Roland FPS-11A Keyboard Stand

Advantages: cheap
Disadvantages: not Rolands best

..., and a metronome function. It has 76-note weighted keyboard with touch sensitivity, 8 preset tones using acclaimed HP-series sounds, New stereo sampled piano sound, Sound layering function, Built-in reverb and chorus effects, Onboard metronome and recorder function ideal for music learners, Stereo input and stereo output Jacks, 2 headphone sockets for silent practice, 5 W + 5 W stereo sound system with two 12 cm speakers and optional stand This model is a poor example of Roland - spend the extra cash and get something that will last and sound better... Read review

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Advantages: Meaty sounds, can be picked up cheaply
Disadvantages: No MIDI, looks tacky, dodgy button placing

...The Jupiter 4 was the first of what was to become Rolands legendary Jupiter series. While the Jupiter 6 and the monstrous Jupiter 8 in particular went on to techno superstardom, the 4 never acheived much more than runt status. Released in 1978, the Jupiter 4 was something of a jaw dropper. It retailed at about £1,800 and caused commontion for being one of the first affordable (£1,800 in 1978? Affordable? ) polyphonic synths. As the name suggests, four voice polyphony is on offer here with a four octave keyboard. In 1978 Roland decided to make it's flagship polysynth look rather like a home organ. Big wooden sides indicate it's place in history, but far more tacky are the row of plastic preset and arpeggiator buttons under the keyboard. What you get when you press one of these are some truly dire presets. The buttons are also ideally... Read review

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Advantages: Easy to use, sounds are big
Disadvantages: Not very robust

...The Novation Bass station keyboard is a small and portable multi use synth able to produce not only low bass sounds but also high frequencies (and noises). It has a two octave keyboard scale with two VCO's. It is able to produce some fantastic analogue sub bass sounds similar to the Roland TB303 as well as Moog like synth lead sounds. I have found that some of the control knobs can be a little temperamental but that could be due to lack of use, also I feel that if this synth were to be dropped on the ground, it wouldn't stand much chance of survival. A great feature of this piece of equipment is that you can store up to five sounds which is really useful and very easy to do. Also this works well in live situations, giving ease to tweak the knobs to get a desired sound. This is a small synth with big fat sounds and although not built... Read review

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