Keyboards

-=al=-

Im looking to get one! but im not sure whats hot and whats not, i dont have much experience so i will be using it as a beginner but but nice features and something decent for recording too, prefrably usb but definitly some decent synth and fx features the more the better... and a pitch bender! - for the guitarist in me...

Nothing too pricey a couple a hundred but definitly under 1000, im not sure what im looking for so im just lookin at yamaha ones on thomann now! but if theres any good deals in Dublin then cool, but i dont mind ordering it from thomann/european music sites..

any input appreciated or pros on cons on certain keyboards

+ 1 Question i have is whats the pros and cons of keyboards with more/less keys?

crosstownk

Firstly, do you want a keyboard with it's own built in speakers or do you plan to use and amp? The last thing you want is to pay out for a keyboard and then find it needs an amp. I have 2 keyboards, a Roland XV-88 and a Roland XP-10 which require an amp. At home I use a standard home stereo amp and I plug them into the PA when with the band.

Secondly, be sure you buy a keyboard with touch (velocity) sensitive keys - without this feature you can't play expressively. Also be sure there is room for a few add-ons later like a hold pedal and an expression pedal - once you get the hang of playing you may well need these - especially with piano sounds.

More or less keys. A piano has 88 keys. Most keyboards come with 61 keys. I would recommend getting a keyboard with at least 61. If you plan to play a lot of piano music then maybe you should consider a 76 key or an 88 key. But the more keys it has, the more awkward it will be to transport and store. Most keyboards allow you to 'split' the keyboard in to two or more zones where you can assign a different sound to each zone - if you plan to use this function a lot then maybe a larger keyboard should be considered.

Maybe have a look at this Roland. For sale on Thomann. Or maybe this.

By all accounts, Yamaha keyboards come highly recommended. I've only really used Roland and found them reliable and I like the on-board sounds.

I hope thats of some help to you.

-=al=-

built in speakers would be handy i suppose, but are they worth it? ive a lil guitar amp i could also maybe use, but i plan to use line in recording if i can

yeah that was quite usefull like i said ima complete novice when it comes to them the 2nd one seems to appeal to me more, probably cause it seems bigger n brighter and higher numbers but on the roland website the first one... the gw7 has a fair few more great features, and one of those "d beam" things that bill baily uses

I always figured the more keys the better, i love normal simple piano sounds, and love something with a wide range of orchestral type synth's n' fx + i like to use strings and things in songs...

The_g-man

You may have noticed my keyboard in adverts, basically the same as the second model shown there, neither seem to have usb, only the gw7 has that. I'm sure for the €160 difference you could find a separate usb interface you could also use for your guitar.
http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=2185&cat=16

Royale with Cheese

I just bought a yamaha p140. Nice stage piano. Probably not what you're looking for but I bought it off www.soundslive.co.uk, €1050 delivered. €150 cheaper than thomann or musicstore. See if they've got anything you like.

crosstownk

-=al=- wrote:

ive a lil guitar amp i could also maybe use, but i plan to use line in recording if i can

I don't think the guitar amps speaker will have a frequency response wide enough to cover the range a keyboard has. I used to use a guitar amp and, tbh, the sound was dreadful. A home stereo will do a much better job, imo.

Built in speakers are fine for practice but if you want to 'blast' it you will need extra amplification

If don't require speakers then how about this.

Hammer action keys (similar to real piano action) would be a real bonus but you'll have to buy a used keyboard to keep within your budget.

-=al=-

thansk for the replies... id rather buy a new one to be honest, no offence!

The first one u recomended seemed cool nice featuress and decent price, but no lil sepakers, but im sure ill find some speakers or something at home, it will be msotly for recording, so cud even go throught he computers moniters

is there any good korg or yamaha models worth looking at?

Rustar

Less flexibility, but what it does, it's the best at.
It's rock'n'roll, baby.

Hammond

Put a real Leslie cab in front of it and no one will ever know the difference between it and a B3.

Of course, nothing can compare to the searing tone of a vintage African thumb piano. :eek:

-=al=-

lol, the keyboard seems more up ,my street

my friend knows someone who has one of those old hammond b3 things its supposed to be great, but as my knowledge of keyboards and the lieks sucks Ive no idea

But is there any korg or yamaha models worth looking into also

jimi_t

Roland EM series are good
Korg are a very decent make, but a little pricey
Yamaha offer good bang for the buck on the budget end

Make sure you get a semi-weighted keyboard and 88 keys if you're spending more than 5 or 600. GM soundset should be standard and remember you can always buy a midi-module to expand the soundset.

EQ'd Bass amps work better than guitar amps in my experience.

fish-head

Hammond B3 ftw. Basically my most favourite sound in the world... ever.

The_g-man

http://www.musicstorekoeln.de/en/Keyboard_Entertainer/2_56_HORGELSTAG_0_KEY0001607-000/0/0/0/detail/musicstore.html
Gets very good reviews for the money if you go down this route.
There's a few great keyboards out there for under a grand:
http://www.thomann.de/ie/yamaha_dgx620.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/roland_exr7s.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/roland_gw_7_vorfuehrmodell.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/roland_juno_g_bundle_mit_bag.htm
I'd really factor a keyboard amp into your budget if you can, unless you rehearse/play with a PA.

steveland?

I have a Yamaha PSR220 I got when I was 13 or so for Christmas, thing is still going strong... Mainly I use it these days for the backing drum tracks which are grand for just something to jam along with but it's been working for 8 years with very little problems (the power input is a little dodgy but I probably yanked it out a little too aggressively as a child...)

It has Midi ports too so going to try and figure out Midi when I get a chance (haven't got a clue about it but I reckon I can figure something out using the PSR220, my Toneport UX2 and Abelton)

Yamahas come highly recommended, the one I have is really a kids keyboard but it can hold its own against a lot of the newer ones!

-=al=-

http://www.thomann.de/ie/roland_exr5s.htm

hows about that one seems reasonably priced with decent enough features

or



http://www.thomann.de/ie/roland_gw_7_vorfuehrmodell.htm

That one looks good too but no built in speakers

http://www.thomann.de/ie/yamaha_psr_e403_set.htm

crosstownk

I'd go with the Roland GW-7. I checked both on the respective websites and the Rolands seem better equipped. It might be a few €€€ more, but it's got a 16 track sequencer, 64 note polyphony and the D-Beam controller - the Yamaha has no sequencer and has 32 note polyphony. Both Rolands are quite similar, but the screen on the GW-7 is probably aimed at playing live more so than the EXR-5S.

That's my opinion, but I doubt you'll be disappointed with either Roland.

-=al=-

but the exr 5 has more buttons!! ha

i like those 2 i like the way the exr5 has built in speakers, but is the gw 7 better overall?

i just want good piano sounds with a lot of synth type fx to add onto it especially lots of strings and orchestra type fx... =/

i think its between those 2.

Setun

Rustar wrote:

Less flexibility, but what it does, it's the best at.
It's rock'n'roll, baby.

Hammond

Put a real Leslie cab in front of it and no one will ever know the difference between it and a B3.

Of course, nothing can compare to the searing tone of a vintage African thumb piano. :eek:

Gotta love the XK-1 eh? Go get it, it'll be the most fun you'll ever have with your clothes on.

crosstownk

-=al=- wrote:

but the exr 5 has more buttons!! ha

i like those 2 i like the way the exr5 has built in speakers, but is the gw 7 better overall?

i just want good piano sounds with a lot of synth type fx to add onto it especially lots of strings and orchestra type fx... =/

i think its between those 2.

The exr5 has more buttons alright. Trawl the interweb and see if you can find a patch list for both of them to compare. The GW7 has a larger range of patches which offers more variety for selecting the right sound, but the EXR5 has a few handy functions - like a floppy drive and the built in speakers.

It's a matter of personal choice but here's a little more info on the EXR5 and the GW-7. The way I see the two of them is that the EXR5 is more for personal and home use and the GW-7 has stage performance in mind.

-=al=-

Im kinda favouring the EXR-5 over it but has less sounds, Boooo

also i was recomended this one http://www.thomann.de/ie/roland_junod.htm

but still favouring the EXR-5 but didnt get that great reviews... the Gw-7 got some but still 50/50 reviews on all 3.

crosstownk

Yes, the Junos are good. But they are synthesizers rather than arranger keyboards. The Juno will offer the ability for you to create your own sounds rather than just being stuck with the factory presets. It comes with Sonar (sequencer software) but you will need to buy a MIDI Interface to connect it to your PC as it doesn't appear to have USB. Also, while it has rhythm kits, it will not play 'backing drums' for you - you will have to sequence these yourself.

joeswatch

crosstownk wrote: »

Most keyboards allow you to 'split' the keyboard in to two or more zones where you can assign a different sound to each zone - if you plan to use this function a lot then maybe a larger keyboard should be considered.

I've only really used Roland and found them reliable and I like the on-board sounds.

Hi Crosstownk,
I've posted a thread wondering how to go about splitting a keyboard to get say strings on left, piano on right or bass on left and oboe on right. I got no response but noticed your comments on keyboards that have splits. Would you be able to advise me or know of someone who could? Am willing to travel to sort out the method of getting different sounds on different sections of a roland keyboards. thanks, Joeswatch

feylya

This thread is nearly three years old. Please do not drag up old threads!