Tell me what kind of piano or keyboard I should buy

Hi people! I've had an old, reasonably cheap keyboard that I've been playing on and off for about three years. In this last year I've taken learning to play more seriously and have recently decided on getting a new keyboard/electronic piano.

The biggest problem is the one I have now only has 61 keys, which is really frustrating me because there's some songs I can't play. Some suggestions for what brands or ... really, anything you can think of, especially concerning value-for-money, would be ball-tearingly helpful. Some notes:

- I'm willing to spend around $1,500 Aud.
- I'd like something with 88 keys and a sustain pedal, like an actual piano.
- Obviously I want this to be an investment that will last for ages.
- Having MIDI input and output capabilities is a must (for band stuff..)

That's all I can think of for now. I'm a bit of an idiot so if I haven't made anything clear or you just have questions, ask me.
Thanks in advance for any help.

Personally, I own a Yamaha DGX-520. It's a combination between piano and keyboard, complete with sustain pedal. It has all the options that a keyboard has, yet a much better piano sound and much more realistic touch.

It think you're looking for something like this ;) Visit some music-shops near you and ask a few people (pianoteachers and the like) about it!

If you don't need it to make sound itself and you're just using midi as a controller for stuff on your computer/other synths, then I would very highly recommend the M-Audio keystation 88 pro. It's hammer action for a realistic feel, has lots of assignable knobs and faders, and you can buy a sustain pedal for it for about $20. Plus it's fairly portable coming it at only 40lbs. Runs for about $400US if I'm not mistaken.

If you're looking for a nice piano sound built into it, then you're looking at a lot more money for something nice and I would recommend whatever the latest clavinova model is. Do NOT buy the Korg equivelent of the Clavinova as it is a piece of junk. This route is much less portable, though. I highly recommend the controller -> computer/synth route. If you really need a nice piano sound you can buy Native Instrument's Akoustik Piano, which sounds amazing as a soft synth. Works great for gigs, but you'll also have to buy some sort of audio interface, otherwise you'll be dealing with audio latency. For that I would recommend the Apogee Duet. Incredible sound quality for the price, and completely dependable.

Let's look at prices:
M-Audio Keystation 88 pro - $400
Pedal - $20
Stand - $20
Cables - $20-$40 for patch cords and midi cords

Native Instruments Akoustik Piano - $200

Apogee Duet - $500

so the whole setup would cost around $1200 and would last you at least ten years. This is my prefered setup.

Thanks for the responses guys.

TLS, I like the sound of that e-piano. Generally I'm told Yamaha instruments are a good investment. The keyboard I have now is a Yamaha one, it's it's pretty good, apart from the lack of keys and stuff, but it was cheap. I looked up the DGX-520 and some videos of it and it looks pretty cool, I'm not sure about how long this would last me though.

Artelis, I don't know that much about music hardware and software, so you've really helped shed some light there. I'm not entirely sure the M-Audio keystation is what I want because it's something I haven't thought about enough yet, but now that I've looked into it and seen some videos and stuff, I'll definitely ask around about it - or something similar.

I had a look at the Clavinova keyboards just then and they look and sound awesome. The price is what I'm worried about. I have a question though; what's so bad about Korg keyboards?

The preview I've seen for Native Instruments Akoustic Piano looks good as well, as does the Apogee Duet, but can they work with PCs, or are they just for Macs?

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Originally Posted by Delilah

Thanks for the responses guys.

TLS, I like the sound of that e-piano. Generally I'm told Yamaha instruments are a good investment. The keyboard I have now is a Yamaha one, it's it's pretty good, apart from the lack of keys and stuff, but it was cheap. I looked up the DGX-520 and some videos of it and it looks pretty cool, I'm not sure about how long this would last me though.

Artelis, I don't know that much about music hardware and software, so you've really helped shed some light there. I'm not entirely sure the M-Audio keystation is what I want because it's something I haven't thought about enough yet, but now that I've looked into it and seen some videos and stuff, I'll definitely ask around about it - or something similar.

I had a look at the Clavinova keyboards just then and they look and sound awesome. The price is what I'm worried about. I have a question though; what's so bad about Korg keyboards?

The preview I've seen for Native Instruments Akoustic Piano looks good as well, as does the Apogee Duet, but can they work with PCs, or are they just for Macs?

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They should both work fine on pc.

As for Korg keyboards, I only meant if you're getting the Clavinova rip off they have. My school has a bunch of them that are about 2 years old and the keys feel really fake and the built in speakers are shot to shit. I've had my clavinova for 10+ years, taken it to tons of gigs, and beaten it up quite a bit. It still sounds amazing through it's internal speakers or through a PA. Yamaha is solid.

If you do look into the M-Audio more, keep in mind that it produces NO sound by itself. Don't want you to end up surprised ;)

Haha, thanks for the heads up. I figured that was why I needed the software anyway, because there's no sound on its own. Amusingly, on one of the youtube videos I watched about it today, there's a comment with some guy saying "my one won't make any sounds!"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Delilah

Haha, thanks for the heads up. I figured that was why I needed the software anyway, because there's no sound on its own. Amusingly, on one of the youtube videos I watched about it today, there's a comment with some guy saying "my one won't make any sounds!"

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ahaha, poor guy.

you should get a moog analog keyboard. they sound so sick like very retro sounding.

Had a look at that Moog keyboard. Isn't really my style... and not nearly enough keys!

and monophonic.

And since they don't make analogue anymore, it would cost quiteeee a bit. Haha.