This looks like a great forum. I’ve already learned quite a bit by poking around.
I’m another newbie looking for some keyboard buying advice.
Purpose and situation:
Essential:
Questions (overlapping):
While I think have a basic understanding of how the terms “digital piano” vs. “synth” vs. “arranger/workstation” get used, there seems to be an awful lot of overlap. There’s the stripped-down “digital piano” (e.g. the Yamaha P 115, using sampled sound) but then there’s piano+bells and whistles under the “portable grand” category with (Yamaha DGX 660) and 88-key synthesizers, too (Yamaha MX88) Confusing. (I’ve been looking at Yamaha, primarily, but have no allegiance.)
I’m another newbie looking for some keyboard buying advice.
Purpose and situation:
- 1 adult beginner (with a little "by ear" guitar experience) + 1 adult intermediate (with music training years ago, mostly violin, a little piano)
- Strictly amateur home hobby use; no gigging. (Portability not an issue.)
- Recently introduced to hands-on experience with DAWs and their (awesome!) capabilities, using a little Akai MPK-mini controller.
- This is a long-desired, upcoming-retirement splurge. Though getting to this late in life, we’re serious (“someday when I have the time….”) and want something that will accommodate growth. This will likely be our only purchase; we don’t want to have to upgrade in just a couple of years.
- Eclectic music tastes; not so much pop or hip hop but almost everything else including blues, folk, country, rock, EDM, “world,” new agey stuff, ambient, classical…
- Budget is a little flexible but given my total beginner status, I have a hard time justifying spending more than $1000 or so (knowing some “extras” will add to that total). Looking for the best “bang for my buck.”
Essential:
- Good “piano-like” experience
- Physically: 88 keys, weighted
- Aurally: Good-quality piano sound
- Versatility: at least a few voices
- Connectivity: Ability to interface easily with a DAW (I have Studio One) for some a basic music production (for fun)
- Record/clean up live keyboard performance recordings
- Mix/arrange MIDI tracks with audio recordings (guitar)
- Add tracks/VST voices/effects,
- Create more ambient soundscape stuff.
- Export for playback just for fun.
Questions (overlapping):
While I think have a basic understanding of how the terms “digital piano” vs. “synth” vs. “arranger/workstation” get used, there seems to be an awful lot of overlap. There’s the stripped-down “digital piano” (e.g. the Yamaha P 115, using sampled sound) but then there’s piano+bells and whistles under the “portable grand” category with (Yamaha DGX 660) and 88-key synthesizers, too (Yamaha MX88) Confusing. (I’ve been looking at Yamaha, primarily, but have no allegiance.)
- Do my wants seem to suggest focusing on one category more than the others? Why? (Is it as simple as "digital pianos have higher-quality sound samples vs. synthesizers have versatility" as I read in some places?)
- Can I pipe DAW-based voices through the speakers of a digital piano?
- Would I be better off spending my money on a quality digital piano leaving all the digital extras (many voices, multitrack stuff, etc) for the computer, rather than the onboard keyboard? Or are there distinct advantages to having some of those abilities “on board”? (Lag issues?)
- Can “on-board” voices be updated? Can new ones be added? (I keep seeing mention that Yamaha voices are getting "dated" etc.)