What keyboard to complement your Fantom?

[brianb]

Just curious...
What keyboard(s) are you guys using to complement your Fantom X and what style of music do you play? I have the X8 with SRX-07 & SRX-98 expansion boards. For my second board right now, I'm stuck with an old Korg M1. I have several sound cards for it, but I am finding that I use it more as a controller utilizing the Fantom patches as the M1 patches sound pretty outdated to me. I will have to say that it is nice to have a second keyboard with non-weighted keys for the the B-3 and synth type stuff. I'm more of a classic rock to funk / smooth jazz player.

BrianB

[madAhorn]

I don't have it, but I would consider either the Nord Stage or the new upcoming Nord Electro 3. Very different than the Fantom. Expensive, however.

[claudio]

i've a motif rack xs and a jp8080.
I play rock, electronic and classical music.

C.

[Andy Keys]

I have a Studiologic SL880 that's 99% working, which I use as a piano controller.

Some of the black keys in the octave above middle C don't respond to low velocities. Fortunately, my playing style is pretty heavy.

I'm seriously considering a Clavia C1.

Style-wise: Classic British Hard Rock in the vein of Deep Purple and Dio-era Rainbow. Secretly crave techno & noise.

Andy

[Blues4dog]

I'm using a very old Roland EP7 Mk 2, 76 note as a controller for the piano patches. It's just a comfortable board to play and I can't bring myself to get rid of it. I've tried other controllers and synths but I keep coming back to it. Syles: Blues, rock, ballads with the band and techno/trance when the band's not around. The old farts don't like it.
But seriously, I have found that I don't need any more sounds. With a controller it effectively gives me 2 synths and access to a couple thousand patches and then I can tweak and add effects both internal and external. I've just sold my old faithful Kawai K5000 cause it was just collecting dust.

[Blues4dog]

Hey Andy. The grass is always greener they say. My secret craving is to find a band that wants to play the old Purple stuff you lucky b..........

[Andy Keys]

Hi Blues4dog,

The electronic stuff I do in my own time, for my own pleasure. The rock is where it's really at for me.

There's some examples of both on my myspace (link in signature).

Keep looking! Those bands are out there...

Cheers
Andy
MySpace (and Firegarden's MySpace)

[TRANCEHAK]

I'm about to buy CUBASE4, and will use the Fantom as a controller, but the sounds are very old fashioned now and expansions no better.

For modern sounds I'm looking at the syleth1, Omnishphere, Oddity (yes an ole synth legend remade - but very current sounds) and also the other soft synths that ship with cubase.

In terms of harware synths Id look at Dave Smiths Prophet, The T1 and Nord.


I'm into trance, electro house, minimal progressive house etc. Anything cutting edge and new.

The Fantom has been a dissapointment what with old fashioned sounds (I spend hours making new ones but they still dont cut it), and no EQ and no where near enough FX per channel strip (especially compressors and liumiters to get that hot professional mix).

[Blues4dog]

Have you had a look at Logic 8 on MAC instead of Cubase. If it's new and cutting edge you're after there is a bucketload of onboard synths, samplers and tons of FX that you can pile on top of each other for ever. I used to spend hours chasing new sounds too but came to the realization that once you have created something new, it is then old fashioned. For live applications I have found that I don't really need too many different sounds. Just the ones that fit in with the sound of the band and sit well in the mix. Now I devote my hours making the music instead.

Hey Andy. I've already checked out your pages. Love your work. And seriously, I'd love to play the old British rock stuff as I grew up in that era but I love all music so as long as I get to play I'm happy.

Cheers

[Artemiy]

I would suggest Logic on a Mac as well. It's just a more streamlined workflow, shorter distance between the idea and the final work, in my opinion.

[ikarian]

I just bought the new Korg M50 to Complement my Fantom X6.
For me and my budget I feel this is the best combo for me.

I was trying to get by with just the Roland X6 but I sure miss having the Korg sounds alongside the Rolands. (In the past I've always had a Korg and Roland simultaneously).

[Quinnx.]

I think the pen-ultimate combination is the Fantom and the V-Synth XT.
Possibilities are just A may Zing!

[Diametro]

I picked up one of these yesterday ... INCREDIBLE OTHERWORLDLY FAT WARM ANALOG SOUND ... period; it's the real deal; no emulations here ... nothing except my VCO Jupiter-6 really comes close (though V-Synth is pretty strong, too, and original to boot ... )



Pretty good price, too ... less than list price of a new SH-201 ...

Haven't tried it alongside Fantom-X ... Juno-60 temporarily kicked it off its perch ... But I'm guessing it will sound incredible as even lesser Juno-106 sounded awesome balancing out X sound ..

I'm finding I'm preferring analog gear more and more ... even my beloved V-Synth may take a walk out the door as once the DCB-->MIDI converter comes in the mail next week (why did I not get something faster than "ground?" Oh well ... ) the Juno-60 will be taking its spot above the JP-6 ...

It's that good ... Closest thing to JP-8 at less than 1/5 the price ... incredible filter, and I feel a surprising range of sounds ... super easy and quick to program ...

I'm going to be treating it as a quasi third osc for Jupiter-6, esp. when playing with the resonance tends to thin the sound out ...

[pianoman41]

I'm looking pretty hard at replacing my old Studiologic SL-880 with the new Korg M508 as well. I absolutely LOVE the weighted action and I've always found Korg's TouchView screens very intuitive. So far I'm impressed with the sound engine and I think it would compliment my X7 very well.

[born2die]

same here my 900 has just bitten the dust so now im down to triton studio any kurz 88 at the right money or if I can scrape up the cash a M50 88 note but I do like having the weighted action as I am primarily a piano player