Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 70
P
Enthusiast
OP Offline
Enthusiast
P
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 70
If you want to get better sounding pianos, strings, etc. for the playback of BAIB midi styles which will give better sound quality the Ketron SD2 or the Roland SD-50? Does anybody have both of these and what do you say about them? (A salesmen for the Roland SD-50 said that things are relative, he said the sounds on a Roland SD-50 are good but not comparable to those on a $4000 synth ) Are both of these (i.e. the Ketron SD2 and Roland SD-50) far better than the Native Instruments Bandstand in terms of midi playback sound quality?

Last edited by Peter K. Hewer; 12/12/13 01:11 AM.
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,799
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,799
The SD-50 is newer than the Roland Fantom and the Edirol SD-20, but the sounds are in the same family and are similar. Have you compared the Ketron with the SD-20 on the Dare to Compare page on this website? That's a good place to start to hear differences in hardware and soft synths. Yes, it needs to be updated because it doesn't have the latest sounds. Still, check it out by typing Dare to Compare in the Search Site box, upper right.


BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 70
P
Enthusiast
OP Offline
Enthusiast
P
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 70
Thanks very much Matt. I will try the Dare to Compare section.

Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,799
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,799
I hope someone does answer your question who actually does have both units you want to compare. It would be unusual to own both, I would think.


BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
M
Mac Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
M
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Originally Posted By: Peter K. Hewer
If you want to get better sounding pianos, strings, etc. for the playback of BAIB midi styles which will give better sound quality the Ketron SD2 or the Roland SD-50?


The sounds are virtually neck-and-neck, both are great sounding, each have their fortes on certain instrument patches IMO.

Does anybody have both of these and what do you say about them? (A salesmen for the Roland SD-50 said that things are relative, he said the sounds on a Roland SD-50 are good but not comparable to those on a $4000 synth ).[/quote]

I've USED both, but only own the Ketron. Have a buddy who owns the SD-50, have used it at his home studio for playing kehyboards thru so he can record them, also have hooked it up to BB, sounds darn good IMO.

And so does the Ketron, for that matter. I like the Ketron for its good full sounds, shirt-pocket size, ease of use with minimal controls (Resets each time its turned off and on again, no need for that extra button, only other control is the Volume slider and one multipurpose LED indicator) works as it is supposed to work, travels, takes up minimal space on the live gigs (I use stickon Velcro to keep it in place right on top of the Keyboard Controller) and has really great Upper Banks sounds.

IMO that salesman told ya right. But be advised from me that the Law of Diminishing Returns kicks in mighty hard when evaluating purchase of the "top shelf" vs the workingman's tool, and either of the two units you mention are robust workingman's tools that can indeed turn in fine performance.


Quote:
Are both of these (i.e. the Ketron SD2 and Roland SD-50) far better than the Native Instruments Bandstand in terms of midi playback sound quality?


IMO, Absolutely. Yes.

Another thing to consider besides just the sound quality, is that the Hardware MIDI solutions also automatically yield NEAR-ZERO LATENCY all the time, important for those who play a MIDI instrument in realtime with a Controller, whether live or recording. I found use of software solutions on live gigs and such could suddenly become very problematic for a whole host of reasons. Power kicks out and you are faced with rebooting a computer and setting everything back up when you're supposed to be onstage playing. Hardware synths will just come back up ready to go again in a couple seconds once you figure out who kicked out which AC plug.

Either unit is capable.

You should just spend some time auditioning both, that's easily done nowadays considering mfr's websie demos, youtube videos, etc. and then take your pick. I don't think you can go wrong with either of the two choices given.


--Mac

Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 70
P
Enthusiast
OP Offline
Enthusiast
P
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 70
Thanks a lot Mac for your input and info!

Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 70
P
Enthusiast
OP Offline
Enthusiast
P
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 70
Mac, you said that the 2 units have their strengths and weaknesses. The sounds that I am most interested in are piano and strings. Do you have any strong feelings about whether the Ketron SD2 or Roland SD-50 are better for these sounds?

Peter

Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,799
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,799
I love the Roland grand pianos in the Fantom series and especially the pianos in their expansion cards, many of which were added to make up the sounds in the SD-50.


BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 25
S
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
S
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 25
I'm trying to decide between these 2 modules too. I suppose you can't go wrong with either. It would be basically for jazz.

Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
M
Mac Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
M
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
I prefer my Ketron sounds for straight up Modern Jazz, Bebop, etc. work.

The Roland sounds I think are a bit more apropos for CoolJazz, Modern Black Gospel, Electric Jazz and such.

Of course, these things concerning any MIDI solution are quite subjective and I do encourage you guys to do as much auditioning as you can.

Either of the two are excellent MIDI sound sources.


--Mac

Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 25
S
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
S
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 25
PG music has a nice comparison of different synths;

http://www.pgmusic.com/dare-to-compare.htm

Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 591
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 591
I have the Ketron SD 2 and it sound awesome. I use it mostly for Piano, and Sax (their sax sounds the best I have every heard), and orchestra instruments. Otherwise I use VST or Reason Refills for virtual instruments.


Elliott Kayne
elliottkayne@gmail.com
https://www.reverbnation.com/kaynemusic
https://www.facebook.com/ekayne

Health, Wealth, Family, Faith, Friends, and Fun







Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
Convenient Ways to Listen to Band-in-a-Box® Songs Created by Program Users!

The User Showcase Forum is an excellent place to share your Band-in-a-Box® songs and listen to songs other program users are creating!

There are other places you can listen to these songs too! Visit our User Showcase page to sort by genre, artist (forum name), song title, and date - each listing will direct you to the forum post for that song.

If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.

We hope you find some inspiration from this amazing collection of User Showcase Songs!

Congratulations to the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!

We've just announced the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!

There are 45 winners, each receiving a Band-in-a-Box 2024 UltraPAK! Read the official announcement to see if you've won.

Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed!

Video: Volume Automation in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®

We've created a video to help you learn more about the Volume Automation options in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows.

Band-in-a-Box® 2024: Volume Automation

www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024full/chapter11.htm#volume-automation

Video: Audio Input Monitoring with Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®

We've created this short video to explain Audio Input Monitoring within Band-in-a-Box® 2024, and included some tips & troubleshooting details too!

Band-in-a-Box® 2024: Audio Input Monitoring

3:17: Tips
5:10: Troubleshooting

www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024full/chapter11.htm#audio-input-monitoring

Video: Enhanced Melodists in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®!

We've enhanced the Melodists feature included in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows!

Access the Melodist feature by pressing F7 in the program to open the new MultiPicker Library and locate the [Melodist] tab.

You can now generate a melody on any track in the program - very handy! Plus, you select how much of the melody you want generated - specify a range, or apply it to the whole track.

See the Melodist in action with our video, Band-in-a-Box® 2024: The Melodist Window.

Learn even more about the enhancements to the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024upgrade/chapter3.htm#enhanced-melodist

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 DAW Plugin Version 6: New Features Specifically for Reaper®

New with the DAW Plugin Version 6.0, released with Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows: the Reaper® Panel!

This new panel offers built-in specific support for the Reaper® DAW API allowing direct transfer of Band-in-a-Box® files to/from Reaper® tracks!

When you run the Plugin from Reaper®, there is a panel to set the following options:
-BB Track(s) to send: This allows you to select the Plugin tracks that will be sent Reaper.
-Destination Reaper Track: This lets you select the destination Reaper track to receive media content from the Plugin.
-At Bar: You can select a bar in Reaper where the Plugin tracks should be placed.
-Start Below Selected Track: This allows you to place the Plugin tracks below the destination Reaper track.
-Overwrite Reaper Track: You can overwrite previous content on the destination Reaper track.
-Move to Project Folder: With this option, you can move the Plugin tracks to the Reaper project folder.
-Send Reaper Instructions Enable this option to send the Reaper Instructions instead of rendering audio tracks, which is faster.
-Render Audio & Instructions: Enable this option to generate audio files and the Reaper instructions.
-Send Tracks After Generating: This allows the Plugin to automatically send tracks to Reaper after generating.
-Send Audio for MIDI Track: Enable this option to send rendered audio for MIDI tracks.
-Send RealCharts with Audio: If this option is enabled, Enable this option to send RealCharts with audio.

Check out this video highlighting the new Reaper®-specific features: Band-in-a-Box® DAW Plugin Version 6: New Features Specifically for Reaper®

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 DAW Plugin Version 6: New Features Video

The new Band-in-a-Box VST DAW Plugin Verion 6 adds over 20 new features!

Watch the new features video to learn more: Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2024 - DAW Plugin Version 6 New Features

We also list these new features at www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.plugin.htm.

Forum Statistics
Forums66
Topics81,395
Posts732,501
Members38,441
Most Online2,537
Jan 19th, 2020
Newest Members
zagrajbarke, Ernest J, Izzy, BenChaz, Csofi
38,440 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 195
Al-David 124
DC Ron 116
dcuny 87
rsdean 82
Today's Birthdays
CeeDee, SethMould
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5