Need help buying workstation

[Necrofear]

Hi everyone, i'm new here and i need your help please.

I intend to buy a synthesizer (workstation) with great orchestra sounds (strings mostly) and choirs (really important).

I'm interested in Roland GW8, but i've read a review saying that the orchestra sounds are "a mix from good do clunky" and the choirs aren't really that good... And so is the chrch organ...

From your experience, give your opinion about what's the best buy.

Please help.

 

[robthehoood]

I sujest KORG. if your looking for new go for the M3 or M50. or is your crazy the oasys.

if your goin used get a triton, has a sampler and that gives you an endless suply of sound!

 

[jpscoey]

I intend to buy a synthesizer (workstation) with great orchestra sounds (strings mostly) and choirs (really important).

I'm interested in Roland GW8...

From your experience, give your opinion about what's the best buy.

You asked about opinions, so here's mine!

If you are wanting great 'pads' (ie: string/choral-type sounds) Korg is the way to go...

I have an M50, & it can do virtually anything.

Forget about Roland - I've had a few of them.

They're complicated to use, & the voices/sounds are not as good as Korg (IMO)

For 'realistic' acoustic-type sounds, Yamaha are the best at that.


What you haven't said is how much money you've got to spend?


As always - you usually get what you pay for.

.

 

[Necrofear]

Oh, sorry, i forgot about the price range... xD
I really don't want to spend more than €800... I am not rich loool...

I had in mind the M50 but it's expensive, furthermore, i'll need to buy an amp because it doesn't have speakers. In the end, i would have spent about €1300/1400 for the keyboard and the amp... =S

 

[Skipp]

Well, I would strongly advise against buying a keyboard amp.

It's useles on live stages since you have a big sound system you plug into,
and for playing at home just get a good set of 2.1 PC spekers. Trust me - it's more then enough.

I use Logitech X230 (2 speakers + a subwoofer), and i NEVER turn it up more then 50% cause it's loud as hell

Plus - you have 2 spekers (R+L). If you buy a keyboard amp (like the Roland cube for example) - all you get is a stupid single box hehe

 

[Necrofear]

That was another doubt i had... I have a set of 5.1 PC speakers (2 speakers + subwoofer), but i thought that i couldn't use them with a keyboard.
Are you sure that i can use them on ANY keyboard?? I ask this because i checked out the Korg M50 photos at Thomman.de, and i've seen a picture of the back pannel of the synth, but i haven't seen where could i connect the PC speakers there ( maybe that's because i know little or nothing about synths -_-' )...
If that is possible, maybe the Korg M50 is really the wat to go

 

[Skipp]

You can use any PC speakers on any keyboard.

Ofcourse, cheap speakers won't give you the best sound you can get out of your
keyboard... then again... cheap speakers won't give you a good sound on anything hehe.

what you need is this http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop_image/product/7b5bb74867fd7dc212d6ed42aae346d3.jpg

It's a regular converter jack that you plug into your keyboard (into the PHONES output), and stick the tiny jack from your PC speakers in it.

Phones output on your keyboard is a STEREO output (unlike R/L channels which are mono), so you need a stereo jack. You will recognise it by those 2 black circles on the top of the jack (see picture above)

 

[Necrofear]

Hhmm... That's really helpful, thanks a lot

Another doubt, if i may:
I found a 6 month used 61 keys Korg M50 for €800, the owner says he wants to sell it just because he wants to buy a Korg M3. He also offers a damper pedal (whatever that may be lol...)
Do you think it's a good deal?...

 

[Skipp]

Sounds good to me. But make sure he has all the papers/reciets for it, and all buttons/keys work.

And yea - you really don't want to play a keyboard without a damper pedal (aka Sustain pedal)

 

[Necrofear]

I'm taking organ lessons and not piano lessons, so i don't know if the damper pedal will be that useful to me


But then again, i'm still a novice...

 

[Skipp]

Ofcourse it will. You can turn the leslie effect on/off with a pedal.

No need to "jump" around the keyboard to hit the SW buttons or the Joystick-up
for enabling leslie.

That way both of your hands remain on the keys

 

[Necrofear]

You speak with rather 'expensive' words for my vocabulary xD
Things like 'SW buttons' or 'leslie' are beyond my comprehension for now lol...

 

[Skipp]

You speak with rather 'expensive' words for my vocabulary xD
Things like 'SW buttons' or 'leslie' are beyond my comprehension for now lol...

You said you were getting organ lessons... I can't imagine how in the world
you don't know what a leslie rotor is.

It's like saying you're taking driving lessons but you don't know what the wheel is

Also, you mentioned Korg M50 - and all Korgs have SW buttons on the left side
of the keyboard that are programmable, so you can assign functions to them.

 

[Necrofear]

I think the reason why i don't know what a leslie "thingy" is, it's because I've only had two lessons so far...

The SW buttons i've heard of it before, but still, didn't know what it was...

Thanks for the explanation Skipp

Still...
Regarding the converter jack and the connection of the PC speakers.

The jack you've shown me had only one "hole" to connect the speakers into; but, my speakers (5.1) have three cables (red, green and black) similar to this one: http://www.cable-trader.co.uk/images/items/triple_phono_cable.JPG

So, which of the following is the solution??
- The jack is enough for the connection, if you weren't so dumb you'd knew it by now;
- That jack isn't the one for your set of speakers and you'll need a different one;
- You're screwed man, you'll need a new set of speakers...

 

[Skipp]

Aah... then you'll need a converter jack. They're very cheap and can be found
in most multimedia/tech stores

Also, have in mind you won't be able to get sound from all your speakers.
Keyboards use stereo sounds so you'll get 2 channels - L and R, meaning only 2 speakers will work.

Most probably front L and front R

 

[Necrofear]

Hhmm... I hope it works...
Can you send me a photo of your connection (the speakers connected to the jack ) so i can get the idea? It would be very helpful
(I'll send you a private message with my e.mail)

 

[Skipp]

Well, all PC speakers should have the same input jack.

they should look like this
http://www.puremobile.ca/insiderblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/audiojack.jpg

That's the jack that goes into the green line out port of your PC audio card

Some spekers consist out of several "parts". For example I have the main amplifier
with a subwoofer on which i plug in the sattelite speakers - BUT i plug in
the amplifier part into my PC (or keyboard).

I also have those red/white connectors for the speakers, but i don't plug them in my keyboard. Like I said - you plug the amplifier.
Forget about the other colors (if you have 5.1 or 7.1 systems you'll have more, but you don't need those)

Basically - Just take the green audio jack that goes into your PC audio card and stick it into your keyboard

 

[Necrofear]

Ok, i've followed your advice and purchased a brand new Korg M50-61 for €1070.

So, i think this topic it's closed. But the problems have just started...

Thanks everyone for the help, you've been great

 

[Skipp]

Hehe... good luck and have fun