Keys, Synths & Samplers

[Stabby]

I've seen a GEM Equinox Pro HD (61 keys) on sale for €200. Does anyone have experience with this board? Is it a good deal?

[WDMcM]

Buy it and send it to me!

[AnalogGuy]

Grab it! It's one of the most multitimbral machine out there plus there's awewsome groove mode and arpeggiator as well.

See my old thread about it:

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/...an-pro-heaven!

If you won't buy it, I will!!! Where did you see it for such a bargain price?

[Stabby]

Hi AnalogGuy, do you by any chance know how much the 61-key version weighs? I can't find any information about that.

I'm probably not buying it after all. If you want it, you'll have to all the way to Belgium for it

[AnalogGuy]

Originally Posted by Stabby

Hi AnalogGuy, could you by chance make a demo that shows the capabilities of the Drawbar mode? I've heard those on Synthmania, but it seems all that changes in these demos is the leslie speed. Does it really emulate a Hammond?

Sorry, but I had to sell my Equinox away and I'm still wanting it back. I haven't ever played real Hammond and I do not even like organ sounds but the drawbars on Equnox, to me, were pretty convincing, but I'm sure you can get better emulation from Nord Electro II, althought Equinox have really its own unique characteristics.

Btw, if you didn't know, I have no proofs but I am sure the filter is modeled very closely after Elka Synthex. It's exactly same in both Equinox and Generalmusic S2/S3 and it sounds just wonderful... just must be very careful to avoid digital distortion. Generalmusic S2/S3 was in fact the Elka's last project but was interrupted by their bankcrupt and Generalmusic toke over it. The synthesis engine is almost identical in both synths but Generalmusic sounds a lot more hifi than Equinox... S2/S3 uses 18-bit DAC whereas i believe Equinox uses only 16-bit... it sounds more lofi when comparing exactly same preset patches... besides the bit, Generalmusic S2/S3 uses 44.7 KHz samples!

[Stabby]

Hi AnalogGuy, I changed my post since I just figured that the different demos of the drawbar mode on Synthmania are in fact different drawbar settings.

I don't think I'll buy this after all. I'm almost broke anyway, I shouldn't be buying any more stuff!

[Conbrio]

Looks like an interesting keyboard. Unfortunately, GEM gear doesn't show up often in the USA.

[delaware dave]

i own two: check my avatar, i've been using them for almost a decade. one is the pro 88 and the other is the 76 key non-pro. keep in mind that GEM is no longer in business and product support is probably an issue. but for the price you are looking at; it is worth the risk. also, if you want to hear how it sounds, check out my youtube videos (live):

http://www.youtube.com/user/dyinbreedband

[adrix]

I just changed the battery of my (vintage 1999 :-) ) Eq 76 and continue to love the beast. These days I use it mainly as a controller for the DAW and for its solo timbres which make it unique.

[zoink]

The GEM Equinox is actually a great board. It was originally billed as a more affordable "bang for your buck" alternative to the K2000, but I actually think it stands quite well on its own. Nice filter, too. I found mine a few years ago for $140, and have gotten a lot of use out of it.

[rockinroller]

I've owned around 10 of those guys over the years, ever since they first came out in the late 1990s. I've had all but the 88 note version (too big and heavy to lug around for gigs) and have to say that, for their time they were extremely powerful. The "Hammond" and Leslie sounds and effects were top-notch for the period and basses, horns, even reeds and strings were respectable. They never could get the acoustic pianos right, however, with a Casio-like toy sound rather than any substance.

The worst part about these boards is their unreliability however. Often they'd lock up, freeze, etc. and you'd have to restart to get moving. Tech support is non-existent and parts even more scarce. I guess for a hundred bucks or so it's a safe investment but for much more than that you can buy a newer board from Yamaha--even Casio--and get plenty of power and playability than with these guys.

[delaware dave]

Originally Posted by rockinroller

I've owned around 10 of those guys over the years, ever since they first came out in the late 1990s. I've had all but the 88 note version (too big and heavy to lug around for gigs) and have to say that, for their time they were extremely powerful. The "Hammond" and Leslie sounds and effects were top-notch for the period and basses, horns, even reeds and strings were respectable. They never could get the acoustic pianos right, however, with a Casio-like toy sound rather than any substance.

The worst part about these boards is their unreliability however. Often they'd lock up, freeze, etc. and you'd have to restart to get moving. Tech support is non-existent and parts even more scarce. I guess for a hundred bucks or so it's a safe investment but for much more than that you can buy a newer board from Yamaha--even Casio--and get plenty of power and playability than with these guys.

As the topic was the EQ PRO I would have to disagree with your piano assessment. I owned both the pro 88 and non-pro 76 key. The Pro piano was actually very good as it was taken from the Real Piano series of keys. Still one of my favorite pianos and would compete well even in today's environment. The non-pro acoustic piano, I would agree with you 100%, I hated it. I used the sample area to drop in a Kurzweil piano someone gave me from a Kurzweil diskette. That gave the keyboard a 'respectable' acoustic piano, still not great but better than the delivered acoustic. I also used Ensoniq pianos from their CDR2 and 4 collections, converting them using AWAVE. I also owned both of them for about 12 years and other than changing out the internal battery on both (about 6 months ago, the first time for both) I never had an ounce of trouble with either one of them. I still own and use them and they work great. The 88 PRO weighs in at 72 pounds (a beast to transport). I still gig with them every once in a while for a change of pace and outdoor gigs in questionable weather (threat of rain, extreme heat, extreme cold). I power them up once a week to keep the battery charged which is why I think I got 12 years out of the batteries. So I can't complain about them at all. The technology is dated but for basic rhodes, wurli, acoustic piano, hammond, brass and strings they cut it for me. Also, it was a terrific Midi Controller, two ins, two outs and two thrus. It also did MIDI MERGE so no separate Midi Merge box was needed. It also filtered out up to 7 midi messages, both on the Midi In side and separately on the Midi out side. But with GEM going out of business and parts generally not available it was time for a change. But I do really like the replacement keyboard that I purchased, the Kurzweil PC3.

[rockinroller]

You are lucky to have gotten that much service from your internal batteries, and even luckier that your circuitry didn't stop working all of a sudden. GeneralMusic had a "quiet" internal service bulletin a few years ago regarding their batteries and how they were leaking acid on to the surrounding circuitry, basically rendering the board either useless or limping along with some functions not working. I think the key consideration--if looking at one of these to purchase--is to identify whether the battery has been replaced from the OEM, and really the only way to do that is to remove the cover and take a look.