Keyboard Recomendation

Hi,
 
Been looking at getting a Synthesizer. And for now, not an expensive one, unless it has a for dummies function in it so a blind man can navigate all the buttons and a read-out he can not see properly!
 
Been looking at those Korg's and Rolands, and even those Casio newbies ... and not sure what it is and isn't worth springing for ... here are the issues for this member of the how sweet to be an idiot club ...
 
1. Not interested in music. Call me Eno fake copy!
 
2. Don't know squat about a sequencer and can not figure it out and make the note repeat, let alone use it ... and two efforts to have someone come over and help me do this on the Jupiter 8 software with the midi board ... have been wasted ... money was offered, too! 
  
3. Midi board, at this point is useless ... but I have gotten all the slides and knobs marked up so half of the controls on the Jupiter can be done manually ... fun, too!
 
4. Expense is an issue in that I don't see that it is worth purchasing something for $1500 dollars, that I can not learn or figure out.
 
5. Literature on the subject is as bad as the folks that supposedly know how to navigate many of these instruments and midi! 
 
Thanks for the assist ... any comment is acceptable including "You're an Idiot" ... but then, I'm a Charter Member of the "How Sweet To Be An Idiot" club, so I consider that an honor ... not an insult!
 
Have a wonderful day and thanks in advance for all the comments ...

Have you considered a visit to a big box music store? 

They have people there who might take the time to actually show you something useful and I'm sure they sell keyboards of all sorts, sizes, prices and features. 

They are usually pretty good about answering questions too if you explain you are new and what you are seeking. There are plenty of keyboards in the lower price rage (under $500) with a ton of features and some may be pretty easy to understand. 

If you are using them to input midi..... you really don't need to know much beyond how to turn it on. And the cheapest keyboard will suffice to do that. 

Beagle


I have to echo Jan's question - you listed what you do not want to use it for, but you didn't list what you DO want to use it for?

setting pictures on it and a lava lamp too? 

I'm not sure craigb is looking to sell his lava lamp.  

Old55


Hi Pedro, 

If you're not interested in music, what is the purpose of it?  

Good luck on your quest, 
Jan

No sense asking you ... meaning "theory" ... and such!

Old55


I'm not sure craigb is looking to sell his lava lamp.  

No way Jose!  (Or Hose B.)
 
Although the white blobs have kinda joined into one big blob from over use (it's white in blue liquid) so I'll probably need to buy a new one (or more).

dmbaer


Unless you need something to take to live performance engagements that's totally plug-in-turn-on-and-play, you can save serious money by buying a simple MIDI controller and a soft synth.  If you're running a DAW, you've probably already got one or more of those on hand to begin with.  If not, fifty bucks can get you a decent quality soft synth and several amazing options exist at the ~$120 price point.  I'm assuming you've already got some kind of musical computer setup going with at least a basic sound card.

Actually yes ... but telling that to the folks here is not important, and besides they are more interested in telling someone off than they are in inspiring music and other works. Even with humor! It's all a mirror ... that no one can see, isn't it? Ohh wait ... some dope usually helps I hear and an Alice thing with it!

Something's wrong here.

Moshkiae

Old55


Hi Pedro, 

If you're not interested in music, what is the purpose of it?  

Good luck on your quest, 
Jan

No sense asking you ... meaning "theory" ... and such!

I barely play.  There is no sense in asking me about theory.  


If you're wanting to learn/use the Arturia software, I'm with dmbaer--get a MIDI keyboard.  I have a couple of old M-Audio keyboards.  One is a small one--49 keys, I think.  It cost around $100.  I also have a larger, 88-key, keyboard with weighted keys.  I was planning on learning some piano, before I got distracted with some health problems.  I'm still hoping to get back to that at some point.  

Hit some yard sales on Saturday morning or look in Craigs list or Ebay locally.  Any cheap keyboard will have midi output on it and if you don't know a lot about midi, or playing a keyboard.... if you get a cheap one.... you don't have a big loss if it all comes to naught. 

At a yard sale, you could probably pick up a workable keyboard easily for under $100... probably half that if you negotiate. 

offnote


your best bet is some 37 key or even keyless synthesizer. Korg has many to choose from.
I understand you want to make noise not music, well then you can buy chains saw - very good analogue sound. 

Not original enough ... FAUST has already done that ... AND at various speeds, too, so it gets weirder and then stolen in a few film soundtracks!

Hi,

Thx a terrific bunch Julibee ... awesome ... and great ... just like your voice!

I do have an Oxygen 61, and software. Pretty much playing around with it, and just having some issues doing more than just the simple stuff ... like take one of their presets and change the knob a bit here and there and such ...

One of the things that I had hoped that Craig would help me with (he never replied to the email or phone!) was how to use the sequencer and the Midi, so I could do a bit more ... for example ... on the Miroslav software, I can not use two different sounds together ... they play separetely, and I can not tell why, if this is a Midi setup issue, or simply an advanced function in Miroslav ... the mouse option for the change of the midi channel on the different voices and choices, will not change the numbers.

I don't know if this is too advanced, or not. I do know, and thus part of my cynicism, that for all the stuff that folks know, they are probably like me ... they don't know ... I just click this and that ... and I'm actually ok with that ... I'm EXACTLY the same way ...

Using/learning how to use a sequencer is what I need help with ... or at least learning to create a sound (no problem there) and allow it to extend ... which I am having a hard time with ...

I keep thinking that a small piece of hardware at this moment might be easier than the software stuff, since midi and the interconnectivity in many of these things is a hassle for many ... and Ed, as much as he might nknow, probably does not have the time to share a few moments of training.

All in all, I did not have a good experience with Abelton at all, and MC5 was buggy for me ... so I am not sure what I want to work with right now ... my whole setup, including midi board is setup pretty much like a radio station ... that I can record on a 2nd computer! And I'm having fun with it ... though I am wanting to add more of my own design and music as time goes by so I can do poetry and other things over it and with it ... which is the reason why I wanted to learn the Jupiter and the Miroslav a bit better through the Midi board ... Miroslav has great sounds, but so far I can only use one at  a time and their support has been miserable!