Lucien Posted November 24, 2001 Share Posted November 24, 2001 Hello all, a lurker de-cloaking..... I have a recording studio in the basement that is being used to record an album by myself and trusty bandmates, none of who are keyboard "players." That is to say, we all have some experience playing pianos, composing, scoring, etc., but no one considers him or herself a keyboardist. The studio is a G4 400 running Pro Tools LE 5.1 (Digi 001). 1 TLM-104, a pile of 58s, a couple Rodes, Focusrite green Voice box, a few Tube MPs, etc etc.The time has come for us to add some kind of keyboard to the studio. we hauled our crappy upright down there and had it re-tuned but it still sux. So, silly me, I ventured out on the web to see what I could find out about synths.... Oh....My....God...... I'm up to my ears is hardware info and concepts. I honestly don't know what to do next and would appreciate advice, even though you all get such questions a million times a week. So, the priorities: 1) good analog emulation a must. We need decent piano and organ tones 2) pleasant key feel, preferably at least semi-weighted, although none of us has the expertise to take full advantage of an 88 3) We're on a budget, of course 4) drum looing would be nice, but not as important as instrumental tones right now. What say ye? Used controller/module? Used PC88? Can we control Giga from the same computer we're recording to? Or do I need a Pc/iMac to run HD emulation software? My head is starting to spin around. :embarassed: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cg1155 Posted November 25, 2001 Share Posted November 25, 2001 Well, lets see here. A keyboard that excels in pianos and organs. I suppose that these will mostly be background type sounds so getting a really accurate B3 or Steinway sound isn't top priority. Personally I prefer the Yamaha S80 (pround owner) but it doesn't really excel in analog-ness. Pianos are great (IMHO) and organs are very useable. A used PC88 might not be a bad idea if you are looking for background sound but I always found its sound to be a little thin - could be improved with a tube pre. But, and it pains me to say it since this keyboard is already ubiquitous, I think your best bet may be to find a Triton. Great feeling keyboard (cough-yamaha-cough) and great sounds. It can sample so you can improve the onboard piano which didn't thrill me, and it will do pretty well most of the other things you need. It's available in a 76 key model but it's not cheap. Maybe you can find one used. on the other hand, maybe something simple like the Roland RS-9 is what you need. I haven't heard it myself but I have always found roland sounds to be kind of thin too. Go out to your local store and try some, or download some sound clips and let me know what you think. -Casey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucien Posted November 25, 2001 Author Share Posted November 25, 2001 Yes indeed, mostly background/texture stuff, no one is competent enough to take any blistering leads. My wife picked up enough basic technique in grad school to get by otherwise. My guy at Sweetwater recommended Triton too. He also suggested getting a used controller and a used module somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfjunkie Posted November 25, 2001 Share Posted November 25, 2001 i don't have one, but the korg triton seems to be The Industry Standard keyboard, and it probably will be for a couple more years (i'm not a keyboard expert, so that's IMHO). you mentioned "analog emulation"- that sort of implies modeling synthesis, but the triton uses very good [i/samples[/i] instead for your organ and piano sounds. it is also a synth. there is a ton of triton info out there for shoppers or owners. also- native instruments put out a hammond softsynth called B4 that's supposed to be good. there are past threads about it (try searching here or in craigs). i'm pretty sure it's directx (protools compatible). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joegerardi Posted November 25, 2001 Share Posted November 25, 2001 I'll recommend a used Kurzweil K2000. If you get the right seller, he will include the 30-disk analog collection that came from the factory, so that covers you analog sounds. There are a gazillion programs available on the web to cover anything you need, and it's expandible: You can add sampling, sample RAM, Program RAM, (called PRAM) and ROM chips to add to the sounds. You're probably in the $700.00 range, and it's an amazingly deep keyboard when it comes to programmability, and it sounds amazing. Granted, it only has 24-note polyphony, but you said that none of you are virtuosos, so I doult you'll run out of notes. Setup: Korg Kronos 61, Roland XV-88, Korg Triton-Rack, Motif-Rack, Korg N1r, Alesis QSR, Roland M-GS64 Yamaha KX-88, KX76, Roland Super-JX, E-Mu Longboard 61, Kawai K1II, Kawai K4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Azzarello Posted November 25, 2001 Share Posted November 25, 2001 I think the others are putting you on-track, but I'll add my humble opinion: 1. Buy a keyboard you like the feel of, and one that has good sounds. Don't worry about "great" sounds but use the onboard sounds while you track. 2. Look toward one or more soft synths for your final tracking sounds. B4 is great (I got mine a few weeks ago and love it), and there are numerous soft synths and soft samplers out there to replace your keyboards sounds as you get tired of them, identify sounds that need improvement. 3. If you hear a keyboard part but can't perform it yourself, think about collaborating with someone outside of your band for the keyboard parts. I work with a guitar player, but we're rarely in the same room. I just burn a CD with some production notes and send it off to him. He adds his parts and sends it back. This goes for the sounds too. Pat http://www.patazzarello.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucien Posted November 27, 2001 Author Share Posted November 27, 2001 Distilling all this down, and focusing on what we really needed. led us to the Pc2 (used $949) and PC2X...THAT led me to the archived S80 v. Pc2(x) debate. Now my head REALLY hurts! Played both pc boards and liked; will hit the Yamaha later in the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucktunes Posted November 27, 2001 Share Posted November 27, 2001 Lucien; Would it make you feel better if I told you that it never gets much easier? Many of us here have been working with synths for years, if not decades. Most of us go through the same "option anxiety" every time we go to make a major purchase. No more than you narrow down your choices to two or three, someone comes up with a competitor that seems to eclipse what you've decided on. And advertises it like you'd have to be a drooling idiot not to dump whatever you've got now and get one! Never mind that the axe you're playing now was supposed to be the greatest thing since the equal temperament scale just last year! No wonder we get GAS. Trouble is, after a while your head starts feeling like it's filling up with gas! Peace all, Steve ><> Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucien Posted November 28, 2001 Author Share Posted November 28, 2001 :lol: y'mean like buying guitars, studio equipment, computers, and automobiles?? Yea, I kinda figured it would go down this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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