Mike7300 Posted January 30, 2023 Share Posted January 30, 2023 Hello - I am a guitarist in a 90s rock band looking to buy a keyboard in order to add some pop tunes to our repertoire that could use some keys or synth sounds. It would mainly be used for live use. I will mainly be playing simple things since I’m not a natural keyboardist (although will be taking some lessons). Some artists we would use it for: Brittany Spears, sir mix a lot, Backstreet Boys, jamiroqui, ace of base, Marky Mark etc. You get the picture. No budget but want it to be practical for what I need it for. If that means something more expensive that’s fine. Keys would be used on about 10% of our setlist so not a ton, but something. open to all suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursers Posted January 30, 2023 Share Posted January 30, 2023 Roland Fantom 06 or 07, or if you want to go with something close to the era you could even buy something like a Korg M50 - light and had a great set of sounds 1 Quote The Keyboard Chronicles Podcast Check out your fellow forumites in an Apple Music playlist Check out your fellow forumites in a Spotify playlist My Music: Stainless Fields Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old No7 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 One of the rompler * synthesizers -- not a lot of in-depth sound synthesis/generation and/or programming is needed or possible -- might just work out well for your needs. Check out the Yamaha MX49 or 61, or perhaps a Korg Kross 2. I'm sure others will chime in with some other ideas too. * A rompler is a synthesizer that plays prefabricated sounds based on audio samples; the term rompler is a blend of the terms ROM and sampler. Your best bet might be to find a used one in great condition from Reverb or one of the national retailers. Try before you buy if you can. Old No7 Quote Yamaha MODX6 * Hammond SK Pro 73 * Roland Fantom-08 * Crumar Mojo Pedals * Mackie Thump 12As * Tascam DP-24SD * JBL 305 MkIIs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike7300 Posted January 31, 2023 Author Share Posted January 31, 2023 Also is 61 keys sufficient to learn a few Elton John and billy joel songs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Motif Max Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 I second the recommendation for a Fantom-0 keyboard, or you could also look at the Korg Nautilus line. As far as the # of keys, that might depend on the specific songs and how accurate you want the parts to be. Quote Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000 Kurzweil: PC3-76, PC4 (88) | Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 3 hours ago, Mike7300 said: Also is 61 keys sufficient to learn a few Elton John and billy joel songs? Is there a budget restriction for asking this question? If I'm going to be doing the piano singer-songwriter thing, I'd prefer 73+ keys. But if all I've got is 61, I'll make it work. What is your budget? And do you have a preference for hammer-action or unweighted keys? Cheers, Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Havu Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Yamaha MODX+, MX series, Roland Fantom-0, Korg Kross 2, Nautilus. All of these come in different sizes, whether you want weighted or unweighted keys. My main gigging board is a MODX7. Lightweight, yet powerful. Quote Hardware Yamaha MODX7, DX7, PSR-530, MX61/Korg TR-Rack, 01/W Pro X, Trinity Pro X, Karma/Ensoniq ESQ-1 Behringer DeepMind12, Model D, Odyssey, 2600/Arturia Keylab MKII 61 Software Studio One/V Collection 9/Korg Collection 4/Cherry Audio/UVI SonicPass/EW Composer Cloud/Omnisphere, Stylus RMX, Trilian/IK Total Studio 3.5 MAX/Roland Cloud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. Gauss Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 10% of your set? buy a used 10 lb Casio ct-s1 for $100 bucks and call it a good day. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABECK Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 My good friend played keys in N'Sync and Britney Spears band. Still has (and uses) his Korg Triton and Yammy EX5. (of course, he's a monster player and could make a fisher Price sound legit.) I bet you could find a used Triton for a reasonable amount. Still sounds good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Korg M1 😉 Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Roland Juno DS61 will cover the bases.😎 Quote PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike7300 Posted January 31, 2023 Author Share Posted January 31, 2023 No budget really - yea mainly will be for the band and 10% of our songs but I figure I may mess around and do some of my own stuff with it eventually once I get a little better with playing. So I don’t want to cheap out either and have to upgrade later. whether I ever get to the point that I could play singer songwriter stuff I don’t know but would like to try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 3 hours ago, ProfD said: Roland Juno DS61 will cover the bases.😎 +1. Or DS76 if 61 keys is insufficient. Frankly I wouldn't want to recommend spending too much on a 10%-of-the-set requirement. Which is why I like D's Casio CTS1 suggestion. CT500 if you want a little more "pro" with your couch keyboard (such as 1/4in outs). Cheers, Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBarker Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 Heck, you could probably find a Korg Trinity for Pennie’s. I actually loved that little bird during the 90s, in some ways it had its advantage over the Triton. Quote Puck Funk! Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 12 minutes ago, EricBarker said: Heck, you could probably find a Korg Trinity for Pennie’s. I actually loved that little bird during the 90s, in some ways it had its advantage over the Triton. Probably so. But, finding a Trinity or Triton that still looks good might be a challenge. That silver/gray finsh doesn't age too well especially if it's been rode hard. The aforementioned Juno DS and other KBs are less than $1k brand new. Not a bad price for KBs containing every sound required to cover a gig.😎 Quote PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 Korg SetList rocks! The Kronos left production …. Maybe get the Nautilus. Watch some YouTube videos on Korg SetList. Quote "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 1 hour ago, CEB said: Korg SetList rocks! The Kronos left production …. Maybe get the Nautilus. That's a whole lot of KB for what the OP is planning to do.😎 1 Quote PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 “Go big or go home.” 😀 1 Quote "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 28 minutes ago, CEB said: “Go big or go home.” 😀 Killing flies with a sledgehammer.🤣😎 1 Quote PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Havu Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 2 hours ago, EricBarker said: Heck, you could probably find a Korg Trinity for Pennie’s. I actually loved that little bird during the 90s, in some ways it had its advantage over the Triton. I've got a Pro-X. Only thing I'm not big on is that the OS lags quite a bit. Other than that, I love it. Quote Hardware Yamaha MODX7, DX7, PSR-530, MX61/Korg TR-Rack, 01/W Pro X, Trinity Pro X, Karma/Ensoniq ESQ-1 Behringer DeepMind12, Model D, Odyssey, 2600/Arturia Keylab MKII 61 Software Studio One/V Collection 9/Korg Collection 4/Cherry Audio/UVI SonicPass/EW Composer Cloud/Omnisphere, Stylus RMX, Trilian/IK Total Studio 3.5 MAX/Roland Cloud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cphollis Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 To me, this sounds like a perfect situation for an iPad and a midi controller of your choice. You can spend many days downloading and evaluating software versions of classic synths at low cost (or free!) including just about any synth that was used during the time period. Just cruising the presets can be a blast. The midi controller can be a keytar, a full weighted 88 -- whatever suits you. Great for folks who want to get into keyboards, as you can explore a ton of great sounds with very little investment. For some real fun, check out the SWAN instruments 2 Quote Want to make your band better? Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike7300 Posted February 2, 2023 Author Share Posted February 2, 2023 Keytars look fun 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamuelBLupowitz Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 I'll second how useful a tablet or laptop-based rig would be for a gig like this, since "90s keyboard sounds" cover everything from the digital hardware boards of the era, to the resurgence of vintage electromechanicals like Hammond, Wurlitzer, and Mellotron that was happening in the alternative rock world (Blues Traveler, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wallflowers, etc), to whatever crazy synthesized sounds they were cooking up in Max Martin's studio for the pop acts. You could get a cheap controller in the $100 zone, and then start out using something that's not too expensive to start out with like Mainstage (if you're a Mac person this is the best $29 you could possibly spend) or Camelot or Korg Module on an existing device... just brainstorming. All the kind of thing that's very upgradeable if you decide to dive in deeper. If you're more of a hardware guy, there are some great recs in this thread for solid breadth-over-depth, Swiss Army boards. I didn't see anyone mention the Nord Stage 3 Compact because that would definitely be on the higher end of your unstated budget, but if I had to pick up a board that could convincingly cover as many bases as possible, that's probably what I'd go with. 1 Quote Samuel B. Lupowitz Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 On 1/30/2023 at 10:19 PM, Mike7300 said: I am a guitarist in a 90s rock band I've just picked up on this. Inevitably, if a guitar band needs keyboards for 10% of their set, it's a Microkorg. If you want something that will take you beyond that, then iPad+controller is a great start - and MacBook+controller will take you round the world. Cheers, Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthaholic Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 On 1/31/2023 at 2:36 PM, stoken6 said: +1. Or DS76 if 61 keys is insufficient. That "Sweet" place just dropped $150 off of the DS76. It's now $999.00, and will probably do everything he wants. 1 Quote The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike7300 Posted February 2, 2023 Author Share Posted February 2, 2023 May be a dumb question but what do those 6 large buttons on the right do - on the Juno. I think it’s under “pads”. And why does the Yamaha mx and modx not seem to have those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 10 hours ago, Synthaholic said: That "Sweet" place just dropped $150 off of the DS76. It's now $999.00, and will probably do everything he wants. Nice board, but actually more expensive than I had expected (I haven't been tracking prices on that board). Thinking about it: for 90s sounds, why not buy a 90s keyboard? My default recommendation is Alesis QS x.1 or x.2 - sounds good, well-built, nice action, and they integrate well into a bigger rig. (I gigged a QS6.2 + weighted controller for many years). Regards, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBarker Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 I started seriously with a QS8 (not counting the DX7 I completely didn’t appreciate when I was a kid). Absolutely fantastic first sampler. Dead simple interface, fantastic presets for its EXTREMELY low power. Really good FX system, surprisingly great organs and EPianos. It’s standard AP kinda blows but I’d you can find the expansion card, it’s much better. Really excellent introduction to the basics of synthesis and signal flow. I know there’s a beat up one I left in Honolulu somewhere! Quote Puck Funk! Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Havu Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 I had a QS6.2 over an original Quadrasynth as my main gigging setup for a couple of years, until the display on the Quadra started acting weird. If I had the opportunity to have those two boards again, I'd definitely go for it. I remember liking the stock piano patch on the Quadra quite a bit, and the action on both of those boards felt great under my hands. Quote Hardware Yamaha MODX7, DX7, PSR-530, MX61/Korg TR-Rack, 01/W Pro X, Trinity Pro X, Karma/Ensoniq ESQ-1 Behringer DeepMind12, Model D, Odyssey, 2600/Arturia Keylab MKII 61 Software Studio One/V Collection 9/Korg Collection 4/Cherry Audio/UVI SonicPass/EW Composer Cloud/Omnisphere, Stylus RMX, Trilian/IK Total Studio 3.5 MAX/Roland Cloud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonglow Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 Upon reading the thread title my first thought was “learn guitar” but I now see the OP already has that covered. Quote "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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