Not really a va recommendation because it fits in the playing keys aspect… theres not alot of DX7 that pop up at these parts of the world…
But a nord lead 2 popped up for roughly $400 and Im thinking that I could buythis to see if it is the actual keyboard I’m after…
I’ve been gassing for a nord rack 2x for a month now. At 650 it’s a bit much for my budget right now, but it seems like a really nice VA synth.
Not an answer but I understand the question.
I’ll always get lost with my acoustic guitar. It’s really all I need to calm the day away and bring the good vibes. Nothing comes close due to its simplistic nature and mobility. I’ve quit trying to replicate that experience and finally realized I just need to expand upon it.
Good luck!
I feel connected to Instruments that have nice and comfortable knobs like the Moog Sirin, the PERfourMER, the Typhon, …. When you can feel the Sound moving with the motion of a knob, that’s when I feel connected. Playing an Instrument with only your fingertips or with endless Encoders, like on all Elektron boxes, is not really satisfying for me.
I get lost in the Reface CP. Actually it was a surprise to me, as I do not like minikeys. But the way they designed that little keyboard, I feel very much in “musician mode.” Also the FX implementation is really fine tuned and always sounds good so it really keeps creativity going. I pair it with the Ventris reverb on its swell setting — which to my experience is a very musical swell effect. Meaning I feel I can “play” the swell rather than fight it. Once I paired these together I probably get lost in it more than any other gear, outside of playing a proper piano.
I won’t make specific suggestions per se, but more to suggest directions.
Since you like the piano, have you considered the Augmented Piano ? There is a world of possibility there and many great musicians have “lost” themselves in that exploration.
Look through the possibilities in the Alternative Keyboard thread. There are lots of possibilities there. Try to imagine each of these in your hands. Note things about these that might appeal to you and why they do. For instance how about the Fluid Piano ?
Andrew McPherson does some amazing work in this area, and he is primarily piano focused. I’m not so much thinking about his TouchKeys stuff, though that is in contention with the Osmose in expressivity. I’m thinking more of his Magnetic Resonator Piano. Take a look through any of these videos from a YouTube search i’ve prepared:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=andrew+mcpherson+magnetic+resonator+piano
McPherson is also very much in line with people doing their own piano augmentation / exploration.
This has long been an interest of mine, so i might have other ideas, outside this “piano” realm. ( I’m a wind player too. ) I’m certainly interested in how you explore this.
Yes. And in a way that even my Wurlitzer ep200 can’t match. It’s close, but despite the Wurly’s late night vibes, still no cigar.
It’s such a joy! However, I think that it’s not just about the key weight. I think two other things play a subtle but significant role:
(Note, I’m a dreadful keyboard player. I don’t practice scales or learn other peoples’ music. I would noodle my own meandering jams for hours at a time on my parents’ piano, and later got my own Wurley… playing it pretty much the same way, but with more blues)
Ooh thanks… that’s solid advice and exploration! Thank you will definetly check that out
Great thread. I think about this all the time.
I have enough gear for ten lifetimes of electronic music, but I more often find myself at the piano or reaching for a guitar. I was visiting family earlier this month and discovered my mother’s childhood clarinet in a closet. It’s now in the shop for an overhaul, and I can’t wait to learn how to play.
For me, there’s no substitute for instruments that create their vibrations through direct physical means. It’s a primal experience. I get that electrons are also physical, but it’s not the same.
Funny that @Fin25 brought up the DX7. If I had to pick one electronic instrument, I’d recommend that one. It’s quite expressive, and I can definitely get lost in it.
Ooh yes that is definetly interesting, but it’s seems more like a noise maker then a note maker… I think the other Soma instrument coming out 22-23 looks more like what I’m looking for…
I think it helps that it’s kind of a set and forget synth, so you’re not constantly twiddling knobs or pushing buttons. When you’re playing it, you’re just playing it.
Yes, I’m on the list for that one too 
not suggesting anything, just showing off
That’s probably a big part of it. Also the way FM responds to aftertouch and velocity can make patches come alive under your fingers.
This is what playing a flute is like. Flute is unique because there’s no reed vibrating between your lungs and the vibrating air column inside the instrument. You resonate along with the instrument, not just externally like other acoustic instruments or internally like vocals, but both. One of the big challenges with flute is getting control over the intoxicating tone you hear and what the audience hears.
What you describe as a spiritual connection, I think of as being in the zone, where time stops and you are fully focused on one thing and one thing alone.
I think any device can get a person in the zone if they can play it without having to think about how to do something.
Right now for me I would say my Machinedrum gets me there because of how well I know it, and so does my Nord electro 6 because it is similar to my piano - load up a nice EP patch, throw on some reverb and just play without thinking any more about it
Nobody can answer this for you though, it’s more about what excites you as well as, for anything electronic, what you can learn well enough that you can turn off your brain and just create
Flutes are mesmerizing.
I think I know what you mean. I like anything with immediate feedback and high expressiveness. Volca series, PadKontrol, Nord drum 3p, Nord lead 3, though the keys are not very good.
For me so long as it feels nice and there is no latency I feel like I am connected to the instrument. So if I have an mpk controller and a fun plugin going through a decent audio interface with buffer set to 128 or less and I feel at home.
I can also kinda vouch for digitone keys but the there are few keys and the knobs drive me a little crazy with their smoothing algorithm.
If you like electricity flowing through your tips how about a laser harp or even a theremin.
