, makes it the better instrument IMO.

Great feature, for sure. And that's not the only MIDI advantage... on the CK, each Live Set specifically lets you save parameters for external zones (up to four), the Vox has no equivalent to that. Still. obviously each board can easily be the "better instrument" depending on your needs. After all, some people will no doubt buy a CK and never even use any external MIDI sound sources. 🙂

 

6 hours ago, CyberGene said:

The CK has two Rhodes types and I like only one of them but it’s awesome and I don’t need anything more.

Once "dialed in" with velocity response settings, I like it a lot as well. And really, people who owned a Rhodes only had the one Rhodes sound, so it almost seems gluttonish to be tempted by more of a variety. 😉 Still, not everyone has the same idea of what the "ideal" Rhodes sound is, so the Vox does have an advantage in supplying four basic Rhodes sounds (Mark 1, Mark II, Mark V, and Dyno) instead of two (78 and 73), so that may increase the odds of someone finding something closer to the particular Rhodes sound they prefer. Vox also has the advantage of the built-in tube which can give you a bit of the analog warmth/drive of playing it through a tube amp, as was common on the real thing. Also, the Kronos/Vox EP engine incorporates modeling, so you don't get the obvious velocity breakpoints of a traditionally sampled implementation.

 

Another EP variable is the Wurli, where I'm not so impressed with Yamaha's, and I'd clearly prefer the Vox. I never evaluated their FM-style EPs, since I don't like the sound to begin with. 😉

 

6 hours ago, CyberGene said:

I haven’t tested a Vox, only listened to demos but I don’t like the acoustic pianos. The CK has better pianos IMO. 

I haven't heard the Vox pianos in a long time, and I wasn't knocked out by them, so yeah, I might well prefer the CK pianos as well, at least tonally. But I think the Vox probably has the advantage of "playability," which gets back  to my comment about liking the CK Rhodes once I had "dialed it in." To me, the Vox action works better for pianos/EPs, right out of the box, and doesn't demand the velocity tweaking that I felt the CK61 did. (I'm happy with my Rhodes velocity adjustments on the CK, but still haven't gotten a piano sound that really plays the way I want it to.) And to the extent that you do want to tweak the feel a bit, the Vox also has its nice front panel dynamics knob. And as long as we're talking about action, it's not just pianos/EPs... the Vox also has the better action for organ (waterfall shape, high trigger, high release).

 

One other Vox point not mentioned yet is that it is better at seamless sound transitions between patches. The CK can give you audible glitches at the transition due to changes in effects.

 

OTOH, I think the CK is the closest thing to a low-cost Nord Stage. For assembling 3-sound splits/layers and tweaking filter/envelope/effects all from logical dedicated front-panel controls (plus drawbar controls too), it's really well-designed. Really, I think nothing else compares here, short of Nord.

[drawback]

I’ve gotten a very good piano sound on the CK by layering the warm stereo CFX with a warm mono CFX. Velocity adjustment is very important, as are tweaks to the filter controls. The result is a thicker, less of the Yamaha ice-pick.

 

 

[niacin]

I quite like upright piano #8 on the Vox, it came with the O.S. update with extra sounds (iirc it’s actually a baby grand). The rest aren’t great. The CK piano is fine, typical Yamaha, very useable.

 

But the OP asked about electric pianos.

[niacin]

17 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

Another EP variable is the Wurli, where I'm not so impressed with Yamaha's, and I'd clearly prefer the Vox.

the CK wurli improves with amp sim dialed in, but yeh agree the Vox is far better.

 

I’ve found the CK great as a rehearsal board, I think i could get through a gig ok with it but it wouldn’t be my first choice for electric pianos or anything else for that matter.

[CNPCNP]

On 1/24/2024 at 7:48 AM, CyberGene said:

Being able to connect the CK to an iPhone or iPad or a Mac with a single cable that transfers both MIDI and audio in both directions and thus use great virtual instruments, makes it the better instrument IMO. The CK has two Rhodes types and I like only one of them but it’s awesome and I don’t need anything more. I haven’t tested a Vox, only listened to demos but I don’t like the acoustic pianos. The CK has better pianos IMO. 

That connectivity of the CK indeed nice to have/elegant by skipping an additional interface. I'm outside the Apple-world though, but saw here also a discussion about the Win alternatives.

Whichever kind, I was actually a bit surprised this tablet(etc)-extension of hardwire seems to be used for adding virtual instruments, but doesn't seem to be used for additional functions. For instance, my forum-search for 'Ableton' here came out empty. For what we do live, being able to hit a few patterns would be a nice additions.

(But hey, you people here are most likely all skilled players 😀. I myself being an experienced bss/gtr-player, but a beginner on keys.)
 

[CNPCNP]

Thanks again all for this very informative thread & shared thoughts. 👍

 

 

On 1/24/2024 at 5:51 PM, AnotherScott said:

I never evaluated their FM-style EPs, since I don't like the sound to begin with. 😉

 

It's all subjective, but I totally agree 😉

 

On 1/24/2024 at 5:51 PM, AnotherScott said:

One other Vox point not mentioned yet is that it is better at seamless sound transitions between patches. The CK can give you audible glitches at the transition due to changes in effects.

 

Thanks for the reminder, keeping this in mind when testdriving a CK.

 

On 1/24/2024 at 5:51 PM, AnotherScott said:

OTOH, I think the CK is the closest thing to a low-cost Nord Stage. For assembling 3-sound splits/layers and tweaking filter/envelope/effects all from logical dedicated front-panel controls (plus drawbar controls too), it's really well-designed. Really, I think nothing else compares here, short of Nord.

The CK is definitely pretty complete, but soon I'd expect to wish for even more functionality... 🙄  More specific: being able to have some on-board MIDI-sequence/phrase triggering (think Roland RPS, or Korg RPPR). I well realize I'd be wanting something towards workstation-functionality here, might be over asking, it's a different category of machines.

Being a beginner on keys is one reason for this desire, but especially for what we do (live movie soundtracks) this would come in handy.
So this is what may steer me towards the Vox Continental. Since despite the CK bringing more functions to the table, I'd still need to add 'something' anyway.

I've been looking at hardware that can just trigger some MIDI-phrases (notes + CC) from pads etc. Akai MPC kind of machines come to mind then, but they don't all do CC, and it's learning a new workflow for just a few sequences.
I also saw the Korg microSTATION, and saw you've mentioned that one several times here on this forum as well. Looks like it could fill in the missing part. But no idea how reliable it is - possibly not more reliable than adding a laptop or tablet with say Ableton Live and be done with it (OK, plus a spare).

Long story short, not finding search-hits on Ableton here gives me the impression that most of you here are 'proper' skilled players, and/or have gig-requirements not needing some pre-made sequences here & there (for audio and/or video). Or possibly those that do are addressing this from for instance a workstation/internal sequencer ?

Thanks/regards

 

[Paul Woodward]

If you consider that many workstations have a large touch screen to navigate the various, increasingly complex, features, why not go with the CK and attach an iPad to do all the things you mention? Apps cost a few pounds/dollars and you can add in just about anything you want which isn’t possible with most hardware synths. You can add a Moog synth, Korg Gadget, or even go all in with Logic. Just about anything you need is available in one app or another.
That’s the way I see my rig. The Grandstage is the bottom weighted board with great pianos, YC adds in organs, ep’s, synths etc and anything else I need comes from the iPad which integrates with a single cable. It’s a low cost solution that’s more versatile than committing to any one board.

[CNPCNP]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the tablet-ideas, indeed a logical next move wrt workstation & screens.

As a consequence the hardware keys can then be more simple/limited I guess, since the fancy stuff will be done by software in some form anyway
(I assume tablets & laptops being comparably 'risky' for live situations, but I'm having no relevant tablet-experiences, so please correct me there).
The single cable you mentioned - I'm assuming most people prefer iPad/tablet mainly for simplicity vs laptop, correct? Or other reasons?

Thanks/regards

PS
Manufacturers should stop offering so many models  🥲 - I also saw the Roland Fantom-0X. Apart from the Ableton Live integration (just a controller, so probably better addressed by earlier mentioned tablet) it also seems to have a comparable clip ('pattern') & scene ('group') triggering functionality inside its sequencer, which could offer a standalone selfcontained solution. (Let's check where the limitations start to pop up 😉 )

[Paul Woodward]

I imagine it’s one cable whatever you use. The Yamaha CK, YC and CP all do midi and audio over USB so that’s the neat and simple integration and it’s almost automatic with nothing to do but set the midi channels and audio input level (default is just fine).

What tipped me over to iPad, aside from the easy integration, is when you realise that a modern iPad is a far more powerful processor than what drives the Kronos and it has as much, if not more, storage.
Multiple ‘sound engines’ can all be added to your rig at low cost, or you can connect a DAW (GarageBand is free, Gadget costs very little). I have even run Yamaha Ep’s through the guitar pedal effects in GarageBand and they sound great. 
The Hammond app is incredible and you have just about every sound group covered. Animoog is just fantastic, as are many Moog apps.

I am ranting now, but you get the idea, and you can’t pop a Kronos on your lap and watch Netflix between sessions…..

Just a few apps here: https://www.musicradar.com/news/18-top-ipad-apps-for-music-making-the-best-synths-daws-effects-for-ipad

[Paul Woodward]

And Gadget can also be a multitimbral sound module with as many sounds as your iPad can handle…

 

[AnotherScott]

17 minutes ago, Paul Woodward said:

And Gadget can also be a multitimbral sound module with as many sounds as your iPad can handle

 

The problem with Gadget as a performance tool is, last I checked, it did not respond to MIDI Program Change. So you can't change which sound a particular instance of a gadget is playing, or load up a different pre-saved sound set ("song"), without navigating the app itself. For live performance, it kind of negates the benefit of having a zillion sounds, if there's no quick way to access more than a few them.

 

 

[Paul Woodward]

True, and I hope Module gets an update to be more like Gadget in terms of wealth of loading in additional units from other Korg apps. However, you can workaround the program change limitation by assigning midi channels to the sounds you need then accessing them from your board. The YC/CK using master keyboard mode can then have the relevant midi channels assigned. As module is not limited to just 16 sounds, you can layer and stack and have up 16 different live sets. Need another 16, just load up the next file in Gadget.

Its hardly elegant, but it works 🙂

[AnotherScott]

30 minutes ago, Paul Woodward said:

However, you can workaround the program change limitation by assigning midi channels to the sounds you need then accessing them from your board. The YC/CK using master keyboard mode can then have the relevant midi channels assigned.

Yes, and that's what I was thinking about only being able to access "a few" of them. In theory, though, that few can be as many as 15 on the YC (I think you can't do 16, because I think the YC will always transmit on its global channel, leaving 15 channels available for calling up external sounds). That also assumes you're not running any app other than Gadget, so all 15 of your channels are available for addressing Gadget and nothing else.

[Paul Woodward]

3 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

Yes, and that's what I was thinking about only being able to access "a few" of them. In theory, though, that few can be as many as 15 on the YC (I think you can't do 16, because I think the YC will always transmit on its global channel, leaving 15 channels available for calling up external sounds). That also assumes you're not running any app other than Gadget, so all 15 of your channels are available for addressing Gadget and nothing else.

Fairly sure master keyboard mode overrides the global channel as you have the four different zones and channels. I will double check.

As well as assigning a different channel to each live set (so accessing 16 different gadget modules), you could stack gadgets for some massive sounds. Couple of strings stacked in the left of the board, some percussive stuff in the middle, and dozens of stacked synths for a monster lead sound. Only limit on gadgets is the age/performance of your iPad. Pretty flexible setup but I am hoping Module gets a serious update and allow for more than just two sounds at a time.

[CNPCNP]

6 hours ago, Paul Woodward said:

I imagine it’s one cable whatever you use. The Yamaha CK, YC and CP all do midi and audio over USB so that’s the neat and simple integration and it’s almost automatic with nothing to do but set the midi channels and audio input level (default is just fine).

What tipped me over to iPad, aside from the easy integration, is when you realise that a modern iPad is a far more powerful processor than what drives the Kronos and it has as much, if not more, storage.

 

 

'Interestingly', while considering reliability of software vs hardware soundmachines here, I suddenly lost all I typed...  🫢

 

Re-typing, shorter version:

 

Workstation-screens, indeed elegant to be able to extend that to about any app by adding just an iPad & cable.

This all however adds a "software computer" to the setup, with the potential crashing - only a real problem for gigs - and assuming laptops & tablets are both more prone to hangup/crashes than dedicated hardware soundmachines ("hardware computers").

 

It also makes me think that - while adding a computer anyway - why not 'dumbing down' the keyboard-functionality a bit, for the benefit of choosing the best sounding keyboard?

E.g. leaning more to the discussed Vox Continental (better EPs) and less to a Yamaha CK (with its extended functionality, which is nice to have, but can as well be done by the tablet/laptop). I did the maths, the added stuff beyond the mentioned single cable is no longer elegant, but remains manageable. 

I realize there are several aspects going on at the same time:

 

[A] the elegance/convenience of a compact setup (couch-applications and quick setup-time for gigs & rehearsals)

 

[B] reliability: potentially less due to the introduction of laptop/tablet (debatable)

 

[C] depending on the importance [A] and/or [B], the consequences for keyboard choice.

 

 

Thanks again for this place being such a nice source of info, and a great place for thinking out loud about the various aspects of the setup to choose.

 

One last thing:

 

6 hours ago, Paul Woodward said:

I have even run Yamaha Ep’s through the guitar pedal effects in GarageBand and they sound great. 
 

 

This means that you can bring the iPad sound back into the CK via USB-audio, and then on to the Yamaha CK audio outputs, correct?
Hadn't realized so far that the CK has in fact both analog and digital aux. inputs, right?
 

Have good weekend all,

 

  Peter

[Paul Woodward]

12 minutes ago, CNPCNP said:

 This means that you can bring the iPad sound back into the CK via USB-audio, and then on to the Yamaha CK audio outputs, correct?

Hadn't realized so far that the CK has in fact both analog and digital aux. inputs, right?
 

Have good weekend all,

 

  Peter

Indeed. It's both ways through the USB, no need to use the aux inputs for a tablet. I run my Grandstage into those so two keyboards and an ipad can all go to the stereo outs of the YC 👍

[CNPCNP]

1 hour ago, Paul Woodward said:

Indeed. It's both ways through the USB, no need to use the aux inputs for a tablet. I run my Grandstage into those so two keyboards and an ipad can all go to the stereo outs of the YC 👍

Nice, thanks for the confirmation! 👍

[AnotherScott]

5 hours ago, CNPCNP said:

leaning...less to a Yamaha CK (with its extended functionality, which is nice to have, but can as well be done by the tablet/laptop).

The big virtue of the CK is the control surface...  all those dedicated front panel controls for things like managing splits/layers and applying/tweaking various effects and other settings. That's the main thing you don't get on a tablet/laptop, that kind of simplicity and immediacy for these common operations.

[CNPCNP]

24 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

The big virtue of the CK is the control surface...  all those dedicated front panel controls for things like managing splits/layers and applying/tweaking various effects and other settings. That's the main thing you don't get on a tablet/laptop, that kind of simplicity and immediacy for these common operations.

Very valid point indeed. I could add a controller (e.g. Arturia, or that old but decent Edirol UR-80 that just landed here) to address those tablet/laptop things, but that's yet another item, and it'll be 'universal', as in: you have to remember/label the controls. The obvious big plus for the CK is that it's all already nicely positioned & labeled.

Too bad they went for shift-like functions in the FX-section of the Vox Continental - there's more than enough room to add more controls and bring it close to the amount the CK has... OK, but they didn't 🙃