Recommended Synthesizer For Home Studio Strings and Brass?

[Dennis Detweiler]

I'm looking for suggestions for brand and model of sythesizer for home studio. I don't need new or high dollar keys. I mainly want it for adding strings and brass to some home studio recordings. I don't need the extra horns and whistles that comes with the high end brands and models.

[David Graves]

Dennis, what I use in my studio has served me very well. I bought a Yamaha DGX 500 keyboard about 8 years ago. It's 88 keys, has great strings and brass sounds. But the one thing that I actually bought it for is its true grand piano sound. It's superb! It was only 500 dollars when new. You can find them now very cheap. It's got rhythm tracks, many great organ sounds, brass, wind instruments, drums and much more. I'm wanting to purchase the new MO 8 just because its a more of a live stage unit and the capability is much more up to date, but for an affordable user friendly unit that has TRUE sounds and not a kids toy I highly suggest you find a good used DGX-500 from Yamaha.

[Dom Franco]

Yamaha and Roland keyboards and others have some pretty good string sounds, but you must be careful how you use them in an arrangement, if you want them to sound real. First of all don't play 3 note chords with the same voice and expect it to sound like an orchestra!

My secret is to use one voice for a high drone obligato note, floating over the chord changes (pan Left) Then use a lower different voice like cellos and play open 5ths following the chords somewhat more (Pan right)and finally add a moving string part sometimes ascending or decending, arpeggios etc. (Center pan)
Add a good amount of reverb to all 3 string parts, and keep them back in the mix, barely audible at times, but noticable if removed. This can result in a very convincing string section sound. It certainly takes a lot longer than just one track but is well worth the effort.

I do a similar thing with brass using kbds. (trombone, trumpet and brass ensemble voices) However most brass simulations don't cut it if you listen close! I will sometimes add a real trumpet part to the mix. I don't play very well, but enough to take a "stab at it". Synth Saxophones almost always sound fake, you just can't hear the breath, and snap of a real sax.
JMHO Dom

[Dennis Detweiler]

Thanks for input. Subtle background strings or brass is what I'm planning. Years ago, I had DX-21. I messed with the algorythmns and improved on the factory settings. My X took it with her, so I recently bought another one and plan to get into the algorythmns again. Right now I'm in the process of detailed programming an Alesis sr-16 drum machine. A lot of prep before I start recording tracks.