NAMM 2013 - The Keyboards Leaked and Announced Thus Far

Launchkey by Novation

"Launchkey is a range of 25, 49 and 61 note keyboard controllers with up to 50 physical controls including 16 velocity-sensitive multi-colour launch pads that trigger and stop clips - and launch scenes - in Ableton Live..."

To be honest this one looks a little on the cheap side. I'm not a fan of Novations software. I hope this is a step in the right direction, but I'm not excited. Wait till a full review comes out before purchasing. The midi controller market is notorious for poor quality and expensive products. This just doesn't look like something I'd buy, unless it turns out they fixed all the issues I've had with every other midi controller. I'm not sure what companies are listening anymore.



An unknown Casio keyboard! I'm betting its repackaged FM technology from the old days w/ rom.

JP-80 Pros & Cons

I just wanted to post some thoughts on the keyboard. Its awesome...but may not be for everyone. After I'm done using it I'm going to end up selling it. I can't translate many of my own signature sounds to it and it does not offer me a sequencer. Its amazing to play, but not what I need. That said, there are more pros than cons and there aren't many deal breakers. Its a generation ahead of everything out now.

Pros:

• The smoothest sounding keyboard available!


• Its light enough to gig.


• The JP-80 always sounds powerful no matter what you are mixing together.


• Patch creation from start to finish is the fastest of any roland system.


• Easy to learn.


• Endless patches and tones to try


• Every standard sound you can think of is included and more.


• A variety articulations and expressiveness


• Effects sound great


• This keyboard will be used on anime soundtracks till the end of time.


• Pianos, bass, pads, bells, strings and brass are perfect.


• Lower patch changing buttons are a good idea


• Part mixer is easy to use


• Layering and splitting is simple


• Buttons and knobs are big.


• Touchscreen is sensitive and just the right brightness level.


• The Keybed is excellent.


• Fast startup time.

Cons:

• No sequencer.


• JP-80 is a little disappointing from a pure synthesis standpoint.


• Some functions are hard to find.


• Save system is still confusing.


• Its expensive.


• You will have to spend time compiling your own registrations as many are bland.


• In the end it doesn't cover everyone's need.


• Needs more experimental sounds.

Radikal Accelerator SoundCloud Playlist Demo

Accelerator Demos by Joerg Schaaf

Excellent sounds!

Favourite XP-30 Patches Audio Demo

XP-30 Favourite Patches by stealthgear

Kronos Official Video

Korg Kronos Revealed

Korg Kronos found on Hipasonic.com

What is it? A premium piano, electric piano, tonewheel organ, MS-20, Korg PolySix, AL-1 Analog Synth, Waveshaping, Plucked String, and HD-1 High Definition synthesizer.

AND a sequencer!!!

http://www.hispasonic.com/noticias/presentacion-korg-kronos/6613

This is definitely a M30 replacement/companion. It comes in 61, 76, and 88 keys. I want to hear this mafucka!

Might have to wait till tomarrow or friday. It might be expensive, but very quiet. It contains a Solid State Drive (SSD)

http://www.hispasonic.com/noticias/presentacion-korg-kronos/6613

Roland GAIA Pictures

Look at it in 3d! Its kind of fat/cool. Check out more of the product Specs

Some people were saying it was real analog, but it appears to be Virtual.

Triple-Fat Virtual Analog

Sink your teeth into the new triple-stacked virtual analog engine, comprising three complete synths for incredibly thick, powerful sound. Unleash the beef of three oscillators that drive a trio of multimode, resonant filters, multi-shape LFOs, and amplifiers, plus nine envelope generators. It’s like having three synthesizers in one! With 64 polyphonic voices onboard, the GAIA SH-01 makes it possible to play massive sounds without experiencing note drop-out.

Very portable (10lb) w/ a phrase recorder. Allows 3 different tones layered onto itself.

Video + Audio Demos On Roland Connect

Roland W30 on Ebay

Comes with original factory and 10 professional disks from midi mark.

Auction Link

Jexus Nord Lead FX

Korg MicroSampler Looks like Voltmeter

It seems like they come out with a new mini keyboard ever year.

From youtube "looks like a midi keyboard for troops in iraq... really ugly"

To me it looks like a plastic Voltmeter from electronics class or a yard sale toy. It looks like it has a sequencer at least. If it doesn't have time-stretch, pitch, beat-match, and sample chop, like modern samplers, then its not necessary to own, but I hope it does for the sake of people buying this ugly thing.

Link to Video

V-Synth Vs. JX8P Roland Shootout

UPDATED: I have now sold the JX-8p and re-aquired the V-synth. For purposes of production, and synthesis it is a better keyboard. Playing it is fun too. I miss being able to play the JX-8p, and its sound only a bit, but not its synthesis capabilities compared to V-synth for producing the type of music I am into nowadays.



VS.


Who will reign supreme for the title of "Super Synth"

You might be wondering what these two have in common. They use completely different technologies, different design, and came out decades away from eachother. One would think these Roland boards would sound completely different. Theres the thing you can't forget: they are designed to do the same thing: Synthesis. But which is better?
Today we'll be testing both the V-synth and the JX-8p in a feature shootout. Instead of focusing on what makes them different, we'll be focusing on its similiar features, the OSCs & filter sections. Yes, the V-synth is a sampler, with many more features and effects, but they still decided to call it the V-Synth. In these tests we'll be having each instrument do the exact same thing, recreating the same patch. Since the JX-8p is limited in options we do have to make the V-synth work to try and sound the same. This might be futile, and completely narrowminded but lets find out which won!

The OSC Setup:

The initial OSC test was difficult to set up. I started each synthesizer on a virtually blank patch and introduced the saw waves. This was fairly easy to do with the V-Synth and JX-8p. However, to make the V-synth sound like the JX-8p we set both its virtual OSCs to +1 randomize pitch, and used the LA-SAW type. Randomize pitch was the best way to simulate the analog-ness, as detuning a virtual oscillator does not equate to "analog" as you may think. It just makes it go out of sync. Even the JX-8p is close to dead perfect in tuning. Adjusting the the relative volume of each OSC to match the other instrument's was a harder process. Set up this particular way, I tested the notes both high and low, and used chords.

In the end I couldn't tell the difference between the JX-8p and V-synth with my eyes closed! Both instrument's dry OSCs are excellent, with maybe a negligible difference in the convertors.
OSCs: Tied!!!
Chorus:

This was a bit more difficult. You do have to make the V-synth work a bit to get a good chorus. These are the settings I used: Chorus Effect 2, with the rate set to .40 , and full depth you get a similiar sound. It wasn't enough however. There is a huge volume boost in the JX8p and what feels like a sub OSC when the chorus is engaged. I failed to get the V-synth to get that quality, even after trying bass EQ. It comes extremely close in tone, but that extra "awwwrrorr" sound isn't there, and neither is the exciting "shine."

Don't let this persuade you from getting the V-synth. It's chorus sounds very roland-ey and I was impressed.

Chorus: JX-8p wins

Filter:

The JX-8P has a smoother resonance filter that can't be beat. The V-synth actually resonates alot harder with all its digital information. The cutoffs seemed similiar, but V-synth digital filters work almost too well by design. They should try to program flaws into it or EQ changes to give it more character or refined smoothness. I know its possible, and you can definitely try more controls in the V-synth, but in the end the basic filter was the fastest. The V-synth's TB-303 filter is also good, but doesn't compare to the JX-8p for this test. Real world filters are just too smooth!

If you like hard resonance filters, the V-synth can be your board. This might be the only category in which I am willing to be biased though. I like a smoother quality.

Filter: JX-8p wins.


Memory:

Okay the V-synth won this, and I'm not going to bother to explain why. The nice thing is that you can delete the factory presets.

Memory: V-synth Wins

Speed:

With the PG-800, the JX-8p had a clear advantage. Its just simply faster. The V-synth has onboard OSC & envelope controls, which are highly appreciated, but to get the depth that the JX has, you must go through some menus. It would actually be interesting if they made a hardware programmer for the V-synth 3. That would be the most kickass thing ever. Roland should go back to making full hardware control on their synths. Yes the knobs could break down over time, but you could just buy another programmer if one knob went bad. The modular setup of seperate controller & keyboard is genius and Roland would be best to go back to it.

They are both fun to program and I didn't feel like the V-synth wasted my time, but if you just need to grab a particular sound without thinking, the 20+ year old synth won.

Speed: JX-8p wins

Aftertouch:

The JX-8p has a smoother aftertouch thats easily enabled with an on/off switch on top. It seems like its on slightly even when your not pressing it, and while I'm not sure thats normal, I find it cool and useful. The V-synth also has aftertouch, but they designed literally as an AFTER-touch. You have to press down in to the point of your fingers going concave.

Aftertouch: JX-8p


Mods:
The JX-8p has a nicer sheen when you enable its mods & waveform sync. It has a better sounding ring modulator. The V-synth sounds perfectly fine & digital, which isn't really a downside, but the JX-8p has an extra edge. At this point I was still creating the same patches and comparing them side by side. You can hear the electrons "light up" almost when your using real components to mix the waveforms. I do believe its possible for roland to program mods and syncs that do a little something extra, but they haven't yet.

Mods: Jx-8p wins

Pitch Bender: V-synth

The pitch bender on the JX-8p felt old and plastic, like it was breakable. The V-synth was stronger in regards to its action and plastic feel. Both worked fine. Another comparison I find is Korg's pitchbender design, which feels a little sloppy and hard to control. Keyboard manufacturers go cheap on the pitchbenders I guess, but the V-synth's is clearly better in every way.

Pitch Bender: V-synth

Key Action:

The V-synth has everything you want in a synth action keyboard. Its fast and feels amazing. The JX-8p isn't bad and I know some people might like its spring feeling but its going to be a little worn after 20 years realistically. When you press the keys the V-synth and JX-8p they both make a THUD sound at similiar volumes. However there is some difference in this thud sound from the keys. The V-synth's is more bassy and feels like its vibrating the entire case and the inside electronics. Thats a little cheap. The JX-8p's is more like a higher pitch KA-CHUNK. I'm not sure which is better...maybe the JX-8p has higher quality keybed, but the thunk might interfere with hearing the high frequencies of your music. I prefer the V-synth's direct feel, but the JX-8p's worn out spring bed doesn't feel cheaply attached to the rest of the board.

Key Action: Tied


JX-8P WINS!!!!




I was told that the V-synth would a replace the JX-8p, a 20 year old keyboard. I think this is not entirely correct. If you test it blind, its really damn close, with a special "shine" on the JX. The JX-8p won the tests by a nudge.

In conclusion, it is possible to program similiar patches and at times I couldn't tell the difference. Going with the JX-8p your trading away extra OSCs and better memory to gain a slightly more special sound and better programming speed. If you want a straight out synth the JX-8p is still a killer and does its job a little better. The V-synth also sounds very Rolandey, and you must keep in mind that without hearing both side by side, I might not care at all!!

They both are winners. The JX-8p would keep the "super synth" title by a nudge. If you like variety and want harder filters get the V-synth. I'm keeping V-synth because I love its sampler.

Korg MS-10, Vintage Analogue Synth

KORG MS-10... a classic, rare monophonic synth. SWEET! Excellent condition: everything works, everything is intact, no noisy pots, all keys operate smoothly. No operational issues. A few trivial scratches in the paint, which all seem to be on the back side (see pics). Still has a two prong plug.

Harmony Central Link

Full Orchestra Re-creation Tips

Some people want to orchestrate an entire symphony from their computer or keyboard. ROM voices or even sampled instruments don't cut it by themselves, but you can use them to get a useable sound TV style sound ala Stargate or half of the stuff on TV. Here are some tips not everyone will tell you.

Here is an example of what you can do with plain "rom" or GM voices and alot of time tweaking.
MP3: http://www.chipcollection.com/orchestratest.mp3

Time for the tips

1. Use lots of Reverb on every instrument. They are supposed to be all in the same space.
2. When layering, respect the dynamic range of each instrument and research each instrument. For instance a violin cannot go all the way to C1.
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Range_(music) <--- Check this link
4. Use the correct panning of where each instrument lies in the orchestra.
5. Sometimes your workstation won't have enough power to play 12 violin voices at the same time. Try to fake it with a chorus filter or by using a patch that includes an entire section of the orchestra (violin and cello, double bass reeds)

Winter NAMM 2009 links

A new M50 by Korg with 76 keys.


http://www.korg.com/m50



Korg releases the Pink Kaossilator.

http://www.korgkaossilator.com/



http://www.korgnano.com
Korg releases the nano controllers in black.
Is all you could do was come up with new colors?


So far there is nothing too exciting to report about winter NAMM. Maybe everyone is buying guitars this year?

Nova Drive presented by Uffe Hansen at NAMM '09
This is kind of cool, a combination overdrive & distortion thats analog, with presets! Midi controlled too. Sounds like a premium pedal.


Kinda retarded but cool. The ultimate hacked TR707
Diabolical Devices TR-707 at NAMM 2009



More as I find it...

Alesis Fusion FM Presets Bank - "Alice FM" Released!

29 Must Have FM presets

This is the ultimate selection in FM sounds on the Alesis fusion. 29 must have FM presets range from Acid, Techno, Chip, to FX.

Alice FM presets honor the past of Yamaha style keyboards and others are remenesicient of sounds not since seen on the Sega Genesis game platform. Complex LFOs are used to generate envelope rythyms, like on those of expensive software packages costing $200 or more. Alice FM pushes the creative limits of the Alesis Fusion! Click here to listen to the demo (MP3)

Click here to visit the product page

Christmas Wishlist

Don't know what to buy yourself for christmas? Check out this toy list for some holiday ideas.



1. Roland SPD-20 Total Percussion Pad $650
Instead of getting a PS3 with Rock Band, why not grab a Roland 8 pad drum kit with 700 sounds loaded into it?


2. Korg Kaoscillator $200
100 of Korg's world renowned synth sounds right at your finger tip.



3. Sterling Audio ST51 Large Diaphragm FET Condenser Microphone $99
This microphone is the top rated in the under 100 dollar range in a number of realworld tests. I would rather have this than an m-audio mic or any other costing 3 times its price.



4. Korg DS-10 For Nintendo DS $36
For only 36 dollars and Amazon delivery this video game / synth will be on everyone's list.




5. Hal Leonard Rock Keyboard $12
Learn different Rock styles and chords to play along with the CD. If you are a beginner or intermediate I recommend this one as it helped my playing and improvising.

6. Stocking stuffer pick: Disney Hannah Montana Guitar with Bonus Amp



NO! Well if I'm not the grandaddy of all liars!

Alesis Fusion: Ultimate Heavy Metal Guitar FX

Upon plugging my guitar into the Alesis Fusion, I always wondered how to use it as a guitar fx processor. The fusion includes 8 inputs, and a variety of FX. Unfortunately it only lets you use bus effects on the audio inputs, which gets rid of all of the amp modeling, and overdrives by themselves. To get a great heavy metal sound from your guitar and alesis fusion, you will have to stretch the use of the bus effects without clipping and overloading it (which is easy to do). Here is a great patch that lets you use the Alesis fusion as heavy metal guitar FX processor.


Step 1. Create an audio track
Step 2. The fx bus settings:

Bus Send 1 = Wah Distortion + Delay @ 99%
Dry Level 0%
Bus Return 10%
Time: 0.1ms
Feedback, Attack, Release, Sensotivity, all @ 0%
Drive: 100%

Bus Send 2 = Plate Reverb @ 71% (Optional)
Dry Level 0%
Bus Return 9%
Decay, Diffusion 100%
Density 35%
Damping 30%

Be careful when setting this up as you will likely clip the internal circuit or your speakers if all the settings aren't in yet. Pay attention to bus return levels.

Step 4. Plug your guitar into the Alesis Fusion's audio in OR through an external amp FIRST (recommended).

Here are the settings on my practice amp which leads into the Alesis Fusion via Headphone-Out:
Input Gain 100%
Treble 100%
Mids: variable (50%)
Bass: 100%
Overdrive: ON
Adjust the output volume accordingly

After all this setup you will get a live guitar FX processor out of the Alesis fusion, and a patch that sounds AWESOME.
Its like Overdrived Metal-Wah from hell. Great for solos and some chords.

Mega Flute Medley - 100% Alesis Fusion

Mega Flute Medley
This track was made on the Alesis Fusion using all stock sounds, and one official drum sample pack, from the Alesis Website. Lightly mastered using Logic 8. Just shows what you can do with a single piece of hardware.

Download it and check it out! ---> Mega Flute Medley, 4MB Mp3

Be sure to Add Stealthgear as your friend on myspace :)

Buying an Electric guitar: How To

Yes, they have a certain cool factor. Its undeniable!

If the theremin can be an electronic instrument, then maybe an electric guitar is too. Well, at least quasi-electronic. The pickup converts the waves of the strings, into an electronic signal. They also sound very cool and might be worth putting into your production setup. Guitars actually sound great when played side by side with synthesizers.
With a guitar you will never have to worry about Polyphony, Midi (unless you bought those new USB ones), and using digital interfaces.

Let's find out more about them before we choose.

Pickups:
There are two main types of pickup: single coil and double coil (known as humbuckers), each of which can be passive or active. Single Coil have a brighter sound, whereas, double coil is known for its noise cancelling abilities.

Body Style:
Electric guitars can come in solid body or hollow body designs. Solid body has NO inner holes which would allow the strings to resonate further (like acoustic). Hollow bodies do have these inner holes.

Tremolo Arms:
Also called the Whammy bar. This device moves the bridge to alter the pitch during play.

Most electric guitars are completely passive. They require external amplification and effects! But you can jack them into an audio interface that supports phantom power and use plugin effects and guitar amp emulators! This is a great way to not clog up your studio and get any kind of guitar sound that you want for cheap. The effects you use on your guitar also can determine style of music you want to produce. Examples would be distortion, overdrive, chorus, etc.

Electric guitars come in many body styles for you to choose from. They also having varying degrees of quality. You must be considerate of price too, as you are just buying a piece of wood with strings attached to an electric pickup. A very expensive guitar might be close to that of a cheaper more affordable one. Other than actually going somewhere and just picking up and playing a guitar, you'll want to check out some guitar reviews:

Stick to what feels good, something in your price range, and what sounds good.

Guitar Reviews:
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar

I hope that helps you get started!! I think I will be buying my guitar soon.


Extra: Use your Guitar to trigger synth tones to differentiate your sound with this module Roland GR20

Below are some models of guitars I would check out!

Price Ranges

Under $200
Behringer V-Tone II & Amp $109 Cheap, and nicely rated.
Epiphone Les Paul Special II Electric Guitar Classic looking.

Over $200
Fender Standard Stratocaster Electric Guitar Nice!! I would get this or something similar.


There are alot of guitars out there and it will come down to personal choice! Find something you like!

Korg TR: Third Opinions

I wanted to post some more on the Korg TR. You will always have a first impression of a keyboard which will be how it sounds and feels. Your second opinion will be based on how easily you can use the piece of gear. The Third opinion tells you if it will function for you or not. So I'd like to talk more about its sequencing as integrated with its sound creation, and also the big mistake I made mentioning that it only uses one insert effect.

The Korg TR's sound creation and knob settings have similar problems related to the Alesis Fusion! (they don't stay). It has a work around, but Its not 100% To keep voice parameters set you have to switch into Program mode, call up the program, and set its knob voice functions, then switch into song mode to see the changes take place. Or you can record voice parameters using the knobs with sequence mode using over dub. Thats not a good way to just "grab n go" when playing a sequence and creating your sound. If you don't save it that way, all the knobs get reset every time you start / stop the song. Note: YOU CANNOT save the entire B bank of knob settings in program mode. There is just no explanation for this! The A and C banks due however. So basically you will have your sound adjusted and it will reset back, at least on all the B settings with absolutely no way to save them in program mode or sequence mode (unless your recording the voice w/overdub). So the B-bank, and all your programming for it is worthless in program mode, and mostly in sequence mode. Thats kind of insane. So you just have to ignore the B bank of knob settings entirely on this board....like the Alesis fusion.

More on the Korg TR Effects:

The effects setup is complicated. But it suprised pleasantly when I found out I had more routing effect capabilities than I thought possible: You can use the mastering effects like instert effects. Korg has their terminology wrong, or at least not the way I would describe it. SO it has 3 distinct insert(y) type effects channels that you can put on any track, and you can have the bonus of routing one of the effects through the masters if you want. So if you want your drums to have alot of reverb, your synth to be chorused, and your piano to have a little bit of reverb and maybe full stereo compression...you can. You don't have to rely on a single effect for every track. You can have combinations and adjust the amount on each track, as long as you don't think of the mastering effects as actually mastering the final output of your mix (it sort of doesnt anyway). The Korg TR has tons more effects potential than you'd need!!! Its just hard to understand the way its set up in the menus, and not very fun to use when your sequencing something. You can't turn a knob and change your sound. Its alot of menu based hunting.

The effects menus and setup is probably the worst thing about this board. The second being that it will not save any B bank knob settings unless you sequence them. Another note: There is no way to stop it from sending program changes to your gear in sequence mode. You must save your sound settings on the piece of gear itself, because it will always reset to the specified program (and thank god you can specify it).

One last Gripe: I couldnt get it to save my global settings for the Velocity curve. It shouldnt be complicated but I gave up trying.

Overall, there are workarounds for this keyboard. The effects are more powerful than you've heard (think 3 effects on any channel), but its hard to use. The knob settings can be saved (only A and C banks), but with some work.

Its still a solid board, but there will be some frustration when setting up the rom's overall sound, when mixing a track created solely on the board itself....which sucks. I feel kind of tricked, because it seemed easy to adjust everything when I first got my hands on it. I am looking for a single piece of equipment that I can make complete mixes on. This isnt quite there.

If you sequence alot of gear, or just like to play very inspirational Combis its still worth checking out. Its solid and won't crash on you.