Keyboard Voices

[theleans]

I've been a Technics fan and player for approx 10yrs now. However, after listening to various recordings from other members, which demonstrate the sampled voices of other keyboards such as Yamaha and Korg etc, I've come to the conclusion that the sampled voices of these makes are generally superior to Technics. ? Some of the sounds I've heard have made me positively jealous. Does anybody agree with me. ?

[Fred]

Hi Colin

I once had a Technics Keyboard and there was no doubt that the Voices were brilliant, however technology moves on and the sampling techniques has changed dramatically. Hence voices are now far superior on all keyboards. It is now just a matter of personal preference whether you like the Yamaha, Korg, Roland etc. Lots of people say this keyboard is far better than that one regarding Voices, I don't believe they are it just what you get used too and the others don't sound the same.

Fred.

[theleans]

Hi Colin

I once had a Technics Keyboard and there was no doubt that the Voices were brilliant, however technology moves on and the sampling techniques has changed dramatically. Hence voices are now far superior on all keyboards. It is now just a matter of personal preference whether you like the Yamaha, Korg, Roland etc. Lots of people say this keyboard is far better than that one regarding Voices, I don't believe they are it just what you get used too and the others don't sound the same.

Fred.

Hi Fred - Thanks for your response. - You're quite right of course. It's all a matter of personal taste. Or, it might even be a case of - 'the other side of the mountain, where the grass is greener'. !!! Cheers. Colin

[Mike Bracchi]

Hiya Collin,

I don't know exactly how old the KN7000 is but it's got to be close to 14 years old if not more, I still like a lot of the voicing on the 7000 and in many respects the sounds hold their own against the more up to-date instruments.

Where the latest keyboards score is the way in which you can trigger a variety of expressive musical nuances in real time ... the super-articulated voices of Yamaha (SA and SA2 voicing) and Korg's Defined Nuance Control (DNC voicing) give much more realism to the sampled sound.

If you wanted to spice your Technics up a bit, you could do what a lot of players have already done ... go down the 'sound module' route - this will give you more up-dated sounds and styles to play with using your KN as the controller

Having said that, I think you may have hit the nail on the head Colin ... it's the greener grass thingy

[theleans]

Hiya Collin,

I don't know exactly how old the KN7000 is but it's got to be close to 14 years old if not more, I still like a lot of the voicing on the 7000 and in many respects the sounds hold their own against the more up to-date instruments.

Where the latest keyboards score is the way in which you can trigger a variety of expressive musical nuances in real time ... the super-articulated voices of Yamaha (SA and SA2 voicing) and Korg's Defined Nuance Control (DNC voicing) give much more realism to the sampled sound.

If you wanted to spice your Technics up a bit, you could do what a lot of players have already done ... go down the 'sound module' route - this will give you more up-dated sounds and styles to play with using your KN as the controller

Having said that, I think you may have hit the nail on the head Colin ... it's the greener grass thingy

Thanks for your response Mike. - Comments noted. But, this feeble brain doesn't even know what a 'sound module' is. ? I'm way behind the times, and have never bothered to find out about such things. I'll make some enquiries. Cheers. Colin.

[Mike Bracchi]

Wotcha Colin,

Thanks for your response Mike. - Comments noted. But, this feeble brain doesn't even know what a 'sound module' is. ? I'm way behind the times, and have never bothered to find out about such things. I'll make some enquiries. Cheers. Colin.

Here is a little selection of the more popular modules ...

Ketron Audya 4



Roland BK-7m


The amazing Roland BK-7 Module gives you a pro backing band in a small unit. Perfect for the solo musician. Able to handle MIDI and audio data, the BK-7 includes over 1000 tones and dozens of drum and percussion kits. With the ability to import files, export files and even output video information for other musicians, it's a brilliant piece of gear that's the size of a book!

Edirol SD-80




Effectively, they are keyboards but without the keyboard .... the idea is to connect them to a controller keyboard via midi - thus expanding the range of sounds to that keyboard.

They range in price from about seven hundred and fifty quid for the Roland BK-7 up-to around two thousand seven hundred for something like the Ketron Audya 4

[theleans]

Hiya Collin,

I don't know exactly how old the KN7000 is but it's got to be close to 14 years old if not more, I still like a lot of the voicing on the 7000 and in many respects the sounds hold their own against the more up to-date instruments.

Where the latest keyboards score is the way in which you can trigger a variety of expressive musical nuances in real time ... the super-articulated voices of Yamaha (SA and SA2 voicing) and Korg's Defined Nuance Control (DNC voicing) give much more realism to the sampled sound.

If you wanted to spice your Technics up a bit, you could do what a lot of players have already done ... go down the 'sound module' route - this will give you more up-dated sounds and styles to play with using your KN as the controller

Having said that, I think you may have hit the nail on the head Colin ... it's the greener grass thingy

Hi Mike - Thanks for all the 'gen' on sound modules. They are obviously wonderful devices. But, my music isn't taken seriously enough to warrant purchases in the price range you mentioned. However, I did have a look in e-bay, and came across a 'Roland JV-1080'. For a measly £60 odd. But, I have no idea whether this would give me the sort of sounds I might like and use. Do you know anything about this unit. ? Any info would be much appreciated. - Colin.

[Mike Bracchi]

Hiya Colin,

Hi Mike - Thanks for all the 'gen' on sound modules. They are obviously wonderful devices. But, my music isn't taken seriously enough to warrant purchases in the price range you mentioned. However, I did have a look in e-bay, and came across a 'Roland JV-1080'. For a measly £60 odd. But, I have no idea whether this would give me the sort of sounds I might like and use. Do you know anything about this unit. ? Any info would be much appreciated. - Colin.

The Roland JV-1080



The Roland JV-1080 is a worldwide standard in high-powered, two space synthesizer modules. Used on more recordings than any other module in history, the JV-1080 boasts a full range of acclaimed Roland sounds, as well as four expansion slots.

Pro sound module with 64-voice polyphony and 16-part multitimbral operation
Four expansion board slots for use with SR-JV80-Series Expansion Boards
Large display for easy access to comprehensive editing parameters
Built-in reverb, chorus and 40 different "insert" effects such as rotary, phaser, pitch shift and tempo delay, plus ring modulation

Note that this product is no longer in production. Similar capabilities can be found in the XV-5050 64-Voice Synthesizer Module.

PDF Manuals and Data Sheets

User Manual
Quick Start Manual
Patch List
Performance List

The Roland JV-1080 was one of the hottest and most popular digital synthesizers ever to come from Roland. Incredible sound quality capable of emulating any instrument imaginable plus totally fat analog synth type sounds and loads of percussion! It has 64 voices of polyphony and 16 part multitimbral, it's no wonder this is part of almost every Film Score Composers set-up as well as many more artists and hobbyists!

It has 8MB of sounds and it also offers a lot of expandability with 4 expansion slots and 2 data card memory slots. You can get up to 42MB of sounds by adding any of the popular JV-80 expansion cards suited for Techno, World Instruments, Orchestral or Synthesizers.


Roland JV-1080 - Demo 1


Roland JV-1080 - Demo 2


Roland JV-1080 - Demo 3


Roland JV-1080 - Demo 4

[Westgarth]

Hi Colin

I can't comment on your present set up but I'll tell you about my experience with Technics and Yamaha if I may.

A number of years ago I traded a Yamaha for the Technics 5000. I found it completely different from the Yamaha keyboards. The keyboard itself, just the feel of the keys and the control of the velocity, was amazing compared to Yamaha. The voices, although not perfect had far more guts and sounded very professional. If I was a stage player I would have loved this instrument. As a guitar player I found I could express a lot of emotion in a guitar but Yamaha keyboards always made me feel flat. The Technics was brilliant, you could put your heart and soul into it. I have the PSRS700 now and it's keyboard is rubbish although the voices are good. I only got rid of the Technics as I hated the menu system. My loss.

I think it comes down to personal preference. If you want to produce authentic sounds you may have to change to another brand. I only play as a hobbyist and when I've had a good hour on the keyboard I want to be able to say "boy, I enjoyed that".

As well as a sound module you may want to think about using your Technics as a controller keyboard with a software package.

[theleans]

Hi Colin

I can't comment on your present set up but I'll tell you about my experience with Technics and Yamaha if I may.

A number of years ago I traded a Yamaha for the Technics 5000. I found it completely different from the Yamaha keyboards. The keyboard itself, just the feel of the keys and the control of the velocity, was amazing compared to Yamaha. The voices, although not perfect had far more guts and sounded very professional. If I was a stage player I would have loved this instrument. As a guitar player I found I could express a lot of emotion in a guitar but Yamaha keyboards always made me feel flat. The Technics was brilliant, you could put your heart and soul into it. I have the PSRS700 now and it's keyboard is rubbish although the voices are good. I only got rid of the Technics as I hated the menu system. My loss.

I think it comes down to personal preference. If you want to produce authentic sounds you may have to change to another brand. I only play as a hobbyist and when I've had a good hour on the keyboard I want to be able to say "boy, I enjoyed that".

As well as a sound module you may want to think about using your Technics as a controller keyboard with a software package.

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Hi Steve, - Many thanks for your comments. I found them most interesting. I suspect your view of the Technics keyboards, would be the views of many. To be honest, I only bought my KN7000 for it's sequencer. It's an amazing piece of technoclogy. I don't know whether other makes have sequencers that are as versatile as the Technics. ?

As for 'the menu' which you gave up on, I've now become accustomed to it, although I can appreciate your view. I suppose the 'liking of voices' scenario, is purely based upon what sort of music one likes. ! - Each brand of keyboard will be designed with voices to mainly appeal to the specific favourtite tastes of potential buyers. I'm an 81yr old, so my taste will undoubtedly be different than 18yr old youngsters.

Having said that, my favourite voices are those produced by the big bands and the lush orchestras. Plus the older style of jazz produced by such as Charlie Parker - Lionel Hampton - Art Tatum and Louis Armstrong. So, there you have it. I've wandered off the subject a bit, but hopefully I'm forgiven. - Cheers - Colin.

[theleans]

Hi Mike,

Thanks as usual. I suspect the purchase of a sound module is out for me. But, I sent a response to Steve for his input, then forgot to ask him the vital question, which was:- What do I look for in regard to the 'software' that he mentioned. ?

Can you possibly point me in the right direction. ? And if you do, that will be at least 3 pints I owe you. Cheers - Colin.

[andyg]

Most high end keyboards these days do have a sequencer that's as capable as the KN7000, though micro-editing of events is not always that easy.

For an 18-year old, if you're into synth sounds and dance/rock/pop material, I guess that you'll eventually gravitate to a synth workstation. More modern sounds, usually no styles (apart from Korg's Karma unit on their models and the little Yamaha MM6) and a sequencer. And unless you're playing things out live, you'll probably move onto the far more powerful software sequencers like Cubase and Logic. And you can always work on material using the in-built sequencer, shift it into software on a computer for more detailed work and then shift it back to the keyboard for performance.

In the meantime, the KN7000, despite its age and the now 'static' type sampled voices, is still a great unit, so have a load of fun with it!

[theleans]

Most high end keyboards these days do have a sequencer that's as capable as the KN7000, though micro-editing of events is not always that easy.

For an 18-year old, if you're into synth sounds and dance/rock/pop material, I guess that you'll eventually gravitate to a synth workstation. More modern sounds, usually no styles (apart from Korg's Karma unit on their models and the little Yamaha MM6) and a sequencer. And unless you're playing things out live, you'll probably move onto the far more powerful software sequencers like Cubase and Logic. And you can always work on material using the in-built sequencer, shift it into software on a computer for more detailed work and then shift it back to the keyboard for performance.

In the meantime, the KN7000, despite its age and the now 'static' type sampled voices, is still a great unit, so have a load of fun with it!

Hi Andy

Much thanks for your comments and info. In fact I don't have any problems with the sequencer side of things. I use it frequently, and more or less know all the 'ins' and 'outs' of it's functions. What I would like however, is to have access to the type of sampled voices that are available on other keyboards such as Yamaha and Korg. Is this something that can be done. ? Any info would be very much appreciated. Thanks. have a nice day. - Colin.