Keyboard vs Synth

[andrewchua]

Hi guys, I know this topic is like rather cliche now but I'm in the market but I can't seem to find a solution searching the forum.

I'm in the market for a keyboard. As I learn music in school I need a keyboard to sometimes play out some simple pieces and self compose part of the music as homework. I do not have a piano at home so thats why I'm thinking of getting a keyboard. The homework I get is usually simple melody+accompaniment pieces.

Apart from that I also do some pop music composing myself so if I get a keyboard I would want it to like play out some musical ideas and of course to do some arrangement for my music like for example adding drum lines and strings and cellos and stuff which I would then later record into the computer either by a external microphone or directly into the computer.

At first glance at the buy/sell forum I've identified two keyboards
yamaha ez250i and also the yamaha synth so3

I know one is a synth and one is a keyboard but as I dun really know how different are those two I don't know which one is more suited for my usage. Perhaps u guys would know better and could roughly break the pros and cons? Or if u know a better deal more suited for my usage please tell me. Thanks a lot.

 

[yoruka19]

well...apart frm the 2 that u mentioned, theres another 1 which u can consider which is the yamaha PSR series they r quite good to use but i would suggest getting PSR 500 or above if u r doing composing n simple arrangements...which school ya frm btw??

 

[Cheez]

First, you need to read the second sticky in this section of the forum. A keyboard is anything with black and white keys. A piano is a keyboard as well. The EZ250i is what we call an arranger keyboard. The S03 is a synth, as you pointed out. The differences, pros and cons, you can read in depth in the second sticky (too long to repeat).

Can you explain what does "melody + accompaniment" entails? What kind of accompaniment do you need to do for your homework? What kind of genre? Is this MEP or other kind of music lessons?

 

[andrewchua]

I'm from VJC.

I'm doing something like MEP la. Melody+ accompaniment entails mostly Baroque harpsichord pieces as well as Classical pieces. Mostly Scarlatti, Bach and Mozart I guess. I don't need to play to perform these pieces I only basically need to try out some of my ideas and incorporate them into the original pieces

 

[andrewchua]

Can you explain what does "melody + accompaniment" entails?

Oh ya I forgot to add that I mean playing the accompaniment with my left hand not the automatic ones found on keyboards although that would be useful for my free time composition and arrangement too I guess.

 

[Cheez]

Does your homework require you to write baroque and classical style? That's interesting! During my time, we only had to write 20th century music and our own styles.

In this case, I would suggest a totally different approach. I gather piano is not your first instrument then, seeing you don't have a piano at home. What instrument are you playing?

My suggestion will be going entirely the software option. What you'll need is:

1. A PC - you probably have one at home. You'll need to optimise it for music usage. My suggestion is to do a dual boot - one boot partition for your everyday needs (Office, Internet etc); the other boot partition for only music (no internet, nothing except music). You'll only need to purchase another copy of Windows that's different from the version you are using now and dual boot setup is automatic (ie if you are using XP Home, get XP Pro - if you can still get XP). Make sure you have enough RAM (1-2GB).

2. An audio interface. What soundcard are you using?

3. An audio software. Something simple like Cakewalk Home (less than 100USD) will do. With the conversion rates nowadays, it's probably the best time to buy things in USD! This software will let you do sequencing.

4. A sound source that gives you good classical/orchestral sounds. Software is the way to go. It comes as a plugin to your audio software. And the best for the price is Garritan Personal Orchestra (GPO) - http://www.garritan.com/GPO-features.html
It's less than 200USD (I believe you may be able to find one for 179USD if you do a search on other online shops). This will give you an entire template of orchestral instruments including baroque (like harpsichord), although I don't think they have recorders (then it will really make the baroque sound!).

How I wish they have these tools for me when I was doing MEP 20 years ago! Most of my compositions then couldn't be realised unless performed live. And it's hard to get an entire orchestra to play your piece! Now you can have an entire orchestra at your disposal.

When you get used to sequencing and arranging/composing using software, you may want to upgrade to better software that's more realistic than GPO. But that's another story...

 

[piano_ex]

yupz .... cheez is rite =)

the ez250i is an arranger keyboard, so you can press 1 key and the whole band play there for you ...... where the SO3s is only a synth .... put it simply ... it has collection of sound .. and nothing else ..... but of course it'll sound better than the ez250i ....

but i dun think any of this 2 fits ur need ......

 

[andrewchua]

WOW Cheez thanks a lot, ya we still have to do our own free composition but this composition in the 18th century style is another part of our composition component. No piano isn't my first instrument, violin is.

Well the software was is an option but it wasn't wat I really had in mind. Actually the thing is I don't need to actually perform the pieces I write. Or rather I don't have the need for software to write out scores and play them because we have Cubase and Sibelius in school to do that and we won't be writing for an entire orchestra anyway.

I basically just need like something with black and white keys to like randomly try out some musical ideas that I might have just like when I go to my friend's place who has a piano I always go and sit in front of it and improvise something or try out some ideas.

Another use I have for a keyboard would be that sometimes I like to write songs during my free time and do a rough recording of it in my computer and when I write songs I want to like add strings to my song, or maybe the set drum to my song so I guess I would need something decently realistically sounding. I tried out some casio keyboards at best denki the other day and I must say that the violin didn't sound like a violin and the dizi didn't sound like one too.

So is there any recommendation on what I should get?

Thanks a lot for your replies, I really appreciate it. Hope you are able to further help me. Thanks.

 

[piano_ex]

what software are you intending to record it with?

if your recording basically is recording things live one by one to your comp, then you can use the SO3s sound .... which of course willl sound better than casio or the ez250i ....

=) ... u can go try out the sound in yamaha plaza singapura .... but of course, it won't be that real ..... in a sense it's still a low budget synth.

 

[Cheez]

Am I right to say you want something light-weight and portable for sketching your ideas on the go? And you want with decent sounding classical/orchestral instruments?

 

[andrewchua]

Spot on Cheez. Preferably with a good drum kit sound too so that I can add drum tracks to some of my songs. Actually the weight and portability isn't so much of a worry. Its going to be in my room alot anyway. Thanks

 

[digihub00]

you should buy the Yamama s03 for a start