Rick Hoffman Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 Hello all. I usually lurk in the Lowdown, but I will be coming in here more often once I buy a keyboard. I would like to become as proficient on keys as I am on bass, so I'm trying to decide which product I want to buy. I played a little piano when I was younger and basically I just want to learn a 2nd instrument. I feel there will be several advantages to this for me. I'm looking for a synth for around 400-600 bucks that has options like line out/headphone out, (go right to PA during gigs so I won't need to buy another amp-or could I play keys through my bass rig??? )programmable patches with beats(so I can double my keyboard as a drum machine when I practice bass at home)... Well I don't really need very many options but I would like something with good tone and quality. I already saw a couple of things, such as the Roland RS-50. I do plan on holding on to this thing for a long time, so I would like something with versatility that can play rock, pop, and blues. And, by the way, the RS-50 is a 61 key instrument so I should be fine with that, right? I mean I'm not going to be playing classical masterpieces anytime soon. The advice is greatly appreciated, thanks you. "The world will still be turning when you've gone." - Black Sabbath Band site: www.finespunmusic.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Pierce Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 Originally posted by John William Hofmann: Hello all. I usually lurk in the Lowdown, but I will be coming in here more often once I buy a keyboard. I would like to become as proficient on keys as I am on bass, so I'm trying to decide which product I want to buy. I played a little piano when I was younger and basically I just want to learn a 2nd instrument. I feel there will be several advantages to this for me. I'm looking for a synth for around 400-600 bucks that has options like line out/headphone out, (go right to PA during gigs so I won't need to buy another amp-or could I play keys through my bass rig??? )programmable patches with beats(so I can double my keyboard as a drum machine when I practice bass at home)... Well I don't really need very many options but I would like something with good tone and quality. I already saw a couple of things, such as the Roland RS-50. I do plan on holding on to this thing for a long time, so I would like something with versatility that can play rock, pop, and blues. And, by the way, the RS-50 is a 61 key instrument so I should be fine with that, right? I mean I'm not going to be playing classical masterpieces anytime soon. The advice is greatly appreciated, thanks you.A couple of details will help us give better advice: * What style of music will you be playing? * What type of keyboards are you mostly interested in (ie, piano, organ, synth...) * What's your bass rig? Depending on what it is, it could be an acceptable amplification rig for keys. --Dave Make my funk the P-funk. I wants to get funked up. My Funk/Jam originals project: http://www.thefunkery.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearded yeti Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 get a cs6x dawg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarkus Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 If you don't need a big board the Alesis QS6 is pretty good. I play bass and keys in my current band. We do a lot of Floyd and Zep so I go with a board that can Split bass left hand. My old rig was two boards : A Korg Triton Pro (out of your price range) and a Kawai K3 (out-dated but served it's purpose). Lately I've been trying different gear: Kurzweil and Alesis have been filling the void rather nicely. Will you be playing bass-parts on keys soley, or will you be playing more of a Ray Manzarek role? If you settle one board for bass sounds you can run a mono out into your bass rig. You don't need anything fancy to have a 'matched' output from your bass and you keyboard and you don't need to unplug one instrument to input the other. I just bought a Line Selector pedal for 80 bucks that solves this problem for me. http://www.rolandus.com/products/details.asp?CatID=3&SubCatID=18&ProdID=LS-2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksoper Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 Yeah...a QS6 or Roland XP-80. SHould be able to pick either of those up for practically nothing. k. 9 Moog things, 3 Roland things, 2 Hammond things and a computer with stuff on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Hoffman Posted December 2, 2004 Author Share Posted December 2, 2004 Hey guys thanks a ton for your experienced input.I'm going to be doing a role sort of like JPJ, doing songs like "Your time is Gonna Come","No Quarter" some beatles songs, mostly rock and blues. My bass rig is an SVT3pro through an Ampeg 4x10 HLF.I also would like the keyboard to double as a drum machine/sampler while I play along on bass.So I guess I'm lookin for a piano/organ type of synth. Thanks again-JWH "The world will still be turning when you've gone." - Black Sabbath Band site: www.finespunmusic.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 I'd steer clear of the QS6. The sounds are really weak, kind of... cheesy. It also lacks a resonant filter, and this is a huge disadvantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Hooper Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 Roland XP60 or XP80; good live sequencer boards, good sounding filters, tight bottom end. Composer/Performer at Roger Hooper Music Product Trainer at CASIO www.rogerhooper.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.