This site is made up of keyboardists from all the major companies,now some will dig in their heals and stick with what they have believing its the best for them,and thats fine ,then there are those that change what they have for whatever new comes out. The point i am making is this ,if this was say a yamaha site or roland site or whatever the discussions would be more limited,but here you get a more wider variables ,Nigel has done an excellent job with this site bringing us all together,and i am sure a lot more has been learned,because normally YOU /ME would be going to sites that have our make of board only, and so would miss out on the valuable info from the more experienced members,at the end of the day maybe you will buy ,maybe you won,t, but at least you have had the chance to read others views, and so make a more detailed choice.as they say Forwarned is Forearmed.

Use all the tools that are available to you to entertain the audience.

If we did things the old way I could have typed this reply on my old Remingtom typewriter, take it to the local print shop. The printer would not use a computer, but manually set all the type (because using a computer would not really make him a real printer). I would then ride my bicycle down to the post office and mail out 5000 copies to each of you.

A giant step backwords!

Donny,

Out of curiousity you stated in another thread that you are ordering a Ketron Midjay -which also has all the fluff+.

"I was impressed with all the MULTI functions & features of this little wonderbox for sure....
it can be used in so many kool ways its beyond belief if your creative....playing great LIVE SOUNDING styles like an arranger KB, awesome SD-1 sounds, mp3's, wav's, SFX, SMF, and sing thru it too w/efx" I'll be ordering mine soon"


Regards,

Jerry

Fast forward to late this afternoon at a retirment home that has a Suzuki Digital Mini Grand http://www.suzukipianos.com/gp-3/

This instrument imho sounds fair as an arranger. After playing a 3k on gigs and a CVP 307 at home the Suzuki didn't sound very pleasing to my ears, but it does sound more like

I played the upright version of this monster at BJ's Wholesale Club a few days ago--what a piece of crap! The wood finish is superb, the keys are fully weighted piano keys, and everything looked beautiful. The only sounds that were somewhat realistic were the piano--al the other were just awful. Additionally, there was a full, half-second delay in accompaniment when chord changes were made. The price tag at BJ's was $1899, but the best thing anyone could have done with this is remove the keyboard from the frame and put in a good arranger. Beautiful piece of furniture--lousy instrument!

Gary

------------------
Travlin' Easy

nardoni2002 I didn't purchase a Mediastation to play MP3/WAV/Midi I got this because I was fedup of going with the big brand names who release keyboards left right and centre. If I wanted to play MP3 I would record them in Cubase or Pro Tools and stick them onto a mini disc connected to my mixing desk.
The likes or Roland Korg and Yamaha are all well but the technology isn't quite up there with the likes of Lionstracs and Wersi. Can they play Giga aounds or VST plugins - no. I'm happy with my SD1 and G1000 so just wanted something different rather than the same run run of the mill styles and GM/GS sounds.
I wasn't picking anyone out when I said have to be mad to pay well over £2000 just to play midi files either. I think this topic has got a bit out of hand lol

Correction, I postd "Tyros 2 & Other Kb's"

craig, i,m not critisizing,i was only saying that you would have paid a similar price for your mediastation. I am only a home player who likes things easy,very easy,and the yammies do that,i think that mediastation will be the way to go in the near future for a lot of experienced musicians,once they become more established, maybe as time goes on these will be even more easier to operate. Its these small companies (like liontracs)that keep the big manufacturers on their toes,thats competition.

Im an Pro "Multi Task" Entertainer, I use everthing and anything to accompish this successfully on stage,I sing, play syles on an arranger KB, w/smf's,mp3,wav, etc.. to make people dance and enjoy my act every night,.& Im proud of it. I'm playing since Im 7yrs old, playing shows with bands & solo work since Im 15 yrs old, Im now 53 so something must be going right all these years....! I've seen musicians & tons of different gear come & go & Im still here regardless
The Ketron Midjay will be another wonderful piece of gear that will help me emensly in doing this for sure, to help me make a living & support my family...the "Fluff" Im refering to is in the parts of the styles on many KB's,. People rely entirely to much on the "FLUFF" .....taking some of it out and showing your audience your REALLY PLAY opens up a better crossfade between you and the people listening so they can access your multitalentizm on stage creating in their mind that you are "THE TOTAL PACKAGE" & not some over glorified "Fluffernutter".......I didn't want to start a war with this thread but I guess it definitly hit a sore spot judging by the replies.... we'll see where it leads and what we can learn from it & from each other?



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 10-09-2005).]

Well I've read all the posts on this and here's what I think. First we all have different needs and wants. We also all have different levels of playing ability. Some of us are very polished at playing the keys and some of us are not. Some of use can use an arranger and do EVERYTHING from scratch. Some of us cannot. Does this make one way better than the other. I would have to say no.

Keep in mind also that what an arranger is and does, and how it can help some musicians who aren't as polished off in some areas. A few good examples are playing and recording drums on a keyboard. To some of us that's easy, and to others it's a very difficult task to accomplish. The arranger helps those who are weaker in some areas. Is it cheating? In a way yes, but so the hell what. Musicians have been using (helping aids) for years. Look at someone like Ashley Simpson. Remember her big on stage boo boo????

Bottom line we all have different needs and abilities, but we share the most important part of picture, and that's the love for playing music. It doesn't matter what you use to play it. As long as it works for you.

Squeak

Hi all,
I don't play for others/parties/money etc, and I also don't think that someone pushing some buttons on an MP3 player and then singing along is a musician.

I read responses which (in my opinion) are divided into "profession" guys ("...I do whatever pleases/will please the audience....") and "artistic" guys ("....music in an art, I won't use any artificial backing or mp3's, everything is pure me, etc etc...".

Everyone here is a musician. The thing is to do whatever you can to please the particular group of people you are reffering to. Be adaptive. It doesn't matter if my sofa is built by a dextrous craftsman aided by 12 ethereal virgins and took 1 month to make, or it took maybe 3-4 hours to be built by murderous ex-convicts.

My back resting well sitting on the sofa I paid for, is all that matters.

If you can play an instrument you are a musician, if you can play it well you are a good musician, but if you make me happy doing that, I won't ask/care if you used mp3's or MIDI backing or Satan's own choir, I will simply ask for a phone number to invite you again, or refer you to others.

Just play to please the audience (every audience is different, and the audience's reactions will please you in return.

My 2 drachmas,
Theodore

Let me add my 2cents worth here please....
I'm 65 years old and am teaching myself to play keyboard.....I am not a "MUSICIAN" I'm a professional singer...My voice is my instrument and has been for close to 50 years recording my first record in 1958....
I should have studied an instrument but didn't so I have to depend on other "MUSICIANS" to supply musical backing for my songs....I've sang with "BIG BANDS" with as many as 18 musicians and I've sang with as few as 3 in a Trio...the audience
expects to hear music behind a singer, he can't do it all alone, if you can't get musicians to play the music for what ever reason, booze, drugs or attitude...in my case, there are no musicians down here in this part of sunny Mexico, so what is left for me to do, I use what ever I can to entertain my audience...and YES, sometimes it means using KARAOKE tracks, be it Midi files cd's mp3's or my Tyros or my PSR3000
at least, all the musicians start on time and in the same key.....now some may say that I'm a cheat for using my Tyros as an over priced karaoke machine (I can afford it) or mp3 player or what ever, as Squeak said...there are all levels of musicianship mine is in the beginning stages, however one day, I hope to be able to play like Scott Yee or better if possible but in the mean time, I will use every means available to me to get the job done...that is pleasing my audience....I've
stated in many other posts that I wish I could play and I envy all that can, however,
don't belittle me or others like me that don't have the musical skills to "DO IT ON MY OWN" and have had to travel a different road to get to the same place, "PLEASING THE AUDIENCE" don't be snobbish or critical of us that don't have the musical schooling or the years of hands on playing
that the rest of us don't....that is one reason I bought the guitar for my son and the keyboard for my daughter, I want them to have what I didn't have when I was their age, I pray it makes a difference in their
young lives....I'm on this forum to learn and I have learned a lot, don't chase me away because I don't measure up to your standards, especially if you have never heard or seen me perform to an audience...I respect everyone here and hope for the same,
but if anyone is offended by this post, sorry, it was not my intention...Make Music anyway you know how...any kind of music and
learn as you go...who knows, some day some of you may even be as good as me....hehehe
Tony Rome