A matter of choices question?

[cello]

AFAIK any midi-capable keyboard will work with the RadiasR

[Bertotti]

cello you are fast I was just going to edit my last post to say that maybe I'll just go with the micro station and add the radias R when the tax return comes! Seems like a plan and will give my my own set up with all the possibilities I was looking for without swiping my sons/wife's keyboard!
You guys and gals have been a big help thanks! This is going to be a fun year!

edit to add; I am going for an r now well see if I get it. I checked our keyboard and I think it will do for now. Finger crossed God willing I will be tweaking tones in short order!

[Bertotti]

Well like I said you guys have been a big help and the suggestion of a larger workstation was a good one but I thought was out of my budget, and it is for the time being, but that said. I was hoping to add a baby grad to the house, used of course, about 1k here. The PS60 and the Radias-R. After all is said and done over the next two years that would put me very close to a KRONOS in cost. With that knowledge and this one post, I did post this in another thread also, I decided to save for KRONOS! Here s the post I read that made my mind up for me.

As for the Radias, the Kronos AL-1 is the (slightly) bigger brother of Radias. They seem very similar. On paper, the only things that Radias can do that AL-1 can't are:- comb filtering,

Absolutely true that the AL-1 doesn't do comb filtering. However, the STR-1 does. See "Using the string as a comb filter for PCM" in the STR-1 chapter of the OASYS Parameter Guide, and of course the KRONOS one when it comes out.

vocoding,

Also absolutely true that a vocoder isn't built-into the AL-1. Instead, the vocoder is in the effects, where you can use it with any combination of the synth engines (layers, Combis, etc., including modulating one set of sounds with another).

decimator/pickup/hard-clip waveshaping (could be easily covered by effects, though), and I think the drive in AL-1 is fixed to post-filter as opposed to being switchable post/pre filter like on the Radias.

Again, true on all counts for the AL-1. For waveshaping (including clipping, drive, pickups, and lots more), including control over where they happen in the chain, look instead to the MOD-7.

Mod-sequencing can be covered by Karma, and the PCM waveforms are more than covered by HD-1.

Note also the step sequencer in the EXi Program, plus the per-voice step sequencers in the AL-1 and MOD-7.

Re PCM: don't forget the STR-1 and MOD-7, both of which can use samples as well.

Hope this helps,

Dan

Again thanks for the help guys you are incredibly helpful. Now to get my kids into some piano classes! or some other instrument but I think piano would be a good place to start.