PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Off-Topic What to Look for in a Digital Piano/Keyboard?

I'm thinking of upgrading to a more fully-featured Digital Piano, and was wondering whether there is either a website or perhaps a listing here somewhere of all the types of features available on digital pianos, and an explanation of what each feature is/does. Or perhaps even a supplemental listing of features that are overrated and perhaps should even be avoided?

Features that I probably would want are 88 weighted keys; MIDI; recording capability; headphone jack; multiple inputs (mixer)....but I'm not sure of what else might be good to have.

FWIW, I presently use a Yamaha PSR-220. I find the non-full keyboard a bit limiting and I can hear the impact of the keys reaching the end of their travel even when I use headphones. (It's a bit annoying).

Any help finding a guide of features to look for would be greatly apprreciated! Thanks!

If the intent is to use with Band in a Box and also have advantage of high quality MIDI playback synth as well as weighted piano, be sure to ascertain that whatever you pick also contains a GM or XG compatible synth.

Yamaha electronic pianos are considered by many to be very good choice, both in keyboard feel and onboard piano samples. Since you are already using a Yamaha, consider the same brand and consider the purchase as being a giant step upwards.


--Mac

The first thing is what's your budget? Keyboards can go from $400 to $4,000. Do you primarily want a digital piano for piano practicing or do you want a full synth with a thousand sounds? Do you want an auto arranger function like your PSR has? The one thing you mentioned that is not available are multiple inputs. Never seen that on any keyboard. They all have USB/midi in/out and some have one stereo audio input and one mic input. But they're not a full recording interface with say 4 or 8 inputs.

Bob

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>>>... It turns out that they had the digital piano that I was most interested in - Yamaha DGX640 - at a good price. I was quite impressed with it after playing around a bit....>>>


I have an earlier model of the DGX that I am very pleased with. It works fine with BiaB.

Something to consider is the key range. I got a 76-key model, which seems right for me. It has enough keys to do what I want, and it is easily portable. It lays in the back seat of my Kia, in a case, flat. 88 keys would be almost too big for the room it is in, and for some of the tight spaces where I play. 61 keys, which is the most common in low end keyboards, is not enough left hand notes to play solo.

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All the DGX models are GM compatible. BUT...they use the Yamaha version of the GM standard. The drums, for instance are mapped slightly differently. Its a minor annoyance that can be worked around pretty easily.

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I debate with myself whether weighted keys are necessary. As far as I can tell, their only purpose is to emulate the feel and response of a box piano. I am perfectly happy with the results I am getting with my non-weighted keyboards.

Other than making the instrument feel like a piano, is there some benefit to weighted keys that I am not aware of?

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I debate with myself whether weighted keys are necessary. As far as I can tell, their only purpose is to emulate the feel and response of a box piano. I am perfectly happy with the results I am getting with my non-weighted keyboards.

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It depends on what you are used to and how you use the keyboard.
I played an acoustic piano for 40 years and found a non-weighted keyboard to be completely unplayable.

Tony

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>>>...Thanks, Flatfoot. I wonder whether you can add a bit of info?

1. It just has "USB to Host" - So, would I just connect my laptop via this port and install MIDI drivers onto the laptop in order to use BIAB with the digital piano?

That's right. The Yamaha shows up as an input called "Yamaha USB..." I dont recall having to install MIDI driver. You will need the "Yamaha Musicsoft Downloader" program to communicate from computer to keyboard. it is included with the keyboard.


>>>...2. How do you use BIAB with your digital piano? Do you use the built-in voices of the piano...>>>

Right again. When BiaB works in MIDI mode, it has no sounds of its own. It sends a series of instructions down the USB cable and the sounds of the Yamaha are what you hear.

I have an older laptop that sits on the Yamaha. I use an old version of BiaB since I am not using RealTracksin this setup. I use this combination for piano practice and writing.

I have a whole nother computer, much newer, running Realracks, Sampletank and all the latest stuff. I move the basic BiaB songs from the old laptop to here for adding Realtracks, live instruments and voices, effects and other mastering-type stuff.

I have a Yamaha Clavinova CLP-240; it's a great piano. But it will only hold three songs in it's memory and was a nuisance to put stuff on a thumb drive, put them in the desktop, name them, put the drive back into the Clavinova and play them.

So I recently got a nice laptop, it's hooked up to the clav, installed BIAB, and I'm in seventh heaven, but have SO MUCH to learn. I have a radio for interface to get maximum volume. Maybe I didn't say that right, I'm pretty new at this but I'm learning.

Have fun with your choice.

I LOVE my Korg, it's not an expensive one, but layers nice sounds. And lots of organs, which suits me. And the masonic lodges.

A lot of players seem focused on the feel of the keyboard, the weighted/nonweighted arguments go on seemingly forever.

And then there's the "which weighted keyboard feels most like a real piano" arguments.

I just sit there thinking about a day gone by when the pianist was at the mercy of whatever piano the club owned and how you had to adapt to the piano rather than the other way around, sometimes having to do that in seconds flat at the start of the first song.

There was this one Ski Resort where the baby Grand Piano was a rather beautiful thing, but for some reason the keys were, well, stiff. Every pianist in town and likely every pianist form out of town who had to play that thing would remark on that, but the venue owner or manager never seemed to get the message or get anything done about it. I think the keybed pins had rusted or corroded and were grabbing the felt bushings, but who knows for certain what was wrong with that thing. Still, everybody played their show on the darned thing. Kinda funny to watch the noob sit down at that thing, it was. Then you'd see if they had the wherewithal to figure out that there were not going to be a whole lot of fast scales and arpeggios tonight, or whether they would spend the whole set fighting the piano.

Fast Forward to today, we have so many great sounding options at so many different price levels that it is now a problem selecting which one to buy. For some.

Here's my take on the deal, whatever piano you end up with, you have to spend time getting to know it. Play it every day. Find out what you can get out of it that sounds good, find out what sound bad. Accentuate the good and don't get tied up in the fool's game of trying to make it do whatever bad thing it may do in a good fashion.

When I have a different Trumpet to play, gotta go through that same, "getting to know you" process.

Same thing with a different Guitar.

Same thing with a different Piano.

The Hammond Organs used to be as ubiquitous in jazz clubs as pianos, too. There are not two Hammond Organs exactly alike. This is due to the almost crazy number of electrical and electro-mechanical components hand built and hand wired inside the things. Also age, how its been cared for (or not...), the condition of the key switch to busbar contacts (there are 9 for each key under there), condition of the tubes, condition of the prerequisite Leslie and even *which type and model* of Leslie is attached to it. The 122 only has Stop and Fast spins if not modified, the 147 adds the Slow or Chorale but does not have full Stop unless modified to do so, the 145 originally was like the 122 as to not having Chorale speed, but a 145 spins up at a different time than the old 122 (original 122 circuitry for the Fast was slow in response, the organist would have to throw the switch at an earlier time to have it up and spinning by the time you got there in the song).

So I say, Get the Keyboard.

Play the Keyboard.

Every day.

Because at a certain point, the player must adapt to the keyboard as much as having the best keyboard you can find and afford at the time.


--Mac

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It may be that the instruments I have owned were the biggest single influence on the way I play.

My first trumpet was an Eb instrument, 5th down from the more familiar horn. I came to think of trumpet as an alto rather then a soprano instrument.

I always favored acoustic guitars over electric. Played with fairly heavy strings for tone and volume. I could slam the strings hard or caress them. I had a range of tones and volumes available that I exploited to get a great variety of sounds. Do not use bends very much. I came to beleive that anyone who played light gauge was wimping out.

My keyboards are all unweighted. While I enjoy the feel of a box piano, and respect those who can make one sing, I dont feel as though I am missing anything. I can use mine as piano, Rhodes, Hammond, vibes, string section and a whole lot more.

I dont get to call myself a 'piano player,' and I am OK with that. The fact that I can switch between percussive and sustained instrument sounds certainly has an effect on my touch and my attitude toward what I am doing. So far, I prefer the portability of my 73-key board over 88 keys

Hey. It is what it is...

If you've got arthritic fingers get an easy one. My right small finger is crooked as heck, the end is starting to point in quite a bit. That affects how much pressure before it hurts. My real piano gets less playing as a result, the keyboard more.

Plan to keep it ten years. Thing about those fingers. It won't get easier unless you are under 40 or so.

88 are nice, but it's hard to take with you. My wife has to have 88. Beats me. Too many years of classical lessons I guess.

I think there should be more 4 string guitars for people too. My father in law played only 4 string guitars, he had 10 or so he rebuilt and took off part of the neck and the two 'extra' strings.

Used to be more common 'says he'.