Help choosing a keyboard/synth?

[atari1356]

I'm thinking about getting a professional keyboard soon and could use some help deciding what to get...

Ideally I'd like 88 keys with a really great piano sound and a good diverse set of other sounds. If it had built in sampling capabilities - or some way of expanding the sound library that would be great too. Built in sequencing/audio recording capabilities aren't that important to me - as I'll be using it with a Mac to do that part. I'd like to stick to something around $1500 or less.

I really like the Roland Juno-G, but it's only 61 keys. I'd probably jump on it if they had an 88 key version.

The Roland Fantom-X8 seems awesome - but I don't want to spend that much money.

I was tempted by the Alesis Fusion 8HD because the price is so cheap now for what you get - but it seems they are either out of business or going out of business? So, if something went wrong with the keyboard I think customer support would be an issue. Also, from what I've heard so far I don't think the sounds are as good as the Roland.

What other keyboards should I consider? Would I be okay with just a 61 key model?

[scottlinux]

Some of my random thoughts:

I like Roland or Yamahas for their key action. Yamaha S90 is perhaps one of the most popular piano sound/controllers right now, though pricey.

M-audio is not so good as their keyboards have poor action, and are a poor level of quality compared to others.

[butterfly0fdoom]

Dunno, man, I think M-Audios are plenty good. They have really good sampled sounds, but don't have speakers built-in (for some, that's bound to be a non-issue anyway). I don't much like Yamahas, though. Never have and never really will. The feel just fades away quick on their traditional pianos; if that's any indication, it can't bode well for their keyboards.

[dXTC]

Diversity of onboard sounds is important if you'll be using it often while away from the Mac. Otherwise, let your Mac's sequencing/DAW app make the sounds with software synthesizers. I wouldn't worry much about sampling capabilities, either. You can purchase sampling plug-ins for many DAW applications that easily rival hardware samplers.

I agree that the Juno-G is a nice board, especially for the price (I'm a big Roland fan--I have an XP-10 and a JV-880). Have you looked at other Fantoms? The x7 is 76 keys and has many of the x8's features at a somewhat lower price.

You could pick up a used D-70 for much cheaper, though.

[Avatar74]

Have you taken a look at any Kurzweil controllers?

For a while, they were the "gold standard" in weighted 88-key controllers... coming about as close to a real piano hammer action as you could get.

If what you want is a great feel keyboard, don't buy a synthesizer... get a standalone controller and expand its capabilities via MIDI hardware and/or softsynths.

I have a Korg Triton 61-key non-weighted, but it has a solid feel that I've grown accustomed to and adapted my playing style toward so that I can get faster response than out of a traditional keyboard without the crummy feel of a cheap Fatar controller. Later Korg models, like the Korg Triton LE and Korg Karma sucked.. with a key action that feels cheap and springy like a Playskool toy.