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Is there a keyboard where you can import sound/tones/instruments into it via a usb conectipon and use directly from the keyboard ?
George
George
Am I right ?
- Thread starter Fellwalker
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happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
What you're looking for is a Sampling Keyboard.
The Casio XW-G1 is one of the cheaper ones around.
The Casio XW-G1 is one of the cheaper ones around.
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Actually the Korg Microsampler is pretty much the cheapest sampling keyboard around.
http://www.zzounds.com/item--KORMICROSAMP
http://www.korg.com/microsampler
http://www.zzounds.com/item--KORMICROSAMP
http://www.korg.com/microsampler
If it is NOT a sampler you are looking for, al midrange and top Yamaha keyboards can load external 'styles' that is the rhythm-accompaniment part, 'voices' that are hundreds of instruments and midi's you can download from internet. They load direct from USB into the the keyboard and you can play them straight away.
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Hi everyone,
What Iam after is a Keyboard with the ability to load individual musical instruments in and to use them by calling them up on the keyboard and play that instrument, sorry if I did not make myself clear about what I required as I am not to sure what the terms are .. George
What Iam after is a Keyboard with the ability to load individual musical instruments in and to use them by calling them up on the keyboard and play that instrument, sorry if I did not make myself clear about what I required as I am not to sure what the terms are .. George
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Basically there are three types of keyboards in the world. There are ROMplers which are basically sampled instruments preloaded into ROM and tweakable according to effects and envelope parameters. Most mainstream home and professional keyboards fall into this category. Depending on how much you are willing to spend there are limitations on what parameters or samples are user loadable.
Then there are virtual analogue synths which are like the analogue MOOG synths of yesteryear. They generate tones by mathematical algorithms from fundamental sine, square and sawtooth and pulse and noise waveforms and allow full control over effects and parameters.
Then there are samplers which allow you to sample a note or a sound, anything from a viola to a bus crash, and then play it out on an evenly tempered harmonic scale with tweakable control again over effects and envelope and other parameters.
As you get over the $1000 mark, some synths incorporate features from two or all three of these categories.
I'd suggest watching a few youtubes of these various types of synths in action so that you can better describe exactly what kind of sound you are going for.
Then there are virtual analogue synths which are like the analogue MOOG synths of yesteryear. They generate tones by mathematical algorithms from fundamental sine, square and sawtooth and pulse and noise waveforms and allow full control over effects and parameters.
Then there are samplers which allow you to sample a note or a sound, anything from a viola to a bus crash, and then play it out on an evenly tempered harmonic scale with tweakable control again over effects and envelope and other parameters.
As you get over the $1000 mark, some synths incorporate features from two or all three of these categories.
I'd suggest watching a few youtubes of these various types of synths in action so that you can better describe exactly what kind of sound you are going for.
George, have a look at the Yamaha's I've mentioned earlier, from the PSR series, they do exactly what you want. Happyrat1 (with all respect Happyrat1) knows a heck of a lot about keyboards and synths but I have the feeling that it is way beyond what you are looking for.
All keyboards, from the cheapest to the most expensive have build in hundreds of instruments and accompaniment styles and rhythms (the band that plays with you).
Depending on your budget, they do more and are more advanced. You can load external instruments and rhythms from the slightly more expensive ones and upwards. Best advice is, find a good dealer and have the different models demonstrated. And indeed watch demo's on YouTube although the sound quality on internet doesn' really give a good impression.
All keyboards, from the cheapest to the most expensive have build in hundreds of instruments and accompaniment styles and rhythms (the band that plays with you).
Depending on your budget, they do more and are more advanced. You can load external instruments and rhythms from the slightly more expensive ones and upwards. Best advice is, find a good dealer and have the different models demonstrated. And indeed watch demo's on YouTube although the sound quality on internet doesn' really give a good impression.
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Dick, like you I am trying to get the OP to better articulate his specific needs in order to figure out what exactly he is looking for.
If, as I believe he is looking for an instrument capable of loading voices like a soft synth into hardware then his only real options are expensive brutes like the Kurzweil PC3K or the Korg Kronos or the Yamaha Motif XF series.
With all due respect, I was not aware nor take for granted that the Yamaha PSR series can actually load new sample voices into their ROMs but rather like most ROMplers in that price range, can allow tweaks and adjustments of existing patches be loaded from PC through the use of a dedicated patch librarian/editor software.
Anyway, I think the OP is looking for a jack of all trades solution like a computer based software synthesizer that can be loaded into and run from a standalone keyboard.
If that is indeed the case, then the only solutions I know of which even come close are in the $2000 plus range I listed above.
If, as I believe he is looking for an instrument capable of loading voices like a soft synth into hardware then his only real options are expensive brutes like the Kurzweil PC3K or the Korg Kronos or the Yamaha Motif XF series.
With all due respect, I was not aware nor take for granted that the Yamaha PSR series can actually load new sample voices into their ROMs but rather like most ROMplers in that price range, can allow tweaks and adjustments of existing patches be loaded from PC through the use of a dedicated patch librarian/editor software.
Anyway, I think the OP is looking for a jack of all trades solution like a computer based software synthesizer that can be loaded into and run from a standalone keyboard.
If that is indeed the case, then the only solutions I know of which even come close are in the $2000 plus range I listed above.
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Actually just for grins and giggles here's a keyboard which really is a swiss army knife of sound. 
http://www.musiccomputing.com/studioblade
Then again I shudder to think what an 88 Key i7 models sells for
Gary
http://www.musiccomputing.com/studioblade
Then again I shudder to think what an 88 Key i7 models sells for
Gary
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
From what I've been able to research, the only Yamaha PSR keyboard that has expansion RAM dedicated to downloading and installing user voices is the PSR-S950 and that puppy sells for about $1900.00.
Like I said, it's not a feature usually found on cheaper keyboards except for dedicated sampling keyboards in the budget range.
Like I said, it's not a feature usually found on cheaper keyboards except for dedicated sampling keyboards in the budget range.
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Something that would be capable of having instruments loaded in like and played like , Hammond organ, clavioline, vox continental organ, basicaly 60/70 sounding organs and synth sounds that are relatively near the original sound, would like to have it all in one unit if poss. George.
Thanks for all the info and links, will have a good look around and get back to this post with what I think would best suite my needs and the ask for more advice
Thanks for all the info and links, will have a good look around and get back to this post with what I think would best suite my needs and the ask for more advice
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
First of all, I'd like to know why you insist on having the sounds loaded in? Most reasonably priced keyboards have literally a thousand different voices built in. The ability to load in voices in keyboards is both expensive and not fully implemented in most cases.
Secondly, it would greatly help if you told us your budget.
Secondly, it would greatly help if you told us your budget.
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Actually it would help a lot if George would tell us a few things about what he requires.
Maximum budget.
Full sized or mini keys.
Minimum number of keys desired. 37, 49, 61, 76 or 88
Weighted keyboard or fully hammer action or synth/organ action.
Level of musical expertise.
Intended use. Studio or Gigging.
Other desired bells and whistles. Arpeggiators, auto accompaniment styles, workstation or arranger type keyboard.
Style of music for intended use.
If you answer these questions we can steer you toward the right keyboard for your needs.
Gary
Maximum budget.
Full sized or mini keys.
Minimum number of keys desired. 37, 49, 61, 76 or 88
Weighted keyboard or fully hammer action or synth/organ action.
Level of musical expertise.
Intended use. Studio or Gigging.
Other desired bells and whistles. Arpeggiators, auto accompaniment styles, workstation or arranger type keyboard.
Style of music for intended use.
If you answer these questions we can steer you toward the right keyboard for your needs.
Gary
As I own a PSR S950 (and a PSR 2000) and had many Yammies before, I know exactly what they can do. No you can NOT record samples on these (the Tyros series can) but from quite cheap PSR's models onwards you can load external styles and voices (instruments) into a user memory. The newer models (depending of course on budget) play all this stuff direct from USB-drives or you can connect a PC via a USB-cable to load them in.
I have the feeling that that is what George is looking for.
You are correct Gary, most keyboards, even the cheapest ones of a few hundred dollars, have TONS of all this already on board but to be honest I use many external accompaniment styles (Casio calls them rhythms) as some if not most of them are song specific. There are thousands external styles available and most of them are free to download.
It does indeed help us George, if we know what the keyboard will be used for. Are you a beginner or an advanced 'gigger'.
The more detailed info you have the better advice we can give.
Have a good day
Regards
DickR
I have the feeling that that is what George is looking for.
You are correct Gary, most keyboards, even the cheapest ones of a few hundred dollars, have TONS of all this already on board but to be honest I use many external accompaniment styles (Casio calls them rhythms) as some if not most of them are song specific. There are thousands external styles available and most of them are free to download.
It does indeed help us George, if we know what the keyboard will be used for. Are you a beginner or an advanced 'gigger'.
The more detailed info you have the better advice we can give.
Have a good day
Regards
DickR
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Dick >>> With all due respect, what you call "loading voices" into PSR keyboards is not necessarily that, but in fact loading "patches" or "parameter settings" of existing voices to tweak them to sound different or better, but still using essentially the same waveforms that are burned into ROM.
From what I've read, the S950 is indeed capable of loading actual new "voices" (ie. it contains 64K of sample RAM so it can actually load in a new sound) but lesser PSR models like the E433 lack any sort of RAM capable of loading in new waveforms.
Now I'm not certain what formats the sound files are supposed to be in for the S950, be it WAV or AIFF or some proprietary Yamaha format but you could in effect somehow record a drain gurgling on your computer, run whatever conversion software is available and turn it into an instrument on the S950. There's not so much as a hope or a prayer of doing the same thing on an E433. It's simply physically impossible short of removing the ROM and replacing it with a custom burned chip.
Otherwise, though, I believe the cause for confusion here is when you refer to "loading voices" on the PSRs. On the lesser models, this is simply limited to loading a preset string of data parameters for each individual "voice" or "patch" which controls things like effects settings, layers, envelope parameters and other tweaks which can indeed sound like something completely new.
But believe me, you'll never be able to make a gurgling drain sound with an E433. It's simply not possible with that hardware.
Even on my Korg TR, in order to have it be able to import new sounds, I had to install a $300 sampler and 64K RAM upgrade before I was able to turn any random WAV or AIFF file or sampled sound into an instrument.
So I really do want to make it clear to the original poster that if he wants to be able to load new samples into his keyboard and play them in a standalone setting, his best options are either a cheap sampling keyboard like the Korg Microsampler or the Casio XW-G1 or else spending well over the $1500 mark for something that has the optional RAM either built in or as an addon that can handle the import of sampled instruments.
Or for that matter, if it's not for a gigging situation, he may be better off simply buying a MIDI keyboard controller (with no sounds built in) and hooking it up to a PC or a Mac and then have the option of buying a limitless number of virtual synths and running them from software.
Also, I'd like to point out that at no point did the original poster express any interest in arpeggiators or rhythms or styles so it still remains a question as to whether he is looking for a workstation or an arranger keyboard. All we know for sure at this point is that he desires soft synth capabilities in a hardware standalone keyboard.
And while this exists in a few exotic keyboards like the Studioblade I linked, this is by no means anything approaching what is currently standard in standalone keyboards.
Gary
From what I've read, the S950 is indeed capable of loading actual new "voices" (ie. it contains 64K of sample RAM so it can actually load in a new sound) but lesser PSR models like the E433 lack any sort of RAM capable of loading in new waveforms.
Now I'm not certain what formats the sound files are supposed to be in for the S950, be it WAV or AIFF or some proprietary Yamaha format but you could in effect somehow record a drain gurgling on your computer, run whatever conversion software is available and turn it into an instrument on the S950. There's not so much as a hope or a prayer of doing the same thing on an E433. It's simply physically impossible short of removing the ROM and replacing it with a custom burned chip.
Otherwise, though, I believe the cause for confusion here is when you refer to "loading voices" on the PSRs. On the lesser models, this is simply limited to loading a preset string of data parameters for each individual "voice" or "patch" which controls things like effects settings, layers, envelope parameters and other tweaks which can indeed sound like something completely new.
But believe me, you'll never be able to make a gurgling drain sound with an E433. It's simply not possible with that hardware.
Even on my Korg TR, in order to have it be able to import new sounds, I had to install a $300 sampler and 64K RAM upgrade before I was able to turn any random WAV or AIFF file or sampled sound into an instrument.
So I really do want to make it clear to the original poster that if he wants to be able to load new samples into his keyboard and play them in a standalone setting, his best options are either a cheap sampling keyboard like the Korg Microsampler or the Casio XW-G1 or else spending well over the $1500 mark for something that has the optional RAM either built in or as an addon that can handle the import of sampled instruments.
Or for that matter, if it's not for a gigging situation, he may be better off simply buying a MIDI keyboard controller (with no sounds built in) and hooking it up to a PC or a Mac and then have the option of buying a limitless number of virtual synths and running them from software.
Also, I'd like to point out that at no point did the original poster express any interest in arpeggiators or rhythms or styles so it still remains a question as to whether he is looking for a workstation or an arranger keyboard. All we know for sure at this point is that he desires soft synth capabilities in a hardware standalone keyboard.
And while this exists in a few exotic keyboards like the Studioblade I linked, this is by no means anything approaching what is currently standard in standalone keyboards.
Gary
Gary you are absolutely right about loading the voices etc, they are in fact patches and adjustments but make sometimes a total different sounding 'instrument'.
I am trying to make it not to complicated for George. Again I have the feeling that our friend is asking for information about a not to expensive keyboard what can do as I described before and ie the PSR E433 can, although limited, do that. It can load (OK tweaked) voices and styles.
That's all there is to it.
BTW the S950 can load the so called YEP packs (Yamaha Expansion Pack) into a special user area. It uses wav forms of real instruments and drums and they sound super. However you can NOT use the on board (midi)recorder to record these sounds. But trough LINE OUT you can of course record the lot on a PC.
Take care
DickR
I am trying to make it not to complicated for George. Again I have the feeling that our friend is asking for information about a not to expensive keyboard what can do as I described before and ie the PSR E433 can, although limited, do that. It can load (OK tweaked) voices and styles.
That's all there is to it.
BTW the S950 can load the so called YEP packs (Yamaha Expansion Pack) into a special user area. It uses wav forms of real instruments and drums and they sound super. However you can NOT use the on board (midi)recorder to record these sounds. But trough LINE OUT you can of course record the lot on a PC.
Take care
DickR
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Kewl about the YEP packs on the S950. My Korg TR lets me record samples thru a line in, or a set of stereo mics or allows me to use up to 64 K of any random WAV or AIFF files on SD cards as instruments. But like I said, adding this ability was a $300 option on a machine which already cost me $1500 new.
Other options available to the OP, should he desire this kind of capability include the Kurzweil PC3K which has the same sampling ability built in, or the PC3LE which is a stripped down PC3K without the sampler but still has the ability to load new sounds into the flash ROM.
http://kurzweil.com/products/pro_keyboards/
Or another option is the Muse Receptor which while not cheap, offers obsolescence proofing by being able to load soft synths into a hardware module which he can then hook up to a MIDI controller to play pretty much an infinite library of sounds.
http://www.museresearch.com/products/index.php
Neither of these are cheap options though, but if he has deep pockets and is determined to have this ability these are some of what I'd consider to be the best choices in the current market.
Other options available to the OP, should he desire this kind of capability include the Kurzweil PC3K which has the same sampling ability built in, or the PC3LE which is a stripped down PC3K without the sampler but still has the ability to load new sounds into the flash ROM.
http://kurzweil.com/products/pro_keyboards/
Or another option is the Muse Receptor which while not cheap, offers obsolescence proofing by being able to load soft synths into a hardware module which he can then hook up to a MIDI controller to play pretty much an infinite library of sounds.
http://www.museresearch.com/products/index.php
Neither of these are cheap options though, but if he has deep pockets and is determined to have this ability these are some of what I'd consider to be the best choices in the current market.
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Looks like it could be a Roland Fantom-G8 Workstation ?
George
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
That's a really nice board, though the expansion sounds come from plugging in expansion ROM cards, not downloadable files thru the USB port or SD cards.
Anyway, if it's inside your budget, then that opens up every top of the line keyboard to you from the Studioblades to the Kurzweils to the Korg Kronos to the top of the line Yamahas.
My advice to you is if you've made up your mind to visit other keyboard forums and forums specific to the one you've chosen and ask the people who already own these monsters how happy they are with them. More importantly, ask them what they'd do differently if they had it to do over again.
$4 Grand is a fair bit of change to plunk down on a board based on our opinion, two guys who've never owned any of the top tier stuff mentioned here.
Anyway, here's hoping you find what you're looking for.
Gary
Anyway, if it's inside your budget, then that opens up every top of the line keyboard to you from the Studioblades to the Kurzweils to the Korg Kronos to the top of the line Yamahas.
My advice to you is if you've made up your mind to visit other keyboard forums and forums specific to the one you've chosen and ask the people who already own these monsters how happy they are with them. More importantly, ask them what they'd do differently if they had it to do over again.
$4 Grand is a fair bit of change to plunk down on a board based on our opinion, two guys who've never owned any of the top tier stuff mentioned here.
Anyway, here's hoping you find what you're looking for.
Gary
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Hi Gary,
Thanks for all the replies, its the choice at them moment but ? ( there`s always a but ) I am also applying a steady as she goes approach and will be looking at more boards in the same price range just to make sure its the buy for me ... George
Thanks for all the replies, its the choice at them moment but ? ( there`s always a but ) I am also applying a steady as she goes approach and will be looking at more boards in the same price range just to make sure its the buy for me ... George