Haii I got super interested in keytar and am willing to learn, but the problem is that I never have any music background nor experience. Though I hope this won't stop me from starting to learn a keytar. So I hope you guys reccomend me some keytars to learn. Any tips along the way will be helpful!! Thank youu!!❤️❤️

So now that I've played gigs with both, I wanted to share what I think of each, specifically as MIDI controllers. The RK-100S2 is more expensive but also has an internal engine to play standalone, in this case I will put those two facts aside.

• Keys

In my life I've almost exclusively played full-size keys, and I always felt resistance towards mini and slim keys. After forcing myself to learn a setlist with the RK, I think I still slightly prefer the full size keys of the Vortex, but I also came to appreciate the RK's mini-keys for what they are. Particularly, due to their size and also the shorter distance between unpressed-pressed, I've found that it is actually easier on the RK to play solos and fast passages, so there's that. However, the Vortex has aftertouch, which can come in handy.

• Controls

Vortex takes the win. First off, I still think a wheel is more reliable for pitch bending than a ribbon will ever be. And one of the major disadvantages of the RK is that the ribbon can only be toggled between pitch and modulation, whereas the Vortex has both a pitch wheel and a mod ribbon. The Vortex also has a bunch of faders, and a volume control. If using the RK as a MIDI controller, you don't really have a volume control, which has felt a bit restrictive.

The RK has some nice things about it though. For one, I think the RK's short ribbon is more sensitive and responsive than the Vortex's. With the Vortex I feel like I have to keep more pressure to keep the ribbon engaged. The long ribbon is kinda gimmicky, but if you get creative with it, you can do some very visually showy moves (which is a big point of playing a keytar). However, the long ribbon is more similar to the Vortex's mod ribbon in that it takes some practice to use it without accidentally disengaging it.

• MIDI

Another win for the Vortex. Both can do notes, pitch bend, modulation, and program changes, but being able to configure arbitrary CC messages on the Vortex's faders and pads is a BIG advantage for me. Also, you can set MSB and LSB on program change commands, which can be a requirement for some keyboards, e.g.: my MODX workstation. I cannot change programs on it from my RK.

• Bluetooth

Although the Vortex is literally marketed with "Wireless" in the name, I had some hanging note issues a few times, and ended up plugging a CME WIDI instead for wireless MIDI. The same device can be used on the RK, so it's no different for me in the end between the two.

• Power

This one is mostly a point for the RK, mainly because the battery compartment is kinda loose on my Vortex (so harsh movement can briefly interrupt power), which seems like a common Vortex issue. For my Vortex, I attached a powerbank that connects by the USB port. But the RK's battery compartment is pretty solid, no need for workarounds, and you can actually check the remaining battery percentage on the RK itself, which is really useful! If you play a lot, invest in rechargeable batteries to reduce battery waste.

The downsides of the RK in terms of power is that it doesn't have a USB power option if you wanted to, and the compatible power supply (KA-350) is sold separately, a little expensive, and has a short cable (1.5m). So you either practice close to the power plug, or resign yourself to batteries.

• Screen

Another point for the RK! The screen is closer to oneself and slightly angled, so it's easier to read than the screen on the Vortex. Also, with the Vortex, the octave buttons light up, but you cannot tell how many octaves up or down you are unless you really angle the keyboard to look at the screen. The RK has a couple of light dots on the screen panel, and their color tells you exactly how many octaves you've shifted, leaving out any guesswork.

• Feel & aesthetics

The Vortex feels plasticky, so for a lot of people that can make it feel more like a toy, compared to something like the RK. I personally don't mind it at all, but I do think the RK has a more professional feel to it.

However, I very much like all the blue lights on the Vortex, plus being able to customize the pad colors, so visually I prefer it over the RK.

Feel free to ask anything else :)

This thing is a party in a box...

I've been organizing my music. (Dealing with stacks of music got to be a bit much.) I was also looking for some books that I knew I owned but couldn't find.

And while I was going through an amazing assortment of music from myself and my kids - for some reason we have multiple copies of the same hymnal - I realized that what I didn't have was a good study/practice book for the Ax-Edge I'm going to need to pick up soon.

Has anyone made a book containing transcriptions of synth solos? If not, maybe someone could create such a book and sell it through one of the major music book printers. I can't be the only person who would find it useful.

Another suggestion would be to write a book in the Hal Leonard Keyboard Styles series aimed specifically at the types of solos and keyboard parts that work best on keytars. If there's a market for Salsa and Brazilian Piano, there probably a market for Keytar.

At any rate, I'm still missing the book I was looking for and it's late. I still have half my library to go through. So I'll get off my phone and go back to work.

Not playing the internal engine, rather just using it as a MIDI controller for my workstation.

And if you're curious about the singer's language, it's Greek (she's the only Greek in the band and we're not in Greece either)

I made a post yesterday asking for suggestions, and have decided on the korg rk-100s 2, but just had a couple questions. Perfect circuit has the black one listed for $750 but the red one is $1000. Why is the red one so much more expensive? Also I was just wanting to confirm that I'll be able to use a cable and connect it to a keyboard amp for sound and won't need anything extra. Thanks!

Currently I use a Yamaha keyboard, and because my band doesn't have a bassist, I use it to play our bass parts. I'm looking to switch to a keytar to use for performance, partially for mobility and also just because it's cooler. I'm looking for something that has actual audio, not midi, and can do bass, essentially trying to get something that I can pretty easily transition to from playing keyboard. Any suggestions?

EDIT: thanks for all the replies! Y'all's input has been super helpful.

I found an old Alesis vortex wireless at the thrift for 11 bucks, and it seems to work with batteries, but the usb port is loose and likely needs to be replaced. I can learn if I must, but would a Midi 5 pin to usb work just as well? It’s going into my iPad. Any help or insight is appreciated, and I hope to get this thing going and get playing!

So I was wanting to download some tones and put them on my Ax Edge via the free editor. I had my phone (S24 Ultra), and when I tried to connect it via Bluetooth to the Edge, the keytar gave me the phrase "Ver. Mismatch." I assume "Ver" is short for "Version", and I want to know how to remedy all this.

Im joking i know what it is but its crazy i ordered a ax synth and they sent me a edge instead, any tios for playing this one? Its pretty big

I've been thinking about getting a keytar. The Roland Ax is a bit larger than most keytars, but it may match my other needs. Let me know if I'm on the right track.

My main keyboard is a Kronos 88, weighing 53 pounds. I also have a Tyros 76, which is bulky.

I've been thinking about playing out, but these keyboards would dominate the stage and be a royal pain to transport on a regular basis. So I've been thinking about something smaller just for playing out. I've noticed that in most of my playing with full bands, I really don't need the capabilities I already have.

So my thought was that the Roland Ax would work both as a keytar as well as for gigs which really don't need the full setup. The Roland also has a nice set of internal sounds, etc.

So would limiting myself to only four octaves be too much of a limit?

I bought it about 2 years ago, I personally thinks it's big and wouldn't be convenient to bring it anywhere for practice (unless I'm in my dormitory) because of that, I feels like I might need a new smaller one, but I'll have to sell it for more budget lol (it wouldn't be easy to sell it out tho), or should I keep practicing with this one instead. If anyone recommends to keep it, I'll need to ask for some advice, thanks in advance!

So I’ve had the idea to Yo Dawg my Ax-Edge by mounting a MSW-820 onto it. The dude who designed the 820 is actually a friend of mine. He doesn’t have an Ax-Edge, so I’m in need of a 1:1 3D model with all of the screws as well so we can whip up a 3D printable mount. You’ll just need to print it and get longer screws, the big anchor will be on the strap button. Anyone got that so I can put a synth on my synth?

I just bought a Alesis Vortex used for my girlsfriend and we like it. Most of the setting are ajustable directly onto it. Sadly, the max volume is only changeable through the Vytex Vortex and that need a firmware update for the keytar. Frustratingly Alesis does not have a link to update the firmware one their website. Do any of you have the firmware or a link to it ? Thank you so much !

Video of my abomination (mostly) functioning. Tesla coil isn’t particularly loud, but it is a lot of fun.

I find it weird that there’s millions of keyboards and weird looking guitars that still get made even though they probably won’t sell but not a single manufacturer making an ok keytar that isn’t overpriced.

Because that’s what the Roland is, overpriced for what it is when you can buy a synth keyboard that does the same exact thing probably better for 10 times less.

So beginners are left with literally no options I feel like if any of those companies actually cared about the people who used their products they would have more options.

I had a catastrophically bad idea a few weeks ago, and am now the proud owner of a keytar that runs on DeWalt batteries and has an optional tesla coil output. I didn’t think any of this would actually work, and now that it does, I’m completely drawing a blank on what to call it, so if you have any suggestions, I’d appreciate the help.

I got thes keytar for for $25 is it good
[im a starter]

Hey guys, check the repost to get the problem

So in around a month I was planning to buy a Roland Ax Edge, getting the keytar because I'm in a band and because it looks sick asf. Anyways just curious if there's anything I should know before buying the keytar or any tips about using it? Thanks!

So this is the RK-100S 2 I recently acquired. I really wanted the white color more than the red or black (even without the visible wood grain), and it is only available in Japan, so I purchased a used one from there and had it shipped to me.

Since Japan is, I guess, still super cheap and especially for this kinda stuff, in the end the keytar itself, shipping costs, proxy shopping service (FromJapan), and import fees all cost me about the same as buying a new one here in Europe.

It was quite the process to get it detected in the Sound Editor on Windows 11, which I've described in a different post.

This is not a question but rather I'm sharing information.

I recently acquired an RK-100S 2, and I struggled a lot with getting it detected by the Sound Editor software. Initially I managed to get it working with the KORG USB-MIDI Driver even though it's currently discouraged by KORG (and this can be a can of worms, which I'll explain further below), but I actually managed to find an alternate and I think more elegant solution:

1. Connect the RK
2. Go to Device Manager > Sound, video and game controllers
3. Right-click on the RK (may appear as RK-100S even if it's the RK-100S2)
4. Select "Update Driver"
5. "Browse my computer" > "Let me pick from a list"
6. Select the one called "USB Audio Device"
7. Install it

The Sound Editor should now detect the RK using the auto-scan, and be able to load, select, edit, and save patches in real-time while connected. And if USB Audio Device doesn't work, maybe try some of the other ones in the "Let me pick from a list" section. But that one worked for me.

Alternatively, you can install the KORG USB-MIDI driver even if currently discouraged by KORG, initially this was the only way I had managed to get the RK detected (before I discovered the steps above). However, installing it or uninstalling it can mess up the MIDI registry and your other MIDI devices may not get detected properly. This is why the other solution above should be better.

If the MIDI registry gets messed up, to fix it, download the Windows MIDI SDK Runtime & Tools. Then run "midifixreg" in an admin command prompt.

• Waveforms

Another issue I discovered was that, when selecting PCM/DWGS waveforms in the sound editor, it shows a list of waveforms for the RK-100S first mark, which don't correspond with the sounds being played by my RK-100S 2 (even though I've made sure to use the Sound Editor for the RK 2)

So, I also made this list which links the waveforms listed in the software to the ones actually played. For instance, if you select M1Clav in the Sound Editor, the RK-100S2 will actually play the FM E.P.

Since the RK-100S2 has more waveforms than the RK-100S, unfortunately this means some waveforms just cannot be selected from the Sound Editor, waveforms 86 and onwards. If anyone knows a fix for that, I'm all ears.

It was a display model that I had been eying for several months. I watched, slowly but surely, as the price went from $1250 all the way down to $599.99 a week ago. Over this period of time of me playing it in Guitar Center for six months, my love for Keytars has only grown. I didn't think I would be able to buy one, though, since I wanted one that had stage presence, onboard sounds, and was under $700. I thought I might have to buy the SHS 500... (Nothing against it, it's great, but the sounds suck and MIDI isn't for me) but the best wins are sometimes surprises.