choosing a second board, help!

[march56]

Hi,

I'm new to the synth. thing. I have a Yamaha P-80 which gives me the piano and some organ and strings for my "rig". I also have an E-mu piano module but it seems a dupllicate of my P-80 except for marimba. I'm in a smooth jazz group and I need a second board not weighted! and inexpensive. We are playing everything from funk to the Rippingtons. Also I'm not one to pay extra for a name. Originally I thought it would be economical to buy a used module and a controller but now I think it would be better to use a synth as a controller instead. Maybe a Kawai k-5000? I will need to cover horn parts, string parts and synth fill parts with this one as well as synth solo parts.

I really have no experience in this area except I used to run a roland k-100 or something with my E-mu and other than horrible action I had good sounds for under $200 and my current set-up sounds about the same with great action.

Thanks for the help!

-M.C.

[SaltyDogg]

You would want K5000W, not K5000S, because that doesn't have sampled sounds like horns, strings, etc.

 

But you might be better off with something like a Kurzweil PC2. Or just attach the rack module ME1, or even Roland XV series.

 

The K5000 is a complicated additive synth at heart... if you want stock patches probably go with a ROMpler. The K5000 is not what I would consider a lead synth, more like a pad synth.

 

I am not sure why the one you are using is insufficient. It sounds like you just want even better sounds... in which case why not get a module?

[march56]

 

Originally posted by SaltyDogg You would want K5000W, not K5000S, because that doesn't have sampled sounds like horns, strings, etc. But you might be better off with something like a Kurzweil PC2. Or just attach the rack module ME1, or even Roland XV series. The K5000 is a complicated additive synth at heart... if you want stock patches probably go with a ROMpler. The K5000 is not what I would consider a lead synth, more like a pad synth. I am not sure why the one you are using is insufficient. It sounds like you just want even better sounds... in which case why not get a module?

 

 

The board I'm using is fine for piano parts, however many of the tunes we're doing have piano parts as well as horns and strings simultaneously. I can comp chords on the piano with my left hand and play string parts with the right or whatever but I will need to have one or two extra boards besides the piano. Listen to Herbie Hancock and the Headhunter's Chameleon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXurhDMrdzs. He has a Rhodes 88 suitcase with a D-6 Clavinet on top. To the left he has an Arp 2500 and I don't remember what the lower keys are on that side, mabe a grand piano or something. Anyway I think I'm up to playing this live with the right set-up. Then I will have to have the wah pedal for the clav part and be able to change over to modern tunes like Rippingtons etc. with lots of synth fill chords, synth lead parts, and electric and acoustic piano sounds as well as a healthy arsenal of B-3 sounds on tap for Tower of Power, Sons of Champlain and Jimmy Smith!!!!!!!!!

Sorry Got out of control.

-M.C.