shimron's Electronic Synth Setup

This pedal is the only officially approved expression pedal for the Roland JD-XA, which is a shame because it doesn't seem to be the best. It has a dial to set the minimum level of its range but its range of movement is narrow, requiring careful footwork to produce smooth results.

This MIDI controller keyboard features 61 full-size velocity-sensitive keys, 8 of each assignable knobs and sliders, mod and pitch wheels, and a 3-digit segmented LED display with value-select slider. Basic settings are easily accessible and set through labeled keys across the top 2 octaves. It has a sustain pedal socket, of course, along with USB data (requires a legacy driver available to download from M-Audio, which works fine on Windows 10). The USB data port also receives power as an alternative power source if for some reason you can't use its own AC/DC adapter. The 'USB' MIDI-out DIN socket transmits signals received via USB, including MIDI extensions such as Yamaha XG control signals. I have owned this keyboard for many years - at least 15 years - as the controller for my Yamaha MU10, and it has never let me down. The keybed is still even and the unit has survived multiple moves (including international, without flight case) and massive dust build-up.

This keyboard may be getting long in the tooth but it's the best value for the features it includes, especially aftertouch, which is sensitive enough to apply a range of pressure, unlike most keyboards whose aftertouch is effectively either on or off, and expression pedal socket - in fact the aftertouch is better than on my JD-XA. Its extensive features and control over them make it complex to set up and get used to but extremely powerful, for example the ability to store 19 custom control/CC map sets. If the power supplied by the USB port is insufficient, there may result digital-read jitter above around 124 which can make allocating CCs frustrating and interfere with the sound, or the button illumination may fail.

These are certainly not for leisure listening unless you use a graphic equalizer. To my ears they become audible around 27 Hz and are flat from a bit higher than that. They are fully over-ear, so they block out background noise extremely well. They are lightweight and compact for over-ear headphones. Good value monitors.

This synth has every feature you can think of and more, including top-quality vocoder, direct-to-digital recording over USB, built-in low-latency USB ASIO audio interface - perfect for softsynths, 16-track/128-step sequencer and aftertouch. The only items lacking are analog polyphony (6 voices - 2 more - would have made a big difference) and keys - a synth with this level of power, especially with its split functionality, really deserves 61 keys, although of course these would have made it even more expensive. Digital voices can substitute adequately when analog voices run out, and a larger MIDI keyboard can be plugged in as necessary.

By far the best feature of this keyboard is the keys themselves which, although a bit light and spongy due to apparently lacking springs, are full size and there are 61 of them. Sadly, there is no MIDI output (see below) and no release envelope control, although this is redeemed somewhat by its 1/4" sustain (hold) pedal socket. Interestingly, the stereo output socket is also 1/4". Among its 99 tones plus percussion, the keyboard seems to output a pure sawtooth wave and a pure square wave, called "SYN-LEAD 2" and "SYN-LEAD 3" respectively. These sound thin, as there are no digital effects such as chorus or reverb, although if you play chords with both hands across two octaves, effectively mimicking a sub-oscillator, you can get an adequately broad sound out of it. Alternatively, you can plug the output into an effects unit. I have connected mine to my Yamaha MU10, which runs the signal through its comprehensive digital effects section, editable using the ancient Yamaha XGworks software. I have opened up the keyboard and found that its circuit board has holes and traces for MIDI sockets and supporting circuitry, located directly behind the blanked area of the back panel that would accommodate them, although one would have to figure out and source the necessary discrete components to retrofit it.

This is my first professional microphone, so I don't have anything to compare it with personally. I can't imagine microphone quality getting much better than this in terms of frequency response and clarity. There is a significant background noise level by the time it reaches my recording software, but this is likely not the microphone's fault. Possible causes include background noise in the room (it's not an isolated studio), my phantom power source, my weak voice (if I sang louder the signal-to-noise ratio would be higher), and, most likely, my mixer and/or its preamps, the latter of which do also reveal noise when turned up to max even when there is no source plugged into their channel. I should probably get a proper preamp.

I only bought this because the caps in my old mixer wore out. The Maker Hart is good value and has enough inputs for a small home studio. It has individual preamps with gain controls for each stereo channel, which are essential for use with condenser mics for example. Unlike my old mixer, this one has no noticeable noise or hum.

This keyboard may be as slim as MIDI controllers come, but the keys are as big as they get - they are full length, full depth, semi-weighted piano-style keys and they give the unit some heft. A firm stand is recommended to avoid wobbling and flexing. The keyboard lacks any knobs and has only one slider, but this is fine if you are plugging it into anything other than a rack-mount or bare-box synth. It comes with a comprehensive suite of software, particularly Ableton Live Lite and Reason Lite, which are good VSTi hosts.

This sustain pedal appears to be of cheap construction but it does its job adequately for the price. The cable is long enough and the trigger pressure is set to a good level. I have had no issues with it so far.

I bought these for the bass response as I already had a pair of good midrange/tweeters and I tested this before I installed them together to get an idea of the Microlabs' performance. The bass becomes audible (to my ears) around 38 Hz, although I'm pretty sure it can be felt at slightly lower frequencies. Audible frequency response seems to start to flatten out above around 60 Hz. I find there is a dip around 100-150 Hz in my studio, but this seems to be due to the acoustics of the room and its placement within it as I noticed this with my previous setup also - most likely some nearby objects are resonating at frequencies below 100 Hz. The built-in amp can achieve a good volume level without distortion, and there is an all-important bass level knob on the back of the subwoofer. The included RCA-3.5mm cable often has loose RCA plug surrounds so you may have to tighten them slightly with pliers to get a good connection.

Only order this item from a region with the same AC voltage because it does not come with a 100-240V AC/DC adapter - it will either be 100-115V or 220-240V. I made this mistake and had to patch in an old laptop charger I had laying around, which works fine because laptop chargers output a smooth DC current. It is important not to use a cheap adapter as that is likely to induce AC-frequency hum in the signal. This unit does its job as described and is therefore good value. I have been using it with a Marantz MPM-1000 and it has not caused any noticeable noise or hum.

This additional tier rack binds firmly to any standard keyboard stand, and even to itself, for more than 2 tiers. Its crown-gear locking mechanism provides the strength required for keyboards with aftertouch. The only downside is that the horizontal bracer's minimum length setting is too long for steeper height settings on X stands.

This budget double-X keyboard stand is rock solid with a reassuringly robust bolt clutch and firm but easily adjusted rubber sleeves. It is also ideal for adding the On-Stage KSA7500 second tier, which I have done, although at steeper height settings the gap between the mounting rods is too narrow for the KSA7500's horizontal bracer.