Korg triton rack version

[kopec]

Hi, I was just wondering what are the pros and cons
of having rack version instead of *classical* version -
it doesn't have to be Korg Triton particularly, of course,
Maybe you can do more things about it, more options how
to enrich your sounds, but I think it's not very suitable
for live playing, or is it? And when I have this rack version,
I need to buy some specific MIDI controller keyboard or
the device communicates with most of the keyboards via
MIDI? Really I don't know
thanks

kopec

 

[kanthos]

Anything that speaks standard MIDI will be fine communicating with a rack that speaks standard MIDI. The usual issues apply: you must be sending data on the right MIDI channel(s) (i.e. the sending device must send on the channel that the listening device is responding to), you have to set it up properly, not every device will generate or send every kind of message, etc.

There's nothing special about a rack; a rack is basically a keyboard without the keys. Most of the time, racks are functionally equivalent to their non-rack counterparts.

Racks are great for live playing, although obviously not as the only piece of gear you bring with you. The idea is that one keyboard won't have all the sounds you want, or won't have enough polyphony to play everything you want, so you add a rack or several so that you can play more things at once or switch between parts more easily (most keyboards and racks don't smoothly transition between sounds, although there may be ways to mute or unmute some sounds if you're playing in a multitimbral mode).

 

[kopec]

Anything that speaks standard MIDI will be fine communicating with a rack that speaks standard MIDI. The usual issues apply: you must be sending data on the right MIDI channel(s) (i.e. the sending device must send on the channel that the listening device is responding to), you have to set it up properly, not every device will generate or send every kind of message, etc.

There's nothing special about a rack; a rack is basically a keyboard without the keys. Most of the time, racks are functionally equivalent to their non-rack counterparts.

Racks are great for live playing, although obviously not as the only piece of gear you bring with you. The idea is that one keyboard won't have all the sounds you want, or won't have enough polyphony to play everything you want, so you add a rack or several so that you can play more things at once or switch between parts more easily (most keyboards and racks don't smoothly transition between sounds, although there may be ways to mute or unmute some sounds if you're playing in a multitimbral mode).

thanks,
what would be better gear for me as a beginner?
I have an offer to buy M-audio 88es for 150 dollars - it's
MIDI controller, right? so can i play it out loud through some software
in my PC (gosh, I'm pretty sure I already asked this kind of question ?
or should I get some *proper* keyboard like Triton or tr-61?
If I bought that MIDI controller, I could in fact connect it with e.g.
Korg trinity rack and use its interface? is there some problem with
the compatibilty btw devices from various providers or is it really
just the matter of MIDI channeling and correctly adjusting the protocol?

thanks again for your precious time

kopec

 

[kanthos]

A MIDI Controller (and any keyboard with MIDI output) can control any other MIDI device. A controller can let you play software instruments, a rack, or another keyboard. Same goes for a normal keyboard: you can play software instruments, a rack, and another keyboard. MIDI is a standard that's independent of manufacturers, so you can mix and match gear generally without any problems.

Are you a beginning pianist (i.e. you've rarely tried to make music with any kind of instrument with keys in your life), or a decent pianist who's just never played on a keyboard? If you're a total beginner, even a trinity rack and KeyStation might be overkill, unless you're planning on using the sequencer to pre-record stuff and just play it back. On the other hand, if you're a good pianist and want to get into keyboard sounds, the only real advantage the Trinity Rack will have is that it'll be fairly cheap, since it's an older unit. Newer ones will cost more but sound better.

What skill level are you at, and what kind of music and what kind of sounds do you want to make? Do you prefer realistic-sounding acoustic instruments? Need a good grand piano sound? These things make a big difference to what people could recommend you.

 

[kopec]

A MIDI Controller (and any keyboard with MIDI output) can control any other MIDI device. A controller can let you play software instruments, a rack, or another keyboard. Same goes for a normal keyboard: you can play software instruments, a rack, and another keyboard. MIDI is a standard that's independent of manufacturers, so you can mix and match gear generally without any problems.

Are you a beginning pianist (i.e. you've rarely tried to make music with any kind of instrument with keys in your life), or a decent pianist who's just never played on a keyboard? If you're a total beginner, even a trinity rack and KeyStation might be overkill, unless you're planning on using the sequencer to pre-record stuff and just play it back. On the other hand, if you're a good pianist and want to get into keyboard sounds, the only real advantage the Trinity Rack will have is that it'll be fairly cheap, since it's an older unit. Newer ones will cost more but sound better.

What skill level are you at, and what kind of music and what kind of sounds do you want to make? Do you prefer realistic-sounding acoustic instruments? Need a good grand piano sound? These things make a big difference to what people could recommend you.

Hi, I'm a total beginner, I've been playing keys (Casio CTK-573)
for almost a year- never played intensively on piano, i have gone
throught basic music theory, and simply I'd like to have sth to
exercise with here in Prague, but it would have also various options
of editing and mixing sound, etc
Style: Nightwish (lots of orchestral sounds), Stratovarius (harpischord), Children of Bodom, but I'd like to have good piano sounds as well.
I prefer sth with dynamic keys (velocity-dependant or how is it called)

thanks kanthos

kopec

 

[kanthos]

Well, you're not going to get a really good piano sound from an older Korg unless you sample one yourself. Yamahas, I'm not sure; the MO6 piano sounded better than the Korg TR, which is as good or better than the Triton or Trinity (the rack versions should sound the same as the keyboard versions).

Basically, it comes down to how much you want to spend. If you can get a really good deal on the Triton Rack, that and the KeyStation 88es or another controller would be good. If you want an actual keyboard, the less expensive models you'll find in stores now are the Yamaha M06 or M08 (the Motif ES sound with less features), the Korg TR (previous generation; discontinued but still in stores) or M50 (current generation; costs more than the TR but the sound will be better), or one of the Roland Juno series.

THe big question is whether you want sampling or the capability to add custom sounds. If so, the Korg TR or maybe the Triton Rack (I know the Triton had sampling; not sure of the rack) is your best bet. The KeyStation doesn't have aftertouch (the keyboard responding to the pressure you put on the keys after the initial touch) and the TR does; out of the two, I'd recommend the TR. If you just want to add other sounds people have made but don't want to create your own, you can skip the sampling upgrade for the TR and just add the extra RAM you'll need.

If you don't want sampling and just want to use the on-board sounds (or create nw sounds using the on-board waveform data), you'll possibly want the Yamaha M06; it's better acoustically (in my opinion) than the TR or Korg M50. Ideally, you should try them both and see what sounds better to you; keyboards are all about personal preference.

That's it for what's in stores, but you may be able to find something used that might be better (I'd take the Triton Extreme with the MOSS expansin over any Korg model today, other than the OASYS, even though it's older, and I'd take a MOTIF/MOTIF ES/MOTIF XS rack and a good controller over the M06/M08, Korg M50, or Korg TR if I didn't need sampling). If craigslist or something similar operates in your city, give it a try; you could end up with something better than you could otherwise afford.

 

[kopec]

thank you kanthos, I'm gonna get that M-audio keystation,
at least I can finally start playing, and later on can upgrade
it with some rack version with sampler upgrade.
I think that's it for now, thanks

kopec

 

[kanthos]

Woah, no you can't.

The KeyStation 88es is just a controller. It produces NO SOUND. You need another synth, rack, keyboard, or virtual instruments on your computer to actually play.

 

[kopec]

Woah, no you can't.

The KeyStation 88es is just a controller. It produces NO SOUND. You need another synth, rack, keyboard, or virtual instruments on your computer to actually play.

yeah, I know, sorry, I meant like start playing
through virtual instrument in my notebook, sorry
my mistake ;-) Could you recommend me some
of those - we were talking about the possibilities,
and there are either complete DAW or separate
virtual instruments - could you recommend me sth?
thanks

kopec

 

[kanthos]

Really, it depends what you want to spend. I'd strongly suggest downloading demos first to see what feels most natural and what has sounds you might like, and try and find some free instruments too; there are lots. I especially recommend the free Kore Player by Native Instruments.