Question please Dan re SD1+

[pax_eterna]

I have just been given a chance to buy a practically new (yeah really!!) SD1+  I seem to remember you gigged with one extensively in years past - could you give me your opinion please...as in a worthwhile purchase...pros/cons etc . I am getting it for approx $390 Euros

Dennis

[Dan]

400€ for a SD1+ is a good price.
The question is Do you really need it?

The 76 keys are pretty good, it have some interesting sounds but also, like all Ketron gears a strong personality that you may like or not.
It is a little bit heavy for me today
Better sound quality than all other Ketron gears (SD2..) , but missing some new sounds of the SD2

[pax_eterna]

Thanks Dan - I have been off "arrangers" for some time now, preferring synth workstations for the better sound/patch quality, however I am getting frustrated with the amount of time needed to set up a synth to play tunes as backing tracks that will run sort of like an arranger....so in a way I was thinking it all might just be a bit easier with an arranger again. I do not like the Korg PA1x, nor the cheaper Rolands (and Yamahas I don't like at all for sounds) and I have always like Ketron drums for other sounds I could use VSTI's on my laptop and use vArranger as well to run those tracks that are my (self-recorded) MP3 tracks.

And it is such a good price, I may even be able to keep my MOXF 8 instead of the usual sell one to buy one..would vA play nicely with a SD1? I was also planning to buy the AJAMSonic SSD for it and the USB upgrade kit from AJ in the US.

[Dan]

I don't remember well about the SD1, now 1 year in it's box.... It should work with vArranger, but many SD5 styles use sounds that are not in the SD1.
By the way, there is enough SD1 styles to enjoy..

[pax_eterna]

No probs -understand Dan 

Thanks for the replies it was appreciated. Yeah I still have many hundreds of Ketron styles stored on my hard drive......somewhere!!

The AJAMSonic SSD upgrade is a multi gig SSD with about 300 styles programmed by AJ and some new sounds (limited because of the SD1+ architecture). The USB upgrade enables one to use a thumb drive to transfer files to and from the SD SSD. No more floppies! So with that upgrade it should make it pretty decent I think (hope)

Cheers m8
Dennis