Studio Keys vs. Live Keys

[pkramble]

I generally use a Korg Triton Extreme (88 keys weighted) for live shows and have been looking for a studio unit... 'cause frankly I'm getting tired of lugging that beast back and forth.

Any ideas out there from folks who use 2 different keyboards for show/studio work? I'm thinking about getting another unit for the studio or live and swapping them out... ideally, I'd like to have the real piano feel during recording, but do I really need it?

Any ideas?

[mojobone]

I don't think we can tell you whether you need it. I would suggest that if you're comfortable with the Triton in a live situation, retire it to the studio, where you can work around any quirks it may have developed. Gigs are a war zone, I'd prefer an axe that's under warranty.

[mazz]

I went to a nord electro 61 for gigging. It weighs 12 pounds. If I need 88 keys, I have a kurzweil semi weighted which weighs about 30 pounds. My back forced me to cut down and on those extremely rare occasions I gig, I'm happy I did. I have a big heavy 88 key controller in the studio that never moves.

Mazz

[mojobone]

If you need piano action for the gig, the Nord Stage 76 could probably help cut some weight from your rig.

[pkramble]

The sadness is really that you can't get anything decent for less than $1k I guess. I had hopes that I could escape the huge investment - having another set of keys basically triples the cost of the home studio...

I'll look into the Nord anyway as I do like the idea of cutting back weight for gigs and ultimately retiring the Triton to headquarters.

The only downside to gigging with a smaller setup is that I'm pretty rough on 'em... I previously had (and traded up) a Triton Pro 76, with the plastic keys... and eventually broke a couple of them after about 3 years. So I guess I need to learn to show thrashing with control.

[Len911]

Is there a reason you wouldn't want to use a controller and software instruments in the studio? I don't know if that might be cheaper, a used controller with current virtual instrument sounds. You might have more options also for sounds.

[pkramble]

Being sort of a pure piano player all my life, well most of it, I'm not even sure what the controller+software world is like... is that one of those things that's like an octave and a half with a myriad of cool buttons?

They sure are a heckuva lot cheaper. Definitely interested in how that might work.

[Len911]

The controllers don't have sounds, you use midi, either with a midi cable or a usb cable hooked to the computer. Then you buy software, I have the Ivory Grand pianos, which is 3 or 4 sampled pianos, with hosts of variations, and effects etc.

[pkramble]

I think for a couple hundred bucks, it's worth a shot. Some of those little guys look pretty cool and can sit right on top of the desk. I'm looking in particular at M-Audio stuff... anyone with any insight on that purchase?

[mojobone]

Well, M-Audio's controllers are cheap, and probably worth the money, but if you play hard, I doubt they'd hold up for long; there are only two companies that make most of the keybeds sold in the US, they're Yamahas or Fatars.