Digital Keyboards?

[song writer]

Hello,

I really want to purchase keyboard to start playing on my Pro Tools. But I
can't make up my mind on the products. First of all, I must have weighted
keys. Are weighted keys the same as hammer action? I just have to have
that real piano feel!

Second of all, I am not sure what the difference is between a synthesizer,
and a digital keyboard. Obviously I want the instrument to have many drum
tracks built in, as well as many different instrument sounds. In addition, I
must have midi so I can record in Pro Tools.

I am in love with the Korg, but I have to tell you, each time I try it out,
the weighted keys (hammer action?) feels less and less like a real keyboard.
On the other hand, when I try to much cheaper Casio the weighted keys feel
wonderful. However, the Casio does not offer all of the options (i.e.
various sounds built within) that a Korg, or Yamaha have.

Can anyone give me some pointers on what to look for in a keyboard? Heck,
the Korg does seem to be the industry standard when it comes to digital
recording, so maybe I will end up with a weighted key version. But are
there any different companies that offer the same high quality at a reduced
price?

Thanks for your help.

[**bg**]

"song writer" > wrote in message
...
> Hello,
>
> I really want to purchase keyboard to start playing on my Pro Tools. But I
> can't make up my mind on the products. First of all, I must have weighted
> keys. Are weighted keys the same as hammer action? I just have to have
> that real piano feel!
>
> Second of all, I am not sure what the difference is between a synthesizer,
> and a digital keyboard. Obviously I want the instrument to have many drum
> tracks built in, as well as many different instrument sounds. In addition,
I
> must have midi so I can record in Pro Tools.
>
> I am in love with the Korg, but I have to tell you, each time I try it
out,
> the weighted keys (hammer action?) feels less and less like a real
keyboard.
> On the other hand, when I try to much cheaper Casio the weighted keys feel
> wonderful. However, the Casio does not offer all of the options (i.e.
> various sounds built within) that a Korg, or Yamaha have.
>
> Can anyone give me some pointers on what to look for in a keyboard? Heck,
> the Korg does seem to be the industry standard when it comes to digital
> recording, so maybe I will end up with a weighted key version. But are
> there any different companies that offer the same high quality at a
reduced
> price? Thanks for your help.

____________________________
Hey sw,

You might take a look at Kawai MP9000 Stage Piano.

You can create variable weights on the keys, the action is exceptional.
The weight on this keyboard is provided by a 'hammer action', check it out.

The internal sounds are lovely, nice effects, programmable to a degree.

But, for the sounds you are after. you are likely wanting to also acquire
a rackmount multi-timbral synthesizer module(s)
to activate with the keyboard.

You might look at other stage pianos as well.

Cheers,

-rj-

www.thelittlecanadaheadphoneband.ca
www.lchb.ca

[**bg**]

"song writer" > wrote in message
...
> Hello,
>
> I really want to purchase keyboard to start playing on my Pro Tools. But I
> can't make up my mind on the products. First of all, I must have weighted
> keys. Are weighted keys the same as hammer action? I just have to have
> that real piano feel!
>
> Second of all, I am not sure what the difference is between a synthesizer,
> and a digital keyboard. Obviously I want the instrument to have many drum
> tracks built in, as well as many different instrument sounds. In addition,
I
> must have midi so I can record in Pro Tools.
>
> I am in love with the Korg, but I have to tell you, each time I try it
out,
> the weighted keys (hammer action?) feels less and less like a real
keyboard.
> On the other hand, when I try to much cheaper Casio the weighted keys feel
> wonderful. However, the Casio does not offer all of the options (i.e.
> various sounds built within) that a Korg, or Yamaha have.
>
> Can anyone give me some pointers on what to look for in a keyboard? Heck,
> the Korg does seem to be the industry standard when it comes to digital
> recording, so maybe I will end up with a weighted key version. But are
> there any different companies that offer the same high quality at a
reduced
> price? Thanks for your help.

____________________________
Hey sw,

You might take a look at Kawai MP9000 Stage Piano.

You can create variable weights on the keys, the action is exceptional.
The weight on this keyboard is provided by a 'hammer action', check it out.

The internal sounds are lovely, nice effects, programmable to a degree.

But, for the sounds you are after. you are likely wanting to also acquire
a rackmount multi-timbral synthesizer module(s)
to activate with the keyboard.

You might look at other stage pianos as well.

Cheers,

-rj-

www.thelittlecanadaheadphoneband.ca
www.lchb.ca

[james of tucson]

On 2004-11-20, song writer > wrote:

> I really want to purchase keyboard to start playing on my Pro Tools. But I
> can't make up my mind on the products. First of all, I must have weighted
> keys. Are weighted keys the same as hammer action? I just have to have
> that real piano feel!

I find I must have both; Weighted keys (Roland XP-80) and Hammer Action
(Yamaha P-80). I don't really use either of these for their sounds,
though. Both are controlling my Roland XV-5080 synth. It's configured
in various ways, depending on what I'm doing, but the main setup is to
have the Yamaha patched into piano and/or string sounds, and the XP-80
with responsibilities for organs, synths, and solo instruments.

The XV-5080 has 8 analog outputs and many routing possibilities, plus a
mix bus for SP/DIF.

It's one of those "Ford vs. Chevy" arguments, but given a choice between
Roland and Korg, I go for Roland every time. Part of it is personal
preference, but a bigger part is the fact that every hip-hop player is
being told that they need a Korg. Don't get me wrong -- a Triton is a
hella nice synth, and I would not mind having one, as long as I could
keep my XV. And for me, that is the bottom line.

If you need "real piano feel", you may end up at the same conclusion I
did when I bought my real piano. For some purposes, I tend to prefer my
Yamaha electronic piano, but these are related more to portability and
MIDI control purposes, as there really is no substitute for a real
piano. Unfortunately, my room is pretty lousy for recording the piano,
and none of my microphones are all that great, so for recording
purposes, the digital perfection of the piano in my XV (not the built-in
default sample) is my best bet.

> Second of all, I am not sure what the difference is between a synthesizer,
> and a digital keyboard.

These terms got conflated amd have more to do these days with the
distinction between "consumer" and "pro" gear than anything else.
But there are more synthesizers than there are musical genres, so
we'd need to get specific.

> Obviously I want the instrument to have many drum
> tracks built in, as well as many different instrument sounds. In addition, I
> must have midi so I can record in Pro Tools.

There is other music software besides ProTools, but okay.

I'm not sure what you mean by "drum tracks". The drums in my XV sound
pretty real. They make good placeholders -- if I needed serious drums
I'd get a few hours with a drummer who has a kit that mic's well.

> I am in love with the Korg, but I have to tell you, each time I try it out,
> the weighted keys (hammer action?) feels less and less like a real keyboard.

There are "weighted" Korgs, and there are "hammer" Korgs, and frankly,
as a pianist (since 1968), I don't care for any of them. I like my
Yamaha well enough. I might have bought a Roland XV-88, or an Alesis
QS8.1 (but NOT a QS8.2!!!), or a Kurzweil, and I might have bought a
Korg for other reasons, but NOT for the keyboard action. There are a
few keyboards that are nothing but controllers, worth looking into.
Consider the action of the controller as one problem, and the sound
generation as another. That is the logic that led to me using a Roland
XP-80 for control (MUCH preferred over the newer "Fantom"!), and a
rack-mounted synth for making sounds. A more expensive solution,
obviously, but worth it.

If I were looking, I would also give lots of consideration to a Yamaha
Motif. The 88-key model has a terrific action, from what I could tell
briefly in the store, it has good sounds and good features, and might
someday replace my P-80 piano.

> On the other hand, when I try to much cheaper Casio the weighted keys feel
> wonderful.

Some of the higher-end Casios these days actually seem to be quite good.



> Can anyone give me some pointers on what to look for in a keyboard?

Like anything else, you should be able to evaluate overall build
quality, and also, feature-by-feature comparisons. The lash of
experience continues to drive me to Roland (despite what I said about
Fantoms). That's because the Roland programming model makes a lot of
sense to me.

> Heck,
> the Korg does seem to be the industry standard

Numerous considerations are applied to gear selection in the pro world,
which may or may not be the same for you. In some circles, Korg synths
are the only serious choice.

[james of tucson]

On 2004-11-20, song writer > wrote:

> I really want to purchase keyboard to start playing on my Pro Tools. But I
> can't make up my mind on the products. First of all, I must have weighted
> keys. Are weighted keys the same as hammer action? I just have to have
> that real piano feel!

I find I must have both; Weighted keys (Roland XP-80) and Hammer Action
(Yamaha P-80). I don't really use either of these for their sounds,
though. Both are controlling my Roland XV-5080 synth. It's configured
in various ways, depending on what I'm doing, but the main setup is to
have the Yamaha patched into piano and/or string sounds, and the XP-80
with responsibilities for organs, synths, and solo instruments.

The XV-5080 has 8 analog outputs and many routing possibilities, plus a
mix bus for SP/DIF.

It's one of those "Ford vs. Chevy" arguments, but given a choice between
Roland and Korg, I go for Roland every time. Part of it is personal
preference, but a bigger part is the fact that every hip-hop player is
being told that they need a Korg. Don't get me wrong -- a Triton is a
hella nice synth, and I would not mind having one, as long as I could
keep my XV. And for me, that is the bottom line.

If you need "real piano feel", you may end up at the same conclusion I
did when I bought my real piano. For some purposes, I tend to prefer my
Yamaha electronic piano, but these are related more to portability and
MIDI control purposes, as there really is no substitute for a real
piano. Unfortunately, my room is pretty lousy for recording the piano,
and none of my microphones are all that great, so for recording
purposes, the digital perfection of the piano in my XV (not the built-in
default sample) is my best bet.

> Second of all, I am not sure what the difference is between a synthesizer,
> and a digital keyboard.

These terms got conflated amd have more to do these days with the
distinction between "consumer" and "pro" gear than anything else.
But there are more synthesizers than there are musical genres, so
we'd need to get specific.

> Obviously I want the instrument to have many drum
> tracks built in, as well as many different instrument sounds. In addition, I
> must have midi so I can record in Pro Tools.

There is other music software besides ProTools, but okay.

I'm not sure what you mean by "drum tracks". The drums in my XV sound
pretty real. They make good placeholders -- if I needed serious drums
I'd get a few hours with a drummer who has a kit that mic's well.

> I am in love with the Korg, but I have to tell you, each time I try it out,
> the weighted keys (hammer action?) feels less and less like a real keyboard.

There are "weighted" Korgs, and there are "hammer" Korgs, and frankly,
as a pianist (since 1968), I don't care for any of them. I like my
Yamaha well enough. I might have bought a Roland XV-88, or an Alesis
QS8.1 (but NOT a QS8.2!!!), or a Kurzweil, and I might have bought a
Korg for other reasons, but NOT for the keyboard action. There are a
few keyboards that are nothing but controllers, worth looking into.
Consider the action of the controller as one problem, and the sound
generation as another. That is the logic that led to me using a Roland
XP-80 for control (MUCH preferred over the newer "Fantom"!), and a
rack-mounted synth for making sounds. A more expensive solution,
obviously, but worth it.

If I were looking, I would also give lots of consideration to a Yamaha
Motif. The 88-key model has a terrific action, from what I could tell
briefly in the store, it has good sounds and good features, and might
someday replace my P-80 piano.

> On the other hand, when I try to much cheaper Casio the weighted keys feel
> wonderful.

Some of the higher-end Casios these days actually seem to be quite good.



> Can anyone give me some pointers on what to look for in a keyboard?

Like anything else, you should be able to evaluate overall build
quality, and also, feature-by-feature comparisons. The lash of
experience continues to drive me to Roland (despite what I said about
Fantoms). That's because the Roland programming model makes a lot of
sense to me.

> Heck,
> the Korg does seem to be the industry standard

Numerous considerations are applied to gear selection in the pro world,
which may or may not be the same for you. In some circles, Korg synths
are the only serious choice.

[song writer]

On 11/21/04 2:42 AM, in article
.com, "james of tucson"
> wrote:

> Roland XP-80

Thanks for the feedback, James. I appreciate it!

[song writer]

On 11/21/04 2:42 AM, in article
.com, "james of tucson"
> wrote:

> Roland XP-80

Thanks for the feedback, James. I appreciate it!

[**bg**]

--
www.thelittlecanadaheadphoneband.ca
www.lchb.ca
"james of tucson" > wrote in message
atory.com...
> On 2004-11-20, song writer > wrote:
>
> > I really want to purchase keyboard to start playing on my Pro Tools. But
I
> > can't make up my mind on the products. First of all, I must have
weighted
> > keys. Are weighted keys the same as hammer action? I just have to have
> > that real piano feel!
>
> I find I must have both; Weighted keys (Roland XP-80) and Hammer Action
> (Yamaha P-80). I don't really use either of these for their sounds,
> though. Both are controlling my Roland XV-5080 synth. It's configured
> in various ways, depending on what I'm doing, but the main setup is to
> have the Yamaha patched into piano and/or string sounds, and the XP-80
> with responsibilities for organs, synths, and solo instruments.
>
> The XV-5080 has 8 analog outputs and many routing possibilities, plus a
> mix bus for SP/DIF.
>
> It's one of those "Ford vs. Chevy" arguments, but given a choice between
> Roland and Korg, I go for Roland every time. Part of it is personal
> preference, but a bigger part is the fact that every hip-hop player is
> being told that they need a Korg. Don't get me wrong -- a Triton is a
> hella nice synth, and I would not mind having one, as long as I could
> keep my XV. And for me, that is the bottom line.
>
> If you need "real piano feel", you may end up at the same conclusion I
> did when I bought my real piano. For some purposes, I tend to prefer my
> Yamaha electronic piano, but these are related more to portability and
> MIDI control purposes, as there really is no substitute for a real
> piano...
_____________________________

Umm...you would do well to try the Kawai Stage Pianos.

In particular, come to understand how they achieve real piano touch and
sensitivity, with weighted keys and graded hammer action.

I expect they will soon be making available graduated sustain and
soft pedals, certainly hope so.

See http://www.kawaius.com/

-rj-

www.thelittlecanadaheadphoneband.ca
www.lchb.ca
>

[**bg**]

--
www.thelittlecanadaheadphoneband.ca
www.lchb.ca
"james of tucson" > wrote in message
atory.com...
> On 2004-11-20, song writer > wrote:
>
> > I really want to purchase keyboard to start playing on my Pro Tools. But
I
> > can't make up my mind on the products. First of all, I must have
weighted
> > keys. Are weighted keys the same as hammer action? I just have to have
> > that real piano feel!
>
> I find I must have both; Weighted keys (Roland XP-80) and Hammer Action
> (Yamaha P-80). I don't really use either of these for their sounds,
> though. Both are controlling my Roland XV-5080 synth. It's configured
> in various ways, depending on what I'm doing, but the main setup is to
> have the Yamaha patched into piano and/or string sounds, and the XP-80
> with responsibilities for organs, synths, and solo instruments.
>
> The XV-5080 has 8 analog outputs and many routing possibilities, plus a
> mix bus for SP/DIF.
>
> It's one of those "Ford vs. Chevy" arguments, but given a choice between
> Roland and Korg, I go for Roland every time. Part of it is personal
> preference, but a bigger part is the fact that every hip-hop player is
> being told that they need a Korg. Don't get me wrong -- a Triton is a
> hella nice synth, and I would not mind having one, as long as I could
> keep my XV. And for me, that is the bottom line.
>
> If you need "real piano feel", you may end up at the same conclusion I
> did when I bought my real piano. For some purposes, I tend to prefer my
> Yamaha electronic piano, but these are related more to portability and
> MIDI control purposes, as there really is no substitute for a real
> piano...
_____________________________

Umm...you would do well to try the Kawai Stage Pianos.

In particular, come to understand how they achieve real piano touch and
sensitivity, with weighted keys and graded hammer action.

I expect they will soon be making available graduated sustain and
soft pedals, certainly hope so.

See http://www.kawaius.com/

-rj-

www.thelittlecanadaheadphoneband.ca
www.lchb.ca
>

[www.HassanAnsari.com]

song writer > wrote in message >...
> Hello,
>
> I really want to purchase keyboard to start playing on my Pro Tools. But I
> can't make up my mind on the products. First of all, I must have weighted
> keys. Are weighted keys the same as hammer action? I just have to have
> that real piano feel!
>
> Second of all, I am not sure what the difference is between a synthesizer,
> and a digital keyboard. Obviously I want the instrument to have many drum
> tracks built in, as well as many different instrument sounds. In addition, I
> must have midi so I can record in Pro Tools.
>
> I am in love with the Korg, but I have to tell you, each time I try it out,
> the weighted keys (hammer action?) feels less and less like a real keyboard.
> On the other hand, when I try to much cheaper Casio the weighted keys feel
> wonderful. However, the Casio does not offer all of the options (i.e.
> various sounds built within) that a Korg, or Yamaha have.
>
> Can anyone give me some pointers on what to look for in a keyboard? Heck,
> the Korg does seem to be the industry standard when it comes to digital
> recording, so maybe I will end up with a weighted key version. But are
> there any different companies that offer the same high quality at a reduced
> price?
>
> Thanks for your help.


I love my Motif ES8. It's one of the best keyboards yet made in my
opinion. Try it at a local music store.

[www.HassanAnsari.com]

song writer > wrote in message >...
> Hello,
>
> I really want to purchase keyboard to start playing on my Pro Tools. But I
> can't make up my mind on the products. First of all, I must have weighted
> keys. Are weighted keys the same as hammer action? I just have to have
> that real piano feel!
>
> Second of all, I am not sure what the difference is between a synthesizer,
> and a digital keyboard. Obviously I want the instrument to have many drum
> tracks built in, as well as many different instrument sounds. In addition, I
> must have midi so I can record in Pro Tools.
>
> I am in love with the Korg, but I have to tell you, each time I try it out,
> the weighted keys (hammer action?) feels less and less like a real keyboard.
> On the other hand, when I try to much cheaper Casio the weighted keys feel
> wonderful. However, the Casio does not offer all of the options (i.e.
> various sounds built within) that a Korg, or Yamaha have.
>
> Can anyone give me some pointers on what to look for in a keyboard? Heck,
> the Korg does seem to be the industry standard when it comes to digital
> recording, so maybe I will end up with a weighted key version. But are
> there any different companies that offer the same high quality at a reduced
> price?
>
> Thanks for your help.


I love my Motif ES8. It's one of the best keyboards yet made in my
opinion. Try it at a local music store.