Should I sell my keyboard?

[Kaleby Oliveira]

Hey guys! I have a korg kross 2 61 keys, and after buying that, i discovered that roland juno ds would be a better choice (maybe yamaha mx 61 would too?). My question is: should I sell my kross to buy a juno or its not that big difference? I play at the church and love progressive rock/metal, so this would the primarily use of the board.

 

[happyrat1]

The trade would be pretty much a lateral one and would cost you more than it would benefit you.

Save your next trade in for something super, like a Nautilus or a Krome.

Trade up, not side to side.

Gary

 

[anotherscott]

Hey guys! I have a korg kross 2 61 keys, and after buying that, i discovered that roland juno ds would be a better choice (maybe yamaha mx 61 would too?). My question is: should I sell my kross to buy a juno or its not that big difference?

Each has pros and cons relative to the others. What did you discover about the Juno DS that makes you think it's the better choice?

 

[Biggles]

Trading in for a Juno is a step change, both up and down.

Far better to move up to a Nautilus or a Roland Fantom O series.

I had a Kross 2 and Gary had a Juno so between us we are well used to both keyboards.

What is it that the Kross 2 does not do for you?

 

[Kaleby Oliveira]

Thank you for the answers! What made me think about Juno was that it doesn't cut the sound when you change patches (btw, I don't know if this is so noticeable when you are playing with a band), and the fact that it has better piano sounds (maybe some editing would made kross sound better). The third motive is the keybed, its a lot light on kross, but i didn't tried juno on, so it's based on the opinion of the users that I read on internet. Thats all. Kross is my first professional keyboard, I had a psr e413 before and bought the Korg to learn how to play Dream Theater songs, so I'm learning how to operate this kind of keyboard yet.

 

[anotherscott]

I reviewed key Kross/JunoDS differences in the post at https://www.keyboardforums.com/thre...s-what-should-my-second-be.32202/#post-216965

The actions of the 61s are not worlds apart. They are both quite poor for piano, even as non-hammer actions go. They have poor dynamic control, and quickly become much more resistant as you move toward the back of the keys. You also mentioned the MX61, I would say that's the best of the three for piano sound and playability. What did you think of the action on your old Yamaha P413? I'm not familiar with that one, but I'd expect the MX61 to be similar if not better, so if you liked that better than the Kross action, that would also indicate you're likely to prefer the MX action over the Kross action as well.

As for sound cut-offs, you can assemble sets of 16 sounds on the MX where sounds will not cut off when you switch from one to the other (switching entirely seamlessly), but there will be cutoffs if you switch to a sound outside that set of 16. Other limitations to be aware of are, in that set of 16, only 4 can have insert effects; and you can only split/layer one set of the two within that set of 16 unless you use an external editor. In the end, every board has its pros and cons, it's just a matter of what's most important to you, and of course, just what you like the sound and feel of.

(As for the similar feature on the Juno DS, you can similarly assemble sets of 16 sounds with seamless switching, where 3 of the sounds can have insert effects, but you can also switch from ANY sound to any other sound without cut-offs, if you're okay with occasional glitches in the sound due to changing effects, more or less noticeable depending on the particular sounds you're switching between. NOt quite seamless, but still much better than having sounds drop out entirely, if you're trying to hold one sound or let it naturally decay while switching to start playing your next sound.)

 

[delaware dave]

It depends on what your requirements are. Every keyboard has strengths and weaknesses. If the weaknesses (lets say a poor DX7 sound) isn't something that you use then you aren't impacted by the weakness of the keyboard. You haven't mentioned what your requirements are, like weighted vs. non-weighted keyboard, what instruments (piano, organ, synth) need to be strong instruments, the number of keys, etc. then it would be difficult for any of us to answer your questions.

 

[Kaleby Oliveira]

TBH, even though i'm intermediate level on keyboards, i'm new to the wolrd of professional synthesizers. After buying kross 2, I started to think that I bought the wrong keyboard, and reading on internet, I read that people prefer juno's sounds and keybed. . So its hard to say what i search for in a synth. But i can try -> i need good sounds, the possibility to edit patches and save them to favorites and switch them. I also use the keyboard to practice. Need non weighed keys (because here in brazil weighed keys are expensive), good leads, pianos and electric pianos, organs and pads. 61 keys. Thats all. I think happyrat1's answer was right, the change would cost me more than would benefit me. I just bought kross because my music teacher (who owns a kronos) said it would be the better choice. One last thing -> maybe if you hear Dream Theater, you would have an idea of what kind of music I would like to play.

 

[happyrat1]

It's a good start. My first pro grade keyboard was a Korg TR76. Since then I've wheeled and dealed and bought and sold old and new boards to end up with my current earschplittenloudenboomer of a studio.

When the time is right, keep your eyes scanning the classified ads. Look for interesting trades or trades plus cash for your next upgrade.

I upgraded my DS61 to a DS88 that way a couple of months after I bought it. It was too much keyboard for the other guy but just right for me and vice versa.

Best way possible to keep it under budget.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

This is what 30 years of wheeling and dealing have brought me

 

[Biggles]

If seamless sound switching is a main priority you will need to spend a lot more cash to achieve this reliably.

 

[vespina]

TBH, even though i'm intermediate level on keyboards, i'm new to the wolrd of professional synthesizers. After buying kross 2, I started to think that I bought the wrong keyboard, and reading on internet, I read that people prefer juno's sounds and keybed. . So its hard to say what i search for in a synth. But i can try -> i need good sounds, the possibility to edit patches and save them to favorites and switch them. I also use the keyboard to practice. Need non weighed keys (because here in brazil weighed keys are expensive), good leads, pianos and electric pianos, organs and pads. 61 keys. Thats all. I think happyrat1's answer was right, the change would cost me more than would benefit me. I just bought kross because my music teacher (who owns a kronos) said it would be the better choice. One last thing -> maybe if you hear Dream Theater, you would have an idea of what kind of music I would like to play.

I actually decided for the JunoDS over the Kross when I was checking options for my first professional-level keyboard, and I believe I made the right choice. Sounds on the JunoDS are really good and its playability live is unique. Programming or altering patches/programs is quit complex, but creating combis is really easy and powerful.

 

[happyrat1]

If I had to keep only one board in that price range I would opt for another DS88 as my all around machine.

Mine served me well for 4 years and I pounded the hell out of it every day.

The most comfortable piano style action I've ever played

But when I owned the 61, I found the keys cheap and rattley, like a $200 Casio

It's up to you to fit your own needs though.

Gary

 

[vespina]

If I had to keep only one board in that price range I would opt for another DS88 as my all around machine.

Mine served me well for 4 years and I pounded the hell out of it every day.

The most comfortable piano style action I've ever played

But when I owned the 61, I found the keys cheap and rattley, like a $200 Casio

It's up to you to fit your own needs though.

Gary

I had a CASIO CT-X800 before getting the JunoDS 61 and I can tell first hand that the JunoDS 61 keybed is WAY better than the CASIO's and certainly doesn't fell cheap AT ALL. The keys are a little shorter but I got used to them pretty quickly (and I have big hands) and the action is certainly not that expressive for piano playing, but its GREAT for everything else, specially organ playing.

I do agree with you that if you are going to play a lot of piano, then the DS88 has one of the best keybeds out there.