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What is your current Keyboard / Synth set up?


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Hi

 

What is your current Keyboard / Synth set up?

 

Some like the latest and greatest, some like to stay classic... most probably have a mix.

 

My current set up is pretty dated in terms of hardware:

 

Korg 01W/FD

 

Korg-01W-FD.jpg

 

Roland EP7

 

roland-ep-7.jpg

 

and an external sampler as a sound module, an EMU Esi 4000

 

emu_esi-4000.jpg

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Mine is a 30 year old General Music KB. The pianos sound fine. The organ is almost ok. Everything else is horrible.

I need updated advice (I got good advice from Tapper Mike ages ago) for a new set up.

 

 

I would love some orchestral sounds.

Do I need a sound module and controller keyboard? (I'd rather not run anything through a PC).

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Everything I do I have to do on this. Not a fan of it but can't justify spending money on a real setup. I think I'm a glutton for punishment.

Apple_Keyboard_Home_End_Buttons.jpg

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  • 4 months later...
On 9/2/2016 at 11:35 AM, HoboSage said:

I use an M-Audio 49-key USB keyboard controller and my DAW.  I also have an old Roland D-50 and Soundcanvas sound module that have been gathering dust for years.  I should put them on eBay.  My wife has a really nice Casio digital piano, but I've never felt the need or desire to use it.

 

I'm an idiot when it comes to synths (among other things).  So, when you are recording a song, are you actually playing the chords and the rhythm on the keys, like a piano?  Or just triggering samples?

 

I've only used key sounds on a couple of songs, using software, and a couple of times on electric guitar using effects.  I'm wondering if my guitar laden style is getting dated - though I'm definitely not into electronic dance music.

 

Thanks.

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17 minutes ago, CapM said:

 

I'm an idiot when it comes to synths (among other things).  So, when you are recording a song, are you actually playing the chords and the rhythm on the keys, like a piano?  Or just triggering samples?

 

I've only used key sounds on a couple of songs, using software, and a couple of times on electric guitar using effects.  I'm wondering if my guitar laden style is getting dated - though I'm definitely not into electronic dance music.

 

Thanks.

 

If you are using a proper synth and not a midi controller, the sounds you play and hear will be either the sounds on the keyboard (built in) or if you have it hooked up for midi, it will be triggering samples from the DAW if that is what you are using. A midi controller uses the samples from the DAW.

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1 hour ago, HoboSage said:

Your guitar playing will never sound "dated," Darin.  

 

When did you move to Afghanistan?

 

Yeah, and apparently I'm only 13 to 17 years old!  Damn, I wish. No clue how that happened!

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1 hour ago, Richard Tracey said:

 

If you are using a proper synth and not a midi controller, the sounds you play and hear will be either the sounds on the keyboard (built in) or if you have it hooked up for midi, it will be triggering samples from the DAW if that is what you are using. A midi controller uses the samples from the DAW.

 

Got it.  I was just thinking how easy/difficult it would be to go down this path.  I've played a piano at a beginner level, so I could do some stuff.  I really liked Gry's various synth sounds in Forever Blue and wonder how those are done. 

 

I recently read a book called "The Song Machine" and one of the guys they talked about was Max Martin, who has written way more hit singles than I can mention.  Anyway, it said he doesn't even play an instrument.  He just grabs samples and comes up with hit songs.  

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1 minute ago, CapM said:

 

Got it.  I was just thinking how easy/difficult it would be to go down this path.  I've played a piano at a beginner level, so I could do some stuff.  I really liked Gry's various synth sounds in Forever Blue and wonder how those are done. 

 

I recently read a book called "The Song Machine" and one of the guys they talked about was Max Martin, who has written way more hit singles than I can mention.  Anyway, it said he doesn't even play an instrument.  He just grabs samples and comes up with hit songs.  

 

I'm not trained at all, although I try to play everything by hand except the drums, as I use Logic's drummer. The only time I don't play by hand are the times I use an arpeggiated preset from one of my virtual synths, either the ones that come with the DAW, or the ones I have bought.

 

Gry probably uses all the Reason patches, which will be samples, as she has mentioned using Reason to create her songs. Dek and David also use Reason. If you use a DAW, you can get away with a midi controller, they vary in size (25, 33, 49, 66 keys) and price. I have the M-Audio Axiom 49 key, which is a good controller at a decent price. There are a lot of good makes cheaper and some excellent ones, which are dearer (I want the Native Instruments keyboard as I have their Komplete package).

 

If you have beginner level piano, you are well on your way and ahead of me and most famous producers now can't play music. They program beats and edit the piano role in a DAW by placing notes, until they have a song.

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14 minutes ago, HoboSage said:

BTW, when I trigger sounds in my DAW by playing my MIDI keyboard controller, I'm not just triggering those sounds, I'm playing those sounds.  There's a difference - at least in my mind and approach.  I could draw MIDI notes to trigger sounds.  I play them, and I play them with different styles depending on the particular sound - I play the sound.  

 

'Yeah, as David said. I should have used a different word than triggered. By triggering I meant pressing the key speaks to the DAW, which plays the sample sound you have selected. 

 

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Everything died on me... uggg.   My old z6 ztar is on the fritz my baby z is having issues and my linnstrument went dead too.  All for no apparent reason.  As much as I loved the linnstrument it was work and lots of it.  I thought I would adapt better and faster then I did.

 

I have few dollars to work with right now and they are all going into my mouth (dentures) 

 

I'm simply focusing on guitar stuff for awhile.  After the dentures I want a Firehawk FX.  

 

Once that is done then I'll think about midi controllers.   Top of the list is an artiphon instrument one. Even though it doesn't have the harmonic range I've come to love about the linnstrument.

 

 

I'd gotten rid of all my old workstations years ago (Korg M1, Proteus, Roland D50 etc) 

With regards to computers....  the average  new tablet has all the power you need if you simply want to use it as a sound module.  Workstation / Daw may be specific on how much you want to load into your daw to run in the background.  If you've got an old keyboard that only has midi in/out.  Don't worry.  Everyone still makes midi to usb cables.

 

As far as arranger software....  Everyone who knows me will know this.... Band in a Box.  Forget FL forget Reason forget Ableton Live.

BIAB especially with real tracks. 

 

About plugins.....  They can be your death.  For many a year I'd download everything free and many things pay.  Try it love it / hate it forget that I have it and then try it again.  Too much choice is a bad thing and the only thing worse is getting it all in one super cheap product....  Wusik Station I can't believe the amount of time I've spent over the years attempting to draw a decent tone out of it.   

 

When I got my shiny new windows 10 pro dell computer with all the fixing... I left 32bit behind.  I still have all my old 32 bit plugs on my old vista computer and can transfer them at anytime but... Why?  If you have a decent bridge such as jbridge you'll be able to run 32 bit vst's on 64 bit Daw's and vice versa.

 

Regarding orchestral sounds.  One can waste a lot of money on orchestral sounds and still walk away disillusioned.  Trust me I know.

Even though there are products on the market that can make you program your life away or sacrifice your musical intentions for loops and programming in various articulations.   Most of that isn't required if you have something like an artiphon instrument 1 or linnstrument. As they put your expressiveness back into your playing technique and not into your dedication for programming and pulling up patches.  Oddly for strings I like to use something similar to what classic rockers used.... string machines and synth patches of string emulations.  

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On 03/09/2016 at 0:01 AM, Just1L said:

Everything I do I have to do on this. Not a fan of it but can't justify spending money on a real setup. I think I'm a glutton for punishment.

Apple_Keyboard_Home_End_Buttons.jpg

Ditto. 

I do plan to buy a small midi keyboard to make things a bit more convenient though. When the opportunity strikes. 

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10 hours ago, HoboSage said:

I wasn't meaning to correct you, Richard.  It is a triggering.  Even a real piano keyboard "triggers" the hammers that hit the strings.  I just wanted Darin to understand there's a feel to playing DAW sounds just like playing a piano or outboard synth.  I didn't know if he knew that.

 

 

 

David I didn't take it that way. Once I saw your post I realised the way I worded it may have sounded like all you do is press a button and it plays a song!! Just wanted to correct it so that Darin knew you still have to play the keyboard like you would a piano.

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1 hour ago, Mahesh said:

Ditto. 

I do plan to buy a small midi keyboard to make things a bit more convenient though. When the opportunity strikes. 

 

Mahesh, there are a lot of really good cheap keyboards out there, if you want to get one and use a DAW, it might be worth looking at one that can integrate with the functions of the DAW, so turning a knob/pressing a button on the controller does that function in the DAW.

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5 hours ago, Mahesh said:

Ditto. 

I do plan to buy a small midi keyboard to make things a bit more convenient though. When the opportunity strikes. 

 

Luckily I don't play it, or midi stuff in general, very often or I'd have to bite the bullet and buy something. Last year we had some home construction going on and one of the workers also recorded music. He let me borrow his midi-controller, which also had 4 or 5 drum pads on it. I played with it for a while but honestly didn't find it all that enjoyable. Still, one of these days I may get one. 

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6 hours ago, HoboSage said:

Arranger software?  So, that explains why you like Band In A Box.

Yep.

 

Many times I'll port it all into a conventional daw (mixcraft or realband which comes with biab) then redo the parts. Simply because I can.  But whether you simply want to jam or if you want to arrange /compose it gets your foot in the door quick.

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Dave,

 

Does that have the smaller keys? I did see a review that said "tiny" but wasn't sure. I will say the one I borrowed had the drum pads which I know I can do the same thing with the keys, but they were the most fun to play and since they were drum pads, it felt a little more natural. 

 

Thanks for the heads up. 

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2 minutes ago, HoboSage said:

Regular-sized keys, Randy.  This isn't like one of those old tiny Casiotone toys. :)  When you see "mini" describing a keyboard, that refers to the overall size/footprint of the unit (i.e,. it's "portable"), and/or it refers to the more limited octave range/number of keys.  This one has 32.  49 keys will take you up in price and 61 keys costs more . . . etc.  These 32 keys will give you a good enough octave range (the notes you play and record MIDI can be changed later, remember) and give you at least some room to play with both hands too.  I have an M-Audio Keystation with 49 keys so I could play more with both hands simultaneously.  It's $100.00.  There may be cheaper 49-key boards with USB MIDI.

 

Thanks Dave. The one I borrowed had smaller keys and that's the one thing the guy I borrowed it from recommended, getting one with regular-size keys. Even with my carny hands, I could see why when playing it.

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5 hours ago, Richard Tracey said:

 

Mahesh, there are a lot of really good cheap keyboards out there, if you want to get one and use a DAW, it might be worth looking at one that can integrate with the functions of the DAW, so turning a knob/pressing a button on the controller does that function in the DAW.

Definitely! I do plan to buy one sooner than later. Programming strings and stuff would be much more fun than trying to remember what keys to press on a computer keyboard. An ideal companion for any musician working with a DAW. Hopefully soon!

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It'll probably be best for me to go to an actual store and try out what they have. Currently it'd be in competition with a better mic though. Thanks for all the info for when the day comes.. 

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Damn Dave, now when I go to websites I always see an ad for that keyboard! LOL

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