I'm looking for an FM keyboard
GreenXenon
I would like to buy a musical keyboard that has 88 keys and relies
purely on FM synthesis [not sample playback] to generate tones. I
would like it to have a headphone jack. In addition, I should be able
to somehow record songs that I play on the keyboard and then burn them
into a CD.
It should be the highest audio quality FM keyboard that has the above
characteristics.
I plan to make karaoke tracks using this keyboard and then burn the
karaoke songs into CDs.
The reason I prefer FM over sample-playback, is because the former has
better synth-pad quality than the latter.
What keyboard should I buy?
Thanks a bunch
philicorda
I can't think of a pure FM synth with 88 keys.
The Yamaha DX1 has a superb keyboard with 73 keys, and plenty of
polyphony so you can layer sounds for thick pads. The DX5 doesn't have so
nice a keyboard but is more common and cheaper, and has the same sound
engine. DX7IIFD is pretty common, slightly worse keyboard, slightly
better converters and is cheap.
If you really want a FM pad monster, have a look for a TX816 rack, which
has 8 16-voice DX7 synths on it. It can sound massive. No keyboard
though.... In the same line, the FS1R rack is very underrated, and
probably the last of the real FM synths.
Seems a little extreme for karaoke though. It's going to sound pretty
cheesy doing *everything* on an FM synth too.
I'd strongly advise getting a computer+sequencer for the bulk of the
music recording, and a softsynth like Native Instruments FM7 for your FM
pads. It's all maths with FM synths, so the softsynths sound very similar
to the hardware keyboards. (You can even load DX7 patches into FM7.)
>
>
> Thanks a bunch
Laurence Payne
What synth-pad sound needs to stretch over 88 notes?
GreenXenon
wrote:
I'm thinking of TX816 but where can I find an 88-keyboard that is
compatible with it?
On
http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:ap_OGwTwwBwJ:reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Keyboard%2BAnd%2BMIDI/product/Yamaha/TX816/10/1+TX816+keyboard&hl=en&gl=us&strip=1
it states "do make sure you have a decent 88 note pianohammer keyboard
at hand"
GreenXenon
Synth-pads are not the only instrument I plan to play. I also would
like to involve paino, guitar, synthstrings, string-ensemble and other
instruments in my karaoke.
GreenXenon
> it states "do make sure you have a decent 88 note pianohammer keyboard
> at hand"
Ok, I check http://www.soundofmusic.se/synthsandmore/tx816.htm and it
states that TX816 is "less good" for warm pads. I'm not sure I want
TX816 after reading that.
I prefer a type of pure FM synth generates the highest-quality synth
pad sounds -- especially polysynth pads. I might still like TX618,
it's just that the statement "less good for warm pads", sort of
discourages me.
Laurence Payne
<gluce...@gmail.com> wrote:
>Synth-pads are not the only instrument I plan to play. I also would
>like to involve paino, guitar, synthstrings, string-ensemble and other
>instruments in my karaoke.
OK. So you'll need a piano that sounds like a piano, guitar that
sounds like a guitar, maybe some drums..... FM synthesis isn't going
to do a very good job on these!
But all the sounds don't have to come out of a single box. The only
instrument that really demands 88 keys is the piano (and if you aren't
an accomplished pianist, think hard why you need those 88 keys?). From
then on, MIDI and software synthesizers are your friend. If you're in
love with FM pads, pick up the module version of one of the old Yamaha
synths, or one of the software emulations that will plug in to your
computer sequencer. If there isn't a good sampled piano in the
keyboard you choose, get one by a similar route.
philicorda
>
>>
>> I'm thinking of TX816 but where can I find an 88-keyboard that is
>> compatible with it?
Any midi keyboard will do to play notes. Compatibility is one of the nice
things about midi.
To edit sounds on a TX816 however you will need a computer or a DX7.
>>
>> Onhttp://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:ap_OGwTwwBwJ:reviews.harmony-
cen...
>> it states "do make sure you have a decent 88 note pianohammer keyboard
>> at hand"
>
> Ok, I check http://www.soundofmusic.se/synthsandmore/tx816.htm and it
> states that TX816 is "less good" for warm pads. I'm not sure I want
> TX816 after reading that.
>
> I prefer a type of pure FM synth generates the highest-quality synth pad
> sounds -- especially polysynth pads. I might still like TX618, it's just
> that the statement "less good for warm pads", sort of discourages me.
I think that's the opinion of the reviewer of FM synths in general,
rather than specifically the TX816. It's internal architecture is the
same as DX7 and most other FM synths, so it will sound very similar.
Because the classic FM synths have no filters, and the frequency
modulation creates lots of complex harmonics, they are normally
associated with brighter, bell like sounds. (The very 80's DX7 electric
piano is a typical example). The way to fatten them up is to layer
detuned or complementary sounds together.
It's interesting you are looking for one specifically for pads, as it's
not generally considered their forte. Is there any particular FM synth or
patch you have liked and are trying to find again?
Personally, I'd be looking to get a Prophet-08 for warm pads as it's
preposterously big and fat sounding. Also a nice synth to program,
compared to the more complex FM synthesis which is a bit tricky to begin
with.
GreenXenon
wrote:
> On Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:21:18 -0700, GreenXenon wrote:
>
> >> I'm thinking of TX816 but where can I find an 88-keyboard that is
> >> compatible with it?
>
> Any midi keyboard will do to play notes. Compatibility is one of the nice
> things about midi.
>
> To edit sounds on a TX816 however you will need a computer or a DX7.
>
>
>
>
>
> >> Onhttp://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:ap_OGwTwwBwJ:reviews.harmony-
> cen...
> >> it states "do make sure you have a decent 88 note pianohammer keyboard
> >> at hand"
>
> > states that TX816 is "less good" for warm pads. I'm not sure I want
> > TX816 after reading that.
>
> > I prefer a type of pure FM synth generates the highest-quality synth pad
> > sounds -- especially polysynth pads. I might still like TX618, it's just
> > that the statement "less good for warm pads", sort of discourages me.
>
> I think that's the opinion of the reviewer of FM synths in general,
> rather than specifically the TX816. It's internal architecture is the
> same as DX7 and most other FM synths, so it will sound very similar.
>
> Because the classic FM synths have no filters, and the frequency
> modulation creates lots of complex harmonics, they are normally
> associated with brighter, bell like sounds. (The very 80's DX7 electric
> piano is a typical example). The way to fatten them up is to layer
> detuned or complementary sounds together.
>
> It's interesting you are looking for one specifically for pads, as it's
> not generally considered their forte. Is there any particular FM synth or
> patch you have liked and are trying to find again?
>
> Personally, I'd be looking to get a Prophet-08 for warm pads as it's
> preposterously big and fat sounding. Also a nice synth to program,
> compared to the more complex FM synthesis which is a bit tricky to begin
> with.
http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/products/p8/
According to the above link, Prophet-08 is an analog synth.
Personally, I prefer a digital FM synth with the highest quality synth
pads -- especially polysynth pads.
I wonder what the most advanced and sophisticated digital FM synth
costs.
Polysynth pads are my favorite instrument.
Laurence Payne
<gluce...@gmail.com> wrote:
>Personally, I prefer a digital FM synth with the highest quality synth
>pads -- especially polysynth pads.
>
>I wonder what the most advanced and sophisticated digital FM synth
>costs.
If you want JUST FM synthesis, luckily not much. It's obsolete
technology, and Yamaha turned out such enormous quantities of DX and
TX series units that there's no rarity value.
Or are we leading up to:
Creative Music Synth [220] is the best MIDI synth. Wavetables and
non-CMS FM synths maybe okay. Sample playback synths are the worst.
Digital synths are better than analog synths. The worst kind of audio
synthesizer is an analog sample playback synthesizer.
:-)
philicorda
<snip>
> Or are we leading up to:
>
> Creative Music Synth [220] is the best MIDI synth. Wavetables and
> non-CMS FM synths maybe okay. Sample playback synths are the worst.
> Digital synths are better than analog synths. The worst kind of audio
> synthesizer is an analog sample playback synthesizer.
>
> :-)
Oh no. Looks like I've fallen for it again. :)
hank alrich
> I'm thinking of TX816 but where can I find an 88-keyboard that is
> compatible with it?
Yamaha KX88
--
ha
shut up and play your guitar
GreenXenon
> On Sat, 4 Jul 2009 09:43:02 -0700 (PDT), GreenXenon
>
> <glucege...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >Personally, I prefer a digital FM synth with the highest quality synth
> >pads -- especially polysynth pads.
>
> >I wonder what the most advanced and sophisticated digital FM synth
> >costs.
>
> If you want JUST FM synthesis, luckily not much. It's obsolete
> technology, and Yamaha turned out such enormous quantities of DX and
> TX series units that there's no rarity value.
Is it less than $2,000? Also, what's the difference between DX and TX?
Would you say TX816 is the most sophisticated FM synth? Is it the best
FM synth for playing polysynth pads sounds?
Laurence Payne
<gluce...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> If you want JUST FM synthesis, luckily not much. It's obsolete
>> technology, and Yamaha turned out such enormous quantities of DX and
>> TX series units that there's no rarity value.
>
>
>Is it less than $2,000? Also, what's the difference between DX and TX?
>
>Would you say TX816 is the most sophisticated FM synth? Is it the best
>FM synth for playing polysynth pads sounds?
DX were keyboards, TX were MIDI modules. Same noises.
Have a look at:
http://web.quick.cz/a.tom.x/dxage.html
There's a TX-802 in my shed. I think it still works. If you can
collect from London UK I'll sell it for 500GBP.
Badmuts
> better synth-pad quality than the latter.
There's more. I personally prefer my pads from an analog synthesizer, you
know, the kind with oscillators, filters, envelopes etc.
Bm