Keyboards/Synths

[Puppetface]

I'm completely ignorant in this area, I really don't have a clue. What is the difference between synth and a keyboard? What is their relationship? What do synths do? Just tell me anything about them. Cheers.

[moaner]

I beleive that a keyboard is a more general term and that synth is a type of keyboard that only makes "synthy" sounds, as in the ones not trying to model any instrument.

Most "keybaords" have synth sounds programmed into them.

I may be wrong.

[LavaDevil]

In my experience, keyboards are mostly based around pre-programmed sounds and settings, while synthesizers allow you to edit the sounds and settings more.

[Seafroggys]

A synthesizer, well, as its name applies, synthesizes a sound. It takes a basic sound wave (sine wave, square wave, or even more complex ones) and runs it through a bunch of settings (different knobs to adjust frequency, filters, pitch bends, etc.) until it comes out throught the speakers.

Thus you have sampled and synthesized instruments. A sampled trumpet is, basically, a base trumpet sound byte altered to whatever pitch you desire. A synthesized trumpet is a certain sound wave running through all the different settings set in a certain way to replicate the sound of a trumpet.

[Puppetface]

The reason I asked is because I saw the Pink Floyd Live in Pompeii DVD with Roger Waters recording some stuff for Dark Side of the Moon. He was playing keyboard with one hand, and with the other he had a big black box with lots of knobs and stuff on it, and he was adjusting tone, pitch, speed, stuff like that. Also, I saw the Un-Ledded DVD and Jimmy Page had a little box and he was turning stuff, a similar kind of thing. Is that what a synth does? Also, how much would a good synth cost (one that I could use with a guitar)?

[shreddy]

Difference between keyboard and synth is like Car and Sports Car.

Keyboard is a general term for the instrument where is synth is a type specific type of instrument. Synths come in various flavors, Analog, Virtual Analong, Romplers.

Analog synths are like the old school Moogs, Prophets, etc..

Virtual Analog synths are the newer breed of modelings synths which can function and produce sounds like the older boards. Some of them are Roland V-Synth, Korg MS2000, Nord Lead, etc..

Romplers is a slang term for Rom based sampler, in reality its not sampling anything its a synth that utilizes preset waveforms for its synthesys. Most of todays synths fall in the this category, even the workstations utilize this technology these built into them. Some of these are Casio, Yamaha PSR/S, Roland JV/XP/XV, Alesis QS, Korg N/X, Kurzwiel SP88, etc..

The Rom based synths are the ones that provide you with instrument tones like strings, piano, choirs etc.. The analogs many provide you with electronic type sounds.

For the person looking to get a keyboard if your playing in a band your more than likely going to want to get a Rom based synth unless your doing techno / house stuff where you want loops and other digital type sounds then you'd want a analog type board.

How much would a good synth cost depends on what your looking for?
Type of instrument, A/VA/Rom/Workstation, home/road use, 61/76/88 keys etc..

My main board is a Roland XV88, 88 fully weighted keys (like a piano), not a workstation or sampler just has great tones orchestra, organ, pianos, leads works great for a metal band. Problem is in its SKB case its around 90lbs. I used to rehears with it before and I'm done lugging the thing around. I'm getting a used board from ebay ($450) that will be used for rehearsing, Roland XP-30 almost the same tones, but its 61 keys and 20lbs.

Ed