I love this forum! You've all been more helpful than any of the weirdos at guitar center and Mars who are paid to sell MOTIF's which is definately what I don't want! Have you heard the acoustic instruments on that thing? Do I even have to say that those MOTIF vibes are the same as I had on my 1992 PSR-500? Whatever, Yammy! You go with your mainstream music keyboard! However, when someone comes along who creates some cutting edge stuff, don't come crying to me for an endorsement!

Anyway, it's up to all of you to sell me on either the KORG PA-80 or the SD-1. Those are the only two that seem to fit my requirements. The SD-1 and PA-80 both have very hip styles. The SD-1 may reign a little more on acoustic solo instruments, and the KORG in the synth department, but they are both at the top of my list. KORG is lucky they didn't build the PA-80 in a solid body with semi-weghted keys like the SD-1 or I would have already bought it. Yammy is out because the styles aren't hip enough and they lack synth sounds (like the SD-1, but at least Ketron's styles are great!).

So let's have some fun here. I want to hear all of you try to convince on one or the other......

My requirements are:
1. Arranger format. I find working with arranger keyboards as opposed to synth workstation provide a more intuitive and natural method for composing.
2. I need good acoustic solo instruments!
3. I need awesom synth sounds.
4. 2 and 3 go together because of the project I'm working on and I can't afford to buy both the 9000pro and the KARMA which would be my dream set-up!
5. I need to sync loops to styles. The PA-80 will import stereo. I wouldn't be bothered by the Ketron's lack of stereo wav import since I can re-sync in Cool Edit after I use the mono wavs for composing.
6. Must be recording quality. Like I want to make a commercial recording with an arranger keyboard. Hmmm.....imagine that!


[This message has been edited by seanbaker (edited 02-21-2003).]

Sean,

Are you planning on gigging or just recording with your keyboard? If you are only going to keep the board in your studio, you might just want to go with a very good arranger without the Synth sounds and then use your PC or Laptop with Soft Synth modules to backfill those killer synth sounds.

Just an idea...

Al

I only gig with my Yammy P120s since it's a jazz gig. I need the best digital piano I can get and the P120 has it in my opinion. However the keyboard I refer to here is only for my home studio. I'm not sure how to get synth sounds from my computer. Do tell.....

Sean,
Soft synths are plug in modules that you can use with your sequencing program controlled by midi and then patched to the midi track you've layed down. There are tons of soft synths to choose from. The other thing you could consider is buying an arranger board and someone else's sound module for the synth sounds you want.

------------------
jam on,
Terry
http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

Sean,
Pa80 is really a great board, and there are a couple of hardware and software addons to raise it furthermore.

But (there's always a but), despite its upgadability, it is aged, and it really need a refresh.

So, unless you are a KORG maniac (as I am!), I think that Terry's solution is maybe the best approach (but is your budget enough?).

I'd look at the genesys by Generalmusic, or If you are looking for the ultimate piano, the Promega 3 by Generalmusic.

I never considered the soft-synth route since I'm not at all experienced with midi, but I could learn and then look into the GigaStudio. Anyone know much about it?
http://www.networkpromktg.com/TheT-Rak.htm

1GB stereo grand. 160polyphony. Now that's what I'm talking about.

You don't want the 9000 pro -- it has the same voices as the motif (PSR500, etc.)

If you really want those virtual acoustic voices, get a used MU100R module used for $400, this will actually give you an EXACT duplicate of the PSR9000 & pro, in a module. Of course being a module there are no styles included....

but...

If you can do without the virtual acoustic voices (and there's only six of them, in Korg land they are known as the EXB moss expansion board) and you do like keys rather than modules get the PSR740 board (same chipset as PSR9000 & pro minus the VL voices) yes it does have vocal harmony, used price around $500. And it has the typical (yawn) yamaha styles.

I'm not pushing yamaha arrangers by any means, just thought since you mentioned thinking about the 9000 pro you might like a cheap alternative to getting one.

Personally I'd go with the module. You'll have to go to ebay for a few weeks and keep your eyes open, the module is out of production but does show up occasionally.

As to choosing between the solton and korg PA80, isn't there $1000 difference between them? To me that's comparing apples to oranges. But I do see that for your needs they are the two top choices. I have a friend who's ordered the SD1, as a blind performer he bought a Roland VA76 and of course had to send it back, there was only that damned touch screen which did him no good. Now he's going for the Solton because of all the buttons -- he can memorize those. He currently gigs with a Roland XP60 and XV88 and "privately" has a PSR2000 (and doesn't care for it at all.)

I have a key/synth/module email group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/keyboard-synth-module-club/ if you are interested... we talk and also share songs. There's also MP3 storage for members (active members! only) at a companion site.

Me, I'm a home hobbyist only with a PSR740 backed up with a fabulous new Roland XV5050 module. My midi files and some MP3's (I am really bad about not converting!) are at http://www.roncat.net/private.htm

I love to talk synths, recording, etc......I have been playing keyboards since age of 3.

keyskitten aka "CATHY"

Cathy, Glad to see you back. Hope your health is good.
DonM

Wish I'd read all the posts before I posted the first one.

Its amazing that people work with these fine keyboards every day and then turn around and say they "don't work with midi" all today's keyboards and digital piano's function on MIDI.

MIDI is just computer code that a synth generates (or reads for playback). A midi file will sound different on every synth -- and since most top quality synths go the route of putting 2 terrible sounding midi (general midi) banks in, and the "rest" of their great sounds in other banks, people think they are not using "midi" unless they tap into those 2 banks -- nothing could be further from the truth. If you have made a recording to a floppy disk of any digital keyboard, you've made a midi file (possible exception, the Karma.....) oo the time I tried to help the Karma owner do midi when he already was skipping that straight to audio somehow? When I read that Karma is a midi machine?

I work with 2 synths currently -- a yamaha and a roland. The Yamaha is an arranger is and 100 percent GM/XG compatible -- I can play any midi file on it and it sounds as fabulous as its voices allow (which is better than most realize, you just have to know where and how to access the 5 DSPs simultaneous on this PSR740....and get it to sound like its "pro" counterpart the 9000.)

But the roland -- its got the 2 "midi" banks which don't even have access to its good effects -- and then there's the GREAT other "1000" voices of the XV5050 -- I have to re-voice my old midis to the new voices of the Roland, (and call for the right amount of effects, although roland builds effects INTO its patches, which is why alot of people like Roland, they don't have to learn to program the effects, just pick the voice/patch that has the "sound" of the effect they want.....

My next purchase is going to be Korg, I can't decide between the Karma and the PA60. they are only $200 apart in price. I do most of my own recording (meaning I don't usually use the auto accompany "styles" in my recordings although there have been exceptions I just hate the yamaha styles) maybe someone can go by my music page and by the kind of music I play, tell me whether the Karma or the PA60 would be better for me? I just can't decide. I did join the Karma Yahoo group for awhile but I asked too many questions.....I guess I need to know what kind of "styles" are on the PA60? And is it true that the Karma is not for those of us who like "older" music (60s 70s pop and rock?)

No music stores in my area have Korg products -- only yamaha and roland, and NO arranger keyboards -- the salesmen will tell you they only carry "professional musical instruments" and they don't consider arrangers to be pro instruments....

hope I helped and thanks in advance for any of your opinions,

keyskitten CATHY