Crowd sourcing at its finest

[NonDairy]

I'm going to try to let the collective brilliance of this forum aid me in my research. I'm buying a new keyboard soon. Let me tell you exactly what I'm looking for and maybe you know one that encompasses all my criteria.

 

1) 76 keys. I play in a cover band, so it's gotta be portable. The lighter the better, but I also split the keyboard a lot and 61 keys isn't enough.

 

2) an easily accessible transpose/octave button. The Kronos is wonderful, but that seems like a total oversight (same for the Krome). For patches I create, I can program them tuned down, but, for instance, we play Takin' Care of Business in B. I use an organ/piano split, but I also use it for a number of other songs. I'd hate to use an extra program slot just so I can play that one song in C.

 

3) sounds that don't change when I select a new patch while sustaining them. I'm currently playing a Juno Stage. Sadly, Roland disavowed it almost immediately after its release, so the promised updates never came. It's nearly perfect for what I do, but that's a serious issue. Effects from one patch affecting another is really a sore spot with me.

 

4) related to that, I don't want my patches to cut off when I choose a new patch. Our guitarist is constantly changing the setlist around, so I have to program in a new "favorites" list for each gig. I hate that I can't hold down the last note of a song while switching to the next patch.

 

5) an arpegiator.

 

6) some way of playing sound files. We have a few songs with prerecorded sound effects. I need to be able to hit "play" and trigger an mp3 or wav file.

 

7) the keyboard sound from Jump. Yes, I could play around with a detuned saw, but it's so much easier if it's already available. One of the things drawing me toward a Yamaha or a Korg are the sheer number of libraries people have already created featuring patches from popular songs my band plays.

 

8) a way to make setlists. See number 4. It's not cool to be searching for a patch between songs. Keyboard players have been fired for less. Also, we play upwards of 40-50 songs per night, so 10 or 16 favorites won't cut it.

 

9) a touch screen would be cool, but it's not a deal breaker.

 

10) a Leslie effect that comes on like a real Leslie. The rock organs on the Stage have it either on or off (even using the mod adjust, there's no gradual build) and it's annoying. I'm sure there's a way to adjust it, but on its own, it sounds very artificial.

 

11) a mod wheel that stays on. This also isn't a deal breaker, but I'm tired of having to hold the modulation on the Roland. I'd prefer something that doesn't spring back into place.

 

12) something with at least slightly better sounds than what I'm working with now. The patches on the Stage aren't awful, especially given my main uses for them, but frankly, the Alesis QS7 I bought in 1998 has plenty of better sounds (when they're not being drowned out by the 20-year-old keybed).

 

Well, that's about it. Sorry I wrote a book, but I've been playing on the Stage for years now and I'm all too familiar with its shortcomings. Now, money isn't entirely an object, but I'm not going to spend $4,000 for a full arranger when I can get a workstation that does everything I want for $2,500 (or less). But I'll gladly fork over the cash for a Yamaha Montage if that's the one that meets all my requirements. I'm also willing to buy one without playing it first (unless someone knows where I can sit down at a Kurtzweil), but I'd prefer to check it out first if at all possible.

 

Thanks!

[NonDairy]

Also, before anyone says anything, the only laptop I own is for work (so I don't actually own it) and I'm honestly not interested in buying a midi controller and using a computer on stage. Also, I don't do a lot of DAW stuff, so the more I can tweak stuff on the keyboard itself, the better. I also don't really want to have to deal with more than one keyboard for live shows, so buying two that can each do half of what I want isn't really an option.

 

Again, you're the experts. I look forward to your advice.

 

Thanks.