Midi Keyboard/Standard Keyboard Recommendations - Quality Feel

[datom]

Hi,

I'm finally looking to purchase a new keyboard - I've not really done much in the realms of playing keyboard in many years but would like to take it back up.

Looking for some recommendations in terms of models, brands etc. I've got an Oxygen 25 which is good but not the best for playing anything more than simple chords, plus it feels cheap and plasticy.

If there's a larger keyboard which has capabilities of connecting my laptop, but also can be played without (if possible but not essential if quality is better) and has a weighted key feel, that would be amazing - budget wise I'm trying to stay around £150-250 max.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Thanks

 

[Biggles]

One criteria you mention is for it to be played without it being connected to your laptop.

This rules out a MIDI keyboard controller.

Your other requirement of a weighted key feel rules out most other keyboards as a weighted keyboard limits it to a digital piano.

Look out for a second hand digital piano that is MIDI compliant and can be connected via a USB cable to your laptop yet can be played in standalone mode using the inbuilt sounds and speakers.

Alternately a Yamaha NP12 will give you a digital piano with connectivity and if you also have an iPad or iPhone it will connect up to it.

Other new Yamaha keyboards like a PSR E363 is within budget, it has onboard sounds and connectivity all be it possibly with limitations.

 

[datom]

Thanks Biggles for the reply!

Would it make any difference if the keyboard did need a computer to play? In other words if it we're to be a MIDI controller rather than a piano?

One of the big things is the feel of the keyboard/keys - I've come across some cheap plastic feeling keys that don't play well, so I'd like to purchase something that will tick this box on the quality front.

Thanks

 

[Biggles]

There are a few MIDI keyboard controllers that may suit your requirements.

I have tried quite a few MIDI keyboards and even bought and sold a few trying to get one that feels good to play I have to say that I struggled to find one that suits myself, hence my suggestions in my prior post.

BTW, I only will only suggest those with 61 keys as a minimum since anything less will be a bit cramped to play.

The best feel keyboard that I tried was a Roland A800 @ £245

Others to consider:-

Studio logic SL73 @ £300

Notation Impulse 61 @ £250

Nectar Impact @ £255

I got the prices from Bonner’s, you may well find better deals with more searching.

Given the Covid problems if you are buying soon do check out returns policies as they do vary a lot. If you do wait until stores are open to test the keyboards then again checkout in store buying v online as there is often quite a difference in returns policies.

 

[datom]

Thanks again for the list Biggles! I've been through all the products and they all look promising. I think from a bit more research I've found that I'm probably looking for a digital piano, as semi-weighted keys seem to be more common on keyboards/controllers. Also I've noticed most of the options have pads and effects dials which are great but probably not needed (maybe in the future). The Studio Logic 73 does look pretty good in terms of spec and build quality, would you recommend such a unit?

The main reason I initially went for a non MIDI controller keyboard to start with was because in the past I've experience lag between hitting the key and hearing the sound on my computer speakers. I don't know if this was due to the controller or not (my computer setup is pretty decent) but having built in sounds would have solved that issue. But the market seems to be geared towards controller based pianos/keyboards having the lead, with more flexibility and better built quality.

 

[Biggles]

My experience of Studiologic gear is just online reviews, I have not had any chance of trying any in any store which is one of the reasons I suggested being careful with returns policies.

A DP can be a good choice especially if you want hammer action.

I would not say that the market is biased towards Controllers, more the opposite. There have been a lot of new workstations and synths in the last couple of years. New Digital Pianos from Roland and Korg.

Inbuilt sounds are not just single samples but multiple samples that operate dependent upon the velocity and aftertouch sensors hence the quality of onboard sounds and the nuances that can be introduced are of better quality than from a software based controller and PC/Mac.

That said my Yamaha P121 digital piano interacts well with the apps on my iPad.

 

[datom]

I've managed to come to the conclusion of buying the StudioLogic SL model, based on reviews and video footage (as I can't physically try one at the moment). However a bit of a question - should I go for the 73 or 88 key model?

Biggles, you mentioned to go 61 keys or higher, is there much difference in what can be played between the SL73 and SL88?

Thanks!

 

[happyrat1]

You can play pretty much anything on 73 keys except for a few classical pieces that use the lowest octave.

However, that said, there's a significant difference between the feel of 88 Hammer Action Weighted keys and Semi Weighted Synth Action Keys.

If you're trying to play piano pieces then 88 Hammer Action is proper and better for expression.

If you're playing mostly synth and organ pieces then synth action is quicker and easier on the fingers.

Whichever one you pick, you will rapidly adjust to the feel of the keyboard and it will become your preferred style of playing.

Personally once I went from synth action to hammer action I never looked back. Synth keys feel cheap and rattlely to me now.

Gary

 

[Biggles]

Both the 73 and the 88 have what are termed Fatar keys, and they do tend to offer a lot of comment as to the action.

Some like them others do not.

I will leave it to others with more experience of Fatar keyboards than I to comment further.

On keyboards that I have played with the Fatar action I like the feel, if I remember correctly it is not like a full hammer action it has a more lighter feel.

As for 73 or 88, if you have the room then the 88 would be my suggestion, and even then the 88 only weights 14kg to the 73 which is 12 kg.

 

[happyrat1]

I haven't looked at the specs, but each one probably has a different Fatar keybed.

Fatar is the company that owns Studiologic and they also sell keybeds to dozens of keyboard manufacturers including Korg, Roland and Yamaha.

It's hard to generalize any quirks between models when these units are so varied and ubiquitous.

I believe the keybed in my Kurzweil PC3K8 is a Fatar TP40 and being the first 88 keybed I learned on I have to say that I really like it.

It also has a reputation as being a nice compromise between Piano Action and Organ Action in the community.

I find it very playable.

Gary

 

[anotherscott]

Yes, Fatar is a manufacturer, and they make many models of actions, weighted/hammer, unweighted, and semiweighted. You'll find Fatar actions in all the Nords, many Kurzweils, occasional Rolands and Korgs, among others.

SL73 and SL88 are both Fatar hammer actions. The SL88 uses one of their TP40 variants. The SL73 uses their TP100, which allows light travel weight, but does not feel as good as their TP40 series.

Besides the better feeling action of this particular 88, in general, the advantages of 88 keys are that they cover the full scope of what can be played on an 88 key real piano (which is not just about classical pieces... and improv can use anything!), and also, you have more real estate for splits.

 

[802flier]

Hi,

I'm finally looking to purchase a new keyboard - I've not really done much in the realms of playing keyboard in many years but would like to take it back up.

Looking for some recommendations in terms of models, brands etc. I've got an Oxygen 25 which is good but not the best for playing anything more than simple chords, plus it feels cheap and plasticy.

If there's a larger keyboard which has capabilities of connecting my laptop, but also can be played without (if possible but not essential if quality is better) and has a weighted key feel, that would be amazing - budget wise I'm trying to stay around £150-250 max.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Thanks

Greetings,
In the 70’s and early 80’s I played a fender Rhodes as my primary piano and got tired of broken nails and bleeding fingers. So I switched to synth action for many years, mostly Roland gear, with an X-P 60 as my primary piano. My rig is typically now a Motif es-7, the X-P 60, korg n364, roland w-30, and Yamaha Mx-88. a couple of years ago I bought a Roland rd2000, but kept it only a week (too darn heavy) before trading it for the Mx-88. I still go to the X-P 60 for piano sound but the weighted keyboard on the mx is pretty good (even progressively lighter on the higher end). It weighs 30 lbs -17 less than the rd2000 and at $1200 and change, $2600 less cash, and it carries a good whack of motif sounds. In Canada the SL73 runs about $1800.

 

[DavidS]

When you are trying out keyboards it's important to try out the black keys. Often the key length is short which means that the black keys require a disproportionate effort when playing chords. On a piano the keys are longer and this evens out any difference in touch. That's how I see it, anyway.
Just in case the touch is of overall importance to you I would try out the casio digital pianos, which incorporate a full piano action manufactured by Bechstein and marrying that up with digital technology. I don't think it will be within your price range lol, but perhaps if music is that important to you you wilI redefine your priorities.
I suggest you get a bigger keyboard, 73 key minimum, rather than 61. I made a big mistake buying a moxf6 a few years back, I kept falling off the end. The sounds were fantastic and I liked the semiweighting, but I should have gone for the f8 (I didn't try the f8 fully weighted action, though). Now I use a semiweighted PA4X which is 73 keys. It suits me, and in the end that's what's important.

 

[datom]

Thanks guys for your input. In the end I went about purchased a Studiologic SL88 from DV247.

It was delivered around 4 days after purchase - I went against the grain after all the bad comments posted online about them and their delivery delays, in the end it paid off.

For approx £340, the keyboard has the quality and feel of an actual piano, with a FATAR TP100 weighted hammer action key bed its the bee's knees.

There is a slight amount of delay when hitting the keys to when the sound is produced on my laptop, but this may be a processing issue.

If you're starting off learning to play, try Playground Sessions - I found it by fluke chance, it fairly easy to follow and not too badly priced.

 

[Biggles]

Good to know that you are sorted.

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