Which one to get? (Kurzweil K2600 or Triton LE, Classic or Studio)

[Mastersonics]

hi
i'm in the middle of a debate in getting a new keyboard.
it came down to these 2 units.

i'm looking for an all around keyboard
that i can start pre-producing artist and songs.
a one man show if you will.

i'll be using it mostly as a controller so i can use:
(Spectrasonics, Sound Libraries, softsynths etc..)

the Kurzweil has killer sounds (piano, strings etc...)
the Triton has more contemporany sounds (hip hop etc) very nice too.

my question is
which one should i get and why?
what would be your take in this situation?

since i can get either one as a controller and then the other as a rack unit or add modules or software (spectrasonics etc...)

the downside [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] is that
I can afford ONLY ONE of these units at the moment

i would like have a painless as possible system and be able to use it with Pro Tools with the shortest path as possible.

sorry for the long post
i just want to make the right decision here
any help would be appreciated

thanks for any info or comments
regards,

Charles

[pookadilly]

If you want my honest opinion I'd go with the Kurzweil K2600XS. No question about it in my mind. It's got the best sounds and is used by very good musicians all over the world. The Korg is a very good keyboard as well but it has drawbacks. To me, the Triton was nothing more than an electronic board. Good for hip hop, electronica, etc. The Kurzweil on the other hand can do all of that and with the XS version you get sampling and 88 keys. Plus it's got the most realistic piano sounds I've ever heard (check out the MP3 from the Dream Theater keyboardist (sorry I can't think of his name off the top of my head right now) and you'll be blown away).

Either one is a great choice, but I'd go with the Kurzweil if I were you (in fact I did go with that one after doing the exact same comparison as you are right now and I'm thrilled with my decision).

[Philthy]

I'm a big fan of the Kurzweil sound. The korg sound ain't happenin' for me.

[tha k man]

ditto, Kurzweil.

Realistic piano sounds, what can I say? Trust your ears.

[PlugInJunky]

How about neither....listen to the Karma...same patches from the Triton but instead of Digital Oscilators its Virtual....or the MOTIF from Yamaha.....my theory is get a fresh keyboard...its getting to the point where every record you here is done on a Triton or K2600 but the Yamaha's are still new...and they sound great....at leat with the Yamah you have enough money to buy an EMU module...(I like the warmth of their modules)....


My theory you can blend in with the rest or you can stand out in front.....

[Mastersonics]

hi

thanks a lot for the info
me too leaning towards the Kurzweil

but what about using it as a main controller?
is it easy to use and figure it out?

i only have space for one keyboard,
everything else either rackmount or soft based.

i can get hip-hop sounds with Spectrasonics stuff
i can also get the rackmount triton later on and
it's basically the same.

Felix:

that's why i'm looking to use Spectrasonics stuff
they have killers libraries etc....and it's fresh


is anyone using Spectrasonics stuff around here?
what's your experience with it?
they have some unbelievable stuff.


thanks for the comments, keep them coming

just in case:
"I'm not related with Spectrasonics in any way", [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

thanks,
regards,
Charles

[dcornutt]

The 2600 makes a great controller. And yes, it's easy to use. What's hard about it is the VAST programming if you want to edit samples internally and combine the VAST synthesis engine with the sampled material..etc.

If you get the new effects unit (Ksfx) on your 2600 (some of them come with this) it's pretty awesome. It also is a little tricky to program it.

But, as a controller, you just can't beat it. It has several slider bars that can be assigned as controller (want a B3..the slide bars are already there..etc) , a ribbon controller (slide your finger on it or tap on it) AND a connector for breath controller. (stick a tube in it and blow).

The base sounds are from ROMS that sound ok. They are old sounds but still hold up today. I've got an old K2vx with both roms. And even after listening to todays latest and greatest ROM based samplers and sample units, it still sounds great today

What it doesn't have are the latest Phatt beats..etc... But, these are easily obtainable via samples. It's definitely got an 80s feel to the samples that they include as "modern".

Other units have more polyphony, more rom expanision with more "current" sounds.

But, as a controller, it's friggin great. You've got everythign you need.

I vote Kurz.