Hello all,

I originaly posted this on harmony central they sent me here. Please advise me on what to purchase. An outboard arranger might work.I have a roland e series and it is "ok" but im sure there is something better out there. Way back I checked the Korg I series . It sounded good but...... Love to know who is using what and why . We are three guys playing jamming ambient techno space funk blues jazz with a twist of sun ra and country joe . I have quite a few synths
ensoniq zr, asr 10, akai ax, cz1, dark star and more and was interested in something to help the juices flow. And perhaps shrink all this gear to a managable size.
Do any of the "inteligent arrangers" have midi out that will feed other synths so we can twist em slice em dice em?
How about the yamaha an
korg mc505
not really "intelligent arrangers "
Little behind the gas curve and would appreciate any input on what " arrangers" help you make good music?
I would like to replace my e series roland with......?
My budget is somewhat limited so a tyros is out.....

Most musicians here play Yamaha Tyros, PSR2000/PSR2100, PSR550. Korg PA60/80, Roland VA and G1000 and Technics KN series. Others can chime in with their favorites. What instruments are the other two members of your band playing? If one is a drummer, I don't know how you would use an arranger, except when you are practicing and creating on your own.
Starkeeper

For your budget and type of music I would suggest PA-60 (Korg).

I would like to replace my e series roland with......?

I think as a Roland user might be pleasantly suprised with the Roland VA5. Its got 48mb of sounds, 116 drum kits including V drums and is priced less than the VA7..only problem is that its hard to find one. The sax,flute,guitar,drums,strings,trumpets and techno sounds are amazing.

Other players? Bassist, guitarist. Occasional sax player. Are ther any outboard
arrangers ( without a keyboard) that would work ?

Easiest thing to do is take the best answer from these synthzone guys and then go to Guitar Center and buy them and try them out - return it when you are not satisfied. That is what I did. I actually tried 4 keyboards before settling with PSR2000 and concluded that it was the best board for the money (for $600 used but excellent condition). At the end I did not even bought any keyboard from GC. I would if things worked out but it did not.

One thing is that the arranger probably does not have the best cutting edge sounds or keyfeel in the market IMO. I think that will always be the handicap although it will probably not the case soon in the future. BUT if you wanna make people dance and sing, it is the best out there without a dedicated and excellent skill level 3 piece band. You can do it all with little effort (you need good solid skill/chops and chords though) !

Ketron XD3 or X4 module would work .

Hi

you may also want to check out this other topic
http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum37/HTML/007495.html

best wishes
Rikki

You stated that Tyros is out of your price range, but not sure what your price range is...

PA60 and PSR2000 / 2100 might be in your range. For myself, I lean a little more toward the PA60 ( korg ) for electronic stuff and maybe give the PSR's ( Yamaha ) a nod on the acoustic end, but if you don't absolutely have to have an arranger, the Motif classics and Triton Le's are both out there to be found at similar prices as the PA60 / PSR 2100.

The best advice was already given. take what you get here and then plan on spending some quality time at the music dealer.

AJ

Hi,
Roland used to have a few, the last one I heard of was the RA95 ( goes back a few years though, saw one on Aussie Ebay a few weeks back, got snapped up fairly cheaply)

Korg also used to have one called the i5m. Again , goes back a few years, it was based on the korg i3 series.

Keep in mind, there's also all sorts of computer software out there too. Some of the programs are quite amazing. It depends on what you're trying to acheive.

best wishes
Rikki