Triton? Fantom? Motif? Something else? Help!

[Gwydi]

I'm (possibly) in the market for a secondhand workstation. My budget simply won't stretch to a recent model.

The absolute must-have is more than 61 keys. I have a 61 key already but it cramps my playing. Beyond that, I'm pretty open.

Available to me at the moment (based on stores around the place) would be:
Roland XP-80
Roland Fantom FA-76
Korg Triton Pro 76
Korg Triton
Korg Triton Pro-X

They're all so similar, really, that I'm having trouble separating them. I'd love to hear opinions from current or past owners of any of these (or indeed, any others that would be in a similar price bracket, say up to $US1000). So it might come down to what's nicer to use

Mostly I'll just be playing piano, but the idea of laying down tracks in their sequencers quickly without resorting to Pro Tools is appealing. The ability for the arpeggiators to send midi out (into, say, Reason) would be a definite plus.

Yes, I realise I could just buy a big controller and do most of the same stuff with Reason and Pro Tools (and indeed, much more), and I haven't discounted that idea by any means. I'm just exploring the hardware-only side to see if it would fit the bill.

[tranel]

Hi there,

I am a Triton Extreme user myself, and highly recommend that model, not least because it has a faster processor, waaaaaaay bigger pcm memory (incl. the vintage waveforms) and dual USB ports. The synth/computer communication is seamless. It also has in-track sampling, resampling and lots of other things than the older triton models don't have.

Also, the older tritons don't have USB, so you need to have separate hard drive, which is a real bugger. Seriously, look for a second-hand Triton Extreme, it is one of the best workstations there is.

To listen to the stuff I have made with the Triton sequencer (plus a LITTLE bit of extra sequencing in Ableton Live) go to www.soundclick.com/anderslenart

Trust me on this one. Of course, make sure you like the sound of the TE, but if you do, it is one of the most user-friendly, intuitive and powerful workstations available.

Regards,

T

[kara]

""" Mostly I'll just be playing piano """
This is an important argument.
I'm a longtime Roland user myself and never liked the korg piano sound.
Now, before starting another flame war, that DOESN'T mean that it is not good, only that I prefer the Roland piano sound.

If you play a lot of piano, you better carefully compare the piano sound in all those.

k

[Stupid American Pig]

I have a fantom x8 and the built in piano(and rhodes) is pretty good, def better than korg or yamaha IMO. However, they all have their strong suits, so you may want to head to a music store/pawn shop and audition them for a while before you buy.

[kara]

Yep I agree, listening is very important
And it's a (funny) fact that Roland users have a hard time to accept piano sounds from other modules.
But again, that's mainly personnal taste

k

[Jake Jackson]

If you plan to use it mainly for pianos, you'll want at least a 76 key keyboard very soon. Determine which one offers the most room for loading samples, and then make sure it supports:

Velocity to sample start
Velocity to amp scaling (nonlinear), sometimes called dynamics.(So low velocities sound louder without raising the minimum velocity or raising the volume of the high velocity strikes too much.)
A 2-pole and 4-pole filter.
Velocity to filter (they all probably do)
Velocity to envelope
Key position to filter
Pedal down switching (to another sample set)

Don't expect the sales person to know what it has on it. Hard to keep up with all of the synths\keyboards out there. Find a manual online.

Be sure to check the database of user reviews at HarmonyCentral.com. These will alert you to problems and unlooked for benefits.

[Goseba]

You could also check out the Alesis HD8.

http://www.alesis.com/product.php?id=20

[elwoodblues1969]

Gwydi,

I am a Korg Triton Extreme(88 key) owner and I am very picky about my piano sounds and the Extreme has the most authentic piano sound-which is only second to the Oasys(as far as Korg piano sounds go)

The only piano sound I like more other than the Oasys,is the Kurzweil K2-series pianos.

I would have to agree with Tranel,the Korg Extreme also has a fantastic sequencer-so I think it's an ideal choice for you.

However though,opinions on piano sounds vary so greatly from brand to brand & person to person,that I would also strongly recommend you listen to them all for yourself & decide that way.

Cheers,

Thom