PG Music Home Forums PG Music Product Forums Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh Need help with keyboard selection

I need some advice on keyboards.
- I am an amateur musician who enjoys songwriting and creating songs (no stage requirements)
- i am a guitar player still learning the piano
- regardless of what biab is capable of, i want a keyboard
- I am new to BIAB and am still trying to get acquainted with midi
- prefer to use the arrangement capabilities of biab instead of the keyboard
- have a mac with recording set-up so don't need that in a keyboard
- don't think i need a lot of frills and gadgets, just a keyboard and good instrument sounds
- price range $1000-$2000

I know there are a lot of you out there with far more experience than I, so any advice is appreciated.

I think this might fit your needs.... I love mine. It's a matter of touch, and these Privias have a new responsive keyboard which just feels good to play. I was raised on classical music and "real" pianos, but for the beginner, I would bet that the touch on a lot of keyboards just ,might turn you off. This one won't, and you could expect maybe to actually enjoy learning the piano. (And don't be put off because it's a Casio -- it's a whole new ballgame for the company.)

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PX3BK/

There are some newer Privias, with more features, etc., and I would do a bunch of research before taking the plunge -- there are a lot of choices, and I am sure some others will offer other suggestions here. Good luck.

I think the Privias sound good but as a pianist I find there's something lacking in the relationship of the sound to the touch - a slight delay when you play ff & also a lack of tonal variety at different dynamics. Here in Australia where we don't have as many choices in Brands, & the prices are higher too. Many pro players I know use Kawais but I personally play a Roland. Check Kurzweil & Korg too but generally buy the best, which is probably the most expensive model you can afford. Also if you can go to the pro models which don't have speakers built in, you may be able to afford a better quality instrument.

I think you could actually get away with a much smaller budget, if you are willing to go with non-weighted keys (that's my preference for 'keyboard') which will help with developing an overall keyboard technique.

Given your description as being a guitar player learning piano, plus the desire to use the keyboard for midi data entry, the Casio WK series - the entire series, may be a good fit. The WK-200 is pretty much the bottom of the line and retails for $200, on sale you can get it for under $150. This will not last you forever - the keybed at least, but it will get you over the hump of deciding what you really want to do with the black and white keys.

It is a synth-action keyboard. It has MIDI via USB. The sounds are perfectly fine to get started, and some of them are even gig-worthy, in my opinion. The acoustic piano sounds and some of the EP sounds and the rock organ sound are quite good.

Also consider the Yamaha similar keyboards, but they have one advantage in that in the 200-300$ range, you can get one with a pitch bend wheel, which as a guitar player will be a very natural thing for you to get used to and implement with perhaps more aplomb than a classically trained pianist (sorry great pianists here - this has been my observation over the years).

Now, if you want to learn piano technique, then I suggest shopping for a proper piano for your house. Yamaha P22 series for example. Used, and with diligence, you should be able to find one in your price range. Keep an extra $100 out to buy the Casio WK-200 for your midi adventures, (or latest version) and another $100-$150 to have the acoustic properly tuned. This will not take up any additional floor space over a weighted electronic keyboard, has classic clean styling that won't make it a non-seller 10 years from now, etc.

Years ago, I was trying to convince my wife that we needed a Kurzweil digital piano. She insisted that she didn't want anything with LEDs on it in our living room. I'm glad she won the argument! Our kids have all learned on that Yamaha; I've learned how to tune pianos since then, and it has provided years upon years of enjoyment, songwriting opportunities, etc. It's just plain different than buying a digital. You might even get lucky and find one even cheaper than expected. Ours was found by a piano-tuning friend. Practically brand new. I think we paid $1300 for it. Simply a great instrument. Also shop for the Hamilton series from Baldwin, but avoid I think what is called Acrosonic - their spinet models for the most part.

For more money, go for the Yamaha U1. Plan on another $1-2K for that over the P22. I suggest the P22 over the other P model because of the plain styling. The other P series is going to look ugly in a few years because of the scroll-work which will almost assuredly pass out of fashion.

With any acoustic upright style piano purchase, the higher the cabinet, normally the better product results. 40" high and higher recommended. This allows longer strings to be used, under higher tension, with action that more directly translates finger movement into hammer striking the strings. The more shallow 'spinet' style cabinets have to use shorter strings, under less tension, with more of an angled mechanism to translate finger movement into hammer action.

Also when buying used, try to find a local piano tuners guild person that will go with you to check out a few choices. They can point out if there are issues with the mechanicals and whether or not the piano is easy to tune and will hold tune.

All of this may seem a hassle - but I just wanted to put that out there for consideration.

Alternatively a controller keyboard and software sounds (BIAB itself?) might be a cost-effective way to go. I have a M-Audio Axiom, which is very Mac (and Pro Tools)-friendly.