I have heard that the lack of buttons/knobs on the micron make it hard to edit parameters live. that said, if you're just using at home, it won't be a big deal. it's just a lot of menus as opposed to a bunch of assigned knobs.

John, you should seriously consider dropping $50-70 on one of the casio sk5 samplers. they're ridiculously versatile and battery powered.

It's probably the best keyboard I own (out of a dozen including Nord2, a couple Yamahas, a moog, a juno, etc.) now the keys are toy keys like the micro korg, but you can run any sound you want into it. any sound. it does have some quirks, but for a home/travel sampler synth, you can't beat it.

the sk1 is okay, but the sk5 has so many better features, it'd be silly to buy an sk1 unless you were just hoarding synths.

The keyboardist in the band I play in uses the Alesis. I love that thing, nice keys, nice, sounds, and way tweakable. I tried the Korg Micro many times before I researched out and purchased my Novation X-Station 25. Man, that Korg is flimsy.

kerble wrote:I have heard that the lack of buttons/knobs on the micron make it hard to edit parameters live. that said, if you're just using at home, it won't be a big deal. it's just a lot of menus as opposed to a bunch of assigned knobs.
.

we don't own a Micron, but the Ion is pretty easy to tweek on the fly, and it has a really cool read out that shows you how you are effecting the sound, while you are twisting the knobs, it gives a filter read out its awesome, I do not know if the micron does that though, but it really helps when tweeking patches...

Yeah, I'd just be using it for home & multi-tracking. That Ion looks pretty cool, though and it's only $200 more. Ug! Credit consolidation, take me away!

I already have a Yamaha NP-30... can I just run something into that?

John W. wrote:Yeah, I'd just be using it for home & multi-tracking. That Ion looks pretty cool, though and it's only $200 more. Ug! Credit consolidation, take me away!

like I said board member Choppy is a freek with that thing, so if you have any questions I would bug him, I can answer bassic stuff if you have questions though...

John W. wrote:Yeah, I'd just be using it for home & multi-tracking. That Ion looks pretty cool, though and it's only $200 more. Ug! Credit consolidation, take me away!

I already have a Yamaha NP-30... can I just run something into that?

If you already have a keyboard/controller I'd seriously reccomend the little casio sampler before the ion. it has loop and reverse and other odd features that you can process tones with. it also has a built in mic and a line in. in theory, you could buy one of those and three really nice pedals to run it through for the price of a single keyboard.

the built in sounds on the sk5 are actually really lovely. the vibraphone organ and piano tones alone are excellent. you don't have much polyphony, but it works great as a lead. I play fuzz guitar into mine all the time for some ridiculous sounds. nice thing is that you'd be able to velcro it to the corner of your yamaha and not need another stand/more space.

If I had to choose a synth/keyboard based on key action alone, I think yamaha stomps the shit out of alesis. no fucking contest.

I wrote more about the sk5 at length in the kerbled: the Portable Rig thread here in tech room. they go for under 100 on crag (the prices have been climbing). built in speaker is a plus, too.

Thanks for all the ideas, awesome people!

well you've already got a decent set of keys (provided you like the way the yamaha plays)

you can now get crazy rack/tabletop boxes and go to town.
you can feed the talkbox with these.
Zapp! for example


just saying. you've many other options other than these two toys.

I have a couple Yamaha DX 100's which are fun (I paid no more than $40 for them used but small keys) but are also pretty good midi controlers. The DX 100 can make some realy awful sounds if you want to get into programing it (I pretty much have no presets I can't erace on it). No vocording though but it does have a wind controler.

I got an MAM/Next rack vocorder (for $60) that has taken my vocording duites over, but can see where the Korg would be nice for that feature alone and I like a lot of their keyboards.

Isn't there a mini Nord?

That Zap band clip was great thanks for making my day.

Hmmm... here's the deal, I know nothing about rigging things together. A few times I've hooked up an Electribe via midi to a synth and been able to get one note to repeat over and over in rhythm (and tweak filters).

How does it work? Do you just plug a box into your Yamaha and it transforms into synth? Sorry for the dumbness.