TI POLAR vs TI KEYBOARD?

[hyper808]

Hey everyone....I am currently debating on buying the POLAR or the keyboard version as the main controller for my studio. I am wondering if anyone could answer a few things....

1. On the keyboard version, can you put a computer keyboard on the right side of the top panel and it will be secure etc? I use the computer keyboard a lot with my host sequencer and am just looking for a very ergonomic setup...

2. I hear the keyboard has an awesome feel to the keys......are the Polar's keys alright? I am leaning towards the Polar because it looks gorgeous.....but I need to be practical too....I compose mainly ambient/chillout music and sometimes benefit from more keys right in front of me....

3. anyone have a TI POLAR pic btw???

any help would be great.....thanks

[dr. orange]

I wouldn't suggest to use the TI as a main coltroller since you cannot turn off the sound engine, so the whole thing uses the same amount of power independantl on whether you use it as a controller only or a synth and furthermore the TI elders much faster and gets warm without any reason

hope I could formulate properly what I wanted to tell you, my English's lacking...

[hyper808]

Oops...when I say controller, I mean my main synthesizer in the studio....to control my vsts (aus) and utilize the sound engine. I am definitely excited about the sounds of this thing!

thanks for the reply though....

[ten]

1) Yes and it fits fine. The case is metal so its quite sturdy and secure.

2) IIRC the polar is made of even higher quality componants than the keyboard version, but I think the keys will be the same.....they are very nice to use.

If the Polar was 49 keys and not 37 I would of gone for one myself. Its just one octave to small for me so I got the keyboard version. Also if you want to use the TI in split mode (2 sounds on different ranges of the keyboard) the keyboard is going to be a lot better for this.

And then of course if your planning on doing a lot of live or portable stuff with it the polar will probably be more attractive option.

ten

[hyper808]

Yeah...I feel the same way....just one more octave would have been perfect....

thanks..I assume you have the keyboard version? and again...if I put the computer keyboard on it, no real slant....just sturdy?

thanks

[MADSTATION]

I have the polar and it feels really robust...
I LOVE it!
1 more octave would have been perfect tho, I agree.
But since i'm not very good at playing keyboard ;)

I'm not a good photograph either:
http://www.madstation.net/DSCF0027.JPG
http://www.madstation.net/DSCF0030.JPG

[hyper808]

I appreciate your input and the pics.....am I wrong, or are the LEDS looking somewhat different in color than in the sonic state video? maybe it is the lighting? Are they white?

[MADSTATION]

Yes they are white.
Actually when I first got the Polar I thought they were WAY too bright but then found out that the LED intensity is adjustable so I now have them at about 33% and it really is perfect.

For some reason everytime I saw these leds on picture they seemed to be blue...I would have prefered having them blue but they still look really cool in white :)

[hyper808]

I heard they were bright...thanks for the info and pics...

[nutekk]

2) IIRC the polar is made of even higher quality componants than the keyboard version, but I think the keys will be the same.....they are very nice to use.


which parts a higher quality?

[dr. orange]

2) IIRC the polar is made of even higher quality componants than the keyboard version, but I think the keys will be the same.....they are very nice to use.


which parts a higher quality?
he probalby means the aluminium side panels which indeed are very very important for the keyboard and playing feeling

[ten]

Funny....prick. A post made by someone at Access here while we were waiting for the TI to be released said the reason the polar costs the same as the keyboard was because some of the parts were of higher quality.

I never said its worth as much because of this, infact I think the opposite, but then as I own a keyboard version I couldnt really give a shit either.

ten

[Timo]

This is a guess, but I think the keybed isn't as high a quality as the 61-note TI. - Ie, i think the 61-note is semi-weighted, while the polar's is "synth-action", or similar.

I can't understand why the Polar is the same price as the 61-noter.

Sure, the white LEDs are expensive, but so were the blue LEDs of the Indigos, and the Indigos also used aluminium cheeks which are probably equally expensive to anything the Polar uses.

Even so, the Indigo2 used to retail for ?1169.99 (RRP), and the ViruskC around ?1449.99 (RRP).

Now the Polar and TI are both ?1499.99.

Surely the walnut strip doesn't cost upwards of ?300 GBP ($577USD)? :lol:

[ben crosland]

Even so, the Indigo2 used to retail for ?1169.99 (RRP), and the ViruskC around ?1449.99 (RRP).

Are you sure? The desktop was ?1049 wasn't it? I can't see the Indy2 being only ?120 more??

[Timo]

Even so, the Indigo2 used to retail for ?1169.99 (RRP), and the ViruskC around ?1449.99 (RRP).

Are you sure? The desktop was ?1049 wasn't it? I can't see the Indy2 being only ?120 more??

Hi Ben,

The desktop Virus C was (originally) ?970 RRP. Turnkey (UK distributor) used their discretion and latterly raised it by 80 quid or so when the Virus continued to increase in popularity.

I was slightly wrong in that the RRP of the Indigo2 was ?1199.99, but the full advertised street price was never above ?1169.99. Actually, I think the street price of the Indigo 2 was originally ?1149.99, but again Turnkey latterly raised it to ?1169.99.

However, the street price of the Polar is the full ?1499.99. (?330 difference).

Am not moaning as such - it's still a great synth for the dosh, and worthy of a slight increase in price - just I fail somewhat to see the connection of such a particularly large and asymmetrical jump in price from the Indigo2 to the Polar (as opposed to the kC to the 61-note TI), and now the Polar's identical pricing to its bigger brother (the 61-note TI) when compared with the difference between the former Indigo2 and kC respectively. Or smthg.

[nutekk]

simple
the polar is cooler...
and these days you can buy coolness!

[blay]

2) IIRC the polar is made of even higher quality componants than the keyboard version, but I think the keys will be the same.....they are very nice to use.


which parts a higher quality?
he probalby means the aluminium side panels which indeed are very very important for the keyboard and playing feeling

:lol:

Unless you need the polar for lots of live gigging and you need everything to be easily portable/compact, I cant understand people opting for the polar. I think its for the kind of people that like looking at the gear in their studio rather than using it... :wink:

cheers

blay

[MADSTATION]

blay: Well when space in an issue in the studio and you already own a few keyboards already and you want a compact setup for live gigs..I believe the Polar is great :)
I don't regret selling my kc!

[Timo]

2) IIRC the polar is made of even higher quality componants than the keyboard version, but I think the keys will be the same.....they are very nice to use.


which parts a higher quality?
he probalby means the aluminium side panels which indeed are very very important for the keyboard and playing feeling

:lol:

Unless you need the polar for lots of live gigging and you need everything to be easily portable/compact, I cant understand people opting for the polar. I think its for the kind of people that like looking at the gear in their studio rather than using it... :wink:

cheers

blay

Hi Blay, I have an Indigo, and it's by far the most-used synth in my studio. ;) I opted for the Indigo instead of kB or kC because my main Korg Trinity acts as a main controller for it in the studio (the trinity has XY joystick, XZ ribbon controller, and a better keybed with customisable aftertouch and velocity curves), but I am free to take the Indigo to friends and around the house or garden easily because of its size. Especially so now I have a laptop. A tidy setup for sound programming and playing.
If ever I get a TI (and I'm heartily tempted) it will be a Polar to replace the Indigo, for the same reasons. Not for oggling, but the good looks helps! ;)

[Khazul]

I wouldn't suggest to use the TI as a main coltroller since you cannot turn off the sound engine, so the whole thing uses the same amount of power independantl on whether you use it as a controller only or a synth and furthermore the TI elders much faster and gets warm without any reason

hope I could formulate properly what I wanted to tell you, my English's lacking...

Isnt that the whole point of the Remote mode when it finally gets implemented - so that you can use the TI keyboard and a general master controlller independently of the TI synth?

Currently if you try to activate remote mode it just tells you to go check for an update on the Access web site.

[blay]

like I said - good for portability - and, as you guys also just pointed out - good for people who already have decent full size controller keyboards.

eveyone else just likes the look of it :wink:

cheers

blay