suzumebachi

Updated!

Yep, my 4th ice cap remix in as many weeks. Anyways this one is the first serious one I've done, so I thought I'd share it here. It's in a style reminiscent of mid to late 60's pop/rock bands (like The Beatles, The Animals, etc). Ultimately I plan to add some vocals, but I seem to say that about every WIP I make but rarely actually get around to doing it (with few exceptions). So we'll see how it goes. I'll update this post as I make changes/additions. 6/19/07 22:39 - Sonic 3 - Cold Feet (v3) - Added a gimmicky ending. I'll work on blending the fade and syncing later 6/19/07 18:21 - Sonic 3 - Cold Feet (v2) - Added a segue into the guitar solo, sketched out a basic guitar solo 6/19/07 15:00 - Sonic 3 - Cold Feet (v1) - Just a sketch so far As usual, comments and feedback are appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Alright, so I've pretty much decided to put off buying a keyboard until I get back from Houston (I leave Friday and will be gone for 4 or 5 days). However, Zzounds has made me a pretty slick offer on a ProKeys 88, so I'll probably head to town tomorrow with the hopes of getting my hands on one so I can genuinely play with it, and if I like it, I'll probably get one. If not, I'll give the offer code to one of you guys if you wanna use it (pm me or something-- the code is only good for 2 days). Additionally, according to some folks I've talked to, the Kurzweil SP2 will be coming out this August for a retail price of around $1150. It may be worth it to wait for that one to come out before I decide. I dunno, we'll see. Also, any of you guys ever checked out one of these fangled Roland Fantom Xa things? They seem pretty slick for the price. Almost like a modular Fantom of sorts (with aftermarket RAM and expansions and crud). Anyways, unless I end up getting a ProKeys 88, which I probably won't, I think I'll put this off for at least a little while. Thanks for all your help.

You know, really, the M-Audio ProKeys 88 looks like a hell of a deal for the price on paper. However everyone I've talked to says that they are noisy as hell and the keys tend to get stuck a lot.

Hmm... for roughly the same price as the Roland RD300SX, I can get a used Yamaha MO8 (but with still full warranty). The MO8 isn't gonna last at that price though. D: Which is the better deal?

Addictive Drums is pretty good too. There's a free VSTi demo of it at http://www.xlnaudio.com/

oh SNAP. Is that an 88 key graded hammer action keyboard with 128 note polyphony, 1/4" outs, and mod/pitch wheel I spy? I see what you did there, sir, and I applaud you. Unfortunately it IS quite a bit above my price range... Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... I believe it's time to start scouring the local used musical instrument dealers. In the meantime, QS8.2 anyone?

You're right except that most workstations are way above my price range. Like I said earlier I did get a chance to play with the Yamaha S08, and I suppose I could live with its action (it's a hell of a lot better than the Kurzweils I played with and it has way more features than the digital pianos I looked at). I'm still curious about the Alesis QS8.2 but nobody I've talked to knows anything about them, and none of the shops in town have any on display that I can play with.

Because I wanna play the piano or a facsimile, not a poor imitation of one. And a digital piano is the closest you can get within my price range. Having grown up playing real pianos and stuff (and owning a Wurlitzer myself), I just can't really get the feel for the cheapo synth action and semi-weighted keys on most keyboards these days. If you have another suggestion though, I'm all ears.

Alright so I just got back from Guitar Center. They had some of the keyboards I was looking at online, but they unfortunately did not have the Alesis QS8.2, the one I was most hoping to get my hands on. However, they also had one that I didn't see at zzounds or musiciansfriend: Casio PX-200 - ~$700 Pros: ++ 128 note polyphony + 88 graded hammer keys + Nice action + Piano samples are good, not quite as good as the Yamahas but still convincing + Stereo 1/4" outputs Cons: - No mod or pitch wheels Additional: = There is a console style stand, however it costs an additional $120 I also got to play with the Yamaha S08 for a little bit, and it's pretty nice, but the action isn't quite as good as I'd hoped. I'll be updating the above post for other changes and stuff as well. I still haven't decided what I want to get, I'm kinda hoping to get some feedback from someone who knows what they're talking about. $800 is a lot of money to spend on something sight unseen. :/ Again, thanks in advance.

Alright, so I've had this generic 61 key piece of crap for ages now, and I've decided it's finally time to step up. I'm looking to buy a digital piano, not a workstation or synthesizer or whatever, however should one meet my needs I wouldn't be against it. I've been looking around at my options for a while now, and I've basically come up with my ideal keyboard. Here's what I'm looking for: * Under $800 price range preferably (I can possibly go as high as $1000 if necessary) * 88 graded hammer keys with good action. Graded means the lower keys are heavier than the higher ones. They're not always called graded (for example Casio calls it "scaled") since that's a Yamaha term, but it's the same thing. * MIDI I/O (it seems most keyboards have this nowadays so that's not a worry) * At least 64 note polyphony (higher would be better but it seems that's the most realistic for this price range) * Good acoustic piano samples * Spinet or Console style stand * TRS outputs * Mod and pitch wheels * Sustain/Damper pedals So I've been researching for a while and there's a few keyboards I've looked at. Here they are broken down by price and pros/cons as per my needs. Note that a lot of these I haven't had a chance to play yet. However I plan on going to Guitar Center soon so I can check some of them out. I'll update this post when I do. Williams Encore Digital Piano - ~$400 Pros: + 88 hammer action keys + Console style stand (unfortunately this is a limited time offer) + Mod and pitch wheels + Stereo 1/4" outs Cons: - Keys not graded (apparently) - 32 note polyphony Unknown: ? I have yet to play one of these, so I don't know how good the action is, and I don't know how good the acoustic piano tones are. Casio CDP-100 - ~$500 Pros: + 88 graded hammer keys + Console Cons: - 32 note polyphony - Extremely limited number of tones - No mod or pitch wheels - No TRS outputs Unknown: ? I have yet to play one of these, so I don't know how good the action is, and I don't know how good the acoustic piano tones are. Yamaha P70 - ~$600 Pros: + 88 graded hammer keys + Excellent acoustic piano samples Cons: - 32 note polyphony - No TRS outputs - No spinet/console stand - No pitch or mod wheel Casio Celviano AP24 - ~$600 Pros: + 88 graded hammer keys + Console + Realistic piano action Cons: - Piano samples leave something to be desired - 32 note polyphony - No TRS outputs - No mod or pitch wheels - Limited number of tones Casio Privia PX310 - ~$600 Pros: + 88 graded hammer keys + Pretty good number of tones + Stereo TRS outputs + Decent action and piano samples, not quite as good as the Yamahas Cons: - No mod or pitch wheels - 32 note polyphony - No stand M-Audio ProKeys 88 - ~$600 Pros: + 88 hammer action keys + Mod and pitch wheels ++ 126 note polyphony + 1/4" stereo outs Cons: - Keys not graded (AFAIK) - No stand -- ProKeys? Moar liek NoisyKeys, amirite? Unknown: ? I have yet to play one of these, so I don't know how good the action is, and I don't know how good the acoustic piano tones are. Casio PX-200 - ~$700 Pros: ++ 128 note polyphony + 88 graded hammer keys + Nice action + Piano samples are good, not quite as good as the Yamahas but still convincing + Stereo 1/4" outputs Cons: - No mod or pitch wheels Additional: = There is a console style stand, however it costs an additional $120 Casio Privia PX575R - ~$700 Pros: + 88 hammer action keys + Very large number of tones + USB output (though I'm not entirely sure what this means, if it's audio or midi or what) + Decent action and piano samples Cons: - Hammer action is not graded (if it is, it doesn't say so in the specs) - No TRS outputs (or if there is, it doesn't say so in the specs) - No stand - No mod or pitch wheels - 32 note polyphony, 10 note on the acoustic piano sounds - According to reviews, keys are noisy and click like an m-audio keyboard Kurzweil SP88 - ~$700 Pros: + 88 keys + Mod and pitch ribbons (beggars can't be choosers) + TRS outputs Cons: - Semi-weighted (aww hell no) - 32 note polyphony - No stand - Limited number of tones Williams Symphony Console Digital Piano - ~$700 Pros: + 88 hammer action keys + Console + Stereo 1/4" outs Cons: - Keys not graded (apparently) - 32 note polyphony - No mod or pitch wheels Unknown: ? I have yet to play one of these, so I don't know how good the action is, and I don't know how good the acoustic piano tones are. Yamaha YPG-625 - ~$750 Pros: + 88 graded hammer keys (very very good action) + Console style stand + Excellent acoustic piano samples + 500 onboard voices taken from the motif series + Pitch wheel Cons: - 32 note polyphony - No TRS outputs - No mod wheel Alesis QS8.2 - ~$800 Pros: + 88 fully weighted hammer action keys + 64 note polyphony + Mod and pitch wheels + Stereo 1/4" outputs + Synthesizer capabilities Cons: - Keys not graded - No stand Unknown: ? I have yet to play one of these, so I don't know how good the action is, and I don't know how good the acoustic piano tones are (however the demos sound pretty damn good). Kurzweil SP88X - ~$850 Pros: + 88 fully weighted (supposedly hammer action) keys + Mod and pitch ribbons + TRS outputs Cons: - keys not graded - 32 note polyphony - No stand - Limited number of tones Unknown: ? I have yet to play one of these, so I don't know how good the action is, and I don't know how good the acoustic piano tones are. Yamaha YDP-213 - ~$900 Pros: + 88 graded hammer keys + Good acoustic piano samples + Console + 64 note polyphony Cons: - No TRS outputs - No pitch or mod wheel - Very limited number of voices (I couldn't find an actual list anywhere, but it appears to be limited to like 3 piano patches, and a small number of EP and organ patches) - Expensive Korg SP250 - ~$900 Pros: + 88 graded hammer keys (Korg calls their graded system "RH3" but it's the same thing) + 60 note polyphony (kind of an odd number, eh? but it beats 32) + stereo outputs (specs don't say if they're TRS or not, but if they're there, I can use them) + Comes with a stand (not console style, but it's pretty sturdy) Cons: - No mod or pitch wheels - Expensive Unknown: ? I have yet to play one of these, so I don't know how good the action is, and I don't know how good the acoustic piano tones are. But if it's anything like a Triton, I probably won't care for it. Casio Privia PX800 - ~$900 Pros: ++ 128 note polyphony + 88 graded hammer keys + Console stand + TRS outputs + Very nice piano action + Piano samples are adequate, however the EP tones are really quite nice Cons: - No mod or pitch wheels - Expensive Casio Celviano AP45 - $1000 Pros: + 88 graded hammer keys + 64 note polyphony (higher would be better though) + Console + Line out (TRS?) + Very nice piano action Cons: -- Very expensive - No mod or pitch wheels - Limited number of tones Yamaha S08 - ~$1000 Pros: + 88 balanced hammer action keys + Huge number of high quality tones + Mod and pitch wheels + 64 note polyphony + 1/4" outputs + Synthesizer capabilities + Decent piano samples Cons: -- Very Expensive - Keys not graded - No stand - Action isn't horrible, but other boards are better in the same price range Kurzweil SP2 - MSRP $1249 Pros: + 88 fully weighted hammer action keys + Mod and pitch wheels + 64 note polyphony + Balanced TRS outputs Cons: - Not released yet. However, note that the MSRP is actually lower than the MSRP of the SP88X. - Unknown whether the hammer action is graded or not - No stand Alright that's it for now. I can't believe I just spent an hour writing this post. Oh well, it'll make it easier to compare and contrast. Also, I'll edit this post with any additions or changes once I get to play with some of the pianos. Hell, maybe this could be like the official digital piano thread, and we could sort them by price range. Anyways, what do you guys think? Which piano do you think would suit my needs the best? I really like the QS8.2 however I'm questionable on the action, as the reviews have not been too praising of it. I also like the YPG-625 a lot after playing one last time I was at guitar center, however it has some short falls. I'd appreciate your feedback, and recommendations. And also lemme know if there's any keyboards I may have missed. Thanks much in advance.

OMFG, scott. You've never heard the Katamari Damacy soundtrack? You should be damn well ashamed. It's definitely not a vocoder. It sounds more like Vocal Writer, but unfortunately for 98% of the internets, Vocal Writer is only on mac.

My guess is somewhere between your computer and ThaSauce, a major line is down. I figured out that was the case last time I was having problems by checking http://www.internetpulse.net/. But several weeks? That's just... weird. You'd think they'd have fixed it by now.

I seriously doubt Vista has anything to do with it. You're also not the only one. The server is up and running just fine, but some people simply aren't able to access it. I dunno if it's some kind of weird DNS error, or if there's a backbone out somewhere, or what. But it seems to be pretty intermittent. Out of curiosity, what ISP are you on?

I count 2 disney shills (and a possible 3rd) in this thread so far. Keep em coming, this is entertaining.

The marriage scene pretty much ruined the huge fight for me. Also Knightley trying to rally the pirates with her 12 year old girl voice. *sigh*

I kinda like the djp thing, but that's almost too easy. RD's already got it down. The level 1 theme is fine too. Or how about, we put our own faces in our sigs month! Owait...

ugh, Disney shills. gtfo please. how anyone could think this movie was consistent is beyond me.

The whole god forsaken movie was cringe-worthy. What a load of crap. It's like the whole movie was made by a board of yes-men and marketing strategists. Let's give Keira Knightly a new outfit. Make it Chinese! That'll sell some action figures. Hey let's make this movie an equal opportunity pirate movie. We have to have one stereotypical pirate captain from each stereotypical race! Also, a Woman pirate captain, NAY pirate king! Hey let's make a bunch of new characters that have nothing whatsoever to do with the plot but they look cool so we can sell more action figures! And the plot made less sense than reading a 'Give Yourself Goosebumps' gamebook front to back. Honestly I had no idea what the fuck was going on half the time. Calypso who? Hey let's make half the movie about a character that simply turns into crabs and disappears. Davey Jones what? Oh ok we can go to Davey Jones' locker but we can't get back. Oh wait, we're back now, and we brought Jack Sparrow with us. Oh but we can't bring the Governor for some reason. Yes and it's totally possible to capsize a big ass boat by running around in circles. Hey you know what would be fun? As if Jack Sparrow wasn't crazy enough, let's make him talk to himself and have little versions of himself come out of his ears! As if that hasn't been done in every movie ever made ever. And that's not even the half of it. Awful.

"Voting will end at 8:30AM on Friday, May 25th, 2007." Yet the poll is still open... Oh wells, I voted.

Xel'Naga are the predecessors of the Terrans. Ghosts are all that remains of them within the Terran blood-line. Samir Duran was a Xel'Naga.

10ms is being fairly generous as well. 5ms or lower is preferable (I keep mine at 2ms).

It's hard to take posts like this seriously. If you want to generate interest in forums like this, it would serve you well to at least post what the job entails, wages, hours, etc. Otherwise people can't tell the difference between you or a spammer/scam artist, which is what I'm leaning towards at the moment and I feel like an idiot talking to a brick wall.

Pretty much nearly all digital keyboards are MIDI these days. MIDI means that the keyboard is sending note data rather than an audio signal. Your computer can then use the note data to record your playing, or to control whatever softsynths or samplers and crud. Also, why on earth would you record a keyboard with a microphone? The majority of keyboards also have an audio out (usually 1/4" TRS, but some use RCA) that you can record directly, without the use of a microphone. Unless you are confused and you mean actual acoustic pianos, in which case you will need a microphone, and you won't have MIDI.

Do not use Sibelius or Finale if you plan on doing anything more than creating sheet music. Yep. Channels > Add One > Select Instrument. Wrong. FL has less packaged goods than say Reason, however since FL is a VST host and Reason is not, the odds are exponentially in FL's favor. Also, stay the hell away from Acid. If you're really hell bent on writing in notation, your best bet would be Cubase. It's a full DAW, VST host, recording station, etc, plus you can sequence in notation. And it's not limited to some ridiculous proprietary Kontakt Player format (I'm looking at you, Sibelius).