Recommend an inexpensive keyboard for me

[mjet]

I would like to get a keyboard which I could use for future home recording / noodling that I could use when I want to come up with some NIN or middle-era Depeche Mode (Black Celebration / Music for the Masses era, not the early light synth-pop but the more suave stuff that came later) bass grooves, and maybe occasional strings for background fills. A friend of mine used to have a Juno 6 and that seemed to pretty much do what I wanted it for - does that stand up as something worth grabbing, or has that gone the "vintage" route with high prices?



It doesn't have to have MIDI (I'm not knowledgeable enough to deal with sequencers etc) - just some knobs and sliders to make interesting noises. I'd love to find a modern version of the Juno that is compact (maybe even with fewer than 5 octaves?) that's cheap. Any ideas?

[i love sharin foo]

Have you looked at the MicroKorgs? I have been wanting one for a while but I'm not so sure I would get much sue out of it. They are usually around $399 USD new.

Justin

[i love sharin foo]

Here is a photo of one:



They seem to have some good features but I'm not well versed on this sort of thing.

Justin

[JazzBlaster]

the micro korg is awesome if you are just wanting cool analog sounds and isn't to expensive. good call!

[aen]

I've been jonesing ofr one of those for years.

[chrisjedijane]

i got a microkorg for christmas, and it's great. the sounds are really good and it's extremely versatile. The only criticism I would have is that editing takes a bit of getting used to, since there isn't a dial for every parameter. You get used to it though, and there's a huge range of sounds to be had from it. It also has loads of presets which work as a nice starting block.

[mjet]

The thing that I really liked about the Juno 6 is that it had sliders and knobs for everything - modding sounds couldn't be easier, even for a person like me.

[daydreamdelay]

the microkorg is nice.. I went to buy one a couple years back and ended up buying the alesis micron instead, it just sounded better to my ears and it's been a while now since I sold it (not because I didn't like it.. just needed the $) so my memory is a bit fuzzy but I seem to remember it having a lot more to it for roughly the same price. It had some amazing sounds.. even better with a few pedals 


oh I forgot to mention.. last year I got a copy of Reason (v2.5) from a friend for my cpu and bought a small midi controller/interface to use with it.. it's not everything in one box like a synth but you can do so much more with a setup like that. You can find the last version pretty cheap if you look around and midi controllers aren't much either

[mezcalhead]

I agree, if you're using a computer to record with, that would probably be my approach: a little USB or MIDI keyboard plus whatever sounds you have onboard the computer.

[tremolite]

I own a Juno 6. It's an amazing sounding, versatile keyboard. I've always been able to get pretty much any sound I wanted out of it. It's really great tag teamed with my TR-606 and TR-707. However since I started using Reason a couple of years ago, I've barely touched the Juno. The lack of MIDI is the biggest limitation as far as integration into a modern set-up. It still has it's uses though. If you don't need/want MIDI capabilities seeking out an analog board may be well worth it. I'm also a huge fan of the microKorg... that would be a great way to go as well. If you're looking to get nice string synth/organ sounds take a look for a Roland RS-09.

[FireAarro]

I have a MicroKorg and the thing I don't like about it is the keys are crap, not just that they're small but they are pretty hard to play, with weird springy action. You can edit patches on the  computer. It gets pretty cool sounds.

[flatfiver]

I also own a MicroKorg, and while it sounds great and is a lot of fun, I think the Alesis Micron kicks its ass all over the place, for about the same amount of money.  Editing patches is maybe a little more difficult (although there's probably an editor/librarian program) but you get full-size keys and some great sounds.  It's also capable of creating some awesome combination sounds and rhythm programs.

Having said that, Korg just came out with a new mini-synth, the R3.

Have you looked at the Roland SH-201?  It looks pretty cool but I've never seen/heard one in person.

Last time I looked, the Juno series boards weren't going for ridiculous amounts of money, but it's been a while.

[Maggieo]

I agree, if you're using a computer to record with, that would probably be my approach: a little USB or MIDI keyboard plus whatever sounds you have onboard the computer.

I'll second that, along with adding my own microKORG lust.  That Alesis Micro looks pretty rad, too.

[mjet]

Last time I looked, the Juno series boards weren't going for ridiculous amounts of money, but it's been a while.

I missed the boat once again - I should have bought one 5 years ago when you couldn't give them away. This one went for nearly US $600. 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0074453655

[flatfiver]

Ah, crap salad.  I was looking at 'em maybe a year ago and they were going for around $300-$350.