Suggestions for a budget 88 key with an arpeggiator?

[Prizm]

I'm a beginner making my first purchase. I've been advised that I might as well get an 88 key to start with for various reasons. However, I'm also after a keyboard that has numerous synth sounds and an arpeggiator. It seems many of the cheaper 88 keys only have 5-10 tones which will get monotonous fast. I don't want to hook up extra hardware to add more voices.

The Casio CDP-220 / 230 was looking like an ideal buy, but then I heard a couple demos of it on YouTube and I was less impressed with the voices. Compared to other Yamahas I heard in a similar (and cheaper) price range, the Casio seemed to sound inferior.

Does anyone have any other suggestions that might fit my criteria?

thanks

 

[happyrat1]

Care to volunteer a number for max budget? If you can swing $925 you should consider the Casio PX-5S Stage Piano. Even so you'd still need to invest an extra $100 for a used amp and patch cable, but you'd have a professional quality instrument with tons of great synth sounds and something you couldn't possibly outgrow for decades to come.

Starting with the best doesn't always cost an arm and a leg.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...401144210&sr=8-1&keywords=px-5s&condition=new

 

[Prizm]

Thank you very much for your suggestion. It's hard to give a dollar amount because of the large price difference between countries. For instance, my first thought was the Yamaha e433 which goes for $250 in the US. Here in Australia it goes for $400.

The casio 220 is about $640 USD here and I really don't want to spend more. So l'd be looking at it or its competitors.

 

[happyrat1]

If ya want 88 keys and decent synth sounds your only real choices are the Yamaha DGX-640 or DGX-520 which are both inferior to the Casio PX-5S.

Otherwise anything with 88 keys under $500 will give you about 24 sounds tops.

 

[happyrat1]

BTW, a youtube video is a lousy way to judge the actual sound quality of an instrument. Those things aren't exactly studio grade recordings. My advice is to visit a few music shops and audition them there.

 

[Prizm]

Many aspects of the tone you can tell without pro quality sound. For instance, I could easily hear the loop point of certain string voices. There's other refined aspects you can pick up, like how a panpipe sounds when released or attacked.

Can you plug in external powered speakers into the PX-5 without having to mess with an amp?

 

[happyrat1]

Any good set of powered studio monitors will work well with the PX-5S.

If ya wanna spend the cash these ones will blow your socks off.

http://www.amazon.com/KRK-RP5G3-NA-...UTF8&qid=1401180775&sr=8-1&keywords=krk+rokit

If you're working on the cheap though, want to save a few bucks and only plan to use it in a home studio instead of on stage you can just as easily use a few adapter plugs and plug it directly into a set of 2.1 powered computer speakers or even a home stereo system with a simple set of TS to RCA cables.

http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-Cable-GPR101-Inch-Adaptor/dp/B000068O3S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401178675&sr=8-1&keywords=ts to RCA adapter

http://www.amazon.com/SANOXY®-Stereo-Female-Y-Cable-6-Inch/dp/B000I23TTE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401178976&sr=8-1&keywords=3.5 mm female to RCA male

http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-Cable-CPR203-Dual-Inch/dp/B000068O18/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1401178489&sr=8-4&keywords=ts to RCA cables

The outputs are standard line level outs so they're compatible and a good set of computer speakers or a good quality home stereo will also have the full frequency range and dynamic range that the keyboard requires for normal listening levels.

In fact, you could even plug the keyboard outputs directly into your home computer's soundcard and route the capture out to the computer's speakers with the proper cabling.

http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-CMP159-Stereo-Breakout-10-Feet/dp/B005HGM1D6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401179853&sr=8-1&keywords=3.5mm to ts

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

One other thought if your budget is tight. Check your local Craigslist for the used market and you may find something decent for almost half of original selling price.

If you don't see anything worthwhile today keep checking back every day for a few weeks or a month or two.

There's a huge turnover in musical gear on classified boards like Craigslist and often you can pick up a used gem from someone who tried to learn and gave up or else a professional instrument from someone looking to upgrade.

Do your homework though. Google the models you are interested in, read the known issues and problems and workarounds on the boards, and personally I never buy from Ebay. You have to actually get your hands on the unit to properly evaluate it.

Look for something that sat in a living room or a studio instead of being gigged all over the country with dents and scratches and missing knobs and crap like that. Take your time and make certain every single key and button are in working order and that it wasn't used as a sandwich plate at some sleazy bar.

Also avoid anything older than 5 or 6 years old. Keyboards are complicated mechanical contraptions with lots of fiddly bits and rubber parts which do not age gracefully. Negotiate price according to age among other factors.

Take along a friend if you know someone who knows keys and have him check it out as well.

If everything checks out and you agree on a price you've just bought a $1200 instrument for $600 or so and saved yourself a bundle.

 

[Prizm]

So far I like the synth tones I've heard from the PX5S. How does it go for real instruments like sax, acoustic guitar, etc? Are they pretty standard, or are they better than you might expect?

 

[happyrat1]

Not sure. Probably better, but you could find out much more about it at http://casiomusicforums.com