Members cincy_cosmo Posted February 21, 2010 Members Share Posted February 21, 2010 Long story but I sold my Roland XP workstation a few months ago to get a Roland GR guitar synth (Call me a fool, 'cause I am) and now wish to replace it. My budget is $1000 or so. I only have space for a 61 or 76 key workstation. I know I can get a Korg ME50 for around 1 grand, or a used Roland Fantom x6 or a Korg Triton LE amoungst others. I'm looking for ease of sequencing and sequence editing, good drums and a decent interface. I'm mainly interested in strings, pads, pianos, woodwind and international instrument sounds, but I love strange electonic pads too. I use it for new age-ish, environmental and rock sounds. I've had a Korg X5 and Roland XP keyboards for the last ten years. I mainly look to y'all for help in the sense I want a reliable long term piece of equipment that I can sequence with. Sampling is a plus as well as having two or more tracks of audio tied to the sequencer....thoughts? Please?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members plaid_emu Posted February 21, 2010 Members Share Posted February 21, 2010 How about the Roland Juno-G? Looks like it's got everything you're after including the sampling/audio track capabilities. http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=756&ParentId=83 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gaul Posted February 22, 2010 Members Share Posted February 22, 2010 Avoid Triton LE. That's a toy.Roland X6/7 sounds well to my ears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members McHale Posted February 22, 2010 Members Share Posted February 22, 2010 Triton LE, no. M50, yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zzzxtreme Posted February 22, 2010 Members Share Posted February 22, 2010 cincy_cosmo, fantom X series is the way to go, since you want audio. Great value on ebay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Nismology Posted February 22, 2010 Members Share Posted February 22, 2010 went down the music store three days ago to try $1000 workstations. Fell in love with the Juno-G, Plan to buy one in a few months, didn't like the Korg M50 +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ddash Posted February 22, 2010 Members Share Posted February 22, 2010 I think a used fantom x would be good for you. I had the fantom x6 and juno g. They pretty much share the same sounds. You get more sounds,more srx expansion slots and a better/bigger display screen on the fantom x. You can find a ton of used Fantom X keyboards with SRX cards in them for under $1000. I think you will definitely like it. Yamaha motif keyboards have great sequencers and much better sounds in imo. I wouldnt touch a korg keyboard,but thats just my experience and opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Diametro Posted February 22, 2010 Members Share Posted February 22, 2010 I think the Juno-G is a nice and light board with lots of potential (same sound engine as Fan-X) ... BUT I'd get a Fan-X in a heartbeat over it if only for the much better keybed with aftertouch and the 4x SRX expansion ... You're going to be getting the World SRX, no doubt. That leaves you with exactly zero slots to continue your sound expansion (I have FanX7 and believe me, it's been maxxed out with expansions a long time ago ... ) Just make sure you can really live with the Juno-G before you commit and not just getting one because it's available new in store ... As someone else wrote, there are tons of Fan-Xs out there, and most of the used ones I've seen have been in a condition I'd feel comfortable buying ... (Main thing with Xs is to make sure the knobs aren't wobbly and exhibit any signs of self-editing ... i.e. knob params changing value without knob being touched ... ) Good luck ... !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cincy_cosmo Posted February 22, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 22, 2010 I think the Juno-G is a nice and light board with lots of potential (same sound engine as Fan-X) ...BUT I'd get a Fan-X in a heartbeat over it if only for the much better keybed with aftertouch and the 4x SRX expansion ... You're going to be getting the World SRX, no doubt. That leaves you with exactly zero slots to continue your sound expansion (I have FanX7 and believe me, it's been maxxed out with expansions a long time ago ... ) Just make sure you can really live with the Juno-G before you commit and not just getting one because it's available new in store ... As someone else wrote, there are tons of Fan-Xs out there, and most of the used ones I've seen have been in a condition I'd feel comfortable buying ... (Main thing with Xs is to make sure the knobs aren't wobbly and exhibit any signs of self-editing ... i.e. knob params changing value without knob being touched ... )Good luck ... !!! I understand what you are saying about slots...my old XP was maxed out with JV boards...the boards in a creative way become larger than the original keyboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Diametro Posted February 22, 2010 Members Share Posted February 22, 2010 And keep in mind, Fan-X has very nice 64 mb piano patch as well as several banks of sounds that Juno-G doesn't ... The only thing you can really say Juno-G has over Fan-X is that it's lighter and has those ultimately useful, but rather dimestore feeling sliders ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cincy_cosmo Posted February 22, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 22, 2010 And keep in mind, Fan-X has very nice 64 mb piano patch as well as several banks of sounds that Juno-G doesn't ... The only thing you can really say Juno-G has over Fan-X is that it's lighter and has those ultimately useful, but rather dimestore feeling sliders ... The weight will be a bummer but I don't plan on gigging with it as much as having it to record with. If I need it for gigging, I could just record what I need into my (much more lightweight) RC-50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members akliner Posted February 23, 2010 Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 You really like the Juno G over the M50? There's a first time for everything I guess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Nismology Posted February 23, 2010 Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 You really like the Juno G over the M50? There's a first time for everything I guess... Yeah, I went to the store especially to try out the M50, and just happened to try out the Juno-G because it was there. Don't get me wrong, the M50 was very nice, but I just found the Juno sounded inspirational and I couldn't stop playing it. On top of all that, the interface was fantastically straight forward and I actually preferred the keyboard action over the M50, which I thought felt a little flimsy. The Juno had a slightly stiffer action. I found dispute the large touchscreen on the M50 was more difficult to work with, bigger screens have more crammed into them. BTW reverb store here in the UK wants almost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members k2500x Posted February 23, 2010 Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 I wonder if Roland will put SRX capability back into the Fantom line? I would have taken a serious look at the G if it did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cincy_cosmo Posted February 23, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 I was on the sales floor at Sam Ash the other day looking at keyboards and talked to the salesman who was semi-literate keyboard wise. The ARX line has taken over the SRX. Like when the SRX took over the JV line, the ARX has only two modules. Roland will slowly introduce others. I personally wish they would make everything backwards compatable, but I guess that would drive the price up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members k2500x Posted February 23, 2010 Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 My guess is SRX cards are still selling very well, and they have not been discontinued at this point. I hardly hear anyone mention ARX cards at all. So who knows? It is possible Roland will have capability for both like they have in the past (JV and SRX). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Diametro Posted February 23, 2010 Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 At this point ARX is a bust ... The common refrain at Roland Clan amongst the critics is the ARX format is too narrowly focused (single instruments only e.g. electric piano, acoustic drums or brass vs. large groupings of sounds in SRX), too expensive (about $400 vs. $250 for the most expensive, in-demand SRX), the sound itself isn't overly extraordinary and the Fan-G has only two slots anyway so you're not going to be expanding your soundset dramatically ... Plusses for ARX include on-board polyphony, effects and processing power ... There's lots of potential ... but if Roland can't figure out a way to get more than just one type of sound (i.e. EPs or brass) they are doomed to failure unless it decides to do something like a VA board or maybe a VC-2 (vocal processing) successor ... Why would Roland think a Fantom G owner would want a $400 brass card ... One that apparently doesn't even have good presets for "Tower of Power" or "Chicago"-style sections ... Minus the fatalities, I'm kind of thinking Roland is the new Toyota ... I'm not saying all their gear is rubbish ... And I still think there's hope for the Fantom-G (and right now it would still be my choice) ... But Roland took alot of wrong turns after the Fantom X on the way the G ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cincy_cosmo Posted February 23, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 The plus side however to ARX cards (don't mistake me for defending Roland, I think JV cards should still be supported), is that they have logical algorithms, ie, allowing you to adjust instruments, like drum depth, material etc etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cincy_cosmo Posted February 23, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 In looking a Fantom X's on eBay some are listed as having an Audio Track Expansion Kit, which after searching Roland's website apparently was something offered for purchase for early models as an upgrade. From what I can see it was around $50 to upgrade, but is out of circulation now. Any ideas how to get that if I go the Fantom X route? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members augerinn Posted February 23, 2010 Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 I was completely underwhelmed by my Juno-G. Only had it a few weeks and flipped it. It had the Classic Keys expansion and extra memory, as well as a PCMCIA adapted for flash. Of course, I bought it as a performance controller, not a workstation, so i can't comment on it's WS capabilities. used the money to buy my PC2X, which is exactly what I was looking for. My biggest beef was keybed feel. The keys are about 3/8" of an inch shorter than most, and it's really noticable. The sounds were numerous, and pretty good. Not much better than the JV line to my ears, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zoink Posted February 23, 2010 Members Share Posted February 23, 2010 At this point ARX is a bust ... There's lots of potential ... but if Roland can't figure out a way to get more than just one type of sound (i.e. EPs or brass) they are doomed to failure unless it decides to do something like a VA board or maybe a VC-2 (vocal processing) successor ... I wish Roland had done what Korg did, which was to put out over 200mb of sample/patch collections that can be downloaded from their website and loaded into the M3's volatile memory. It's a great way to support their user base. What Roland should do is convert their old JV library into downloadable samples/patches for the Fantom G. They're not making the JV cards anymore anyway, and it would be a great way to win people over to the Fantom G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cincy_cosmo Posted February 24, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 24, 2010 I just got back back from Guitar Center and compared the Juno G to the Korg M50. I have to say I like the sounds of the Juno G. The feel of the Juno G and M50 were on par with each other, but the Fantom they had on display was better than both of those (It should be at 2x the cost). The M50 had some cool sounds but the fact it is a closed system, no sampling, no expandability bugs me. Looking more and more like a used Fantom X with the Juno G being plan B. If I get totally into the Korg sounds then it will be time to get a Triton Rack or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members midinut Posted February 24, 2010 Members Share Posted February 24, 2010 I just got back back from Guitar Center and compared the Juno G to the Korg M50. I have to say I like the sounds of the Juno G. The feel of the Juno G and M50 were on par with each other, but the Fantom they had on display was better than both of those (It should be at 2x the cost).The M50 had some cool sounds but the fact it is a closed system, no sampling, no expandability bugs me. Looking more and more like a used Fantom X with the Juno G being plan B. If I get totally into the Korg sounds then it will be time to get a Triton Rack or something. You should be able to locate a used M3-61 or M3-73 for around $1000 used. I did and haven't regretted it for a moment.You will find the keyboard action to be much better on the M3 over the M50. With the M3-88 vs. M50-888 it's a wash because they both use the same keyboard IIRC.It's also a much more expandable system than the M50 for what it's worth. If you're into the new age stuff, you'll love KARMA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cincy_cosmo Posted February 24, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 24, 2010 You should be able to locate a used M3-61 or M3-73 for around $1000 used. I did and haven't regretted it for a moment.You will find the keyboard action to be much better on the M3 over the M50. With the M3-88 vs. M50-888 it's a wash because they both use the same keyboard IIRC.It's also a much more expandable system than the M50 for what it's worth. If you're into the new age stuff, you'll love KARMA! I look at eBay and keep seeing them running around $1500...I'll keep looking but I'm not real hopeful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Diametro Posted February 24, 2010 Members Share Posted February 24, 2010 $1000 for a M3-61 sounds very low ... even for just the module ... Try ... but I wouldn't count on finding one that low ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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