›

More Synth Help...

Skip DrinkwaterSkip Drinkwater 1,694 Posts
edited July 2006 in Strut Central
What's a good synth that has a fender rhodes-esque sound to it (or a generally warm-tone having sound) besides the rhodes itself? no preference as to vintage or modern, but something around $300 or so. i've tried vst's, but i'd really prefer an actual piece. Many thanks in advance!!

  Comments

  • wooshiewooshie 490 Posts
    that's quite a big ask.

    I love playing a pianet, nice tones, no sustain pedal, but that's not a synth.
  • Skip DrinkwaterSkip Drinkwater 1,694 Posts
    that's quite a big ask.

    the simliar-to-a-rhodes-sound part, or the $300 part?
  • wooshiewooshie 490 Posts
    Both, yo!

    I'm not the greatest person to ask but maybe you should look at smaller alternatives to a rhodes like other acoustic keyboards like save for a wurlitzer or a clavia nord electro which has rhodes patches or something. I've got no idea about prices.
  • lepoohpoohlepoohpooh 296 Posts
    you want a real rhodes, get a rhodes...if you want a cheap imitation get a nord elektro. point is, you can't get a real rhodes sound if you don't have rhodes. Explore other musical altenatives if desperate...
  • wooshiewooshie 490 Posts
    even alternatives are gonna be so up in the price range, may as well keep saving for the rhodes.

    http://www.fenderrhodes.com/cgi-bin/products-display?id=1

    There's a little article on the nord electro.

    Man, I wan't a clavinet so i can plug it into a wah wah and a fuzz pedal and make like stevie wonder.

    I always picture stevie just rolling around on the floor plugging his clavinet into anything he could find to see if it sounded good, found a wah wah pedal and was like 'oh shit, that's it'.
  • lepoohpoohlepoohpooh 296 Posts
    even alternatives are gonna be so up in the price range, may as well keep saving for the rhodes.

    I guess I meant going beyond just the use of traditional pop instruments, but yeah nothing's really cheap out there.
  • kwalitykwality 620 Posts
    Which vsts have you tried? Have you hit up lounge lizard, NI Elektrik or Sampletank? With a good controller keyboard and a little phasing/verb/bit reduction I've gotten really realistic results. Failing that look for a good Rhodes soundfont.
  • TheGoochTheGooch 541 Posts
    I own Native Instruments Elektrik Piano. I personally never owned a rhodes but a friend of mine owned the 73 stage. This is not an identical sound but has come as close or better than past attempts. I really dig it. And on a finished song it does sound REAL good.

    Also helps if you have a midi controller with hammer action or weighted keys. Those plastic m-audio joints never felt right to me.
  • chasechase 767 Posts
    motif es has some great Rhodes, good fuzzy sounding ones too, some of them need a little bit of "warming up" but the articulation of the sounds are incredible


    but yeah, no where in your price range of 300 bucks

    maybe emu vintage keys?
  • mcdeemcdee 871 Posts
    yeah elektrik piano sounds nice, the kontakt engine needs a decent computer tho. something i dont have. i get dropouts when i try to export, it has some annoying cpu throttle function you cant turn off. and im too lazy for real time mixdowns most of the time.

    right now im looking for scarbee vintage keyboard collection on the internets. buying software is just wrong. rhodes stage 73 mk1, wurly, and clavinet in one. with the halion engine, which is more stable than kontakt. especially if ur on a ghetto computer like me.
  • SolidState16SolidState16 181 Posts
    Mr Ray?

    http://www.soundfonts.it/?a=read&b=18

    Have fun.
  • PonyPony 2,283 Posts
    Is it true that rhodes piano's weight a ton? I'd love to have one, but I can't play for shit (need that midi!). Lounge Lizard is good and it's very light on your CPU. Other then that I would check the good ol' buy and sell (do you have this in the states?) or craigslist, might be able to find some deals there. Good luck!
  • SolidState16SolidState16 181 Posts
    The Rhodes itself isn't that heavy.

    The speaker cabinet will break you!
  • oosioosi 40 Posts
    in the 300$ range i believe you can pick up a roland rd 150, discontinued by roland but look for one on the bay, very nice rhodes sound, ive owned 2 rhodes and for the price the rd 150 is really good, run it through a proco RAT pedal and youll have a nice and nasty rhodes sound..that particular keyboard also has a nice acoustic piano and uprgiht bass tone, key action is weighted, but they are nice and smoothe(ideal for rhodes)...but yea if possible look for a real one in your area, you could prob score a mark 1 for 450-550. hope that helps ....plus whoever mentioned the nord electro is deadon..this is dope..rhodes/wurly/b3/clav all that, costs a grip, but if your looking to add vintage keys sound to your production or just playing around you would jam well with that piece.
  • Skip DrinkwaterSkip Drinkwater 1,694 Posts
    oosie, thanks for the recommendation, but after some searches the only roland rd150's i found were more in the $800-$1000 range.

    can anyone drop some more model names/numbers to look for? that "elektrik piano" that was mentioned seemed nice, but alas it's software...
  • wooshiewooshie 490 Posts
    I can't stop picturing DJ shadow with that black over coat and a fucking rhodes on his shoulder.
  • dayday 9,611 Posts
    The Rhodes itself isn't that heavy.


    Mine is. It takes 2 people to move it because of the dimensions and I think it weighs around 70 lbs or so (but don't quote me on that).

    I have a 73 Mark II Stage Piano I bought off some dude for $150 so deals can be found.
    I've messed with Elektrik Piano and Lounge Lizard and both were pretty impressive. I actually recorded stuff with them and it came out alright. Lounge Lizard has a good Wurly emulation and Elektrik Piano has a decent Clavinet as well.
    I'd say look around town or get you some VST's because the Nord Electro is gonna be more $ than an actual Rhodes.
  • oosioosi 40 Posts
    waoh, i remember these being blown out at stores for like 499.99, that was a coulpe years ago, but i cant see the market being that huge for these that the used price would jack up that much by now..keep your eyes peeled....also another dope keyboard with good rhodes sound is the roland vr 760, sick..expensive but great sound.
Sign In or Register to comment.