Would like some guidance concerning LCD displays. Have read that it's important to get one that is backlit so it's easier to view for longer periods of times. Has anyone found this to be an important feature when choosing a keyboard? I'm a computer geek who used to play the piano in a prior life. So I thought at least weighted keys would be important. No plans beyond doodling at home with headphones on. Other things I thought were important: AC power supply + batteries and ability to transpose automatically. Although many seem to enjoy tons of voices and tracks and effects, those things don't interest me at this point. No plans to use my computer to manipulate what I play. Maybe 2-track sequencing? Price is big issue. Want to narrow down my choices so I can zero in on a used keyboard unless I find a great sale on line. Thanks in advance.
Would you consider yourself a pianist or a keyboard player? Are you planning to use different kinds of sounds or do you just want a good piano sound and nothing else? A back-lit display is really useful if you're going to be gigging in situations where you'll need to change sounds often, make minor adjustments based on the acoustics of the room, and so on. Playing at home, where you probably will get your settings right once and not look at the display again, I wouldn't consider a back-lit display to be essential.
no need for backlit display, I guess Thanks for the response, kathos. Guess I just need a good piano sound. I don't plan on any gigs. I'm my own best audience. The thing is -- if I have the toys, I might want to play with them (sounds, effects). Guess whatever I do, I'll never be in the dark needing to quickly change my settings, so there's no immediate need to be backlit, eh?
Yeah, I'd suggest buying the keyboard that suits your price range and current needs with some room for expansion, and if it has a backlight, great; if not, oh well.
If you're going to be performing, you ABSOLUTELY NEED it. You simply cannot do without it. If you're not, it's an added pleasure. However, sometimes it could even annoy you if you've turned down the lights to try and create some ambience either for yourself or maybe for some houseguests and the backlight sticks out and glares in your face.
Depends on how well you know the setup you've created and how well you know your own gear. The only thing I would *need* the backlight for when performing is to remind myself which song I'm playing next by looking at the name of the current preset on the display. I know my keyboards well enough to be confident that if I've set things up correctly, I can do the rest without looking at the display. Then again, I don't really tweak things much while playing; unless you standardize the functions assigned to the knobs, joystick, and such, tweaking might be a bit tricky. My Korg TR tells me what functions are assigned to the switches and knobs, so being able to read them back can be nice. Basically, there's no reason to go out of your way to *avoid* a backlit display, but depending on the type of performer you are and want to become, backlit displays may or may not be essential.
