Some help with the basics!

[eagleyes]

Hi Folks, wish you a very happy new year!

Have recently bought the Korg PA 700 and the Roland Juno DS 88 (one for the arranger features and the other for the piano type keys and 'Roland' sound') - I am a hobbyist and am familiarising myself with these instruments. I have some basic questions that I am seeking help with:

1. I have bought a local double X type stand that can have two keyboards, but it did not come with weight specifications - I am hoping both these keyboards are not too heavy to put on top of each other (the DS on the lower level and the PA 700 on the higher level) - I know it's difficult to accurately answer this, but any ideas on typical weight a standard double keyboard stand can take?

2. I would like to play the PA 700 using the DS 88 - How do I connect MIDI and how easy is it to do?

3. I would like to use the speaker system of the PA 700 to output sounds from the Roland (line out to line in) - Is this doable?

4. I have been reading on subtractive synthesis - in most cases, it talks of manipulating standard wave, sine and saw waveforms - are these available on either of these keyboards (I mean raw waveforms that I can edit using onboard synthesis tools or the Roland DS Librarian and Editor on a PC)

5. On the Pattern Sequencer on the Juno, is there any way for the pattern to follow chords (like in an arranger) or does every 'sequencing' need to be in a specific scale while getting created?

6. I have a PC with a good set of speakers (in addition to a keyboard amp I am using with the Juno) - but since the PC is in another room, is it possible for me to connect the Juno DS to the PC (Midi to USB) and then hear the Juno sounds (either onboard or the librarian) through the PC speakers - asking this since I believe the DS is capable of routing Midi and Audio data through the USB cable.

Thanks much for all the information you guys share.

 

[anotherscott]

1. These are not particularly heavy keyboards. Even though X-Stands are not the best, I would expect these are well within weight spec.

2. MIDI cable from DS88 MIDI OUT to PA700 MIDI IN. There may or may not be settings to change, depending on exactly what you need to do.

3. Line Out of the DS88 to Line In of the PA700.

4. Yes, both boards include samples of traditional synth waveforms, and editable synth parameters.

6. I'm not sure, but I think you're asking if the Juno will send audio out of its standard MIDI port... and the answer--for every keyboard in existence--is no.

 

[SeaGtGruff]

6. I have a PC with a good set of speakers (in addition to a keyboard amp I am using with the Juno) - but since the PC is in another room, is it possible for me to connect the Juno DS to the PC (Midi to USB) and then hear the Juno sounds (either onboard or the librarian) through the PC speakers - asking this since I believe the DS is capable of routing Midi and Audio data through the USB cable.

As @anotherscott said, you can't send audio data over a MIDI connection.

But if the DS can send audio over USB (I haven't checked), you can connect the DS to the computer via standard USB (not MIDI to USB) and play the audio through the computer's speakers.

However, it's my understanding that USB cables shouldn't be too long or the length of the cable can introduce too much latency in the signal. That might not matter too much with audio data, but it could be a problem if you were to transmit MIDI over the USB cable.

 

[happyrat1]

My $0.02 on the generic X-stand. Together those two boards weigh around a good 60 lbs or more. Add to that a bit of spirited crescendo playing and you could easily achieve 100 lbs of downward impact force on the single structural support point of any type of X-Stand.

Also, the higher you set the stand for playing the narrower the support toward the ends of an 88 keyboard.

If it shakes or wobbles at all while playing I would seriously consider replacing it with a two tier Z stand rated for 200 lbs or better.

Personally I use OnStage KS7365ej Two tier stands for my boards. They're relatively cheap and they are built like the proverbial brick outhouse.

Amazon.com

Believe me, $160 is a cheap investment to keep $3000 worth of gear from smashing to the floor.

EDIT : BTW, the Onstage stand is rated for 350 lbs.

Gary

 

[eagleyes]

Hello. I was watching a video of the Kronos and the Piano engine (that allows for lid open, shut etc) - certainly it's a digital sound manipulation. Can this (and other Piano effects) not be simulated in the DS or the PA given that these claim to be full blown synths? Or are there specific settings to emulate these type of effects?

 

[happyrat1]

I wouldn't call the DS a full blown synth. You are pretty much limited by the nature of the sampling and the handful of effects available to a program.

The sort of effects you are talking about are physical modelling effects and require a hell of a lot of tweaking in the lab to get them to sound just right.

Gary

 

[eagleyes]

Greetings! Folks, I got myself an iPad (didn't want to, but the only way of getting some value for my defunct MacBook air was a trade-in, I am an Android guy and not particularly fond of the iOS ecosystem) - that being said, it has GarageBand and I want to use it to connect to my DS and PA. Basic reading makes me believe it is quite a capable DAW. Now my questions:

1. The keyboards have a USB to Midi connection that will connect to the iPad camera connection kit?

2. The Juno is connected to an external amp, PA has its own speakers - I want the GarageBand sounds to come out of these respective speakers when I play using the synths, doable?

3. Can I download more sound banks for GarageBand free of cost?

4. So, in a nutshell, the iPad becomes the synth engine and the keyboards, controllers.

Sounds cool?

 

[eagleyes]

Oh, and the more I read the instruction manual of these keyboards (have them printed out as booklets) the more I realise I don't know sh$t about synthesis or even rythms and styles and oscillators and LFOs and TVFs and Reverbs and Attacks and Release and...........I need a Disprin!

 

[SeaGtGruff]

(1) Yes, you should be able to connect your keyboard's USB-MIDI to an iPad Camera Connection Kit. Just be sure to buy the correct kit for it, because different generations of iPad have different connectors (30-pin, Lightning, etc.).

(2) Yes, you just need to get a mixer so you can run the audio from your iPad's headphones output to the speakers at the same time as the audio from your keyboard.

(3) I don't know, as I haven't used GarageBand in a while. But there are a number of free virtual instruments that people have made for the iPad, as well as free sample players such as a free version of SampleTank. And of course there are many virtual instruments and soft synths available for purchase.

(4) Yes, there are people who've gone this route. As with using any computng device to run virtual instruments and soft synths, you need to be aware of how much processing muscle your device has, so you don't run into issues by putting too heavy of a demand on it.

 

[DGX20521]

Greetings! Folks, I got myself an iPad (didn't want to, but the only way of getting some value for my defunct MacBook air was a trade-in, I am an Android guy and not particularly fond of the iOS ecosystem) - that being said, it has GarageBand and I want to use it to connect to my DS and PA. Basic reading makes me believe it is quite a capable DAW. Now my questions:

1. The keyboards have a USB to Midi connection that will connect to the iPad camera connection kit?

2. The Juno is connected to an external amp, PA has its own speakers - I want the GarageBand sounds to come out of these respective speakers when I play using the synths, doable?

3. Can I download more sound banks for GarageBand free of cost?

4. So, in a nutshell, the iPad becomes the synth engine and the keyboards, controllers.

Sounds cool?

Hi there! Hope you've been having fun playing. I've been getting myself set up in GarageBand (an old version, 6.0.5) and am having a bit of trouble downloading more software instrument sounds. Did you end up finding free sounds you liked? Thank you!

 

[anotherscott]

2. The Juno is connected to an external amp, PA has its own speakers - I want the GarageBand sounds to come out of these respective speakers when I play using the synths, doable?

I know it's an old inquiry, but since it's bubbled back to the top, in case it helps anyone else... It's easy, no mixer required. The DS has an external audio input.

3. Can I download more sound banks for GarageBand free of cost?

(3) I don't know, as I haven't used GarageBand in a while. But there are a number of free virtual instruments that people have made for the iPad, as well as free sample players such as a free version of SampleTank. And of course there are many virtual instruments and soft synths available for purchase.

Yes, there are tons of free and cheap MIDI-playable sound apps, and there are even apps to make it easier to use them in various combinations (like Camelot Pro and Keyscape) BUT it's worth noting that GarageBand in particular does not play well with others, because you can't limit it to responding to just a single MIDI channel, which is what you need to do when you want to be able to independently trigger sounds simultaneously from more than one app.

 

[Biggles]

To add to Scott’s post with regard to audio inputs.

The Korg also has audio inputs.

I had my Korg Pa700 on the lower tier and my Kross 2 on the upper tier.

The Kross 2 audio outputs were fed into the Pa700 and I used the inbuilt amp and speakers of the Pa700 to hear the sounds played on the Kross 2.