Good Keyboard for Cover Band

justcallmemoses

Hi,

Any suggestions on an all round keyboard for playing covers?

I have a roland xp-30 but I want to upgrade to something newer. Doesn't have to be the latest out.

Preferably something with an alright keybed. I had a Juno G but hated the keys on it so sold it.

- 61 keys preferably

I don't want to spend a few grand. Perhaps even something second hand.

FR85

Roland Fantom X6/7 could be a good option, they are out a few years so you might get one at a decent price.

The other option would be to hold onto the XP-30 and buy a rack unit and use the XP-30 as a MIDI board?

justcallmemoses

FR85 wrote: »

Roland Fantom X6/7 could be a good option, they are out a few years so you might get one at a decent price.

The other option would be to hold onto the XP-30 and buy a rack unit and use the XP-30 as a MIDI board?

what sort of rack unit would be a good investment and what sort of costs are they?

I have never used one before. How does it work for changing sounds quickly and maybe the odd transpose if needed?

FR85

A Roland Fantom XR would be a good one, maybe a Yamaha Motif unit would also be a good purchase, Nord.........it really depends how far you want to go!!
You can buy Roland JV 10/80 or 20/80's at good prices also.

The work similar enough to a keyboard, there would be a scroll pot/up down buttons and you just scroll through the sounds and layers.........

justcallmemoses

FR85 wrote: »

A Roland Fantom XR would be a good one, maybe a Yamaha Motif unit would also be a good purchase, Nord.........it really depends how far you want to go!!
You can buy Roland JV 10/80 or 20/80's at good prices also.

The work similar enough to a keyboard, there would be a scroll pot/up down buttons and you just scroll through the sounds and layers.........

Cheers thanks for the info! Might try a module for something different as the size of the xp30 is handy for bringing around

I shall have a look around online at some stuff!

justcallmemoses

FR85 wrote: »

A Roland Fantom XR would be a good one, maybe a Yamaha Motif unit would also be a good purchase, Nord.........it really depends how far you want to go!!
You can buy Roland JV 10/80 or 20/80's at good prices also.

The work similar enough to a keyboard, there would be a scroll pot/up down buttons and you just scroll through the sounds and layers.........

is there any alternative to using mainstage live on windows? or are they even any good?

FR85

justcallmemoses wrote: »

is there any alternative to using mainstage live on windows? or are they even any good?

Computers crash, I don't like using them live and I get nervous seeing them as part of a keys rig because 50% of the time there is a problem, studio is fine when you have time for things to go wrong!!!

When you see the "blue screen of death" though the show is over!!

If you can't do it the old fashioned way don't do it at all!!

The_g-man

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056743129

Soon to be released for very close to the price people still ask for the Fantom XR

http://www.thomann.de/ie/roland_integra_7.htm

http://www.waltons.ie/Product/View.aspx?id=28858

As an alternative, if this is still in stock with the Waltons sale, the Kurzweil PC3 61 key is a bargain. It is close to the same size of the XP30, and is very usable for layering together multiple sounds with ease. People share examples of their combination sounds on this website:

http://ksetlist.com/

justcallmemoses

The_g-man wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056743129

Soon to be released for very close to the price people still ask for the Fantom XR

http://www.thomann.de/ie/roland_integra_7.htm

http://www.waltons.ie/Product/View.aspx?id=28858

As an alternative, if this is still in stock with the Waltons sale, the Kurzweil PC3 61 key is a bargain. It is close to the same size of the XP30, and is very usable for layering together multiple sounds with ease. People share examples of their combination sounds on this website:

http://ksetlist.com/

thanks very much for that! I must get out there and play some of them

how much would I get for the xp30 or are they even worth anything these days?

also I have considered maybe going for a roland rd series stage piano (i know i said i want 61) but I played one yesterday and the feel is brilliant! I however didnt get a chance to go through the other sounds in it like brass and synth stuff

FR85

justcallmemoses wrote: »

thanks very much for that! I must get out there and play some of them

how much would I get for the xp30 or are they even worth anything these days?

also I have considered maybe going for a roland rd series stage piano (i know i said i want 61) but I played one yesterday and the feel is brilliant! I however didnt get a chance to go through the other sounds in it like brass and synth stuff

If you like the RD check out the Yamaha CP-300. Nice feel and for my ears better sounds.

The_g-man

If you're up in Dublin once in a while Musicmaker have Yamaha, Korg and Nord to try out. Waltons would have Kurzweil and some Roland models, between them you get to compare what works best for you.

If you are playing cover songs do you have enough room to store your own presets with sounds put together, cut down on gaps between songs. I see the Roland RD700NX has a decent amount of controls over the sounds, and it has some of the newer Supernatural sounds too, but limits to four sounds at a time.

With the Yamaha or Kurzweil there is room for many layers at once, where you can switch specific layers on and off during a song. There are buttons over the organ drawbars to double up in octaves for emphasis during a chorus, or solo one instrument for the quieter moments.

It just seems like an inconvenience to have upper and lower limits, I started my own setups with two or three sounds with a basic idea, now I swear by them. They are a great help to space several sounds across only as many keys as they really need.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJdG2VTrfkA

justcallmemoses

The_g-man wrote: »

If you're up in Dublin once in a while Musicmaker have Yamaha, Korg and Nord to try out. Waltons would have Kurzweil and some Roland models, between them you get to compare what works best for you.

If you are playing cover songs do you have enough room to store your own presets with sounds put together, cut down on gaps between songs. I see the Roland RD700NX has a decent amount of controls over the sounds, and it has some of the newer Supernatural sounds too, but limits to four sounds at a time.

With the Yamaha or Kurzweil there is room for many layers at once, where you can switch specific layers on and off during a song. There are buttons over the organ drawbars to double up in octaves for emphasis during a chorus, or solo one instrument for the quieter moments.

It just seems like an inconvenience to have upper and lower limits, I started my own setups with two or three sounds with a basic idea, now I swear by them. They are a great help to space several sounds across only as many keys as they really need.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJdG2VTrfkA

Thanks for the info! Having looked online i reckon i will go with a kurzweil!
Going to dublin next week to have a play off one

The_g-man

http://waltonsmusic.wordpress.com/2012/09/11/its-nearly-over-summer-madness-sale-ends-this-weekend/

I hope you don't miss the offer, keep in mind the Yamaha MOX range and the soon to be released Korg Krome:

http://www.thomann.de/ie/korg_krome_61_keys.htm

http://www.thomann.de/ie/yamaha_mox_6.htm

It is worth mentioning the Kurzweil PC3 was upgraded to include sampling, the newer model has a K in its name, otherwise they are virtually identical. This is the reason there is a sale price, the K series is still at its original price, which is higher again than the PC3 61:

http://www.thomann.de/ie/kurzweil_pc3_k6.htm