daBowsa Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 So I guess I'm looking at a JV-880, JV-1010, or MicroPiano. Any others I should add to the list? I'm leaning towards a 1010. I'm interested in something that will eventually complement an Electro so Pianos, strings, synth leads and pads are what I'm judging these units on. I want a half-rack so it can sit on a controller and not require an skb to cart around. I want it to be under $200 used because after I buy an Electro, I won't have any money left. Suggestions? Comments on the above modules? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildbill Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 i'm pretty sure alesis had a half-rack 'nano-synth' a while back.that could be another option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrancedelicBlues Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 a Korg X5DR should certainly be on the list. Great strings, pads, and synths... and it has the M1 piano. Edit: The Kurzweil ME-1 has the sounds of the PC2, with very good acoustic pianos, strings, and other sounds, but it only has 32 voices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyJimJim Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 I've used the Kurzweil ME1 quite a lot and reckon it's fantastic - but simple. As stated, only 32 voices and a pretty basic interface, but i basically just plug it in and use the piano, string and EP sounds. I dig the sounds but people seem to have a love/hate thing with Kurzweil so check it out... Where are the Snowdens of yesteryear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 Good day Ben! Let me sound off on the JV1010 and suggest that you NOT choose this piece of gear. I have owned 3 different JV1010s over the years in repeated attempts to convince myself that I could work with it in a live situation. Pros: The JV1010 has a ton of great sounds, including the Session board sounds. It has a very respectable piano sound and lots of cool synth sounds (though they start to sound a bit dated these days). It can accept one SR-JV card. It is very cheap. I never paid more than about $250 for one and this is going back 2+ years ago. It is light and easy to transpor. Cons: There is no user interface and all the programming (even basic stuff) must be done at the PC. Unless you are very crafty with your controller sending it patch changes, you will forever be lost trying to find sounds in the minimal display. It has just an LED number and you are stuck using rotary knobs to scroll through hundreds of sounds in many banks. Changing sounds on the fly is a nightmare, even with a cheat sheet telling you where to go. Also, the patches are programmed with many dramatic volume changes, so you can have a big Whoops moment when you change patches and the new one blows your head off. If you like to be spontaneous on the gig and change sounds freely, this is really not possible on the JV1010 unless you are cool with whatever sound it serves up for you. Dark stages make this even worse. There are some other more subtle issues that you may read about if you search the archives or read some reviews at Harmony Central. Things like inferior DACs (I never heard a problem on my units and am a little bit in the dark on DAC analysis) and slow/glitchy MIDI issues. I did experience this quite a few times. The little box would just get over-taxed and overwhelmed. It would lock up and the only way to fix it was to power off and back on. You get a lot for what you spend and I think it is perfectly fine in a home studio situation where you have the time to find patches and use your PC for editing. It is not a good unit for gigging. With all that said, I suggest that if you like the Roland sound (I do), then look at a used JV1080. I just recently saw one on eBay for $225 and almost bought it. Even JV2080s are going for pretty low, now with so many successors coming out in the XV and Fantoms. The 1080 is a 2-space unit with a big LCD display for patch names to show easily. It can take more SR-JV cards and has a bunch of dedicated knobs and buttons to help you navigate. I think it has fewer sounds out of the box than the 1010, but the user interface is far superior for not much more cash. Plus, it reportedly has better DACs! But I just re-read your post and you want a half-rack. So I also recommend the Kurzweil ME-1. Hope this helps. Regards, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben One Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 Ben,I'm very partial to the Alesis QSR which could be gotten for around $200 on eBay. Definitely a Swiss army knife kind of sound module, but it depends on whether you like the QS organs, synth sounds, horns, pads, and grand piano samples . EDIT: Just realized you are looking for a half-rack, which the 1U QSR is not. I should stop reading these posts so quickly. Sorry! Eddie Jobson Tribute Projects Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildbill Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 i've still got a QSR and except for the lack of resonant filters, it's great. maybe you could get one and cut it in half? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DafDuc Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 I prefer the Roland P-55 to the MicroPro. It's a half-rack if you can find one. Nice piano, nice Rhodes. Daf I played in an 8 piece horn band. We would often get bored. So...three words: "Tower of Polka." - Calumet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay da cop Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 I, also, use a QSR a LOT!. I also have a QS7.1. There is a 1/2 rack version, paired down a little, in the nanosynth. If you like Alesis sounds, this could be for you. Now, with that said, I also really like the ME1. FWIW. Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daBowsa Posted January 28, 2005 Author Share Posted January 28, 2005 Thanks for the opinions guys! I can't stress enough the budget I am on! This module will be in addition to an Electro purchase... The ME-1 is ideal for me, but it seems to be $150+ out of my price range (almost double what I'm looking to spend). I haven't heard any takes on the ME-1's baby brother, the KMP-1 MicroPiano. I know Kyle Hollingsworth of The String Cheese Incident was using one of these from an A-90 a while back. Harmony Central is quite bipolar on this module. No leads or pads on this guy, so that's a minus. Eric, if I went with a 1010 I'd be changing patches from my A-33, so the interface wouldn't be a problem...unless, of course, the MIDI problems you spoke of filter into patch selection. The volume inconsistancies between patches is an annoying problem, especially if you can't edit the volume of a specific patch. Can this be done from your PC? The synths may seem dated, but its more than the MicroPiano has. I agree the QSR is a great bread and butter module - I used one live for a year, but I really think a half-module will work better for me now that I won't be bringing a rack. Daf, I'm not familiar with the P-55 or the MicroPro. The P-55 is a "Sound Canvas" module - I was told to stay away from them, anyone know why? Thanks again everyone! edit: Oh yeah! The X5DR seems to be right in my price range - is the M1 piano considered useable live? Korg pads are usually pretty good, what about lead stuff on this module? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DafDuc Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 Both the Roland P-55 and the Kurz MicroPro are piano modules only, and both date from about 10-12 years back. The MicroPro is the base sound for the SP(X)-76/88, which is still in production: the "award-winning" sounds they mention in the SP ads was undoubtedly a 1993 award, LOL. No experience with other SC models, but the P-55 piano/EP sounds beat the pants off the SP (and the MicroPro) or my Yam P-50 (another half=racker). And the QS, for that matter, though I haven't gotten hold of the Classical Grand card yet - tried to buy one last year and got the Classical card instead. Useful, so I kept it. I paid $325 for my QSR last year, getting under $200 might be tough. And it's a full space. Good luck. Daf I played in an 8 piece horn band. We would often get bored. So...three words: "Tower of Polka." - Calumet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daBowsa Posted January 28, 2005 Author Share Posted January 28, 2005 Now I'm starting to consider selling my controller and picking up a used S80 or RD-600... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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