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    Keyboard advice

    I used to play a bit of a piano and have been thinking of buying a keyboard.

    I want to buy one that can do different instruments... and maybe one that has a built in drum machine. And I want to be able to record loops and continually add layers to it. Some kind of USB connector thing to the PC would be handy too I suppose.

    I also saw that on some keyboards the keys light up so that you know what key to press. While this is cheating, it must be a great help in learning new songs.

    Anybody know anything about keyboards? I know absolutely nothing. I have only ever played real pianos.

    Are there industry standard keyboards that insiders like to use and that everyone knows how to operate?

    #2
    Keyboard advice

    I don't really know much about modern (digital) keyboards, I'm into transistor analog organs (1960s-70s), which really do sound amazing.

    Those features you want sound like something you might get on some casios or yamahas, they're not for the purists though. Your best bet is to check out the floor models at the music store and talk with a good salesman. I'm not familiar either with keyboard with sequencer features (able to record and play back tunes).

    Some general notions: compared to pianos, keyboards have a much lighter touch, so they play differently. One other key difference is the notes sustain (unless you have a percussion setting on). Keyboards are a bit more forgiving than pianos, Another thing is the the keyboard is usually much shorter, except for electric pianos (often used by jazz musiians who want a wide octave range). If you want to play something jazzy or R&Bish you'd want a wider keyboard.

    Nord keyboards are fairly ubiquitous (red, narrow keyboards), they are good and have a number of analog emulator settings (ie they can replicate different instruments like Hammonds or Vox), but they're not complex to operate (none of the popular brands really are). I find them a bit flat compared to vintage analog organs but most people like them.

    You'll also need a decent amp, a small second hand one would probably do as a starter.

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      #3
      Keyboard advice

      I've been thinking about buying an e-Mu longboard, a 60 key keyboard which costs about €200. Doesn't do anything fancy but does the simple stuff well, according to reviews.

      Comment


        #4
        Keyboard advice

        Thanks for the tips.

        . One other key difference is the notes sustain (unless you have a percussion setting on).
        Yes, I noticed that after trying a friend's Casio el cheapo. Very strange. And the piano note sounded just as loud if I pressed the key softly or with extra force.

        The Nord keyboards look very nice, proper looking keys. I looked at some reviews on Youtube and they seem to do a really nice organ sound.

        But very pricey...

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          #5
          Keyboard advice

          Yikes, Bryaniesta! That's such a big topic I'm barely even going to attempt a response!

          However, for a start - as you probably know- there are three kinds of keyboard on a synth or MIDI controller: 'synth-action', semi-weighted or piano-weighted. If you're a 'proper' keyboard player or pianist, you're probably going to want to err for the latter.

          For reviews, I'd suggest Sound On Sound as a good starting point for 'official' reviews and possibly Harmony Central for user reviews.

          For buying, try putting "piano weighted" or "stage piano" into Ebay's search (within the 'musical instruments' section). Btw, it seems athat Ebay and Gumtree are the only two places worth bothering with online these days, really. Maybe Cash Converters too, but most of the places you used to see advertised, like Friday Ad and Loot are shit for anything musical.

          I've kind of found this out over the last few months, as I've been looking for almost the opposite of what you're after: I'm wanting a really quite affordable synth with a built-in vocoder. However, I'm on the verge of giving up my quest for a secondhand Korg MS2000B or Novation of some kind and instead just plumping for the rather handy (and reduced in price) Akai Miniak.

          Anyway, if you're thinking of making this keyboard perhaps the centrepiece of a burgeoning home studio or you might want to perform live with it, then you may want to consider a secondhand Oberheim MC3000. It's a top-of-the-line 'controller keyboard' really, but with sounds built in - and pretty good ones, too. Good luck in finding one, though! Other than that, a googling of "88 note weighted keyboard" makes me almost piss myself with fear! But shop around and keep on googling and you might just find a bargain somewhere.

          Comment


            #6
            Keyboard advice

            Actually, re-reading your original post, it seems like you're almost after a 'workstation synth', since they have rhythm sections built in, plus the ability to record yourself.

            In that case, you might want to consider a Korg Triton of some kind (there's different specifications aplenty) as they seem to be bottoming out, price-wise at the moment. I've seen them going for under £400 recently, but not the piano-weighted ones. Again not piano-weighted, but a bit of a 'lost classic' is the Yamaha EX5. It's one of the most powerful synth workstations ever made, but discontinued - along with support for it - almost as soon as they started making it, so bear in mind that if you got one and it went wrong, you'd be on your own. I've seen them going for under £400 recently and I've been lusting after one for ages, so you and I would be in direct competition if one came up cheap! ;-) Btw - they're also so heavy that it allegedly takes two men to lift one, so bear that in mind too, if you go to get one!

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              #7
              Keyboard advice

              Thanks for the advice. I have spent the last half hour looking at keyboard porn. I can play a bit of piano but am realising that the whole synth and loops world is a whole new discipline. One of these workshops would be a lot of dosh to splash for a bit of a hobby, so I am thinking that a good approach would be to buy a cheap second-hand drum machine (808? hehe) and basic keyboard to mess around with. And then see what happens from there.

              One thing I am finding a bit wierd are the digital pianos that have been developed to sound exactly like a Steinway. The Nord even makes a pedal noise. It seems very strange, almost a crime against music. I know they are made for situations when you want a real piano sound and don't have the space for a real piano, but an electric instrument should sound like an electric instrument and a string instrument should sound like a string instrument. That's half the fun, surely. But maybe I'm just being old-fashioned.

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                #8
                Keyboard advice

                Oh my, a TR-808 costs $2100. The money people will pay for a bit of nostalgia!

                Comment


                  #9
                  Keyboard advice

                  The MFB drumcomputers are really cheap:

                  http://www.mfberlin.de/Produkte/Musikelektronik/MFB-522/MFB-522e/mfb-522e.html

                  Not sure how good they are, but they're a sort of "what the hell" price.

                  Or you could just buy a cheap sampler, I picked up my MPC1000 for $450 a few years ago (but got stung with the import tax). I use that and a Waldorf Blofeld, which is a really good/cheap synth.

                  Hardly play either at the moment, I've got really back into playing the acoustic guitar. The one thing that pisses me off about synths is trying to find an appropriate "sound". It's fun at first, but in the end it's much better/more rewarding to actually play an instrument.

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                    #10
                    Keyboard advice

                    Oh my, I just discovered some free software called ReBirth, which is a Roland 303, 808 and 909 emulator all in one.

                    So that's all my free time taken up until Euro 2012.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Keyboard advice

                      Bryaniesta wrote:
                      Oh my, a TR-808 costs $2100. The money people will pay for a bit of nostalgia!
                      Check out what some of those old analogue synths are going for. Crazy prices for a Jupiter 8 and CS-80. The latter is a bottomless pit of money when it comes to maintenance.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Keyboard advice

                        Oh, Rebirth's ace! It's like Tetris for music.

                        Actually, if you really like it, you might want to look at the "proper" software that they do. Their main thing is called "Reason", and that's brilliant as well (expensive though).

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Keyboard advice

                          There's quite a lot of similar software around that is free, too. (However, you're close to throwing yourself into a bottomless pit of eternal torment if you start getting into the software side of things!)

                          If you want a cute little thing to fiddle with at your PC/Mac/i-whatever (but not necessarily record the results of) there's also Nanostudio.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Keyboard advice

                            Bryaniesta wrote:
                            Thanks for the advice. I have spent the last half hour looking at keyboard porn. I can play a bit of piano but am realising that the whole synth and loops world is a whole new discipline. One of these workshops would be a lot of dosh to splash for a bit of a hobby, so I am thinking that a good approach would be to buy a cheap second-hand drum machine (808? hehe) and basic keyboard to mess around with. And then see what happens from there.

                            One thing I am finding a bit wierd are the digital pianos that have been developed to sound exactly like a Steinway. The Nord even makes a pedal noise. It seems very strange, almost a crime against music. I know they are made for situations when you want a real piano sound and don't have the space for a real piano, but an electric instrument should sound like an electric instrument and a string instrument should sound like a string instrument. That's half the fun, surely. But maybe I'm just being old-fashioned.
                            I think most of those are for pianists who want to perform at places that don't have a piano, where carrying a whole piano is not an option. Maybe it's also something that's more for the Asian market, where people live in smaller flats and noise is more of an issue with neighbors.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Keyboard advice

                              I hope no-one (particularly Bryaniesta) will mind the slight thread hijack (it's only a small one) but...

                              Yesterday I went ahead and did it: blew my Christmas bonus on an Akai Miniak. It's not anything mindblowing and it's got a few drawbacks, but it'll be a nice little 'notepad' for plonking on my lap and doodling with, while I'm sitting on the sofa. I have only had the briefest of plays with it so far, really, but I can report that some of the sounds are massive!

                              I was lucky I got it when I did, really: the shop I went to (Andertons in Guildford) said on their website that they had 10 in stock, but the one I got was the last one left, other than the display model! Also, they've been discontinued now, having already been reduced in price by nearly 50% a while ago. Thus, instead of £450-£500, it was £229 - less than the Korg Microkorg XL and Alesis Micron (which it's a rebodied, improved version of anyway).

                              As I think I mentioned upthread, I was trying to wait for a secondhand Korg MS2000B, but after six months of watching and waiting, it was becoming apparent that one simply wasn't going to crop up that was in my affordable price range. If anything, the average secondhand price has actually risen by £50+ in that time!

                              Anyway, that's all! I'm just quite pleased...

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Keyboard advice

                                Great price for a new machine. Sounds good Clive, there's your vocoder too.

                                I've looked up the Korg2000 here in Montreal, there's a used one on sale, asking $560 (£360), is this much better than in your area?

                                http://montreal.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-pianos-keyboards-KORG-MS2000-W0QQAdIdZ341956885

                                My farfisa is similar to this one:
                                http://farfisa.org/beautiful-farfisa-vip-255-on-ebay-607/

                                I am looking for a Farfisa Fast 2, because the VIP is too heavy/bulky and the F2 really looks amazing:

                                http://www.combo-organ.com/Farfisa/Fast/index.htm#Fast2

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