I am in the process of joining a local Metalcore band, along the lines of The Devil Wears Prada, We Came as Romans etc. My current keyboard is not quality enough for live gigs. I'm looking for a workstation that has a good piano sound, along with synth sounds, as that is mainly what i will be using. I'm willing to spend no more than probably $1,200. Weighted keys aren't necessary, but i don't want cheap feeling keys either. At least 61 keys. I've been looking at the Yamaha MO6, Juno-G, Korg M50 (love the touch screen), and also the GW8. I want to make the right choice, and from just looking at these online i have no idea. I have played the M50 at guitar center and liked the sound, but i thought the keys felt cheap, maybe because it was a floor model. Any input will be really appreciated. If you have one of these models please share your thoughts on it.
First of all I disapprove. (I played keys in a death core band.. it was soo pointless.) Second off, Go used. If you dont know much about keyboards heres a lesson (especialy if your looking into KORG) The KORG X50, nice keyboard, feels like shit. And has a really twangy piano. But heres where it matters, all these programs and combis ('sounds') have whats called IFX and MFX (insert and master effects) and KORG has been trying to make more affordable keyboards by striping them of power. If you go to korgusa.com and look at the x50 or TR it will say based off the HI synthesis engine of the TRITON family. Okay so heres where it matters I own a Korg TRITON and KARMA both based off the HI engine, and those came out 1999 - 2002 and they can hold much more programs then the x50 or TR, they have a sequencer wich is good if you wanna have an intro that is very complex (ide know) but most of all, in a single program you can have 5 IFX but in an x50 you can only have ONE, so why does it matter? okay say you have a solo lead tone, and you want it to have distortion obviously, some reverd, and a phase and echo, and an EQ ...you cant. but with the triton you can. In other words, the older keyboards are better (and have touchscreens!) I got an 88 key triton classic for 700 bux, and a 61 key karma for 500 with a stand and expansion board. triton has a horrible piano sound, but you can get the exb boards CHEAP. youd spend less money for something more powerful. If you decide for this, let me know and il give you help if you need it on how to work them.
I agree on everything above. M50 has great sounds (thanks to the basic M3 ROM), but it is cheaply built so it can fit it's price range. The MO has all the ROM from the Motif ES but no sampling option (neither does the M50) - but, the MO has a cheap keybed aswell. Yamahas are well known for their great acoustic sounds, but (i owned the motif ES) KORG blows everything away when it comes to combi manipulation and synth/pad sounds. As mentioned above - I would go with a used triton or even triton extreme if you manage to find one for that money. Yes, they have the crappiest pianos you can think of - but there are tons of third party sample libraries for the triton series so you can easily load Piano samples that sound good. That's another good thing when it comes to flagship keyboards - they have the sampling option installed so you can always add new sounds and samples. Can't do that on the M50/MO/x50 Oh and... stay away from the juno-g. They have faulty displays that go nuts after a year-or so. Google it - tons of users have trouble with it. Some of them got replaced by Roland for free... some of them... well... did not. I always got the feeling Roland is slacking behind when it comes to midrange-high-end keyboards... Not that there's something wrong with them... it's just that Yamaha and KORG have much more to offer for the same price.
So the Triton doesn't come with very good installed sounds? How easy is it to add more sounds/get more sounds. Also does the Triton have weighted keys?
Tritons come with great sounds - they just have crappy pianos (well... KORGs always have crappy pianos). They come in weighted keys - but only the ProX versions (88 keys). Only the 88key version of workstations come with weighted keys - and those are NOT graded keys like on stage pianos. This means you will have weighted action but upper keys won't be lighter then the lower ones (like on the real piano). Instead of that, all keys will be the same weight.
Ah, thanks for clearing that up. I don't have a problem with non weighted keys, aslong as they don't feel REALLY cheap. Its looking like i can get a used Tritan pro 88 keys for likie 1300 shipped, which isnt too bad.
Okay guys, i have spent hours of reading reviews and articles on the Triton, and It is definitely what I'm going to buy. Most likely a Triton Extreme, although I am still unsure if i need the full 88 keys or not. My main concern is how to even begin to learn how to use all the functions. I am a skilled pianist, but i have been playing on a baby grand, and cheap keyboard for 5 years. I don't even understand hardly any of the terminology you guys are spitting out.
Triton extreme is a great workstation. You have tons (and I really mean TONS) of stuff on the interwebz for it. Samples, programs, combies... Any flagship workstation is a big hill to climb if that's your first workstation - the triton is surely one of the biggest - but, there's that brilliant touch screen that makes life so much easier. Start by reading the manual... about editing programs, filters, routing effects, and then jump to combis. If you master that - you're more then good to go.
