What Keyboard_?

[brindabella]

Hi guys! I'm a newbie at this board and I'm so confused now I hope you can help me. I'm mainly a pianist composing instrumentals. Have won a few small awards for them at Song of the year Contest and had one of my songs forwarded ( no answer yet) at a music library. Song of the Year judges the quality of the writing, not the sound. When I had been rejected by Taxi, my screeners have told me its because of the sound,and they were right. One even told me to just leave only the piano and delete the strings.All I have done was done on a Yamaha DGX 505 keyboard and the puter ( very cheesy, I know). I'm trying to improve my sounds and want to buy a synth. I`m mainly interested in been able to get a decent orchestral sound.What synth. do you guys think I should buy? I won`t record live or use a band, mainly I would use a keyboard. You can hear the kind of music I do at www.broadjam.com/laurasanzThanks!

[pogodog]

Hello Brindabella, I would suggest reading up on midi - learn what it is and is not. The Internet is chock-full of info concerning midi's ins and outs ... read as much as you can stomach. Also I'm sure you'll find your way to the perfect vsynth if you follow Dave Walton's path to www.soundsonline.com - but don't forget to link around and visit the manufacture websites for more in depth info on their products ) but here again learn, learn, learn the basics , because education early on is so important ... The more you know the easier it will be to commit to your decision Also and before i forget, i have a gut hunch - from what I've read about your concerns with the orchestral sound quality in your recordings ( STRINGS ) you might find these programs useful ... such as Finale 2007 (http://www.finalemusic.com) and or Notion ( http://www.notionmusic.com) These are programs created for the composer who wants to manipulate and or improve the content sound quality of their arrangements... and not so much for the person trying to create/sequence midi events thru vsti's.That should be enough to keep you from sleep 'till Xmas Cheers RanG

[davewalton]

Quote:TY Guys! I still dont know what to do, but my inclination is for a real keyboard. I guess once a pianist, always a pianist. I tried and dl a soft synth, but for the life of me, couldn[t figure it out. Been looking into the korgs and I see everybody says they have a great sound, and that I can buy more sounds for it. Another stupid question: can I hook up the keyboard to the sound card, or I need a Daw and Dat and all that stuff? As you can see, Im not very smart technically. The program I`m using is wavelab.This is where you'll really need to check things out at a music store, to really see for yourself. For example, I use soft synths exclusively because of their superior sounds and realism, but I play them by using a full 88-note weighted action keyboard. It's the best of both worlds and you don't have to give up one thing for the other. Explaining everything in words would take a 500-page dissertation. It's one of those things that you really have to see to get the picture of how everything is set up.

[pogodog]

Once again, I Ditto Dave... Happy ventures,RanG

[brindabella]

Thank you again, and keep rambling, ha ha! I'm gonna follow all advices! I`m reading and in a few days will go to a music store ( waiting for money) but I agree that I need an 88 key that I could "feed" sounds . Sturdy too, since yes, I could "burn down" a few keys. If anyone wants to "ramble" about wavelab vs...whatever, please, please do

[davewalton]

Quote:Thank you again, and keep rambling, ha ha! I'm gonna follow all advices! I`m reading and in a few days will go to a music store ( waiting for money) but I agree that I need an 88 key that I could "feed" sounds . Sturdy too, since yes, I could "burn down" a few keys. If anyone wants to "ramble" about wavelab vs...whatever, please, please do Just rambling. Here's something to consider if, like the rest of us, you're on a budget.You've been using your DGX 505. Keep it. No reason to throw it away unless it's just unbearable to play. Don't think of it in terms of its sound, just in terms of its playability. Assuming you go that route, here's what you can do (I'm mirroring my setup to some extent). Get a good computer. A specialized audio computer is nice but they're pricey and not necessary for most. I do a LOT of stuff with a computer that only has a 2.1 mHz AMD processor, 1.5gb of RAM and a decent hard drive. Next, get a quality soundcard that's still inexpensive. I have an M-Audio Audiophile 2496. Next, get a good DAW (digital audio workstation). That gives you your mixing board, effects, etc as well as a few synths that they usually throw in. I use Sonar but Cubase is a great choice as well. At this point you have everything in place and can then buy the virtual instruments as you need them. These are your "sounds" and you'll use your keyboard (midi'd into your computer via your soundcard) to play and record these sounds inside of your DAW. Most virtual instruments run a couple hundred dollars. The Boesendorfer 290 is now on sale at soundsonline.com for around $100. That's a lot cheaper than the real thing and the sound quality is outstanding. EWQL Gold is a GREAT orchestral package, not their "top of the line" but outstanding nonetheless. It's $400 and something. Anyway, the general idea is the get the basics (keyboard, computer, DAW). From there, the cost of buying new synths, piano's and orchestral packages in the form of virtual instruments is pretty cheap.Dave

[brindabella]

Aha! This keeps getting better! No, I`m not throwing away the 505. I like the way it feels and with a few plugins I`ve been able to fool people thinking is a piano. It's better orchestral sounds what I wanted. I also have an m-audio 2496 which I was able to install but it's not working. Im using the el cheapo soundcard that came with the puter. The keyboard is hooked to the soundcard. The m-audio has 3 cables that I have no idea where to connect them.( Don't laugh ) I gave up on it, have almost no free time since I work in Medical full time.Yeah, budget is an issue, but if Im careful I think I`ll be able to manage something decent for starters, hence all the questions

[davewalton]

Quote:Aha! This keeps getting better! No, I`m not throwing away the 505. I like the way it feels... I also have an m-audio 2496 This is definitely working in your favor. So you basically have three of the major four components you need. If I'm correct, you have:1. A keyboard that you like (in terms of feel/playability)2. A computer3. A good soundcardIt would be well worth a few hours of consulting time to have someone come over and set it up so that your keyboard is plugged into your soundcard correctly and that the software for the soundcard is set up correctly with the correct drivers and latency settings. Once that's done, then you just need a DAW. Something like Sonar or Cubase. Depending on what you get it can run from, say, $300 to $700. After that, it's just a matter of buying, installing and playing virtual instruments. These are plugins that will reside inside of your DAW. You'll play these instruments using your keyboard, which is plugged into your soundcard, which is connected via software to your DAW. One thing I forgot, but it's obvious. You need speakers connected to your computer to hear what you're playing/recording. You're probably closer to this whole thing than you think and being in Miami is a big advantage. Should be a lot of good music stores. Sam Ash in Hialeah is probably your best bet overall.By the way, I got into the most trouble I've ever been in my life playing in Miami when I was a lot younger (early-mid 80's)... ahhhh, what memories! Dave

[brindabella]

Ok, have more questions but I'll let you guys rest for a while. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'm sure everybody is busy. Miami has changed a lot, Dave and I`m not sure is for the better. I moved here from New Orleans in 88, and it's not the same since they closed the Hollywood Sportaturium. Those were the days!

[brindabella]

ok, I'm back. Hope everybody is not stuffed with turkey and feeling lazy, Found out why ( didn't remember ) I can't connect the sound card to the keyboard. The DGX 505 only has midi out to the computer via USB. Doesnt have midi In, its not a controller. So I guess I do need another Keyboard anyway