Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site brl-tgr.ARPA Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!brl-tgr!tgr!ron@brl From: ron@brl (Ron Natalie) Newsgroups: net.music.synth Subject: Re: State of the art questions Message-ID: <706@brl-tgr.ARPA> Date: Thu, 15-Aug-85 03:53:56 EDT Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.706 Posted: Thu Aug 15 03:53:56 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 19-Aug-85 06:08:24 EDT Sender: news@brl-tgr.ARPA Lines: 49 > Yamaha has a fairly extensive line of MIDI products, > including a standalone keyboard (the KX-1, I think) with > pressure and velocity sensitive keys. It's basically > the same keyboard used in the DX-7 synth. Yamaha makes two MIDI keyboard lines that I know of. The first is the KX-88. This is an 88-key weighted, velocity sensitive, midi controller with after touch, two wheels (nominally modulation and pitch), two foot controllers, two foot switches, four slide pots, two push buttons, and (sigh) a breath controller. All the inputs are redefinable to anything else. It is most emphatically not the same keyboard as the DX-7. It is capable of independently controlling two midi channels in dual, split, or single modes. Independent transpose is available for each channel. The other is a set of remote keyboards which are smaller than the DX (standard) keyboard, in a guitar like arrangement for playing while dancing around. > Yamaha's TX-816 is a small rack mount box containing > the sound production hardware equivalent to slightly more > than 8 DX-7's. The TX-816 however, is useless unless you have a DX-7 o program it. Yamaha also sells a box with a small front panel called the TX-7, for about $650. As with the TX-816, it is reliant on the DX-7 for programming, however, it comes with a cassette interface, so you dump entire DX-7 banks onto the cassette for storage (beats $80 ram cartridges). The added feature in both units is some keyboard split functions so that you don't need to have eight different midi channels active. > Can I go out and by a keyboard (JUST a keyboard) > to hook up to some sound generation hardware via MIDI? Can I go out > and by sound generating hardware (sans keyboard) to hook up to existing > keyboard equipment via MIDI? In addition to the Yamaha keyboads, Roland makes two midi controllers. One is smaller (fewer keys, lighter, and not weighted), the other is another 88-key weighted job. It is heavier than the YAMAHA, although it feels better. The modulation whiz bang inputs are less well defined (if you're into that). It does however have multiple midi output jacks. Roland makes a few keyboardless devices. There is an electric piano module and a nice synthesizer called the Super-Jupiter. Unlike the TX tone modules, you can get a little programming panel with all the knobs and sliders and actually use this device with just a MIDI controller. -Ron