What kind of "keyboard" am I looking for?

[SeaGtGruff]

Neutron,

If you're planning to use the keyboard with virtual instruments on a computer, I should think that the quality and quantity of its built-in sounds aren't going to be as critical-- although if you'd also like to play it by itself as a piano, you'll want it to have at least a semi-decent piano sound. What I'm getting at is that the feel and action of the keyboard may end up being more important of a consideration than the built-in sounds.

Anyway, the P-45 looks like a good choice, but if you can find a good deal on a used P-115-- or even an older P-105-- that would be an even better choice. The P-45 uses the AWM sound engine, which is also what the DGX models use, whereas the P-115 and P-105 use the "Pure CF" sound engine. There's nothing wrong with the AWM sound engine-- that's what the ultra-expensive Tyros uses-- and there are some people who'll tell you that sampling is sampling, so terms like AWM and Pure CF are little more than marketing terms. But the Pure CF sound engine is what Yamaha uses for many of their more expensive digital pianos, and the quality and sound of the samples is (presumably) better than those on the P-45.

Fred,

I hesitated to call the DGX-6xx a cross between a digital piano and a portable keyboard, due to its weight, and I guess that Yamaha is starting to refer to their portable keyboards as digital keyboards anyway. My main reason for describing it that way is the number of voices. From what I've seen a digital piano frequently has only a dozen or so higher-quality voices, whereas a digital keyboard or portable keyboard or arranger workstation or whatever they want to call it will typically have several hundred voices. But none of that is set in stone, and you can readily find expensive digital pianos that have several hundred voices. So I guess the better way to distinguish between a digital piano and a digital keyboard is based on the number of keys, the type of keys, and the quality of the piano sound samples.

Gary,

I've wanted a Casio PX-5S ever since I first saw it online. If you ever buy one, ship it straight to my door!

 

[Neutron]

...

Okay so that was some really convincing arguments right there. Thank you very much for explaining everything so clear and in relation to what I actually need. As it is now, I think I might just go with this model. As a person who likes to mingle with computers, I wouldn't like to end up thinking the same thing about the drivers. I also have a black guitar, so maybe it's time to get a little counterweight on that

...

Perhaps I will get a stand later on, but for now I think I'll save as many bucks as I can My wooden desk will suite just fine for now.
Condolences for your loss. I can totally relate to the booting time though, it is pretty much the same thing with computers. Even though the boot time on my one laptop is only a few seconds or minutes more than another I have, I barely use the first mentioned, because it takes suuuch a long time, even if it just has to come back from sleep mode. I'm so impatient with such things Anyway, thanks for your advice and good luck with your playing.

 

[Neutron]

Neutron,

If you're planning to use the keyboard with virtual instruments on a computer, I should think that the quality and quantity of its built-in sounds aren't going to be as critical-- although if you'd also like to play it by itself as a piano, you'll want it to have at least a semi-decent piano sound. What I'm getting at is that the feel and action of the keyboard may end up being more important of a consideration than the built-in sounds.

Anyway, the P-45 looks like a good choice, but if you can find a good deal on a used P-115-- or even an older P-105-- that would be an even better choice. The P-45 uses the AWM sound engine, which is also what the DGX models use, whereas the P-115 and P-105 use the "Pure CF" sound engine. There's nothing wrong with the AWM sound engine-- that's what the ultra-expensive Tyros uses-- and there are some people who'll tell you that sampling is sampling, so terms like AWM and Pure CF are little more than marketing terms. But the Pure CF sound engine is what Yamaha uses for many of their more expensive digital pianos, and the quality and sound of the samples is (presumably) better than those on the P-45.

I was thinking the same, however I'm starting to think I would probably be better off with a 600$ piano rather than a 500$, which may be a little too cheap to get a decent one. What is your opinion on the Casio PX-350?

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Neutron,

I have no experience with the PX-350, but it has some great 5-star user reviews online-- and (as so often the case) a few less-than-great reviews. A couple of the criticisms that I saw had to do with the sound decay time of the samples when playing long notes (which is a common gripe among pianists shopping for a digital piano), and key noise (according to one user, a bit of a "thump" sound when the key is released). But most reviewers gave it 5 stars and had glowing comments.

The very best advice that anyone can give you is to try playing a keyboard in a store if that's at all possible, because the only way to tell whether the key action and sound quality will be to your liking is to play it yourself before buying it. If that's not possible, then at least make sure you have the option to send it back to the seller for a full refund at no cost to you if you don't like it-- just don't drag your feet doing that, because they might have a limit on how long that guarantee is good for. And check to see what their "fine print" is, so you don't think you're covered and then you find out that you're not.

Gary,

Yamaha quietly(?) began making their keyboards MIDI class-compliant a few years ago. I recently learned that my PSR-E keyboards are class-compliant (although I haven't put that to the test yet), and they were released two and four years ago. On the other hand, my older YPT keyboard is not class-compliant.

 

[Rayblewit]

? I would have posted a link where the specs state that it does (in order to know if it was the right model), however this forum is a bit too paranoid for that.

Paranoid? me? him?
Maybe Fred ?
Nah . . Its just the goat and the rat !

 

[Neutron]

Thanks for the advice, Unfortunately the only place I can buy this model is on a webstore, and I just saw that the model was stated as "temporarily sold out" - I sure hope that doesn't mean there's none of them left for that price I guess I'll contact them tomorrow and see.

Paranoid? me? him?
Maybe Fred ?
Nah . . Its just the goat and the rat !

No, I guess the programmers who made it so that links are only allowed to be posted by users who've had likes on a comment and been here for at least two days, among other things I mean, I couldn't even get a link in by replacing both dots, slashes and the 3*W, because it was still detected as a "sneaky link". Just a bit too much, perhaps..

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Yes, I think the forum has a restriction on posting links until you've made a certain number of posts-- the idea is to prevent people from joining just so they can spam the forum with ads. If you've made 10 posts now then you may have passed the test, so you can always try again.

 

[Neutron]

Yes, I think the forum has a restriction on posting links until you've made a certain number of posts-- the idea is to prevent people from joining just so they can spam the forum with ads. If you've made 10 posts now then you may have passed the test, so you can always try again.

If it was just so easy

 

[Neutron]

Oh nevermind, I see that I must have misread. I need no likes in order to post a link, but I do need to wait one more day. I then find the rule justifiable

 

[Rayblewit]

No, I guess the programmers who made it so that links are only allowed to be posted by users who've had likes on a comment and been here for at least two days, among other things I mean, I couldn't even get a link in by replacing both dots, slashes and the 3*W, because it was still detected as a "sneaky link". Just a bit too much, perhaps..

Sorry mate! No offence intended . . just joking.
To tell the truth this thread has generated a lot of interest and I am learning stuff about digitals V workstations as we go along.
So to start the ball rolling for you, I just clicked on "Like" button.
Anyway best of luck in you final choice of KB
cheers

 

[Fred Coulter]

Paranoid? me? him?
Maybe Fred ?
Nah . . Its just the goat and the rat !

Why did you mention me? Is there something going on that I don't know about?

(I'm reading F. Paul Wilson's Secret History of the World books, so this may be coloring my views.)

 

[Neutron]

So they got another PX-350 apparently. I think I might just take a leap of faith and buy the piano and then find out at home if it's to my liking.
Anyway, could I get anyone to visit this link (which I'm finally able to post): http://www.soundsonline.com/SD3 and tell me if I am right in understanding that by buying the DVD-format and installing it not through the internet would save me half of the products price? Can this really be true, or am I seriously missing something? And if it is, how much do you think it'll cost me in shipment if it's to be shipped to Europe? Just an estimate, as I have no clue at all.

Sorry mate! No offence intended . . just joking.
To tell the truth this thread has generated a lot of interest and I am learning stuff about digitals V workstations as we go along.
So to start the ball rolling for you, I just clicked on "Like" button.
Anyway best of luck in you final choice of KB
cheers

No offense taken and thanks for the like even though I just misread I'm glad to hear, I am indeed learning a lot too!

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Holy cow, that's a switch! Usually they give you a discount for buying the download-only copy instead of the DVD copy, not the other way around. The only thing I can think is that they must have a lot of boxes of the DVD sitting around that they want to get rid of.

As for the shipping cost, I expect they should show you that when you add the item to your cart and check out-- usually the full cost (i.e., with shipping and handling and taxes added) is displayed before you pay with your credit card, so you can freak out and change your mind at the last second! Just kidding, it's so you'll know exactly what they're going to charge your card so you won't get angry when you see the statement, of course.

 

[Neutron]

I know, right? It seems so counter intuitive. I'm afraid that I'll just buy a CD and then I suddenly also have to buy an additional license key or something like that. Maybe I should contact them...

 

[Neutron]

With the PGX 350, do you know if I have to buy any additional cables? I guess I need a USB to USB, but how about a power cable or something like that?

 

[Fred Coulter]

With the PGX 350, do you know if I have to buy any additional cables? I guess I need a USB to USB, but how about a power cable or something like that?

Every keyboard I've bought includes the power cable.

I've bought keyboards that don't include printed manuals. I've bought keyboards that don't include pedals. I've bought keyboards that don't include USB cables, MIDI cables, or 1/4" cables. (Actually, this is what I got last week.) But everyone of them included a power cable.

 

[Neutron]

Alright, thanks again!

 

[SeaGtGruff]

The store you're buying it from should hopefully tell you in the online ad what's included. Yamaha usually does not include a power adapter in the box with the keyboard, at least not in the USA for their lower-end keyboard models, but in other countries the same models usually do have the power adapter included in the box. For this reason you often see online ads for Yamaha keyboards where the dealer includes (at additional cost) the "Survival Kit," a separate box that contains a power adapter, a cheap but usable sustain foot switch, a pair of cheap but comfortable headphones, an instructional DVD, an extended warranty, and coupons for various products and services related to Yamaha keyboards. On the other hand, I believe that Casio usually includes a power adapter in the box. So the dealer should be able to tell you.

As for the rest, the first thing I recommend is downloading the manual and the MIDI guide from Casio. You should get a paper copy of at least the manual, and possibly the MIDI guide, with the keyboard, but it's so much easier to search PDF documents for words and phrases than it is to flip through a printed manual. (Yes, there should be an index, but it might not have every little instance of every little term listed.)

You might want to get pedals-- see the manual for details about what to get. It looks like a foot switch (SP-3) comes with the keyboard, but a foot switch isn't a proper pedal, although it should serve you until you choose to get real pedals.

You might want to get a pair of headphones. Note that most keyboards have the larger (1/4") audio jacks for headphones and audio cables. See the manual for pertinent details.

If you plan on using the MIDI ports then you'll want to get a pair of MIDI cables. If you aren't going to use the MIDI ports for a while (or ever) then you don't need MIDI cables, but they're nice to have on hand.

As you said, you'll need a standard USB cable, often called a USB "printer" cable.

If you plan on recording the audio output of your keyboard, then you'll need a pair of audio cables. I assume these are the larger 1/4" size, and there are separate left and right jacks, so you'll want two 1/4" TS cables-- or, if the PX-350 can output balanced signals (I haven't checked), two 1/4" TRS cables.

If you're planning on connecting the audio straight to the computer, you'll need an adapter/splitter to go from two 1/4" TS (or if applicable TRS) jacks to a 1/8" TRS plug.

If you're planning on connecting the MIDI straight to the computer, you'll need a MIDI-to-USB adapter.

However, you might prefer instead to get an audio interface that has both MIDI ports and audio jacks. Unless you have some super-duper sound card inside your computer, an audio interface will have a better sound card inside, and will give you better sound quality.

 

[Neutron]

I will use the same term of expression as Mr. Gruff: Holy cow! I was literally one click away from spending 649.17$ on the keyboard, when I by pure accident stumbled upon a website which offered the same exact model - in black, mind you - for a mere 503.55$. I even checked pricerunner in advance where the website did not show up, yet it has 5 stars on trustpilot. What luck! Anyway, it's done now, and I'm very excited to try out the model when it arrives

 

[Fred Coulter]

Yamaha usually does not include a power adapter in the box with the keyboard, at least not in the USA for their lower-end keyboard models, but in other countries the same models usually do have the power adapter included in the box.

I've never run into that, and hope I never do. I'm not saying you're wrong, just that I've managed -- luckily -- to avoid this. Given the vast assortment of power cord sockets, doesn't this make it harder to turn on the keyboard? I remember buying a "universal" power supply from Radio Shack that had multiple voltages and multiple plugs included, and it didn't work for what I needed.

I'm very excited to try out the model when it arrives

Let us know how it works out for you. Include baby pictures.