Has anyone heard or played one of these? The demo sounds pretty decent for the price range, but there isn't a dealer near me where I can check them out.
Any opinions on the Prokeys Sono 88?
- Thread starter b3maniac
- Start date
My guess is it's the 88sx with a few extra bells and whistles, like the GM set.
Hi there, I recently had to return my faulty Yamaha P70 (88-note piano) to the dealer I got it from and, due to that line being discontinued, opted for the prokeys 88 offered.
This, however, was not in stock so one was ordered especially for me.
On receipt I wished I'd not been so hasty.
I'm assuming this close relative has the same action, so here are my thoughts.
Whilst I would say the sounds are good, but not outstanding, the action
disappointed me. I found it a bit 'clonky', if that makes any sense!
I am a piano tuner-technician by trade, so have experienced literally thousands of (real piano) keyboards over the years and, putting it simply,
it is entirely a matter of personal preference as to which suits you best.
My advice would be DO NOT make any comittment to buy ANY instrument until you have tried it for yourself.
It could be an expensive mistake!
This, however, was not in stock so one was ordered especially for me.
On receipt I wished I'd not been so hasty.
I'm assuming this close relative has the same action, so here are my thoughts.
Whilst I would say the sounds are good, but not outstanding, the action
disappointed me. I found it a bit 'clonky', if that makes any sense!
I am a piano tuner-technician by trade, so have experienced literally thousands of (real piano) keyboards over the years and, putting it simply,
it is entirely a matter of personal preference as to which suits you best.
My advice would be DO NOT make any comittment to buy ANY instrument until you have tried it for yourself.
It could be an expensive mistake!
Thanks for the input jpscoey. I agree it is best to play and hear
any instrument before buying. I was wondering if it was worth
trying to find a dealer in another town just to play and hear the Sono.
I think the cost of the Sono might be better applied to buying
a good used Motif ES rack.
any instrument before buying. I was wondering if it was worth
trying to find a dealer in another town just to play and hear the Sono.
I think the cost of the Sono might be better applied to buying
a good used Motif ES rack.
Can you clarify what exactly you are wanting from this keyboard?
M-Audio keyboards have traditionally been 'master' keyboards for MIDI control -
it's only recently that they've put 'sounds' into them.
Is it the keyboard alone that you want, or the voice bank?
On either count I would suggest you look elsewhere - the keyboard 'action' is nothing to write home about & the sounds fall well short of other stuff you could buy.
Motif rack is not a bad idea.
You could also consider any other MIDI compatable keyboard (most are these days, of course) if it's the feel of the action you require.
M-Audio keyboards have traditionally been 'master' keyboards for MIDI control -
it's only recently that they've put 'sounds' into them.
Is it the keyboard alone that you want, or the voice bank?
On either count I would suggest you look elsewhere - the keyboard 'action' is nothing to write home about & the sounds fall well short of other stuff you could buy.
Motif rack is not a bad idea.
You could also consider any other MIDI compatable keyboard (most are these days, of course) if it's the feel of the action you require.
I was considering buying a light weight keyboard with sounds that I could use
for my own amusement or an occasional gig. I have other keyboards to cover
recording and/or controller functions, but something light weight that is
easily carried and set-up is an appealing thought (provided the action and sounds
are decent.) But, when considering spending $400 for the Sono 88 versus $600 for
a used Motif ES rack, then the Motif sounds would win out.
for my own amusement or an occasional gig. I have other keyboards to cover
recording and/or controller functions, but something light weight that is
easily carried and set-up is an appealing thought (provided the action and sounds
are decent.) But, when considering spending $400 for the Sono 88 versus $600 for
a used Motif ES rack, then the Motif sounds would win out.
I understand where you're coming from, but you've still not made it clear
exactly what your main aim is?
You could buy any old keyboard for 'sounds' or indeed a rack (take your pick here!)
But what I'm trying to understand is the importance to you of the 'feel' of the keys.
As a long-time player of acoustic pianos (if you don't know already I'm a piano tuner)
the 'touch' is a major issue when it comes to playability.
If you have your voice bank in place ie: rack, then I would definitely go for a keyboard that suits your requirements in the 'touch' department.
By this I mean things like
1: size of keyboard - 88 note, 76 note or 61 note? (the usual options)
2: weighted or synth-type keys? weighted keyboards come at a price - they usually tend to be heavier than their counterpart models. (I mean the overall weight of the instrument)
3: Is expression an issue? some keyboards are 'press & play' whereas others offer such things as velocity sensitivity (the note sounds louder the harder you hit the key) and aftertouch - when you're holding the key down you can press a little bit firmer & modulation (ie:effects such as vibrato/tremelo etc) will become active.
A confusing thing maybe, but if you address your requirements then the choices should start to narrow down.
exactly what your main aim is?
You could buy any old keyboard for 'sounds' or indeed a rack (take your pick here!)
But what I'm trying to understand is the importance to you of the 'feel' of the keys.
As a long-time player of acoustic pianos (if you don't know already I'm a piano tuner)
the 'touch' is a major issue when it comes to playability.
If you have your voice bank in place ie: rack, then I would definitely go for a keyboard that suits your requirements in the 'touch' department.
By this I mean things like
1: size of keyboard - 88 note, 76 note or 61 note? (the usual options)
2: weighted or synth-type keys? weighted keyboards come at a price - they usually tend to be heavier than their counterpart models. (I mean the overall weight of the instrument)
3: Is expression an issue? some keyboards are 'press & play' whereas others offer such things as velocity sensitivity (the note sounds louder the harder you hit the key) and aftertouch - when you're holding the key down you can press a little bit firmer & modulation (ie:effects such as vibrato/tremelo etc) will become active.
A confusing thing maybe, but if you address your requirements then the choices should start to narrow down.
Thanks for the input JP. Mostly I'm looking for something light weight that has (at least) "good" sounds. I play synth/organ and piano, so I can play a light action or weighted keys without feeling uncomfortable on either. Weight/portability and sound quality are the prime considerations. Ergo the thought on a used MOtif ES rack that I might play via one of my light weight studio controllers. I have some keyboards with weighted action and decent sounds, but those are all heavy. A Yamaha MM6 is only 11 pounds.....
Ok, I think I'm getting a clearer picture now.
In the past I have used a Korg Triton Le61 for the type of purpose you seem to require.
It's light weight & wide array of sounds and features make it ideal for just tucking under your
arm & away you go!
Something that has been an issue on occasions, though, is the size of the keyboard.
Octave shifting while amusing yourself at home isn't too much of a problem, but in a live
(or indeed rehearsal) situation can prove to be one of those niggles that leads to frustration,
not only for yourself, but to others aswell - when you suddenly realise you've run out of keys
and have to pause/re-start to get the 'board in the correct 'range'.
You began by asking about an 88-note keyboard, so the jump down to 61-note (ie: MM6) is not something I'd recommend.
I would suggest at least 76-note to ensure that little more 'elbow room'.
Yamaha's MM-series is only available in 61 or 88-note versions (88-note weighs
a lofty 34.4lbs / 15.6 kilos) and does not have aftertouch.
Have a look at Korg TR-76 (the successor to the Le) www.korg.com/TR... it's keyboard is
velocity sensitive and has aftertouch and it comes in at only 20lbs / 9 kilos.
It's a cracking keyboard for the money.
I don't have anything bad to say about Korg & as the TR has reached the end of it's
production run you can pick them up for a good price, especially on the second-hand market.
Good luck & let me know how you go on, yeh?
In the past I have used a Korg Triton Le61 for the type of purpose you seem to require.
It's light weight & wide array of sounds and features make it ideal for just tucking under your
arm & away you go!
Something that has been an issue on occasions, though, is the size of the keyboard.
Octave shifting while amusing yourself at home isn't too much of a problem, but in a live
(or indeed rehearsal) situation can prove to be one of those niggles that leads to frustration,
not only for yourself, but to others aswell - when you suddenly realise you've run out of keys
and have to pause/re-start to get the 'board in the correct 'range'.
You began by asking about an 88-note keyboard, so the jump down to 61-note (ie: MM6) is not something I'd recommend.
I would suggest at least 76-note to ensure that little more 'elbow room'.
Yamaha's MM-series is only available in 61 or 88-note versions (88-note weighs
a lofty 34.4lbs / 15.6 kilos) and does not have aftertouch.
Have a look at Korg TR-76 (the successor to the Le) www.korg.com/TR... it's keyboard is
velocity sensitive and has aftertouch and it comes in at only 20lbs / 9 kilos.
It's a cracking keyboard for the money.
I don't have anything bad to say about Korg & as the TR has reached the end of it's
production run you can pick them up for a good price, especially on the second-hand market.
Good luck & let me know how you go on, yeh?