Looking to buy a keyboard Pls Help

[Fen]

Hi everyone, Im looking to buy a keyboard but I know nothing about them. Im going to go into a store in about a week, but I was wondering if anyone could help me with what I should be looking for (features, brands etc)

Im looking to spend max of about 1500 dollars. Ive been playing an extremely old keyboard till now, Im not very good, but I really want to get better and I think a keyboard that can play a note in tune would be a great start .

So would someone be able post some of the features that I should be looking for in this price range or even some models/brands that I should be looking at?

Thanks
-Fen

 

[elwoodblues1969]

Hello Fen,

I really don't know where to begin with regard to making suggestions,as your query is too generalized & very vague.

If you were to outline in detail,everything you want feature-wise to work with,I could then make suggestions on what brand & model & that would best suit your wants in your price range,such as;

Do you want a full performance keyboard with multi-track programming capablities & 88 weighted keys?

How many sound programs do you want?Do you want acoustic & synth sounds?

Do you want computer connectivity to edit,record & add more sound programs in the future?

Do you want an arranger,stage,workstation or a performance synth-or all of the above in one keyboard?

A $1500 budget is a good chunk of change to start with,so if you have an idea of what is useful to you & what you may find useful in the future-as to what you want to progress to,then I could throw out some sound suggestions.

My best piece of advice to you at this particular point,is to suggest to you that you should plan on spending most-if not all of that $1500,just so that you can get the best possible sound quality & features that you will be happy with for years to come.

Elwood

 

[Fen]

Thanks for the reply Elwoodblues.

The problem is that Ive been using a keyboard that is about 14 years old and has no features at all apart from some different sounds and the ability to record a minute of play. So Im not really aware of what keyboards are capable of today.

As for what I would like. The best sound quality I can get of course, 88 keys would be also be great (however Im currently on a 4 octave keyboard so 1 or 2 octaves more would probs be plenty if keyboards come in different sizes), pressure sensitive keys and pedals if possible also. I would like recording features so I can play stuff back and play over it. Computer options would also be awsome, but I dont need anything fancy, as Im not planning on recording anything for good. I just want to learn to play songs, not record, so it could be left out if it costs a lot.

The keyboard will be used only for private home use, and while Ill be using the piano setting most of the time, I wouldnt mind some cool sounds that I could play around with.

Hope that helps. I really dont know anything about keyboards so if im overlooking something important im sorry.

Thanks for the help
-Fen

 

[elwoodblues1969]

Fen,

There,that's more like it-now I can make some recommendations!

Actually,I have one in mind that I think will be all you will ever need,based on what you have told me.

The Korg TR-76 workstation keyboard.

This board will provide you with 512 onboard sounds(including acoustical instuments,synths & drum sounds),an effects processor to add effects to your sound programs & recordings such as reverb & chorus etc.,a 16 track sequencer which gives you the ability to make complete songs,computer connectivity,an SD card slot that accepts SD memory cards up to 1GB-which allows you to save everything you do on this keyboard and all this with sound quality at a level of 48kHz(which is higher than cd quality i.e. 44.1kHz)

The Korg TR-76 note keyboard is $1299 & the 88 key is $1599(however though,Korg is offering a manufacturer's rebate of $100 on either size keyboard)-and the offer for the rebate is valid until December 31st of this year.

Here's a link that has a detailed description,as well as a couple of audio demos:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TR76/

In my opinion & based on my experiences,I think this is your absolute best option for what your looking for.

Enjoy,

Elwood

 

[Skot]

I would personally go with the 88 key TR if you are going to be playing piano mostly. I believe the 88 has an extra set of grand piano programs, which is worth it because a lot of the korg tr piano sounds suck (I hear the 88 key ones are legit though).

If you just want a piano, get a yamaha CP-33. Best weighted, full range stage piano for the price. It looks like you might want more features, but im just throwin it out there.