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paulyc
Well-known member
Looking for a keyboard to mess around with that does typical late 80's sounds, digital preferred (I have analog covered), Yamaha DX7 ? Roland D50 ? Something else ? Thanks !
shredhead7
Active member
Are you looking for leads or pads?
japetus
Well-known member
Korg DW8000 is 80's in a box. It can get fat, total 80's and arps. Korg DS8 is also a good bet.
romanianreaper
Well-known member
I've been looking at the Yamaha keyboards (around $400?) and think it is the 564 or something like that? Great sounds but not sure how good it will be for your stuff.
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paulyc
Well-known member
I just want to screw around, stuff like Winger or Whitesnake, a little Journey maybe, no leads but not just pads either.
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Valtyr
Member
sutepaj":2f0ojnm8 said:
This is an excellent choice if you want to go vintage since they were made around 1984. DW8000 are going for less than $500 used, less for it's little brother the DW6000. If you want more of a classical analog user interface (ie knobs instead of buttons and screen), you can use a Behringer BCR2000 to control it. That said, the DW series are half digital. The filter and amp sections are still analog, which is a good thing because the filter on these keyboards is awesome.
The only caution here is that Korg soldered the battery to the board on these synths. Many owners replaced the original battery with a battery holder to make future battery replacements easier. You will know there is a battery issue if the synth can't remember it's patches, but it's not a difficult fix. There are instructions online.
https://www.pallium.com/bryan/dwbattery.php
Other cheap vintage options for 80's pads are the Roland Alpha Juno and the Korg Poly 800.
If you don't want the hassle of maintaining vintage gear and can deal with smaller keys, the Yamaha Reface DX is only $300 brand new. You can always hook it up to a controller with full sized keys if need be. It's cheaper than getting an actual DX7 and you'd get a warranty.
Software synths - If you have a controller or don't mind playing from an iPad, you can get FM Player for free. It has some classic DX sounds.
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