Category : Music and Digitized Voice
Archive   : FIRSTKBD.ZIP
Filename : FIRSTKBD

 
Output of file : FIRSTKBD contained in archive : FIRSTKBD.ZIP
Date: 08-03-92
From: JOSEPH D. MCMAHON
Subj: FAQ: HOW TO BUY YOUR FIRST KEYBOARD

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The most frequently asked question on EMUSIC-L and on rec.music.synth
is probably "What keyboard should I buy?" Here are some ideas and
guidelines to help you do that as a first-time buyer.

First, indulge in some self-analysis of what you want to do, how
committed you are to doing it, and how much money you have to spend on
it. If you plan just to play your keyboard every once in a while for
fun, you will have a different set of requirements from someone who is
looking for the first piece of equipment along the road to
establishing a professional set of gear as the nucleus of a studio.
Persons who are going to be performing contemporary popular music or
who wish to imitate traditional instruments will probably find any
number of keyboards which will fit their needs. Experimentalists, or
persons wishing to do sonic exploration, with the sound being the
primary concern, will have a harder time. In general, keyboards which
feature extensive modulation sources and routings (such as the
Oberheim Xpander, Kurzweil K2000, or Ensoniq SD-1) will be more useful
for synthesis than less complex machines.

Set your musical priorities: must-have, highly-desirable, nice, don't
care, etc. Acoustic sounds? Synth sounds? Multi-timbral? Built-in
sequencer? Built-in effects (reverb, etc)? After-touch? # of keys?
You'll probably need to get more familiar with the terminology before
you can make any decisions here.

A few terms for those new to this:

a) Multi-timbrality means that the keyboard can produce more than
one sound at a time. For most people who will be purchasing only one
synth the first time out, this is very important. A monotimbral
(one-sound-at-a-time) machine will require the use of multi-track tape
to simulate multi-timbrality. Commonly available used synths which are
mono-timbral are the Yamaha DX7 and the Roland D50.

b) A built-in sequencer (on modern machines) means that the
keyboard has the equivalent of a built-in multi-track tape machine; it
records the events that occur and allows you to play them back. It is
*not* an audio device; it simply records the actions you take to
produce a piece of music and then plays them back again, like a
player-piano. If you have a computer, you may want to purchase a MIDI
(see below) interface and a software sequencer instead.

c) Most synthetic sounds are more pleasing with at least a little
bit of effects (echo, reverberation, etc.). Some keyboards have
built-in effects; others require external ones.

d) After-touch is a means of controlling the sound after you've
pressed the key. For most keyboards, pressing on any one key while
holding a chord will cause all of the sounding notes to act as if they
too had been pressed harder; this is called "channel aftertouch".
Other let you control this individually for each key; this is called
"key aftertouch and is not seen as often.

e) The number of keys varies. In general, most have 61 keys (5
octaves), but others have more, all the way up to a full 88. People
who already play the piano will probably be more comfortable on a
larger keyboard. The feel also varies, from weighted actions which
feel very piano-like, through mushy, unweighted ones are more common.

f) MIDI is short for "musical instrument digital interface". It
is an international standard, and almost all machines built after the
Yamaha DX7 have it. (Nit-picky note: some built before too, but the
DX7 is a good reference point.) You can buy a MIDI interface for your
home computer and run software to control your keyboards from there.
MIDI is often used to build a studio in much the same way that you can
build a stereo system: by choosing individual components and combining
them into a whole.

A good basic checklist for "pro-quality" keyboards:

- Sound quality. If it sounds lousy at the store, it'll sound
bad at home. If you're having trouble hearing because of the
57 guitar heroes flailing Strats nearby, see if you can take
it "on approval". Most dealers are willing to work with you
on such things. If all else fails, rent one. Spending $40 to
find out that the $2500 you were going to spend would have
been a waste is a good investment.

- Usability. If the interface confuses you, if you don't like
the layout of the modulators, if you really hate that
joystick and want a wheel instead, or you think the
operating system really sucks, don't commit to such a
keyboard unless you're willing to deal with this. Small
dissatisfactions can turn what you thought was "okay" into
"unusable" after repeated fighting with them. Software that
locks up or crashes falls into this category.

- Feel. If you're already a keyboard player, you probably have
an ideal "good keyboard" feel in your "muscle memory". Try
playing something you already know on the keyboard to see if
it suits you. Keyboard feel ranges from organ-like, mushier
feels to weighted, piano-like actions. If the keyboard has
aftertouch, try it out and see if it's intuitive enough for
you. Try out the modulation controllers (joystick, mod
wheel, pedals, what have you) and see if they feel sturdy
enough to stand up to some abuse. Try the buttons and
sliders (and knobs and switches, if the keyboard has them)
to make sure that they feel solid and dependable. If you're
buying a used keyboard, check buttons to make sure they all
work, and check sliders and knobs to make sure they track
evenly through their full range.

- Price. I waited to mention this here because if you hate the
way it sounds, or can't stand to use it, it doesn't matter
how much how much you saved. Don't talk yourself into a
keyboard that doesn't satisfy you purely on monetary
grounds. If you have to, wait.

- Quality of manuals. Be sure to inquire if there are
third-party books on programming or using the keyboard. You
may want to buy a copy of the keyboard's documentation to
review at home before making your final decision.

- Number of voices and multitimbrality. This is essentially
the number of simultaneous noises that your keyboard can
make. Beware of inflated claims about polyphony. "32-voice"
means that the keyboard can make 32 sounds at once; however,
many synths nowadays use multiple voices to produce a
particular sound; this reduces your effective polyphony to a
greater or lesser degree. Try out some piano arpeggios with
the sustain pedal on to see how the keyboard deals with
exceeding the polyphony limit.

- Many newer synths include built-in effects processing. See
if it's possible to turn this off, or to route the signals
so that they aren't processed. You may want to be able to
process the sounds differently at a later date, so being
able to not process them internally is useful. Try out the
different effects and see if you like what they do.

- Built-in sequencer. If you don't have a computer at home, or
you'd prefer to spend more money on the keyboard and less on
other things, consider a keyboard with a built-in sequencer.
You should sit down and actually try to use it before
springing for a keyboard on this basis; some are very
difficult to use and fairly limited in function.

- Availability of additional sounds. This may or may not be
important to you. If you want to make your own sounds, look
into the keyboard's voice architecture and programming. Get
the salesperson to demonstrate if possible.


It doesn't hurt to choose one that's relatively popular. This will
give you the chance to unload it used without taking a complete bath
on the money you spent.

If you are highly committed and motivated, and are planning to build a
studio over a period of time, you should carefully review *all* of the
synths available before making a choice. You may decide that a
keyboard which you can't currently afford would be a better long-term
choice than a different keyboard which doesn't meet your needs as
well. Don't be afraid to wait and save up some money; if for no other
reason than the heavy dependence on the music industry on them,
electronic keyboards are not likely to suddenly disappear like video
games did in the '80's.

Once you've done the basic groundwork, and have narrowed the field a
bit, post a message to one of the discussion groups and ask for
experiences, and read reviews in Keyboard or Electronic Musician.
Keyboard's reviews tend to gloss over problems less. In many cases,
you will get conflicting recommendations; you will have to weigh these
and your own experiences to come to a final decision.

The final arbiter of your decision should always be you. You're the
one who'll be spending a significant piece of cash and a lot of your
time on this machine; it's to your advantage to find out as much as
possible and to make sure that the machine you're buying is really one
that you want and enjoy playing. -- --- Joe M.



  3 Responses to “Category : Music and Digitized Voice
Archive   : FIRSTKBD.ZIP
Filename : FIRSTKBD

  1. Very nice! Thank you for this wonderful archive. I wonder why I found it only now. Long live the BBS file archives!

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