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How does this compare to the Ketron SD2?
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Not even close imho. The TTS-1 is slightly better than the VSC and sounds like it came from the same soundset to me. It has that's 80's Roland sound but compressed. It does give you a lot of control over individual patch parameters.
This is completely subjective though, some have posted they like it a lot, depends on the style of music. I like jazz and good acoustic sounds so I favor realistic sounding synths as opposed to electronic sounding ones so actual instruments like pianos, basses, horns, guitars etc are way better on the Ketron or my Sonic Cell. A lot of it has to do with sampling technology, the VSC and TTS-1 have got to be 10-12 years old now, maybe older and highly compressed for use on computers that had 128mb of ram at the time.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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After some more extensive A/B comparison of the TTS-1 and the ForteDXi, through some decent monitors this time, I think the ForteDXi has some better raw sounds, but I really like the ability to get in and tweak the TTS-1 sounds more to my liking.
I also think that either one is worth the $40 price of admission, although having the TTS-1 bundled with Music Creator 5 for that price means that my kid gets a user-friendly DAW-lite as part of that $40 bargain.
Of course, none of this addresses your question. But I would imagine that neither of these soft solutions really compare in sound quality to the Keytron, and the people here that have one do seem to love it.
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BTW, that SonicCell looks like a really nice piece of gear.
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Hi,
Well, although I do use the TTS-1 as my BIAB softsynth, I would never use it in the final mix, this is where high quality VSTi's come in. I think the major advantage of a softsynth is that you can take your laptop to the park and work on some tunes without having to lug a module with you (and the audio cables and power supply!)
Every demo I've heard of the Ketron SD2 sounds good. If you are working with a desktop computer, or aren't concerned about being mobile, I would use it. It's about the size of a cheeze sandwich. If it were buss powered, I think they would sell a million of them!
The big plus for the TTS-1 is that it is now bundled with Music Creator 5, from Cakewalk, which you can get for $35, which means you can have a quality sequencer with great sounds for next to nothing.
Ed
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Exactly. This is why I currently don't have much interest in a Keytron, because with a decent enough GM soft synth/sampler, I can prototype songs at the coffee shop on my netbook, then later, transfer the MIDI to my DAW, where I have all sorts of high-quality sampler and synth options available.
But I would imagine that if you don't have a lot of soft sampler and synth options, and/or the horsepower of your machine won't support a bunch of these, then a Keytron would be a good choice.
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The Ketron SD-2 simply blows it out of the water.
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I'm sure Mac is correct, I have been impressed with the demos I have heard. If you do want to go the Softsynth route, and don't mind spending a bit more, there is a company called Vir2, they make a GM softsynth called "One". Although it's $199, it sounds amazing. I think there are some demos on Youtube.
Ed
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The TTS-1 is Cakewalk by Roland's version of the Roland Hypercanvas HQ. I paid around $120 (can't remember for sure) for the Hypercanvas a few years back, but it demands you re-insert the disk for verification at random times, which is unacceptable for live use. Then Cake started including TTS-1, which doesn't have that problem. It sounds much better than the ancient VSC, and is pretty light on CPU, so I have it on my laptop in case my SD2 goes down.
The SD2 really is a nice sounding GM module. It sounds fuller and more realistic than my Roland XV-2020. Based on SonicCell demos I've heard, the SD2 beats that too. Plus, it's so nice and small!
The other GM softsynth one might consider is Native Instruments Bandstand. It's discontinued, and not reliable for live use (in my experience), but for rendering at home it beats the VSC and TTS-1 (but not by much). But, if you want good, easy sound, get the Ketron.
It's a shame Yamaha isn't making a GM module any more. I've always like their sounds better than Roland.
===========================
Ed Buckley,
I don't think the VI.ONE is a GM module. It is a sampler library, with, no doubt, some great sounds. But, from what I see on their site, you can't simply send a MIDI file to it and use it as a player. You would have to manually choose the instruments for each channel. That puts it in the same class as other high quality samplers, like Kontact (which is the underlying engine for VI.ONE), SampleTank, Dimension, etc. Great sounds, but not very handy for running MIDI tracks live.
Dave Burns
Lowell, MA
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I picked up VI.ONE from Guitar Center today for $99. I'm installing it as I type, and looking forward to giving it a spin.
At that price, it was almost an impulse buy.
Also, according to someone else on this forum who tried it out successfully with BiaB, there is a multi "GM" module in Vi One.
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Two higher end soft synth 'work stations' with full GM compatibility worth taking a look at are Steinberg's Hypersonic 2 and Luxonix' Purity. Certainly not saying they'd surpass the Ketron, but they are far ahead of the other GM soft synths mentioned here.
I'm intrigued with the Ketron and listened to Mac's excellent Steely Dan arrangement on the web page (you're reelin' in the years, dude!).
But, decided for now to pull my old Roland JV-1010 out of the closet, since it has full GM soundset and except for low gain and a slightly reduced quality, runs off the porch with the other Roland synths of its era.
Just happen to have that Sampleheads 'Country Collection' JV80 ROM card for those resonator guitars and twin texas fiddles. Think I'll pop the card in the JV-1010 tonight and see what kind of twang I can get out of it. I'd love to have a chance to try the Ketron head to head with it.
I sort of wish they made a Ketron 3 ... with the extra connectivity of the 4, but with just the one sound chip. I'm allergic to RCA jacks, but I can't really see paying the extra cost of the second sound chip.
Prado
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The SD-4 still has Audio Outs, that must be connected to the soundcard or mixer, they are 1/4" jacks.
The USB connectivbity is only a MIDI connect. It can also be used as a MIDI-to-USB for your keyboard or other controller to the PC.
--Mac
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Yes, understood the 4's audio outs. It's RCA jacks I get hives with, not 1/4" plugs. USB midi is fine, just not a fan of USB audio ... but doesn't the 4 also have standard 5-pin midi connectors?
Anyway, it seems the 4 is designed so you can run a sequence on one chip while playing accompanyment on the other ... a good gigging set up. But my understanding is that there is no difference in the sound quality between the 2 and 4 since they use the same chip.
Prado
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I've got the Ketron Sd2 here, and run 2 rca's out to my bose toneport and it's stellar. I admit to the addiction to adding a couple of realtracks, makes the thing sound even better. As Mac and other have pointed out. The rca's end up as 1/8 jacks with adaptors, but I don't see even a remote problem with that, though the cable is a mere 2 feet... I suppose you could run the headphone jack out and adapt it if you have rca-itis.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Quote:
Anyway, it seems the 4 is designed so you can run a sequence on one chip while playing accompanyment on the other ... a good gigging set up. But my understanding is that there is no difference in the sound quality between the 2 and 4 since they use the same chip.
Prado
Well, I certainly find a noticeable difference in the Grand Piano that lives in the Solo side of my SD-4. Much more pleasurable playing experience than the one in the GM bank.
==Mac
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Sure, just because the chip is the same, doesn't mean the patches are the same. I bet the 'solo' chip has patches with more polyphony than those in the GM, since by definition you're only trying to play one instrument at a time instead of 16.
But then, if you were sequencing on the 'solo' side you'd possibly run out of voices with the higher polyphony instruments.
Do I recall correctly that the Ketron essentially gives you the patches, but they can't be edited?
Prado
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The Solo side can be addressed as up to 32 channels of MIDI, just like the GM side can. It also has Upper Banks instruments. Don't know if Ketron really intends one to access them, but if you connect the Solo MIDI input to computer output and know the correct commands to send to it, they are there. Don't know why anyone would bother though, since the OTHER MIDI input is all set up and ready to go as GM plus Upper Banks right out of the box.
The Solo bank of the SD-4 comes with 64 Factory Preset patches and has 64 empty User Preset patches in the first bank.
The User can layer any two patches, with control over levels, effects, etc. and Save those to one of the User Presets for instant recall of the whole shebang.
--Mac
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Thanks for the scoop, Mac.
Prado
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Quote:
I'm intrigued with the Ketron and listened to Mac's excellent Steely Dan arrangement on the web page (you're reelin' in the years, dude!).
Prado
Where'd ya find that??
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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