Arranger keyboard for composition not live performance?

[Jane]

Hi,

Does anyone know of an arranger keyboard geared towards composition rather than live performance, or a workstation with built in speakers, that is simple to learn? I will be using the keyboard mainly for sketching musical ideas (classical pieces and some ambient/electro). Portability and simplicity are key concerns so I was looking at an arranger keyboard, rather than a workstation. However my concern with buying an arranger is that I simply won't be using any of the live performance features such as the accompaniment styles, the intro's, fills etc, so am I wasting money by having to pay for features that I'm not using?

My priorities would be a good sequencer, with lots of memory for different songs, and flexibility for composition, (such as being able to change the time signature in the middle of songs). As I say this would only be for sketching musical ideas, so the quality of sounds is not my first priority, although it obviously would be a bonus.

Currently am looking at the Yamaha PSR-S710 (available for around £700). It seems to tick all the boxes, but again am I waisting money by paying for all those backing styles, intro's fills etc that I'm not using. Are there arrangers out there without any of that. Was looking to spend between £400 - £800 though could stretch to more if the right instrument was out there.

Any recommendations would be most appreciated!

 

[The Y_man]

Interesting - as I usually associate portability with live performance

Looking at your requirements, I am thinking a midi controller board and laptop might be better? (sequencer software is MUCH easier to use IMHO than onboard ones of any machine)

The Y-man

 

[b3maniac]

You might look into "Band In A Box" and see if a software solution such as that might be of interest. There are also some other similar programs that have preset "styles" which you can use to assemble songs. If you want more flexibility, then using a software DAW (Logic, Sonar, etc) is probably the most flexible but you need to be able to actually play the individual tracks into the machine. Don

 

[Abhishek Ramchandani]

You could try either Motif or Kronos... both have excellant sequencers...
I have both.. however i prefer the Kronos...
www.youtube.com/MrAbhi30196..- thats my youtube page... you can check it out.. all the songs there have been recorded on the korg kronos sequencer...
On the downside, both are way too expensive..

 

[plchong]

Hello Jane,

The Yamaha s710 is a good choice. As you say, it "ticks all the boxes".

Now as far as the extra features you don't want (intros, exits, etc.) they may very well come in handy. For example: Someone wants you to help in writing a song, or You want to feature a tune you made, but the hearer wants a full version, and so-on. I have not seen any arrangers without those features. The available memory on the S710 is decent, but it can use a thumbdrive.

Just a parting thought: If you are only doing this for yourself, then the S710 may just be the one. But if you are going to do this for yourself and other people, then you might want to get the best you can afford (S950, or even the Tyros4), because you might end up regretting that you had not..

Hope it helps....................Pat