Novice back for more advice (please)

[k10]

Hi,

Its time for one of those ‘how long is your favourite bit of string’ questions.

I have been bashing away at some simple tunes and getting great personal pleasure from doing so. This would not have been possible without the help of this site and headphones.

The keyboards I’ve used are all under £150 new and behave accordingly. I’m getting particularly annoyed by the electronic squeaking at the end of the samples (on ‘key-up’) from my Casios at higher volume.

Recently I abused a FP30. The noise was better than I needed but I am considering one. Before I bend for the salesman – what else should I be listening to sub £500? Should I be looking for a sound module instead of a full Keyboard?

It seems a cheap key bed is good enough for me but I want (not need) a nicer sound. I want a pseudo stereo wide clean piano sound and possibly some dirty electric organ blasts. Not expecting authenticity, not trying to fool myself that I’m playing an analogue instrument – just trying to reduce the plink-plonk value of my bashing. Appreciating that most of the sound fault is my finger action – I’m hoping to smooth things out with a nicer sample as the results are much faster than training my fingers to move appropriately.

I am not asking for an absolute recommendation – just suggestions of keyboards/sound modules (from the >£150 & <£700 range) I should listen to (before speaking to a salesman).

I am happyish with the feel of the cheap keyboards. And find the synthy keys easier for my slow moving fingers but don’t see why I shouldn’t move to weighted if they are no heavier than the FP30.

Thanks in advance but please know this is just for my pleasure – no one and nothing else – more playing with myself in the corner than ‘satisfying an expensive instrument’.

k

 

[k10]

Now resolved - thank you Google & youtube.

Typing it out here made things clearer in my little brain.

Time to expose myself to the salesman (flesh crawling at the thought of it).

Would have deleted the original post but left it too late.

K

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Hello, K! You sound like me, just in it for the personal pleasure and not wanting (daring?) to play for anyone else's ears.

I'm glad you figured out what you were looking for.

 

[Becky]

Would have deleted the original post but left it too late.

You never know when your post might be useful to another member in the same position, so I'm glad you didn't delete it

Which keyboard did you go for in the end?

 

[k10]

Hi Ssg,

Yes, definitely not daring to let anyone hear my real time efforts. I’m not a performer (would be more like an exhibitionist - including the risk of arrest).

Hi Becky,

I haven’t chosen yet, just listened to lots of youtube examples. Sample rate incompatibilities seem to have caused some odd additions to some of the videos? Still going to need wav files from suppliers or to hear one in a shop.

The FP30 felt good and sounded right (to my simple mind and uneducated ears) but I really fancy something with more synth options. I mean something that can be made to ‘sound like’ <name a famous keyboard part from any song in the last 20 years>. It may be an illusion but it seems much easier (and more satisfying) to bash out a rough approximation of a tune when the tone is similar to the original.

I might need to double or treble my budget if I’m buying new.

Now also not sure if I want an arranger or a synth. My lack of physical skill would suggest an arranger but I might get better value using a synth and software?

I’m just learning the differences at the moment. I want to try the higher end of the range I’m looking at before committing. Currently looking for somewhere in the UK (near Bath) where I can see the Kawai range – I’m planning to see a Phantom this weekend.

Whilst these things are certainly overkill for me – it looks like I can sell them on (with an acceptable level of loss) if it all turns out to be a horrible mistake.

Thanks for your interest and happy to hear any advice you (or anyone else) may have.

Thanks all,

K