Hi everyone!

Have been reading the forum. Must congratulate all the people on the forum for being extremely helpful and decorous :-)

I have been learning Indian Classical music for some time and play the harmonium (a reed instrument frequently used in Indian music). I do possess the basic knowledge of playing a keyboard and chords.

I would like to start with a decent keyboard in the range of $1000 to $1500. I want mainly the following features in the keyboard:

1. Ability to tweak sounds
2. A good selection of acoustic sounds with 'passable' realism
3. A good selection of rhythm sounds so that I can edit my own cycles
4. Ability to record my own songs/orchestral arrangements
5. Easy means of storing/transmitting data
6. Manageable weight (10-12 kg)
7. Technology that is relatively recent

As a bonus, I would be very happy if there are some decent Indian sounds in the keyboard (Tabla and other Indian instruments). I understand that I need a sampler if I wanted to use my own sounds.

I have thought about the following keyboards. They are arranged in the order of my preference, albeit according to my limited knowledge.

Arrangers:
A) Korg PA-50 Professional Arranger ($1000)
B) Yamaha PSR1500 Arranger Workstation ($1000)
C) Yamaha PSR2100 Arranger Workstation ($1200)

Workstations:
D) Yamaha Motif 6 ($1500)
E) Korg Triton Le Workstation ($1000)

Would greatly appreciate if you could give your valuable thoughts on the above keyboards and help me in the selection procedure.

Thanks,
Niranjan

Do you(or have to play)need realtime arranger mode?or is seq playback enough?

if you don't need arranger mode- the big three under 1500 $ can do the job.( used triton or new triton le,fantom 6,7,motif 6)and except le std version all have sampling so you can get your ethnic sounds without a problem.triton and motif(unlike fantoms)can record audio directly (no need to resync)so some acoustic solos shouldnt be a problem.on the other hand fantoms are the best bang for the buck for both built in and expendable memory.

but if you need arranger mood-

get psr 3000 or korg PA 50.

for indian sounds(tabla,sitar,slides)korg PA is much better.yam don't have much.(PA's indian frets patch is pretty nice and you cant find and create /load wkstation like patches in yam).
but on the other hand yam is easier to use,more verastile (mega voice,VH'pads'better fills etc) ,SM card so on.(yam's presets are more tuned for western gigers)
more info for pros and cons http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum37/HTML/009293.html

if you compare side by side you can hear the diff.PA sounds more crisp and clear(48khz compare to 44.1 in yam),but some sounds in yamaha are great too(eg-ac piano-where Korg is weak).

both are great KBs.but PA is 'more sound ' KB for your dollar.3k is more feature /technology,versatility for your dollar.

[This message has been edited by jamman (edited 11-14-2004).]

Thanks a lot for your useful reply!

I myself am not sure about my arranger vs synth vs workstation needs. Perhaps someone could shed more light considering on the following:

1. I want to compose more often than play live (but do want to play live). Would PA50/PSR1500 be able to take care of such composing needs?

In other words, can I write music from scratch on these?

2. I want to create new rhythms/styles using existing drum sounds. The catch is that, in the Indian music context, these could even be 7 beat, 10 beat or 12 beat cycles, instead of the more popular western styles of 4, 6, 8 or 16 beats. Would PA50/PSR1500 help here or do I need something like a Motif?

In other words, can I write styles from scratch on PA50/PSR1500?

3. My budget is revised to $1000 and therefore, I can look at PA50, PSR1500 (perhaps PSR2100) and Triton LE only :-(

Would appreciate further advice considering the above.

Thanks,
Niranjan

to get an idea about arranger vs workstation read my post link. http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum37/HTML/009235.html

yes both yam and korg PA can write ANY styles with ease

for style recording and seq functions

psr pros-

easy to write,alot of info can be seen and edited easily,clear display,direct user load from SM card(ie-alot of them)

cons-
sequencer is not a real sequencer("song recorder " in yam terms),but can handle basic recording

Pa pros

better seq with full editing,workstation quality sounds

cons
hard to use for some,some features need alot of button pressing-display info not as good as yam,FD instead of SM

acc to your post you sound like you need a workstation than a arranger

diff b/t PA 50 and triton LE

though they have same board,share /load same programs Le has advantages as a workstation

LE has
dual apgs(great for dance grooves)
Le has performance (combi)mode(layer 8 sounds-with help of dual apgs and Realtime Pattern Play/Recording you can use as a semi drum machine in some situations(even fills can be triggered )

4 outs

seq is very easy to use(though it has small screen -much better than motif)

graphic LCD - (no dot)

after touch

realtime knobs

512 programs / 384 combinations(all rewritable RAM)(no presets occupying ROM-except GM sounds)-another reason why Korg workstations are bestsellers-ie you can customize everything


SM cards(samples can be read from KB without buying the sampling option)-ie wave or aiff files must be loaded to cards

from computer by card reader/writer

cheap sampling option(200$ for board with 16 mb)(max -64 mb)

light and wellcut

great 3 rd party support

made is Japan(Pa 50 is made in China)

cons-
keys are not great(unlike classic model,less simu efx than classic model) ofcourse realtively bad ac piano and some acoustic
sounds(motif shines here),some complain this is a gear only for dance music which is not true though this machine can make the dance floor packed.

BTW - you can also consider- used triton classic,roland XP50,60,80(all have direct disk play)- etc



[This message has been edited by jamman (edited 11-16-2004).]

Thanks a lot for your help, Jamman!

Based on the same, I am kind of inclined towards:

1. Korg PA50 over PSR 1500 if I go for an arranger
2. Motif 6 (if I can find a new one) over Triton LE if I go for a workstation

My only question (for the time being ) is that would the bread and butter instruments (flute, sax, trumpet, violin, strings, etc) be good enough on PA50 as compared to Motif 6 or Triton LE?

The reason I am asking this question is that I am in India and cannot get live demos so easily. I liked the demos on Korg site (especially, something like http://www.korgpa.com/pa_root/mp3/Pa60_80/filmscor.mp3 ).

If the above is true, I would prefer PA50 over Triton LE, it being a newer product. Motif 6 could be about $500 more expensive than PA50 or LE, therefore, will have to think twice about it.

Thanks,
Niranjan

[This message has been edited by niranjanp (edited 11-16-2004).]

[This message has been edited by niranjanp (edited 11-16-2004).]

PA can load and has triton programs.so sound wise non piano sounds are nearly as good as motif in general.some synthsounds/pad are better.but motif(more rom) sounds great in orchestral area too.
motif also has breath controller input-good for wind/reed solos.

you do have to listen and compare.

but best bang for the buck now is PA50 for your above needs OMHO.

PA sounds as good as it is in demo.

[This message has been edited by jamman (edited 11-16-2004).]

Thanks a lot for your help, Jamman.

I think I am going for PA50 (which is also being offered to me at a 10% discount!).

Will get back if I have more doubts.

Thanks,
Niranjan

I have ordered my PA50, which should be here any time tomorrow!!!

Thanks again, Jamman!

Will get back some time with more on my self-gift...

When I was looking for a keyboard suitable for using with a live band I ended up choosing a used Motif 6 over a Triton LE. The two reasons I made that decision was that the piano patch seemed better on the Motif 6 and the keyboard feel was much better on the Motif 6. I am still using the Motif 6 so I am happy with it in general though the piano patch is a bit suspect in the higher octaves, but that also may be due partially to the powered box with a horn that I am running it through.

There's a $500 G1000 in the F/S section!

great news.you'll get used to it once you dig it well.
best bang for the buck under 1000$ without a question.
keep posted and share your thoughts.