i-Series Keyboards

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Wed Oct 27, 2010 8:39 am

I currently already play with a Karma, Radias, ES-1, ER-1, mini-KP, Virus C, and an extra MIDI controller. All routed through a MIDI patchbay.
I also have my trusty self-built, high-powered Intel PC based keyboard, which I'm hoping to get KLC-AE put on.

I would be very interested in playing around with an arranger, primarily as a MIDI master keyboard. I already have access to a Yamaha QS300 (61 keys), which I'm told is fantastic as one of the few products that blurs the definition between workstation and arranger. However I was annoyed to read that you can only use the prloaded patterns in your 'styles'.

I also really like the look of the i-Series keyboards, in black with a nice touchscreen and all the faders. This is what the Tritons should have looked like!

Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions, comments, and advice on the above situation.
A few specific questions too:
- Which sound engine does the i-Series use?
- Are the sounds fully editable?
- Are the sounds themselves any good?
- Do they stand up well (primarily as an arranger MIDI master keyboard) against more modern counterparts?

karmathanever · Post by **karmathanever** » Wed Oct 27, 2010 3:34 pm

Which sound engine does the i-Series use? AI2 synthesis
- Are the sounds fully editable? multi-samples are fixed but USER sound configurations are editable
- Are the sounds themselves any good? Quite nice - I may be able to find some demos/recordings I have made for you - what sounds are you most interested in?
- Do they stand up well (primarily as an arranger MIDI master keyboard) against more modern counterparts? The i30 is a great arranger keyboard and I would class it as a flagship. I wish I had kept mine!!! I loved the "Backing Sequencer" feature. It was very easy to use and solid as a rock.
Model i30 is the best one to go for.

Cheers

Pete

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Thu Oct 28, 2010 12:26 am

Thanks.
Well I'm doing electro dance-rock and may want to return at some point to prog. So I guess mainly modern synth sounds and synth basses are important.
I also appreciate a good piano sound but I think the one on my Karma is probably better, right?

How flexible are the styles? I can't really find any videos of it being used for western music on the net...

I'm not really an arranger guy so I'm not that familiar with any of the terminology or anything. I don't need something with lots of features other than what I need for actually playing sequenced parts of songs in realtime - basically feeling like I'm doing something other than just playing a backing track. I'm thinking the arranger functionality combined with the fairly nice design and the mixer faders would make it a good master keyboard as such.
Do you think it is worth getting one just as a MIDI arranger keyboard? Or should I stick to my Karma?

karmathanever · Post by **karmathanever** » Thu Oct 28, 2010 3:27 am

Hi again

In view of your needs I would stick to the Karma - I think that, for what you are wanting to do, the i-series arranger is not the solution.

I have not researched MIDI controller keyboards but imagine there has to be one out there with a good selection of programmable sliders/switches etc...

Cheers

Pete

BasariStudios · Post by **BasariStudios** » Thu Oct 28, 2010 3:51 am

Well there is few different things between THEM and THEM.
Take PA arranger series for example, probably have the best and most
sophisticated MIDI routing right now. They also have VERY good Accoustic
Sounds, probably better then M3, Guitars blow out any workstation but they
are weak on the electro side. Soon i will release videos of PROG.TRANCE/ELECTRONIC
music on PA so you will have a clue of that.

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Thu Oct 28, 2010 9:41 am

Well, sorry if it wasn't very clear:
Naturally buying a keyboard I'd be interested in its sounds, which is why I asked about them. However I mainly want to use it as a master keyboard to control my other synths. But using the arranger functionality.

So I guess what is important is the programmability of the 'styles' (whatever those are), the ability to change the channel a particular part transmits on between songs or styles (so I might want bass from my Radias on one song, but then bass from the Virus on another).

Naturally I can do some of this with my Karma, but it only has four modules and it can be frustrating to program at times. I've not found much that would work with the songs we already have written. I love the karma technology but I feel that its not specific enough. The singer who I work with is very picky and often finds the music I can get out of the Karma very dated or too 'fiddley'.

I'm going to sit down with the QS300 today too and see what it can do...

Basari, I would be interested in seeing those videos.

cminor · Post by **cminor** » Thu Oct 28, 2010 11:59 am

I had QS300 for a few months and I made my OWN styles with midi to pattern import.
so it is not true that you can only use preset patterns in your styles.
Maybe you didn't have any paterns edited or imported to see them...
I didn't have it as new, so I don't know it they are patterns or not from factory...
all I DO know is that you must load them always from disk..
to be autoloaded, it must be named AUTOLOAD.
Any way, I will try to use some stuff from here

http://webspace.webring.com/people/jt/t ... 0_website/

shirreff · Post by **shirreff** » Sun Oct 31, 2010 10:26 pm

Just a note on the controller side of things, I have an I3 and you can't use the faders to controll midi functions on another instrument or DAW. A little dissapointing because it would have brought the keyboard bang up to date.
The faders are there to control instrument levels in the arranger mode which is still pretty good.
I like my I3 but am looking to change it for a controller as I now use mostly my TR rack and soft synth so I am going for something lighter.

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Sun Oct 31, 2010 11:12 pm

shirreff wrote:Just a note on the controller side of things, I have an I3 and you can't use the faders to controll midi functions on another instrument or DAW. A little dissapointing because it would have brought the keyboard bang up to date.
The faders are there to control instrument levels in the arranger mode which is still pretty good.
I like my I3 but am looking to change it for a controller as I now use mostly my TR rack and soft synth so I am going for something lighter.

That's alright, I'm not looking to control 'other parameters'. As I said, I want to use the keyboard as a master arranger keyboard, but using the sounds of my other gear over MIDI.
So What is important is the ability for the faders to transmit the volume or expression messages on different channels. Do they transmit at all? I'm not interested in assigning them to other functions, I have the actual sound modules close by for that....

shirreff · Post by **shirreff** » Mon Nov 01, 2010 8:24 am

I'm pretty sure they don't transmit, not on the I3 but I don't know about the I30.

karmathanever · Post by **karmathanever** » Mon Nov 01, 2010 8:37 am

I think I may still have the i30 MIDI Implementation manual - I'll check when I get home...

Pete