Moog Music Forum

Anyone agree? Will it ever happen?

IMHO rack designs are a waste of time and so not inspiring to use, well atleast for me and others i know.

I have sold all my rack synths and replaced them with keyboard versions. Nothing beats the direct connection you get between a synth and it's keybed.

LP with the keys makes it a winner imo - a complete instrument.

@ MKS-30:

I agree, but some synths will be sold only as a rack, for instance the "instruments" of Studio Electronics. Are they Instruments or not?

id have to disagree,a rack version would be handy for someone like me,i don't have much space and already have a control keyboard with 12 knobs on ,IF moog did make a vst and a standalone type app to control your synth from a gui ,this would be very nice don't you think?

Like the Voyager RME, a rack mount LP (an LPRME?) would cost less than the keyboard version and make the dream of a polyphonic system real for more people.

Yeah, I'd buy one (or more).

I'm the opposite of Lil Fatty. I go for racks rather than keyboards. You can get cluttered really quick with keyboards. I'd rather have a couple of really good controller keyboards, and tons of rack mounts. Then you're not stuck with whatever keyboard they try to foist on you with your synth.

What always blows me away in the pricing of synths is that there'll be a $100 difference or more between a 49 key and a 61 key version. Same synth engine, 100 buckaroonis for 12 KEYS!

The Access Virus charges the same amount ($2255) for 37 keys and their 61 keys models. So I guess in this case the 61 keys are a bargain. It's still a pretty expensive VA.

robles wrote:Then you're not stuck with whatever keyboard they try to foist on you with your synth.

You know, that is a great point. There always seems to be a big variation in the feel of the keys from one synth to another, and rack mounts certainly eliminate that issue. I don't know about anyone else here, but a keyboard that doesn't have the right feel can have a negative effect on my playing, while a keyboard with the right feel often improves it. And if I'm in a music store checking out synths, I'll spend a bit more time playing with a board that's comfortable versus one that isn't. The feel of the keys is a very important aspect of my buying decision.

Theses days, if a rack version of a synth is available, I'll usually go that way. Space-saving considerations aside, carting a portable rack case and a master controller is preferable to carting a bunch of boards, stands, etc. (and don't forget the added expense of cases/bags to protect all of them). Set up and tear down is simpler, too, since the rack wiring largely stays in place.

Right on Robles!

Well, if there had been a rack version, that's probably what I would have bought
Because I have a decent master keyboard and I'm cheap
Now seriously, I agree in principle about the physical aspect of a complete-with-keys synth, but it's not like the LP keyboard is the best thing ever
It's a decent, good one, but that's all, it wouldn't have been a big deal to me not to have it

If there was a 19'' rack-LP I would consider bying a second one!
I definitely NOT want or need another keyboard ... no space left ...

Yeah, I was thinking of something similar to the voyager rack mount, i.e. lots of knobs . I think this would be a natural thing for moog to do next, would it not? I'd buy one ('cos I can't afford a regular phatty )

LilFatty wrote:IMHO rack designs are a waste of time and so not inspiring to use, well atleast for me and others i know.

Perhaps you should try placing the rack closer to your keyboard.

There's a voyager rack. Can't imagine a racked up Phatty is too far behind.

when it comes to origins, i think the only reason the keyboards were slapped onto the synths was because it was a familiar method of control. a downside of that is that people kind of view it and compare it to a piano, or maybe digisynths like the triton, making it so i have to explain to people that the keyboard is deceptive, it's its own instrument.

then again, i'm such a tactile person, i can't break away from a self contained synth. it's like you develop a relationship, the two of you dance, rather than just having a frankenstein rack with one or two controllers, pointing to one out of a line and saying "you! sing!"

it should be only because it leaves people options. but you won't ever see a rme in my rig.