What keyboard should I buy? Criteria inside.
June 1, 2010 2:30 PM Subscribe
What keyboard should I buy? Criteria inside.
I've looked through past Ask posts and still am nowhere closer to figuring out which keyboard to buy. Looking for a keyboard that meets the following vague-ish criteria:
Price - My goal is to spend less than $500, but I would be willing to spend more if I thought it was worth it
Weighted keys - Doesn't have to be exactly the same as a piano, but should be it'd be nice to be able to jump to piano without too much difficulty
49 keys > 88 keys - Looking for something somewhat portable. If I had the space, I'd still own a piano.
Sounds - This is where I get confused between digital pianos, synths, & MIDI controllers. I want an instrument I can play on its own without having to hook it up to a computer...
Headphone jack - ...or a keyboard amp.
MIDI - Easy to plug in to & use with my MacBook Pro & GarageBand
Some sliders & knobs - Pitch wheel & Mod wheel are the big ones, but this is admittedly less important
Follow-up question - What do you all think about buying used?
I've looked through past Ask posts and still am nowhere closer to figuring out which keyboard to buy. Looking for a keyboard that meets the following vague-ish criteria:
Price - My goal is to spend less than $500, but I would be willing to spend more if I thought it was worth it
Weighted keys - Doesn't have to be exactly the same as a piano, but should be it'd be nice to be able to jump to piano without too much difficulty
49 keys > 88 keys - Looking for something somewhat portable. If I had the space, I'd still own a piano.
Sounds - This is where I get confused between digital pianos, synths, & MIDI controllers. I want an instrument I can play on its own without having to hook it up to a computer...
Headphone jack - ...or a keyboard amp.
MIDI - Easy to plug in to & use with my MacBook Pro & GarageBand
Some sliders & knobs - Pitch wheel & Mod wheel are the big ones, but this is admittedly less important
Follow-up question - What do you all think about buying used?
all of your criteria are for a controller, more than a synth. the key differentiator here is going to be what kind of sounds you want. realistic? 80s analog synths? late 80s digital synths? My advice would be to get a controller you want (go to guitar center / wherever and check out the M-Audio Axiom series. Semi-weighted, aftertouch, more knobs and sliders than you can shake a stick at), and you can look into buying a rackmounted synth unit to match it.
From the sound of it, though, you want a nord electro, but they run ~2k.
posted by CharlesV42 at 3:31 PM on June 1, 2010
From the sound of it, though, you want a nord electro, but they run ~2k.
posted by CharlesV42 at 3:31 PM on June 1, 2010
Yeah, you won't find a new keyboard with these criteria in that price range.
You can probably find a used Korg TR or something. There's a 61 key model, and I think it's weighted.
You can go for the Korg X50, but the keys are not weighted. Lots of synth controls, extensive patch bank, and it's not the newest model. $700 most places.
I like Korgs. Others probably have some good ideas in e.g. Yamaha.
posted by those are my balloons at 3:45 PM on June 1, 2010
You can probably find a used Korg TR or something. There's a 61 key model, and I think it's weighted.
You can go for the Korg X50, but the keys are not weighted. Lots of synth controls, extensive patch bank, and it's not the newest model. $700 most places.
I like Korgs. Others probably have some good ideas in e.g. Yamaha.
posted by those are my balloons at 3:45 PM on June 1, 2010
What about something like the Casio CDP-100? I neither own one nor know anyone with one, but the features listed match up to what you're looking for and it definitely costs less than $500. Search around for reviews to see if it might suit you.
88 Graded hammer keys for real acoustic feel and sound
3 levels of touch sensitivity plus ability to switch sensitivity off
5 tones, 32-note polyphony, 8 digital effects and 5 demo songs
Headphone jack so you can play without disturbing others
MIDI capable
Transpose and layer functions
Sustain pedal included
posted by cincinnatus c at 4:07 PM on June 1, 2010
88 Graded hammer keys for real acoustic feel and sound
3 levels of touch sensitivity plus ability to switch sensitivity off
5 tones, 32-note polyphony, 8 digital effects and 5 demo songs
Headphone jack so you can play without disturbing others
MIDI capable
Transpose and layer functions
Sustain pedal included
posted by cincinnatus c at 4:07 PM on June 1, 2010
Think about analog keyboards. There are some you can buy used for around $500 (my Rolands JX-3P and 8P were), and I personally think they sound better than digital. MIDI, I think, is standard from the 80's onwards.
posted by lhude sing cuccu at 7:24 PM on June 1, 2010
posted by lhude sing cuccu at 7:24 PM on June 1, 2010
I just acquired a used Casio CDP-100, like cincinnatus recommended, which is very lightweight and portable for a keyboard with 88 good weighted hammer action keys. It has MIDI, internal speakers and so can be used to play on without connecting anything else. It's a nice, portable digital piano.
But, it has no sliders or wheels to control anything. It doesn't have a 1/4" line out, only a 1/8" headphone jack. And it has limited internal sounds-- a couple of different pianos, an electric piano, a clavinet and synth strings.
In this price range, for weighted keys, you can also look at the Korg SP-170, the Yamaha NP30 (semi-weighted, 76 keys, portable) or Yamaha P85. I found the piano action on the Casio electronic pianos to be closest to my preference. Besides the CDP-100, you can also find the PX-130 in your price range, although like the CDP-100 it also lacks a standard 1/4" output, to get that requires stepping up to the PX-330.
A used keyboard will be a better value. For a more synth-like keyboard, a used Alesis QS6.1 is a nice and versatile 61- key synth.
posted by andrewraff at 11:15 AM on June 2, 2010
But, it has no sliders or wheels to control anything. It doesn't have a 1/4" line out, only a 1/8" headphone jack. And it has limited internal sounds-- a couple of different pianos, an electric piano, a clavinet and synth strings.
In this price range, for weighted keys, you can also look at the Korg SP-170, the Yamaha NP30 (semi-weighted, 76 keys, portable) or Yamaha P85. I found the piano action on the Casio electronic pianos to be closest to my preference. Besides the CDP-100, you can also find the PX-130 in your price range, although like the CDP-100 it also lacks a standard 1/4" output, to get that requires stepping up to the PX-330.
A used keyboard will be a better value. For a more synth-like keyboard, a used Alesis QS6.1 is a nice and versatile 61- key synth.
posted by andrewraff at 11:15 AM on June 2, 2010
Yamaha EX5 is the way to go! My friend has been a pro keyboardist for 40 yrs and he's still using it til this day. According to him, it's the best synthesizer ever.
posted by dustoff at 11:31 AM on June 2, 2010
posted by dustoff at 11:31 AM on June 2, 2010
I'm sorry, I forgot the fact that you wanted weighted keys. EX5 doesn't have weighted keys. My apologies!
posted by dustoff at 12:53 PM on June 2, 2010
posted by dustoff at 12:53 PM on June 2, 2010
Late to the party, but I picked up a Casio CDP-200R at Costco a while back for just under $500 with a stand and a tiny "bench." The key weight is decent and the action feels much better (to me, fairly decent amateur player) than most el cheapo models.
Price under $500, if you look in the right places
Weighted keys yes
49 keys > 88 keys Sorry, no...but I think if you want weighted keys, it's going to be unusual for there not to be the normal number of them
Sounds - Has internal speakers, plays fine with no amp/computer as long as you don't want to be TOO loud
Headphone jack yes, has headphone jack/amp out of the larger variety (1/4"? not the type you find on your iPod)
MIDI - worked fine with Finale on my Macbook
Some sliders & knobs yes pitch wheel, no (I think) for anything fancier
I had avoided buying a keyboard for a long time because they always feel so fake to me, and was holding out for a real piano...but this really feels fine, especially considering the price. Might be worth finding one in a store somewhere and playing around with it a bit.
posted by charmedimsure at 2:22 AM on June 9, 2010
Price under $500, if you look in the right places
Weighted keys yes
49 keys > 88 keys Sorry, no...but I think if you want weighted keys, it's going to be unusual for there not to be the normal number of them
Sounds - Has internal speakers, plays fine with no amp/computer as long as you don't want to be TOO loud
Headphone jack yes, has headphone jack/amp out of the larger variety (1/4"? not the type you find on your iPod)
MIDI - worked fine with Finale on my Macbook
Some sliders & knobs yes pitch wheel, no (I think) for anything fancier
I had avoided buying a keyboard for a long time because they always feel so fake to me, and was holding out for a real piano...but this really feels fine, especially considering the price. Might be worth finding one in a store somewhere and playing around with it a bit.
posted by charmedimsure at 2:22 AM on June 9, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
You may want to look on Craigslist with that budget, given that some of your criteria will be difficult to meet (weighted keys, particularly).
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:43 PM on June 1, 2010