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Does the R3 have a function where you can record a certain sequence of notes and then play them back while you're playing the main song??

For example, I want to interpose a particular melody and/or chord on top of a melody I'm already physically playing. My 2 hands aren't enough to play all of this in one shot.

If there is a possible function to help me with this, please let me know! Thanks.

Nope, that's what a sequencer or looper is for. The R3 will work with any sequencer or looper.

UGH geez, why couldn't the R3 come with a built in recording/playback feature??? You would think that would be standard on an instrument like this!

and which sequencer/looper do you think I would need?

Most of the other synths in this category don't have sequencer/loopers either. The choice of sequencer/DAW/looper depends entirely on what you want to do and how much money you have to spend.

I have about a dozen different hardware and software sequencers, each of which I use in different situations and for different purposes. You'll need to spend a lot more than the price of an R3 to do full music production. In fact, I wouldn't even recommend the R3 as a first keyboard for someone trying to do full songs/tracks, but a lot of people don't ask here about what they should buy before they do. The R3 is a great synth, but usually a great synth isn't all that's needed to do many kinds of music.

Great, so I guess I can't do what I want to do just with the R3 alone. That's lovely. Ah well.....I guess it'll serve as just a neat little piano in the meantime

The R3 is a performance instrument and sound design tool (a Synthesizer), like a guitar or bass coupled with a bunch of pedals or effects processors.

as are most other instruments in this class - the Radias, MicroKorg, MS2000, even the Z1, the Nord Wave & Electro, etc.

you can make some great sounds, and start to have fun playing them, but just like the guitarist or bassist, you need more to start to record your own tracks.

if you want an instrument that can create its own tracks from scratch, with a built in sequencer, etc, you want a Workstation, like the Triton Series, TR, the new M3 and M50, or even the humble origin - the M1.

if you are on a mac, then GarrageBand usually comes free or if not then you get it with iLife, and is a great entry level sequencer.

There are some good free ones out there, or cheap software. Check out EnergyXT, & Kristal.

These are called a DAW or Digital Audio Workstation. it could be in the form of software, or hardware like the products mentioned above.

xmlguy wrote:Most of the other synths in this category don't have sequencer/loopers either. The choice of sequencer/DAW/looper depends entirely on what you want to do and how much money you have to spend.

I have about a dozen different hardware and software sequencers, each of which I use in different situations and for different purposes. You'll need to spend a lot more than the price of an R3 to do full music production. In fact, I wouldn't even recommend the R3 as a first keyboard for someone trying to do full songs/tracks, but a lot of people don't ask here about what they should buy before they do. The R3 is a great synth, but usually a great synth isn't all that's needed to do many kinds of music.

xmlguy, just curious what would you recommend for someone trying to do full songs/tracks?

Edit: I got a Radias. Reasoning being (as lame as some of them are):

1. It looks cool
2. It runs MIDI over USB
3. Easily expandable (With version 2, it will now work in the m3 keyboard, which is the obvious upgrade after the radias in my opinion, at least for me)
4. All of the youtube videos I've seen of the Radias (in particular the Endorphins video by Gattobus) showed the Radias doing exactly what I want from it.

I am using it currently in FL studio as a MIDI controller (for now just the keyboard as I don't feel or really know if I can map knobs). It has worked great.

Sorry not trying to thread hi-jack.

2d

2disbetter wrote:

xmlguy wrote:Most of the other synths in this category don't have sequencer/loopers either. The choice of sequencer/DAW/looper depends entirely on what you want to do and how much money you have to spend.

I have about a dozen different hardware and software sequencers, each of which I use in different situations and for different purposes. You'll need to spend a lot more than the price of an R3 to do full music production. In fact, I wouldn't even recommend the R3 as a first keyboard for someone trying to do full songs/tracks, but a lot of people don't ask here about what they should buy before they do. The R3 is a great synth, but usually a great synth isn't all that's needed to do many kinds of music.

xmlguy, just curious what would you recommend for someone trying to do full songs/tracks?

Edit: I got a Radias. Reasoning being (as lame as some of them are):

1. It looks cool
2. It runs MIDI over USB
3. Easily expandable (With version 2, it will now work in the m3 keyboard, which is the obvious upgrade after the radias in my opinion, at least for me)
4. All of the youtube videos I've seen of the Radias (in particular the Endorphins video by Gattobus) showed the Radias doing exactly what I want from it.

I am using it currently in FL studio as a MIDI controller (for now just the keyboard as I don't feel or really know if I can map knobs). It has worked great.

Sorry not trying to thread hi-jack.

2d

It depend a lot on specifically what you want to do, live or recording, what music styles, the players involved - a band, solo, duo, DJ, how much you have to spend, whether this will be a career or a hobby, and a lot more. There's a lot of personal preference too. There's often a bunch of different options that can do the job, but only one or two that you find works good for you. They all work for somebody, or they wouldn't all continue to exist. I think you just need to try a lot of different options for many months, or even years, to figure out what works for you.

For a first keyboard, I usually recommend a good value used workstation like the Triton Extreme 61, Fantom X6, or Juno-G. These have large built-in libraries, powerful synth engines, full sequencer, audio tracks, and a ton of effects.

X-Trade wrote:The R3 is a performance instrument and sound design tool (a Synthesizer), like a guitar or bass coupled with a bunch of pedals or effects processors.

as are most other instruments in this class - the Radias, MicroKorg, MS2000, even the Z1, the Nord Wave & Electro, etc.

you can make some great sounds, and start to have fun playing them, but just like the guitarist or bassist, you need more to start to record your own tracks.

if you want an instrument that can create its own tracks from scratch, with a built in sequencer, etc, you want a Workstation, like the Triton Series, TR, the new M3 and M50, or even the humble origin - the M1.

if you are on a mac, then GarrageBand usually comes free or if not then you get it with iLife, and is a great entry level sequencer.

There are some good free ones out there, or cheap software. Check out EnergyXT, & Kristal.

These are called a DAW or Digital Audio Workstation. it could be in the form of software, or hardware like the products mentioned above.

So X-Trade, the R3 is obviously not a workstation. It's a pretty good accessory instrument, or just an instrument to play solo. What about Ableton Live and any of those other music production software? I just downloaded Ableton today, and I still have yet to use it. Does it feature any sequencers by any chance?

all of the programs I have mentioned are sequencers. most of them come with a few sounds too, but their main purpose is sequencing and recording audio and MIDI.

Another DAW you can check out, that is very affordable considering the depth of what it can do is FL Studio. They just came out with version 9 today. The demo is fully functional minus the ability to save.

2d