2. Keyboards don't crash, get viruses, have compatibility issues, etc. like computers do. 3. Keyboards have no lag time...instant response. Soft synths have lag time, and even though it might be slight, it bothers the drummer in me.
I can understand not wanting to schlep extra gear to gigs...
But I wanted to elaborate on a couple of things.
FWIW, Keyboards *can/do* have issues playing live at gigs... and can indeed crash.
I've had a Korg M3 go out of tune at a gig... right in mid tune (power related).
When you go to power up a M3, Motif, or Fantom... notice that it takes about a minute to boot up.
Why? Because they're dedicated computers. (The Motif XS runs a dedicated version of Linux.)
The M3 going out of tune was what finally pushed me to start using a laptop... then the cube (for more speed).
FWIW, I've not had a single issue (no glitches/hiccups/etc) in many months of 4 hour gigs.
In over 14 years of use... none of my DAWs has ever had a virus.
Regarding knobs/sliders/etc: I use a Motif XS as a MIDI controller (along with an expression pedal).
I've got plenty of realtime MIDI control at my fingertips.
I started out as a drummer (all thru school/college)... so I'm very sensitive to timing.
If you have the speed, you can run soft-synths at a 64-sample ASIO buffer size.
This translates to about 2ms latency...
That's actually faster response time than almost any current keyboard-workstation (Motif, Fantom, M3, etc).
There is no additional lag/etc... timing is actually better than the flagship units from Korg, Yamaha, Roland, and Kurzweil.
Other than cartage... there's no downside to using soft-synths.
I play out with the cube/touch-screen combo quite regularly.
I've got cases (w/wheels) for both... so load-in/out is pretty quick.
I can be setup in about 5-10 minutes.
In any event, use the gear you like.
But there's no reason to fear/fret about using soft-synths.
In truth, today's keyboards are nothing more than dedicated computers running dedicated soft-synths.
As with a typical studio DAW, if you make good choices, you can have a very reliable live (soft-synth) machine.
I'm going on two years without a single glitch. That's actually more reliable than the Korg M3.
post edited by Jim Roseberry - 2010/09/05 16:01:48