New to keyboards

[GeorgeNidri]

I have been playing the piano for a long time. The issue is that I can't play because whenever I play I am disturbing someone. So, I thought it would be a good consideration to get a keyboard so I can plug in my headphones and be the only one listening. But I have played on a keyboard and the keys seem too soft to press and as I am used to playing the piano it feels really wrong.


I know next to nothing about keyboards, so I would like to know if I could get a keyboard that mimics the feeling of a piano and if so can I get any solid choices? Also I am wondering if I could use other sounds from let's say my pc.

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Yes, you can get electronic keyboards that have weighted keys which feel more like a piano's keys. Are there any music stores in your area where you could try out some of the available digital pianos or other portable keyboards with weighted or semi-weighted keys, so you can see which ones feel best to you?

 

[happyrat1]

Take a look at the Casio Privia PX series of electronic pianos.

They have fully weighted, graded hammer action so they'll feel pretty much like a real piano to you.

And yes, any keyboard with MIDI Ports or a USB Port can connect to your computer and act as a controller for a soft synth on your computer.

One model I'd highly recommend is the Casio Privia PX-5S stage piano if you are looking to explore a wide range of sampled and synth sounds.

Gary

 

[CowboyNQ]

George, pretty much every 88-key keyboard will have a weighted action designed to simulate the feel of an acoustic piano.

From there it's a matter of testing as many out as you can to get an action that feels nice to you. As you know, pianos vary greatly from model to model, and the action of a vertical is different to that of a grand. Electronic keyboards are no different, with weighted actions varying significantly between models.

 

[GeorgeNidri]

Thanks for the replies, unfortunately it's not very easy for me to go to a music store but I guess it's not that big of a deal to go there for a day and test keyboards. So, I am asking for 88 key keyboards with weighted keys? As for the sounds, I don't care for more than a good piano sound, but as I can use sounds for the computer, the keyboard can have a bad sound and I can still make it play good sounds that are on the computer, right? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Ohh, another thing, can I use a sustain pedal?

Also, I checked some free soft synths to see the interface and all that stuff but all I got was a .dll file in a zip folder. I got very confused.

 

[happyrat1]

You can find cheaper than the PX-5S and you can find lots more expensive.

You'd probably be OK with any stage piano, such as a Korg or Yamaha. All have at least a sustain pedal input. Most, but not all will also have sostenudo and damper or half damper as well.

I'd seriously suggest googling "Stage Piano" and start looking around at specifications.

BTW, what's your intended budget for this?

Gary

 

[GeorgeNidri]

Thanks for the reply,
I don't plan on spending over 600$.

Plus, I checked out some freeware for soft synths to see how it is and whatever I found gave me a .dll file and I guess I'm supposed to use that as a kind of plugin but I don't know for what, can you help me on that?

 

[happyrat1]

For $600 I'd suggest checking out the used market on Craigslist or Ebay for a gently used professional stage piano. Typically as soon as they leave the showroom they lose 25%-35% in value.

As for using VSTs. Google is your friend.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec00/articles/vst.asp

Gary

 

[GeorgeNidri]

So, I looked a bit around and I found the Yamaha P-35B which had a low price and had 88 keys, weighted keys, etc.

And on ebay I found these:
ebay,com/itm/Kurzweil-SP-76-Digital-Stage-Piano-/191548910349?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c99346b0d
ebay,com/itm/Casio-CDP230R-Digital-Portable-Stage-Piano-88-Weighted-Keys-USB-SD-card-Sampling-/111629514845?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item19fda3385d

Update: I found this(Casio Privia PX-130) on amazon and it seemed better than the first one (Yamaha P-35B) for a similar price.

Opinion?

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Most VST plugin instruments are packaged as DLL ("dynamic-link library") files, which can't be used by themselves-- i.e., you can't just double-click on them and run them; they need to be called by other programs.

DLLs are used for many other things besides virtual musical instruments, so when it comes to "installing" them-- which may be as simple as just saving or moving the DLL and any other associated files (e.g., a readme.txt file and/or a folder containing "preset patches") to some location on your computer-- it's a good idea to keep all of your VST stuff segregated from other DLL files. If you plan on ever using a DAW or other VST host, it will be easier to "import" the plugins into your DAW if you've saved ("installed") your VST plugins in a folder named "VST Plugins," or something like that, with subfolders for different types of plugins (i.e., instruments versus effects), and subfolders within those for each of the plugins-- but the exact organization is up to you, so don't feel like you need to do it as I've described.

Also, VST plugins can be 32-bit or 64-bit. Generally speaking, a 32-bit plugin must be used with a 32-bit DAW, and a 64-bit plugin must be used with a 64-bit DAW-- unless the DAW has a "bridge" that lets it run plugins of the other type, or if not then you can also get such a bridge free on the internet. Of course, you can't even use 64-bit stuff unless your computer is 64-bit, so that's something else to keep in mind. However, the point is that you'll probably want to also segregate your VST plugins by whether they're 32-bit or 64-bit. On a 64-bit Windows computer the 64-bit programs are usually installed in the "Program Files" folder, whereas the 32-bit programs are usually installed in the "Program Files (x86)" folder, so one suggested organizational hierarchy might be something like the following:

C:\Program Files\VST Plugins (64-bit)\Instruments\Instrument 1\
C:\Program Files\VST Plugins (64-bit)\Instruments\Instrument 2\
C:\Program Files\VST Plugins (64-bit)\Instruments\Instrument 3\
etc.
C:\Program Files\VST Plugins (64-bit)\Effects\Effect 1\
C:\Program Files\VST Plugins (64-bit)\Effects\Effect 2\
C:\Program Files\VST Plugins (64-bit)\Effects\Effect 3\
etc.
C:\Program Files (x86)\VST Plugins (32-bit)\Instruments\Instrument 1\
C:\Program Files (x86)\VST Plugins (32-bit)\Instruments\Instrument 2\
C:\Program Files (x86)\VST Plugins (32-bit)\Instruments\Instrument 3\
etc.
C:\Program Files (x86)\VST Plugins (32-bit)\Effects\Effect 1\
C:\Program Files (x86)\VST Plugins (32-bit)\Effects\Effect 2\
C:\Program Files (x86)\VST Plugins (32-bit)\Effects\Effect 3\
etc.

Again, that's just an example of a suggested hierarchy of folders and subfolders, and you can certainly install VST plugins in whatever folders you wish, or whichever ones the installation programs want to use as their defaults (if the plugin comes with an installer, which might not be the case). In the examples given above, "Instrument 1" and "Effect 1," etc., are used in place of actual plugin names, so you wouldn't actual use those as the folder names.

Note that some soft synths and other virtual instrument plugins come with a program that lets you run them as "standalone" instruments-- i.e., you can use them outside of a DAW or other VST host. If you don't have a DAW and you want to run some VST by itself, but it doesn't come with the ability to run as a standalone program, you can use a program called SAVIHost ("Standalone VSTi Host") to turn any VST instrument DLL into a standalone instrument:

http://www.hermannseib.com/english/savihost.htm

 

[GeorgeNidri]

I have worked that out eventually, but thanks anyway!