question about keyboards and samples

[paret]

hi guys

my friend has a heavy duty sampler. he owns an actual studio. i would love to talk to him more but his 100000 miles away.so i need your help. if u can help me. so he has an akia sampler.. i think its s5000 or 6000. i want to steal some samples from him. what kind of keyboard should i buy thats decesnt and compatable with his samples? thanks alot. hope u's can help.

[Bob]

Fortunately for you, most samplers are Akai compatible. Are you looking for a stand alone sampler, like the S5000/S6000 or are you looking for a software sampler that will run on your computer? If a software sampler, do you have a mac or pc??

[paret]

can u give me some details on a software sampler? i have a pc by the way. ok now i need to get a keyboard which is combatible with akia sample files. do i need a sampler.. if i already have teh samples i need. thanks alot bob. take care

[Bob]

Sampletank (www.sampletank.com) has a Akai S1000/S3000 converter built in to it. Gigastudio also has an Akai S1000/S3000 converter in it. UnityDS1 by bitheadz w/ Osmosis would do the trick.

The downside of a PC software sampler is that you have to have a dedicated PC just for audio with a pretty smoking processor (PIII/PIV) and tons of ram (512 and up) to get enough performance.

The Akai S5000/S6000 samplers would obviously work for you. So would most of the Emu samplers and the Yamaha A4000 and A5000. I know a guy selling his Yamaha A4000 if your interested in going that route...

[paret]

ok thanks alot. now i have samples from a friends akia sampler on cd. i dont think i need any other samples at the moment. now wat kind of keyboards can i buy that will accept these akia files. just throw a few names for me if u can. now do i need to get a sampler or use a computer based sampler since i have these files? im planning on gettin a digital multi track recorder also.. wat do uthink about tascam. i appreicate all thise help. i needed to increase my knowlege.

[Bob]

keyboards that will accept akia files.
Kurzweil K2600
Yamaha Motif
Korg Triton

You can use either a hardware sampler or a software one.

digital multi track recorder? That a whole different discussion. What is it your needing out of a digital multitrack recorder??

[TeeCee]

You end up with a dedicated something either way. If you network a second PC and use a Keyboard/Video/Mouse splitter to share your existing keyboard monitor and mouse, you can end up with a much more friendly sample station in a PC for no more than a new "hardware" sampler. You may also end up with better upgrade options. The RAM you put into a PC sampler may well cost less than the RAM you put in your "hardware" sampler even if you put 256 MB in it as overhead on side of what you put in for actual sample use. You can get 256 MB of Athlon XP compatible DDR SDRAM (PC2100) for less than $50 shipped. Looks like the A4000 and A5000 max out at 128MB. These are just more options to explore.

As far as compatible goes, you may have to look closely at the synthesis functions being used such as LFO's and filters. Some of these details may be lost in the conversion.

You still have the option to use either a hardware device or software device. It would seem that most samplers are not keyboards these days. Kurzweil and Korg would be two notable exeptions and they are actually sold as workstations with sampling options.

So, do you have a keyboard that can be used as a controller? Do you want to use a keyboard as a controller? Are these samples complex enough to require Akai and not just Akai compatibility? What kind of budget are you on? Your options are almost limitless. Answering these questions should help narrow them. Bob has given you a handful of rack mount options and two software options.

[paret]

Bob and TeeCee,
how bout i just tell you what i want to do exactly... i want to make a recording studio with midi. im planning to blow are 5000 $ max so far. im planning to get a digital multitrack recorder, some mics, keyboard for midi, and i dont know wat. now im planning to record live instruments, and use midi instruments, (the samples). now i dont have the keyboard. i want a keyboard to put these sampled instruments. the guy that sampled them has an akai. so i dont wanna screw up and get the wrong keyboard because the keyboards main use is for these sampled instruments and some other samples here and there.. bass, orchestra hits, etc. wat do u mean keyboard as controller by the way. the samples are complex i guess, because they are high quality and instruments. now im kinda stuck and need ur help. thanks

[TeeCee]

You are biting off a large chunk. You have some rather basic questions regarding a studio and yet you want to build an entire home studio. I started off with a drum brain in a friend's small home studio and participated in his studio. Eventually I bought a keyboard and then I moved out of his studio and started building my own studio. I don't know where to tell you to start. The Sweetwater guys should be able to better guide you in building your studio, but I can promise that if you bite off too much all at once, you will face several learning curves simultaneously (at least MIDI and audio recording).

A keyboard as a controller means that you will play on it and it will cause other devices (such as a rack mount sampler or synthesizer of software samplers or synthesizers) to play back. This is one of the best things about MIDI.

Sticking with the sampler issue at hand, I see several options:

1. Get a keyboard workstation/sampler that will play Akai samples. This could present compatibility issues and will probably cost more and be more than what you are looking for.

2. Get a MIDI keyboard controller and an Akai sampler. I do not know if the newer Akais added features making their sample sets non-playable on the older Akais. You will have to look into it. It looks like even the S5000 and S6000 have been discontinued. The sampler and controller together could run you from $1000 up depending on how good of a controller you want.

3. Substitute the controller above for a decent keyboard that you could also use as a sound source. Something like the Kawai K5000S (a rather complex beast) could be found used for the price of a good controller. It has semi-weighted keys with a feel that is generally liked.

4. Use an Akai rack mount sampler and "make" your music on the PC with a mouse. Same compatibility as above without the cost of a keyboard or keyboard controller. Other losses such as a tactile working surface. The whole hands on bit is lost.

5. Options 2-4, substitute the Akai for another brand. Face potential compatibility issues.

6. Options 2-4, substitute the Akai for a soft sampler. Face potential compatibility issues.

I'm sure there are more options. No one can tell you what is best for you. These are things you will have to figure out for your self. You may find that it's better to use your own samples rather than "stealing" them from your friend. You may then find that the Akai is not the best sampler for you and that you should have used another brand or a soft sampler. And we haven't even started on the actual "studio" you expect to build for $5000. One piece at a time, that's how you should build your first studio. $5000 can be stretched, if you know what you want and need. You don't know these things, yet.

It's time for you to spend some time reviewing your options with hopefully some hands on experience.

Good luck,

[Roland]

Paret,

You would get a lot more from your $5k if you can use a computer for your recording. While the DAW's are nice, they don't support all the wonderful plug-ins and don't generally provide MIDI sequencing, so if you go with a computer, a good sound card, a nice set of studio monitors and a good recording/sequencing program (like Cubase SX, Nuendo, SONAR or Logic), then you'll have more upgradability and more flexibility than going the hardware recorder route.

There are so many great soft synths and plug-ins available for computer based recording systems that it just makes more sense IMHO to go that way.

As far as using your Akai samples, you can do that in the computer too, as Bob mentioned. You just have to be sure your processor and RAM can handle it.

To me, $5k will go a long ways to getting you a great little computer based recording studio, but not very far towards getting you a hardware based one. Just my $0.02, but you really should go one on one with Bob to work out a good system for you.

[paret]

Heres the thing, I worked both with computer recording and Digital multirack recorder. i was more satisified with the recorder. it was easier for me and another guy whose got the musical and mixing brains. and the rest you suggested i was thinking of. i also think i can take these files recorded in the recorder onto a computer sequencer, if im not mistaken. cuz i do like cubase and cakewalk. and i need sound forge at the end. and if its not a trouble Bob, id like to go one on one with you. as for samples, i will buy some cds adn etc. but most my songs are gonna need these akai samples if not as a main instrument, one of a few. it would vary. and i cant make my own, cuz these are rare insturemnt that were sampled. im not looking for a full rack studio or something. i was planning something with the recorder and computer. i hope i didnt confuse u, cuz i think i just confused my self lol.

[TeeCee]

You initially asked for a keyboard that would be good for playing back the Akai samples. Depending on the complexity of the samples, this may not exist. Your main goal is to deal with these Akai samples from your friend. I recommend that you buy an Akai sampler and a keyboard synthesizer or controller to control it with. Anything other than an Akai cannot guarantee compatibility and that includes keyboards. Now you can start a new topic about building a studio around your Akai for the remaining money.

Good luck,

[brokentoys]

i would not suggest something like a k5000s to a newbie. hell, ive been playing with synths for years and that kawai is still the most complex thing i have ever used(cept for kyma of course).

[TeeCee]

Like I said, the K5000S is a beast. But it can make an excellent controller. However, if you have the mind for the synthesis, the math, it shouldn't make a difference if you've never played a synth in your life. And if you don't hava a mind for the synthesis, you could be a 20 year synth vet and never get a thing out of the K5000S but pre-sets and other peoples patches.

[Bob]

Paret, Feel free to give me a call or send me an e-mail. I work weekdays between 9-6 central time and an occasional saturday. Actually, I'm working tomorrow (saturday, June first).