Blah Blah Cafe, the Jean-Michel Jarre forum

[Jarp2600]

I prefer a real Juno106!

[Pete]

I remember when I was 14 years old and I was trying to recreate IV Rendez-Vous on my first keyboard, a Yamaha PS-35...
Well, it was 1986 and I loved that tune and the Video I watched on TV with JMJ playing the circular keyboard; but I had no way to make my sound closer to JMJ's one.

In mid/late eighties the difference was big between home keyboards and synthesizers; the first had speakers, auto-accompaniment, and un-editable preset sounds, while synthesizers goal was to shape new sounds, but had very limited polyphony, no more than a couple of timbres at time-bitimbral was the D-50- and NO SPEAKERS (!)

But I remember that also the fashion in synth design changed a lot.
By the end of the 80s knobs and sliders were unaccettable by keyboard players.
Think of Korg M1, had a great stylish design and was the reference point for the others. 0 knobs. 1 Slider. Some nice buttons.

In 1989 I purchased my first serious keyboard, Roland W-30, a sampler and a workstation. By that days to me a synth with too many buttons, KNOBS and sliders looked outdated and... bleah!
How wrong was I...!!!!!!!

As soon as I became more interested in creating sounds I discovered the power of that big analog synths, mainly reading some specialized magazines and listening to some music, JMJ's one was my favourite.
I really got addicted to synthesizers.
Then I discovered Minimoog samples on my W-30: a nice floppy plenty of those basses, so powerful and unique; the Mini had something magic.

So I changed my mind, the Minimoog with all his knobs, red and blue buttons and that wooden case bacame my number one dream in the synth world, but before the internet advent finding one in a shop was really impossible for me.
But after more than 10 years........I got one! and.... it's fantastic!
It gives you something special when you play it.

So to me it's not the number of buttons that draw the line between a home keyboard and a pro-synth. It's how it's focused on "The sound".

P.

[jeremy]

Keyboard = entertainment-oriented instrument

Synthesizer = musical production-oriented instrument

[Dr. Who]

There are synths that you can't really make sounds with like the Matrix 1000, granted you can with an editor on your computer. Some of the older Moogs, SOlinas, and string machines came with presets that were only "tweakable" but you couldn't make you own sounds. They are still synths.

When I think of personal boards, I think of "band in a box" type stuff with speakers, auto accompaniment, a groovy button to press for drum fills, and somethign you'd record that sounds like.... well a personal board. Some allow you to tweak sounds some but for powerful sounds, we move into the realm of synths. My first set-up was a Yamaha personal board for drums and bass and I played leads and pads with a Roland D110 sound module. I was blown away by the shear power of the sound module! It shook my speakers, the pads sweeps filled the room with sound... and I was smitten w/synths ever since then.

[SHARPBLUE]

Keyboard = entertainment-oriented instrument

Synthesizer = musical production-oriented instrument

Surely Keyboard is just the keys / input or peformance part of the instrument. A piano has a 'keyboard', a synth has a 'keyboard' as does a harpsichord.

key‧board  [kee-bawrd, -bohrd] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. the row or set of keys on a piano, organ, or the like.
2. a set of keys, usually arranged in tiers, for operating a typewriter, typesetting machine, computer terminal, or the like.
3. any of various musical instruments played by means of a pianolike keyboard, as a piano, electric piano, or organ.
–verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
4. Also, key, key in. Computers. to enter (information) into a computer by means of a keyboard.
5. to set (text) in type, using a machine that is operated by a keyboard.

[jeremy]

Yes but here keyboard is used in another meaning.

And I'm writing this on a keyboard as well.

Edit: the meaning used here is for "arranger keyboard", sometimes simply called "keyboard", I don't know why since it can be confusing with the general meaning of that word.

[Jarp2600]

2. a set of keys, usually arranged in tiers, for operating a typewriter, typesetting machine, computer terminal, or the like.

Indeed, Keyboard is for entertainment, Workstation is a professional keyboard, used for professional events.

[Equinoxe]

What is the point to this thread????

Keyboard or synthesizer????



WGAF!!!

[GeeJee]

Calm down and read the first post...

[Equinoxe]

Calm down and read the first post...

I am calm...


Just don't see the point to it!!!!!!
Are people so pedantic that we have to debate whether the terminology is used in a PC way????

[radek tymecki]

I prefer a real Juno106!

Well i own one It's not as warm as Juno 6/60 but...

[GeeJee]

Just don't see the point to it!!!!!!
Are people so pedantic that we have to debate whether the terminology is used in a PC way????

Leelene wonders what the real difference between a synth and a keyboard is. The pc terminology was probably offtopic...

[Livgivare]

Just don't see the point to it!!!!!!
Are people so pedantic that we have to debate whether the terminology is used in a PC way????

Leelene wonders what the real difference between a synth and a keyboard is. The pc terminology was probably offtopic...

GeeJee is right. I am just wondering what the differences are and why there is two names or even three. As I don't know so much about synths in the first place. I just listen to the music. And therefore I was currious about this thing and thought "hey we got a few (many) who really do know loads of stuff bout this topic". So I bumped in and asked it straight away.

Love Leelene

[Velodynamic]

For me the terminologie doesn't matter that much. Maybe because I doesn't play synth/keyboard. It is hard though to say "keyboard" if it's a modular synth with only knobs and cables all over. Exept for that it would be easy if you could just say "synth" as long as it has an electronic "brain" behind the sounds.
I probable is mixing it all up from time to time I'm afraid.

[jeremy]

Calm down and read the first post...

I am calm...

OK... One thing at a time. Now read first post