E-mu VK-6

Price Paid: US $395.00

Ease of Use: 9
I rated this keyboard in the wrong place (Vintage Keys), so I am re-posting here. Presets groupings are logically laid out. Some sounds are pretty good, some not so good. I find that editing presets is the key here as is other E-MU products. That is easy to do, as E-MU has a simple and intuitive edit menu, the easiest I have experienced.

Features: 7
I should clarify that this unit is the Vintage Keys Pro =keyboard= that I am rating. Some here seem to be rating the module. The keyboard version has 64 voices, while the new module has 128 voices. Built in effects are good enough for me in live situations. It can be expanded with sound cards that add just about any sound from any keyboard you would want. Keyboard is of good quality and velocity/pressure sensitive.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 5
Here is where I was disappointed and sold my unit. As a former mellotron owner, I wanted to have "that sound" again. I was using an E-MU Classic Keys module from the nineties and found the mellotron wonderfully reproduced in the =Classic Keys= module. I excitedly bought this new keyboard unit, thinking that it would sound even better, plus it was fully self-contained and easily set up. While the 'tron choir and flutes were very good, the violins came up short. It sounds like a synth =trying= to sound like a mellotron. It works okay for the Genesis "foxtrot" sound, but sounds too "clean". It also sounded too "phase-shifted". Thankfully, my friend who bought my Classic Keys module sold it back to me and I sold the Vintage keys keyboard. If you want mellotron, get the older "Classic Keys" module. Nothing else, short of a high-end sampler and "Mike Pinder Presents Mellotron" sample CD, measures up.

Reliability: 10
It seems well made. I would not feel a need for a backup.

Customer Support: N/A
Don't know about support. Only kept it for a few months.

Overall Rating: 5
I would not buy it again as the main reason I got it (mellotron strings) did not measure up to the real thing. I have to wonder about the glowing reviews here about the mellotron samples and if any of these folks got to play the real thing? If your a Moody Blues "Pinderhead" like me, it doesn't even come close. The older "Classic Keys" 'tron is right on.
Much better organs as well.

Submitted by Garry Byrne at 03/31/2005 09:32

Price Paid: N/A

Ease of Use: 7
Well documented, complicated manual - this is not a complaint! I found the board won't do a couple of things with midi control that I'd like, but no big deal. It's not touted as a controller. I find the scrolling through menus to get to operations annoying. Steep learning curve for me. So I basically use the board as is...just dial up patches. he way I use it it is easy to sound good.

Features: 8
Love the keyboard action. Plenty of real-time editing. Kind of goofy architecture, but then I don't tweak sounds. I used to own a vintage keys plus module, and this board takes up where it left off. It is expandable, but cards are a little scarce and hard to find. I have sworn off expansion anyway; not an issue.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
Very realistic retro patches. I have used it alone for some gigs. #19 jazz pro b3 patch is terrific. Good ep sounds. I love the sounds. Very well done!

Reliability: 10
I have used it w/o backup. So far it's been very reliable.

Customer Support: 10
I got some good phone advice from e-mu, that's all. I don't plan on needing support!

Overall Rating: 10
I would definitely buy it again. I play geezer rock, and this is the best collection of usable 'extra' sounds like synths, horns, tron-strings, pads, and the like I have seen. I got this one because I remembered how much Iliked e-mu's vintage keys plus module I used to have and for some reason, I can't remember, sold. I really like the vk-6. The ep's and b3 sounds are good enough to use without any other boards, although I seldom use it by itself. I had heard somewhere that the vk-6 may be on the way out at e-mu. Products come and go. All in all a real home run for e-mu, and I'm glad I happened on to it.

Submitted by David Loving at 04/30/2004 11:59

Price Paid: US $600

Ease of Use: 10
Software is 1.02
SUPER easy to edit!
The presets are generally good, but will be GREAT with a little tweaking!
The manual is as stated here before - SUPER!!!

Features: 10
64 voices!
Great Z-plane filter - around 50 of them!
The VK-6 can be expanded with three more simms for a total of 128 mb of various sounds!
Great RIFF/BEATS sequencer!

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
All synths and keyboards from yesteryear are here!
The two dual FX-units sounds great & back in the day almost every sound was processed, GREAt to have them onboard!
The VK-6 is uitable for techno/trance - prog - goth - rock - hypno - ALL electronic styles!
Solid FAST keyboard, that reacts well to velocity and aftertouch!
The sounds are VERY responsive to realtime changes, no zippernoise!

Reliability: 8
I don't gig without a backup - I also have the Korg Karma, a Prophet-5 and a Yamaha SK-50 - which I'm gonna leave at home now!
It will just be the Karma and the VK-6 from now on!

The only problem I've run into is the problem with fluctating current as someone already discussed - a line regulator solved the problem though - I had the same problem with the Prophet-5, so I already had one lying around!

Customer Support: N/A
Never spoken to E-mu!

Overall Rating: 10
If it for some reason got lost - I would buy another one the same second!
The Vk-6 is a -S-U-P-E-R-B- synth!
I did compare it to the Nord Lead III and the Nord Electro, and besides having to buy two VERY expensive keyboards - they didn't impress me as much as the VK-6 - THIS IS A KILLER SYNTH - DON'T MISS OUT ON IT!

Submitted by Jonathan Reese at 01/05/2004 05:48

Price Paid: 9600 (Swedish crowns)

Ease of Use: 10
This is as easy as it gets to edit!
The presets are GREAT!
The manual is SUPERB!

Features: 9
64 poly - more then enough!
Easy to use effects that sounds super!
It can be expanded with three simms for a total of 128 mb of super sounds!
No onboard sequencer, but who needs one?!

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
The sounds cover the gammut of sounds over the last four decades!
Except for an ACOUSTIC grand ALL the sounds you may want or need are RIGHT here!
The best thing is that it doesn't weigh a ton like those old Hammonds, Rhodes, CP-70 & Prophet-10's!!!
But the sounds are RIGHT ON THE SPOT!
The keyboard is very fast and responsive, and respond excelent to initial and after touch!

Reliability: 3
The only bugbear with this synth is that it's VERY sensetive to fluctating current (VINTAGE FEEL?!!?)
The only soloution I've found is to use it with a power regulator, then it works fine, otherwise it might behave a little mysterious and nervous...
Maybe the power supply is to weak or maybe it's malfunctioning - I don't know!
Otherwise - totally dependable!

Customer Support: N/A
I haven't dealt with them, so I wouldn't know.

Overall Rating: 10
If it were lost or stolen I would buy another in a blink!
The sounds in this synth are SOOO good - AND the price is a real STEAL!
I've been playing Vangelis and Jarre style music for the last 15 years, and recently I've dabbled into trance and hypnotic - and this synth really helps out in ALL my projects!
I also have E-mu's old Vintage keys Plus, and a Korg Karma and the sounds blend perfectly together!
I use a Mac with dual G5's running Logic Platinum for sequencing.
I considered a Clavia Nord Lead III, but it sounded to thin and plastic for my taste!

Submitted by PeGoNeGo at 01/01/2004 05:13

Price Paid: 5000 (Swedish crowns - roughly US$ 675 or 550 Euro ) used

Ease of Use: 10
Software version is 1.02
the presets (and there is a TON of them) are uniformly GREAT and does a good job is covering yhe classic and even some odd sounds of the last four decades!
Tweaking the patches is easy both by using the front panel knobs (Moog styled) and more "in depth" - as all E-mu products the VK-6 has a very "shallow" editing software, without lots of subpages to flip through.
Finally the manual...
Again, as always: E-mu should write a manual about writing manuals!
Not only does it tells you what a specific parameter do, it gives you musical (and unmusical when neede) examples of how to use it in your programming! - XLNT!!!
The layout of the E-mu manuals is something EVERY OTHER SYNTH MANUFACTER ON THE PLANET should steal A.S.A.P!!!!

Features: 10
Poly is 64, which is more than enough for my purposes!
The two dual effects units onboard are SUPERB! - 'nuff said!
Expansion: it has room for three more SIMMs with 32 mb each onthem, for a a total of 128 mb of whooping-high-quality E-mu samples!!!
The MIDI specs are up to date with everything and then some!
The keys are nice and firm enough even for agressive playing!
No onboard sequencer THANK GOD! - that's what computer and/or bandmates are for - right?

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
The VK-6 does an XLNT job of covering all the sounds from 60's up until todays wizoo-machines - except for an acoustic grand, but hey those expansion slots are put there for a reason!
Expression wise you can assign four knobs to control whatever you like + 12 more knobs and the usual pitch and modwheel!
All in all SUPERB!

Reliability: 1
Now here's the problem!
My VK-6 woke up braindead on arrival and when it eventually got its act together some REALLY weird bugs and freezing took place!
I sent it back to the E-mu-dealer here in Sweden - Luthman - and they sent it back after a week saying it was an IC that wasn't properly soldered!
The problem is that when I turned it back on after happily unpacking it - EXCATLY THE SAME QUIRKS WERE PRESENT!!!
Like an angry bee, I got on the phone with my contact at E-mu, and they told me to return it once again...
...this was four weeks ago and I STILL haven't got it back!!!
When I call them all I get in return is: "Where working on the problem!" - REALLY!!!???!!!
Maybe this is just a lemon, but make sure you loan or rent the instrument before saparating from your hard earned cash!

Customer Support: 10
...with all this said...
The guys at Luthman are really nice and haven't charged me for shipping in either direction!

Overall Rating: 10
If it were lost or stolen I would buy another (hopefully more stable) one in a heartbeat!
The sounds on this board RULES THE WORLD!!!
I've been playing on a semi-pro level for +20 years and I have owned A LOT OF GEAR!
At the moment I'm playing in a rather interesting constelation - LEMON (typical - huh?), it's kind of a neo-prog-rock band in the vein of Marillion, IQ, Saga and the likes!
...and it blends perfect with my Korg Wavestation EX and the other keyboard players Yamaha Motif!
A rather odd band-setup btw...
Two keyboard players, a drummer and a guitar player - and that's it!
Check out our website for more info on our past and present setups at: http://crash.to/lemon

In spite of the instability of mine, I think this is a winner - BIGTIME!!!!
TOPSCORE!!!!!!!!!!!

Submitted by Anders Sundelin at 12/09/2003 08:25

Price Paid: US $600

Ease of Use: 10
Let's start off with this is the first E-mu keyboard I've ever bought or played, but I have a pile of their wonderful modules (Morpheus, UltraProt, Pro/cussion, Vint Keys Plus, etc.). The VK-6, despite it's obviously cheap and flimsy construction, is a helluva 'board and an incredible bargin at the price. It has replaced the Korg Z1EZ in my live rig due to it's sheer versatility, where it holds it's own against three Yamaha pad monsters (EX5, W5, SY85). The stock 'vintage keys' sounds set the VK-6 ships with is mostly spot-on, and gives you the best and worst of the keyboard behemoths of ancient days. I did add the Extreme Lead and Beat Garden ROM upgrades to expand the sonic envelope. If you are familiar with any of the E-mu rack modules, then you won't even crack the manual, although you may do some head-scratching to find a few features not in their usual places. Read the manual though, as this will tell you what this thing can do, and there's some neat newer items (like diodes and logic tricks available in the patch cord paths). It's a typical E-mu manual - which places it head and shoulders above Roland or Yamaha: not only what each function does, but why you might want to use it, some basic tutorials, and an excellent & thorough index for when you need to look up some nagging minor midi function. I'm looking forward to a MidiQuest editor template for the VK-6, but am familiar enough with editing thru the E-mu pages to not have trouble. But for those into plug & play, it doesn't get much easier.

Features: 10
Check the other reviews here for features. It's keyboard action is nothing special - standard cheap 61-key synth stuff, which should be expected on a synth at this price. The original knobs were touted as "retro" or something, but looked like the el cheepos from Radio Snack; I replaced them with larger, and cooler, knurled aluminum guitar knobs! The wheels play decently though, and the real-time knob section for tweaking is laid out nicely, if sometimes mysteriously (Oh, no! What does the 'Motion" knob do in this patch?). Can accept up the three more E-mu ROM cards - a great trend IMHO - and these are very easy to install, and worked exactly as promised - no mumbo jumbo required! It has a nifty feature called 'Audition' that will play a riff using the selected sound that can surprise you in approach. Again, if you are at all familiar with their modules, there's nothing here that will surprise or disappoint you.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 9
I'll just address the vintage keys soundset the VK-6 ships with here. During the seventies & eighties, I worked with a number of bands keeping their keyboards working, and got to play/work with most of the classic keyboards sampled here. The samples are almost all excellent, and the subsequent patch settings really nails that cranky Mellotron screeching away or that dry RMI Electro-Piano tone! There's a lot of good stuff here, and the E-mu by-category patch selection approach is excellent for getting where you want to be. Given these are emulations of classic keyboards that were - at best - crappy emulations of real instruments, don't expect great acoustic emulations here! No gorgeous Steinways, but it does have an accurate Yamaha CP-70 electo-acoustic. No great brass sections, but lots of analog synth brass blasts (Jupiter, Moog, Obie, etc.) Nice clunky Clavinets, murky-to-brilliant Rhodes pianos, classic ARP 'clarinet' tones - yum! With all the options for setting up the keys to your playing style, it can be very expressive. I would've liked to see a second foot controller input though. I also appreciate E-mu's thoughtfullness in the effects programming as essentially none of the vintage synths & keys had on-board effects: the RMI piano is as dry and flat as the original, leaving it up to the user to flavor using the usual excellent E-mu effects. Obviously, the VK-6 is designed for those playing older styles of music (I play hard rock, classic prog, and power pop), although with some creative tweaking, one could tear up the dance floor with some of this!

Reliability: N/A
Given that it's a hunk of plastic, I'd be hesitant to use it as a pry bar or hammer. My VK-6 travels in a hardshell case (like the rest of the keys) and seems to be holding up OK. No problems yet. If it did decide to crap out during a gig, I'd be scrambling to cover its parts on the other three keyboards, but that's one of the reason for dragging four around with me - they can back each other up. I suspect as long as it doesn't get wet or beat up, it should be pretty reliable. Except for for a display problem on the Morpheus and a 'corrupted RAM' problem with the UltrProteus, my E-mu maodules are still going strong despite being dragged back and forth across the country several times over the last few decades.

Customer Support: 6
E-mu - along with stablemate Ensoniq - has gotten positively flaky in supporting their products since being taken over. Sometimes responsive and quick, sometimes deafening silence forever. In general, e-mail to them seems to get a response (mostly useful) but phoning them can be frustrating. Probably about typical of the generally crappy customer support the music manufacturers fob off on us.

Overall Rating: 10
If stolen or self-destructed, I'd just go buy a new one given their current availability and price. After enjoying their modules for quite a while, I gave E-mu a shot on the VK-6 and am quite happy with the keyboard. It worked it's way into the live rig due to its ease of use (given my prior E-mu experience) and versatility (once a few ROMs were added to broaden the sonic palette), where it is mostly used for leads, strings, and special fx. A few evenings spent programming (some tweaking of existing patches and a few just built from scratch) and it was ready to run the set list. It sits well in the mix - both live and in recording - with the Yamahas. The patch volumes were very uneven and I'm still getting that sorted out across the User Set I've built for the sets. It's too bad there is no other way to backup patches except by midi. Even though they are going out of style, a 3.5" floppy drive would be a welcome addition. One final suggestion would be to add an X-Y controller (joy stick preferred, but a pad is OK) and shouldn't cost much - a wonderfully feature on the Z1, WS, SY-35, etc., that is badly undervalued controller feature. Regardless, kudos to E-mu for bringing a great little rompler out at a great price!

Submitted by torretron at 10/10/2003 10:40

Price Paid: US $499.00

Ease of Use: 9
Software Version 1.02.

This is my first synth, and though I have a pretty good sence about electronics, this synth should not provide any difficult to use for basic opperate for anyone who is willing to try.

Very intuative, I have had if for a month but could navigate and understand basic menus options right out of the box without a full read of the manual. Comparing to time I spent tooling on Roland, Korg, and Yamaha synths in the store, this synth is comparably simple to use. I recommend this synth to other first timers.

The manual is a decent resource, though a little exhausting (250 pages) The instructions for loading a new sound rom were accurate and easy to follow. The index is logical.

The real time controlers are easy use and saving presets after modification is easy after reviewing the procedure in the manual.

The only grip I have is it seems to indicate in the manual that the sustain peddal requires a balanced 1/4." I couldn't get the pedal I bought seperately to work. No, for sustain, just a standard mono 1/4" jack pedal will due, but it must be plugged into the foot "switch" jack rather than the foot "pedal" jack before the board is turned on to work. ("Pedal" is reserved for volume). This is not explained in the manual; I asked a VK-6 owner who had already posted here, and he kindly explained. Again, I'm new and this may be how all keyboards are configured, but it confused me for a spell.

Features: 10
Most features have been covered in other reviews. I'll cover areas that I have explored.

I find the keyboard synth action very pleasing. For a sub. $1000 board, the quality and feel is incredible! For the price, the touch of this board is golden. Initial attack and aftertouch are musically positive.

I have expanded with the "Sounds of the ZR" ROM giving it just the variety I wanted. Easy to load ROM (similar to loading RAM into my "vintage" 386 PC). A couple more slots to fill, and I can't think of why I would need any more sounds at this point. (Maybe definitive B-3 down the road)

MIDI in and out works fine. I recoreded a song with Logic 24 last night and it worked flawlessly. I'm blown away by how easy it is to make and edit score in Logic with this keyboard. I hit a bad note and fixed it with a click, then printed out the score in standard notation. I didn't read the manual for any of this. I was just messing around. Very cool.

I use logic to sequence. The reason I give 10 for features is because the price/value equation is tipped heavily toward "awesome."

Expressiveness/Sounds: 9
VK module: The synths, organs, EPs... are really nice. Strange, but my favorite B-3 sample is on the "Sounds of the VR" ROM, but really if your into the vintage electric sound, this is a great board. With the expandabiliy, it can pack all the sounds you would ever need.

Sounds of the ZR: I really like this sound set. It fills in the gaps that were apparent in the Vintage collection (for my use). I use this board for composing and performing Christian/Folk/Pop.

The like the "Perfect Piano." Motif or Fantom has more realistic pianos (probably) but these sit in a mix very well, making it perfect for giging with a band. I don't expect it to sound like the 9' Yamaha grand that I'm accustomed to at Church. The board has Perfect Piano patches with various moods and feels, which is nice for different kinds of music.

Bass, Drum Kits, Brass, is fine. Guitars stink (But I build and play guitars, so I had no unrealistic hopes for synth guitars). The only guitar sample that is cool is the string sqeek of moving fingers. *grin*

The reaction and feel is awesome. I havn't used the arrpegiator much yet. Havn't programed much yet. The sounds are useable. With the sounds of the ZR card, this synth is perfect for me (9). But without the expansion card, I would rate it (6) for general use. Probably a (10) for use as a Vintage Keyboard simulator.

I don't find the discrepancy in volume between samples to be an issue. It's not too drastic, and can be programed out. Really a non-issue for me.

Reliability: 10
A knob snapped off in the mail. Plastic shaft. A little super glue to the rescue. Reguardless, overall build quality seems very good. Buttons and knobs are positive. Looks and feels much more expensive than it was. I will travel with this board in a gig bag. Pitch and mod wheels are fine. Display screen stays clean and is well protected from accidental bumps behind thick glass and raised bezil.

Starts up and shuts down with no fuss. Takes about 15 sec. to load. I don't know if this is fast or slow compared to industry standards. Seems fine to me. For the price, the build quality is 10, and reliability dosn't seem to be a problem. Having a back up keyboard is not an option for me, and this one will take me where I want to go.

Customer Support: N/A
Web sight is dosn't cover VK-6 well. Other than that, no experience. I hope not to need support.

Overall Rating: 10
Purchased from Musicians friend. I noticed they have hiked the price $100.00 since I purchased mine. It's still worth it. I spent 180 for the "Sounds of the ZR," 30 for the sustain pedal, 40 for gigbag, and 30 for stand. Total investment was 780.00. Could have gotton a used XP-30 for the same price--maybe with case. I would rather have this board and would be highly put out if stole it. (Have you ever lost your keyboard? Keys are one thing...) I would buy another VK-6. Even for a beginner, this board helps me to be creative and is not intimidating to learn or use. Feel free to drop me a line if you have questions. Please don't sell my email address to Herculist--the greek god of spam.

Submitted by Seth Ellis at 10/10/2003 10:38

Price Paid: £400 (UKP)

Ease of Use: 9
Software version is 1.02. I had previously owned (and still do!) a PK-6 for 7 months before purchasing this keyboard... it is a testament to the ease of use of this that I bought another! I have been very impressed with the standard of the presets on this board, so much so that I have yet to edit any of the presets. I've certainly found enough useful sounds for my purposes so far, and it complements the sounds on the PK-6 very well.

While I have not edited any patches on this synth, editing is the same as on the PK-6, and it's really very easy! While the display is small, it shows plenty enough to enable easy editing. It's very clear and concise, and there isn't any need for a software patch editor in my opinion. Which is good, because there isn't one!

The manual is fine... it's quite clear and easy to follow. It's actually written in English, not like most manuals for Rolands and Yamahas... and it actually tells you how to use the keyboard, which is nice.

Features: 9
64 note polyphonic, which is fine for my needs. The keyboard action is quite pleasant, and it's nice to see that E-MU seem to have resolved the sharp key edges problem that a few people commented on (myself included) with the earlier keyboards.

The built in effects aren't used very much on the inbuilt sounds, because the early synths it apes didn't have any effects. However, I have the ZR76 ROM also installed in this synth, which makes use of the effects and they are very good sounding. I haven't done any tweaking of them, though, so can't comment on how easy they are to use.

The expansion capabilities of these synths is very good, with room for 3 more ROM cards of 16 or 32Mb. I have the B-3 ROM in my PK-6 and the ZR-76 ROM in this synth, and fully expect to add additional ROM cards as and when I can afford them.

MIDI capabilities are as with most synths, with IN, OUT and THRU. The keys have aftertouch, although it's only global, not polyphonic aftertouch. There's no sequencer, which is fine, because I use Sonar when I want a sequencer, which isn't all that often.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 9
Because the purpose of this synth is to ape other synthesised and electronic instruments, not acoustic instruments, the sounds are wonderfully realistic! The electric pianos, clavinets and analogue and digital synths are all fantastic. The organ sounds are OK, although not as good as on the B-3 module or ROM. There's a more limited selection, although they are still perfectly useful. There are far too many drum and bass sounds though on this... not at all related to the vintage synth premise!

I would say that this synth is suitable for most types of music, except classical, as there are no classical instruments there! For dance etc it would probably be very useful, although I don't do much of that. I play mostly progressive rock, and for that genre this keyboard is ideal. Indeed, it's versatile enough for most pop and rock styles.

The onboard effects are good without being remarkable. They aren't used much by the presets on the vintage soundset though.

I find the keyboard is very responsive... I hear what I want to hear when I play it, and have certainly not come across any limitations in my quite extensive use of the PK-6, and now in the 3 weeks that I've had the VK-6 too.

Reliability: 9
I've not gigged with this board yet, but my PK-6 has been absolutely dependable in the gigs I've done with it, and I don't doubt that this one will be too. I can't afford additional keyboards as backups at the moment, but I am not gigging at the moment... I'd like to think I could afford a backup by the time I gig again! It's well constructed though, and I keep it in a good case and put it on a good stand, so I see no reason why I should worry about it!

Customer Support: 6
I've only dealt with the company by email, they're not the quickest (although Sean is very good at responding to some of the Yahoo groups about E-MU products) but were very helpful when I got a reply. They've just had major changes in their IT staff, so hopefully things will improve... their new website is certainly an improvement. I understand phoning them is more satisfactory if you live in the US (but I don't!). The Yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pk6 is much more useful for getting good advice and help on al the E-MU keyboards though.

Overall Rating: 9
If I lost it, I'd replace it in a heartbeat. I'd hope I had all my patches backed up first though, it'd be a pain to reprogram all my synths as they were, even if I could remember what all the settings were. For the price I paid, it was definitely worth it, indeed it was a bargain (it was on offer at Academy Of Sound).

I've been playing piano for over 20 years, keyboards for over 15, and I own the aforementioned PK-6, and have a Sequential Pro-One on extended loan to me. I didn't really compare this product with anything when I bought it, because I already knew I wanted it, and the offer price was too good to refuse. I wanted a second keyboard that matched my PK-6 visually as well as sonically, and it complements it perfectly.

I wish it had a 2nd footswitch socket as well as the sustain jack and volume pedal sockets, so I could use a footswitch to advance patches. More expansion card slots would be nice too, as would 128 note polyphony, 76 keys and additional outputs... but that's all wishlist stuff and would make the keyboard bigger, heavier and more expensive. For the price and the features, there's nothing else that competes even closely with this range of keyboards, and who knows, I may add another one or two to my arsenal in the coming year or so!

Submitted by Martin Cliffe at 08/12/2003 14:28

Price Paid: US $250

Ease of Use: 10
By way of clarification, I actually have a PK-6 (and have a review for it already posted) and have just purchased the Vintage Collection Expansion ROM #9065. It is my understanding that this is the same ROM used the the VK-6. Installation was very simple. Undo four screws, remove plate, insert chip, replace plate and replace four screws. Turned it on and the the ROM was immediately integrated into my PK-6. It really doesn't get much more simple than that.

Features: 10
Please refer to my review of the EMU PK-6 for comments on hardware features of VK/PK/MX/XK and Halo boards. They bang pretty good value for the buck. All the new EMU boards have the same hardware and features, with different ROMs inserted. The only differences beyond the ROMS are cosmetic - different decals and in the VK-6 retro looking knobs.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
One of the reasons I purchased this ROM was because the sample material for the organs in the PK-6 were (frankly) brutal. This has been rectified by significantly better samples being provided in the VK-6 ROM in this area. Although I found the rhodes, wurlys and clavs to be fine on the PK-6, it is arguable that the VK-6 is even stronger on this score. For the most part three sample sets are used per sound (ie soft wurly, med wurly, hard wurly) with velocity cross-fading. Certainly these are quite excellent. Of course, synth sounds from the 80s are EXTREMELY well represented, with waveforms and presets covering pretty much every major synth at the time. You have your Obies, Prophs, JPs/JX/Junos, along with some more unusual fare such as Elka. Numerous CP pianos are reproduced faithfully as well. In effect, the card / VK-6 does what it is supposed to do quite faithfully - reproduce synths / keyboards from the 60s, 70s and 80s. This is an old-school synthy sounding unit and if you like that, you will love it. BUT, if you are looking for a realistic piano reproduction or acoustic guitars, violins or choirs this is NOT FOR YOU. Acoustic reproductions are not to be found on this board.

BOTTOM LINE - If you are looking for retro samples for fodder for creating new synthy sounds and replicating old ones, this is a great place to start especially considering the price (VK-6 is approx $600 USD at this time).

Reliability: N/A
See my PK-6 review

Customer Support: N/A
See my PK-6 review

Overall Rating: 8
As I mention in my PK-6 review, I would have actually waited a month to buy the VK-6 had I known it was scheduled for release. For $600, the VK-6 is good synth with a lot of features that make it valuable for retro-rock, techno, dance etc. Do not look to this product for a "real" piano or "real" orchestral / choir sounds. For this reason, I give the board an 8. It would be nice to have a board with BOTH good retro / synthy sounds AND good acoustic reproductions. But hey - cost $600 bucks ($250 for the ROM).

Submitted by Sean at 08/02/2003 08:35

Price Paid: CAD (1135)

Ease of Use: 10
Presets are as normal; many good , quite a few excellent, a few useless ones. I echo Tom's comment on patch volumes varying wildly. For gigging I would go through and tweak the volumes to a more even level across patches. Quick editing the patches is pretty easy. The manual is top notch! Have not yet installed the CDROM so I dont know whats on it.

Features: 9
Has 64-voice polyphony which should be plenty for playing live (which is what I am using it for). This thing has *16* independent arpeggiators! I am looking forward to playing with these for filler stuff. Some built-in effects: reverb, chorus, doubling, flange, slapback, distortion, vibrato, delay, and some variations on these. Bought this thing for the vintage sounds (I play in an 80's cover band) but I love the fact it has 4 expansion slots for the emu modules. This is a great-featured board at this price. It has a "play only" sequencer which at first I thought was pretty stupid, but it might come in handy for some I suppose.
It has some analog-style filter stuff as well which gives some nice character to some of the string and pads. Bonus points for being able to tweak these on the fly with the 4 controller knobs.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 9
Firstly I have not owned the original versions of any of the keyboards this thing emulates, so I cannot first-hand compare. However, the sounds in general are fair to excellent. Some are so bang on that they will instantly remind you of certain classic tunes from the eras this synth represents. Thick pads, aggressive leads, some nice sweeps (thanks to the filters). Great organs and non-acoustic pianos. Little disappointed in the lack of really good brass stab sounds. Acoustic instruments are not well represented, but then that's not what this synth is about. Expansion modules can give you the extra stuff you need.

Reliability: N/A
I have had it for 2 days, so its too early to tell.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 9
I would definitely buy another one. This is a great keyboard for the price and for my appliation. Expandability means that it wont be stuck being a "Vintage-only" keyboard.

Submitted by Mike Parent at 06/20/2003 04:31

Price Paid: US $599

Ease of Use: 10
I'm a player, not a programmer, but as far as just plugging in and playing, it's easy. You can also do some easy quick-editing on the sounds. I haven't got into any in-depth programming yet, and don't know if I will, but it doesn't look like it's any big problem.

Features: 8
Can someone tell me why the module has 128-note polyphony but the keyboard just has 64? That irritates me a litte. I do like the option of expansion (in fact, I installed a "Definitive B-3" card for more organ sounds, but that's another subject). The keys on the keyboard seem to have rather sharp corners, so if you're not careful when doing a glissando, you might have to keep the Band-aids handy.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 9
I'm not a purist, first of all, but the sounds are great. The electric pianos are some of the best I've heard. The FM pianos nail that DX7 electric piano sound perfectly, and the Rhodes and Wurlis are great, too. The B-3 patches should please everyone that doesn't have to have drawbars. The synth sounds are wonderful. This is a $600 keyboard, and some of the sounds on here are better than the ones on my Triton.

My biggest complaint about the sounds, and the reason I don't give them a 10, is that the volume levels vary widely. You could crank up a soft EP patch, and then switch to a loud syth patch and it will just about blow you out of the room. This could be the pits in a live situation.

Reliability: 9
Haven't had it long enough, but it seems pretty solid to me. Some people may regard the keyboard a flimsy, but it's a lot more solid-feeling than the similarly-priced Yamaha CS2X that I have (and will probably get rid of).

Customer Support: N/A
No opinion yet.

Overall Rating: 10
This keyboard is definitely worth it. As I said, the built-in sounds are great, I've already added a B-3 board for more B-3 sounds, and will probably add a ZR board for that Perfect Piano, then I'll be all set. Great bang for the buck. I'd definitely buy it again if it got ripped off.

Submitted by Tom Hinkle at 06/10/2003 08:32