Keyboard question

[thiocyclist]

So I've been using MainStage mostly for the software instrument sounds, which are great... but it's a pain to lug my laptop to gigs just for that... so can you keyboard types recommend something with the sounds built in? Maybe 3-4 octave?

[Joe Nerve]

I don't know anything about a mainstage, but since I don't think there's a whole bunch of keyboard players here I thought I'd put my $.02 in. I bought an m-audio venom synth a year ago for $500. The price has dropped on amazon to about $160. It's pretty small, has awesome sounds, and I'm pretty pissed I paid what I did. I had to have it as soon as it came out. Not the first time I experienced that with a keyboard, either.

I just also got myself a korg microkey controller that I can plug into my ipad and use with my ipad and sample tank. Not much stuff to lug around at all, although I have yet to lug it around.

[thiocyclist]

So is the venom standalone or a MIDI controller or both? A little confused.

I think the microkey is definitely just a controller. I'm really looking for something that I can take to the gig without a laptop.

[Joe Nerve]

Mikrokey is a controller, but I like it's size and the convenience of the ipad. The venom is a 49 key standalone synth. If you're looking for tarditional sounds it might not be the way to go, but for great and I think unique synth sounds, I think it's pretty awesome. And if you know about programming synths I'm pretty sure you could get some convincing pianos and stuff out of it too.

Unfortunately, the price has jumped up a bit again. If you're interested and wait on Amazon, I'm pretty sure it's gone it's gone down as low as $160. That may have been a scratch and dent though, or some kind of one time thing.

http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-Venom-...om+synthesizer

[thiocyclist]

Watching the YT vids of it I have a hard time telling how good it would be for my needs although I do thank you for recommending it as another thing to consider. All I know right now is I do okay with my 25-key midi controller into MainStage, and I use it to do a kind of jazzy house sound most of the time. It's annoying to look for that in a standalone because it sort of demands the synth/keyboard be good at both the grungy stuff and the clean stuff which seems rare. But I would love to avoid any kind of operating system being on stage with me; there'll already be my drummer's Mac anyway, we don't need two things that can fail.

[thiocyclist]

Anyone out there with Microkorg XL or Korg R3 experience? Opinions?

[matante]

I don't count myself as a keyboard guy but in my experience shopping for one it's really a matter of going through it at the store and finding how many good to usable sounds it has for you.

I can tell you the Yamaha XXX has great strings and then you'll find you can't stand them, or you don't care about using strings, etc.

[zenbanshee]

Caveat: I've got a handful of synths of various vintages, but I wouldn't call myself an expert.

OK, the first thing I would ask is what kind of sounds are you looking for? Do you want to sound like a grand piano? Electric piano? Hammond B3? Analogue subtractive synth?

You mentioned the Microkorg XL -- are you OK with the tiny keys?

I really like the Alesis Micron for a 3 octave virtual analog (i.e. everything is digital, but it is supposed to sound analogue). I would not use it if I wanted a nice piano sound, but it can pull off Moog sounds and some decent organs. You should be able to find a used one for less than $200.

What do you mean by "jazzy house sound"?

[thiocyclist]

I'm used to minikeys, but bigger would be better.

Sounds: good synth bass and synth lead sounds, mostly. Maybe some pads, and some vintage organs and electric pianos. This is for hip hop and dance music primarily.

[zenbanshee]

Check out http://www.vintagesynth.com/ and use the synthfinder (prepare for your mind to be blown)

VintageSynth has reviews on just about everything you will be able to find used. I never buy new for the exact reason mentioned above. Keyboard technology changes crazy fast so $5000 keyboards from the 80s can be found for $200 on eBay. Things that are out of fashion, like 90s digital keyboards can be found cheaper. Some keyboards are iconic or rare and hold their value a bit better.

Another option would be a sound module. These have largely been replaced by laptops in recent years, but they are essentially the guts of the keyboard without the keys. You can play them onstage with a controller using MIDI. If you find a keyboard you like but it doesn't have all of the sounds you want, then you could add a sound module for more options.

Good luck and let us know what you decide on.