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TIMKEYS

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I played the V-Combo when it originally came out. The new one is pretty similar. Sorry to say, I hated the Roland organ sound, too shrill in the high end and the leslie sim was not that great. The piano and rhodes sounds were sub par too.

The key action was fantastic though - buttery smooth for organ.

 

I think for swiss army knife style keyboards, the Nords blow it away. But it does have drawbars!

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I played the V-Combo when it originally came out. The new one is pretty similar. Sorry to say, I hated the Roland organ sound, too shrill in the high end and the leslie sim was not that great. The piano and rhodes sounds were sub par too.

The key action was fantastic though - buttery smooth for organ.


I think for swiss army knife style keyboards, the Nords blow it away. But it does have drawbars!

 

 

maybe so,, but I cant buy a new nord for the 1350 I paid for this.

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Ordered a roland VR700 today. Took a chance ,, I have not played this board. I do play rolands , so it seemed like a logical choice for the kind of music I play.


:facepalm:

 

Haven't had a chance, nobody in my area seems to want to display one. I'd be super-interested to hear your impressions. I've been wondering about this one for a while. Still have yet to find a good replacement for my QS7.1

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I just played a Vr700 today, but not to audition the sound (so I can't comment about that). I wanted only to check out the feel of its keybed. It's one of the few unweighted keybeds manufactured today that doesn't make me cringe. It reminds me of my old Roland synths when they actually made fast, responsive actions. It's what a "synth action" should feel like.

 

Today, it seems like companies are obsessed with making "semi-weighted" crap, in other words trying make keybeds slower and less responsive. Some companies are even making their "not really a piano action" keybeds "graded" (ie, Yamaha's Piaggero). How stupid is that? Model the worst defect in a piano's design, with a minimum of the attributes.

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Just pull the trigger on a Ventilator to go with it and you'll be all set.

 

 

I hear good things about those. For now i need to let my piggy bank build up... I still have to buy a bullet proof case the airlines cant destroy. Any suggestions. I want to stay away from anything with steel .. due to I live at the beach ,, the salt air is total hell on anything with steel.

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Haven't had a chance, nobody in my area seems to want to display one. I'd be super-interested to hear your impressions. I've been wondering about this one for a while. Still have yet to find a good replacement for my QS7.1

 

 

will do ,,, I wish i could have played one in person , but I live down here on the edge of the earth in texas by the border. No one stocks any higher end keyboards here. I have been playing a RD300sx for the last few years, so I am ok with the roland sounds.

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I've played an RD300sx for years. Although I wasn't trying the VR700 for its sounds, what I heard of the organ patch was notably better than the 300sx (whose organs are really its weakest area).

 

 

yea ,, i dont think the organs on the sx stage piano are weak as much as they are limited. It has a couple that I use. 3 and 5 are the best organs on it. Its a down from the flagship stage piano so you are going to have that.

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Does that board take the JV expansion cards? I know a guy who has a vintage keys and the 60's/70's cards for $140 each. Those would definitely beef up the sounds in there.

 

 

I dont know. to be honest ,, my theory on boards is that I dont need 4000 sounds ,, i need six good ones. I am not a tweeker. I am pretty sure the piano, electric piano , brass and strings on this new board is pretty much like what I have on my roland stage piano. If thats so ,, i am good to go with this board in its stock form. I am in a gulf and western band ,, its not very demanding when it comes to the sounds i need. Thats what attracted me to this board. its simple.

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I just played a Vr700 today, but not to audition the sound (so I can't comment about that). I wanted only to check out the feel of its keybed. It's one of the few unweighted keybeds manufactured today that doesn't make me cringe. It reminds me of my old Roland synths when they actually made fast, responsive actions. It's what a "synth action" should feel like.


Today, it seems like companies are obsessed with making "semi-weighted" crap, in other words trying make keybeds slower and less responsive. Some companies are even making their "not really a piano action" keybeds "graded" (ie, Yamaha's Piaggero). How stupid is that? Model the worst defect in a piano's design, with a minimum of the attributes.

For playing hammond, wurlie, and clav, I prefer semi-weighted to synth-like. I played a JX10 for years and I'm using that as my standard for synth action. When playing piano parts on it, dynamics never felt right (regardless of settings), and I'd often play unwanted notes with a weakly raised ring finger. I have no such problems with sem-weighted, though of course the dynamics still aren't what they'd be with a hammer action key.

 

But I agree that it's insane to grade a semi-weighted keyboard! I don't feel any need for grading in the first place, though I might if I were using a digital to practice for acoustic performances. Like release samples, it's imitating a flaw that piano designers would strive to avoid as much as possible. In this case, it's a flaw that does nothing for me!

 

Hope you like the VR700, in any case.

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For playing hammond, wurlie, and clav, I prefer semi-weighted to synth-like. I played a JX10 for years and I'm using that as my standard for synth action. When playing piano parts on it, dynamics never felt right (regardless of settings), and I'd often play unwanted notes with a weakly raised ring finger. I have no such problems with sem-weighted, though of course the dynamics still aren't what they'd be with a hammer action key.


But I agree that it's insane to grade a semi-weighted keyboard! I don't feel any need for grading in the first place, though I might if I were using a digital to practice for acoustic performances. Like release samples, it's imitating a flaw that piano designers would strive to avoid as much as possible. In this case, it's a flaw that does nothing for me!


Hope you like the VR700, in any case.

 

 

Thanks ,,, I am living down here in south texas on the edge of the earth. I know getting a repair on a keyboard is going to take time. I feel its pushing my luck to keep running with one board like i have been doing for the last couple years.

 

I was going to just get a duplicate of my rd 300sx..; but somthing just bothered me about spending money on an instrument that I already have. The VR seems like a natural, because its a do it all stand alone board. I am not sure what board is going to be my work horse that stays at the house gig.

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I dont know. to be honest ,, my theory on boards is that I dont need 4000 sounds ,, i need six good ones. I am not a tweeker.

 

 

Me neither . . . for the most part. As I mentioned earlier, I'm looking for a viable second board to fill the slot (currently occupied by an Alesis QS7.1) over my RD700NX.

 

 

Said board would need:

 

 

Some passable B3 organs with a leslie sim, a few decent AP's and DP's for emergencies.

 

Good brass/string/orchestra sounds.

 

Good layer and split capability which would have to be fairly easy and quick.

 

Fairly simple MIDI implementation (also controller capability would be nice but not a deal breaker).

 

And since I've been invited to fill in with and ultimately join a Doors tribute, a KILLER Vox Connie emulation would be important.

 

That's why I've been wondering about the V-Combo - would it fit these criteria?

I think I'd pretty much have to see it in person or get a ripping good endorsement from a respected source.

 

 

Another possibiity is a 73 or 61 key Korg M50, I guess; if the sounds are good and I can wrap my brain around the interface that looks like an option.

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Mickey- Nord Stage 2, you can use the sample library for the brass and orchestra, samples and the synth engine for strings. It's got a killer models of the transistor organs. The other sounds go without saying- they are all better than anything Roland puts out. It's a super easy to use keyboard for live. Splits, layers, no menu diving to get to stuff.

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Mickey- Nord Stage 2, you can use the sample library for the brass and orchestra, samples and the synth engine for strings. It's got a killer models of the transistor organs. The other sounds go without saying- they are all better than anything Roland puts out. It's a super easy to use keyboard for live. Splits, layers, no menu diving to get to stuff.

 

Thanks Dan - yeah, a Stage would be the IDEAL solution. A 73 with waterfall/semi-weighted keys,though - I don't want another 88.. And I am in total agreement on the organs especially the Vox. Heard the sample on Nord's site a couple of days ago and it KILLS. I'll take your word on the brass/strings for now. Thought I was cured of GAS after getting the RD700NX . . . :facepalm:

 

But I remember looking at one in a GC and not being able to change a single patch on it and feeling stupid, because I usually don't have any trouble figuring boards out. :confused:

 

So I have up to now just assumed a steep learning curve. (Although I was exhausted from a savage work week and not at my best that day . . . )

 

In any case, I considered it but it's way over my financial head right now. I'd have to sell all my other gear and myself on the street to even smell one.

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I have the older model, a 73 compact with the waterfall keys, and it's real nice to play. Even the pianos are ok as you can set a velocity curve per patch. The new ones are pretty costly though, that's why I opted for the older model. I didn't need the sample playback part, but having the synth along with the pianos and organs is a perfect complement to my S70XS.

 

Not sure why you couldn't change patches, you grab that dial and turn, or you hit the page button and then there are the buttons for individual patches on each page. It's not the easiest way to get around live though, I map all my program changes on it from my Yamaha.

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It's not the easiest way to get around live though, I map all my program changes on it from my Yamaha.

 

 

Yeah, I would do the same on the RD. That's how I make changes on the QS. I've created a number of "generic" setups and some named after specific songs.

 

But I think before I start seriously GASsing over anything, I'll squirrel away some more cash and head off to the great PDF library to check out some OM's

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Mickey- Nord Stage 2, you can use the sample library for the brass and orchestra, samples and the synth engine for strings. It's got a killer models of the transistor organs. The other sounds go without saying- they are all better than anything Roland puts out. It's a super easy to use keyboard for live. Splits, layers, no menu diving to get to stuff.

Except for pianos. The latest Nord piano sounds are far better than the original ones (which are barely good enough to use), but they're not flat out better than Roland pianos. However, it's great that with the Nords, you can download newer ones as they become available. Do any of the Rolands support that?

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UPDATE. seems as though the VR700 demo I bought and recieved the conformation order on, was already sold. Now i have to wait for the end of the month for them to get a board in. Its lookin like I am going to get a new one for the demo price. works for me lol.

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