What kind of "keyboard" am I looking for?

[happyrat1]

As far as accessories go.

If you want a full set of pedals (Soft, Sostenudo and Sustain) Casio sells a triple pedal with a special connector that works with the PX-350

The model number is the SP33 and it is designed to work with the CS67 Stand.

Amazon has the combo available for $75 USD while not listing it as working with the 350 these are the model numbers you'll need.

https://www.amazon.com/Casio-SP33-Keyboard-Pedals-CGP-700/dp/B0094P4F4O

In a different Amazon ad you can see the identical model pedals and stand listed for the PX-350 at more than double the price.

https://www.amazon.com/Casio-Keyboard-PX-150-Instructional-Polishing/dp/B01FN6DW82

Typical Amazon Casino Pricing

If you are recording directly to a computer soundcard you will need one of these cables.

https://www.amazon.com/Hosa-CMP-159-Stereo-Breakout-Cable/dp/B005HGM1D6

And one of these cables to connect MIDI data to your computer.

https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Hi-Speed-USB-Cable-Feet/dp/B00004Z5M1

If your computer has a USB 3.0 port don't use it. Keyboards tend to be more compatible with USB 2.0

You won't need any MIDI cables or a MIDI adapter at all for now. You will only require MIDI cables if you decide to add a hardware rack module later on.

These should be all that you need to get you up and running for now.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

And if you find you have problems with hum in your recordings using a direct input to the soundcard you might later on have to invest in a USB audio interface.

Gary

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I've never run into that, and hope I never do. I'm not saying you're wrong, just that I've managed -- luckily -- to avoid this. Given the vast assortment of power cord sockets, doesn't this make it harder to turn on the keyboard? I remember buying a "universal" power supply from Radio Shack that had multiple voltages and multiple plugs included, and it didn't work for what I needed.

I can't speak on all the various lines of Yamaha keyboards, but in the case of the PSR-E models the power adapter is not always included in the box, at least in America. In other countries I think the power adapter usually is included in the box, but I'm not sure about that. The Owner's Manual for a given model generally says what's included in the box, and for the PSR-E keyboards it says the following (taken from the Owner's Manual for the PSR-E453/PSR-EW400, but those for the other PSR-E/YPT models are similar):

You can often see online user reviews on sites like Amazon where people who bought a Yamaha PSR-E keyboard leave a remark criticizing the fact that a power adapter wasn't included in the box.

 

[Rayblewit]

Why did you mention me? Is there something going on that I don't know about?

Not only you
Just the usual suspects (chuckle)
Are f.paul wilson novels science fiction?

 

[Rayblewit]

, but in the case of the PSR-E models the power adapter is not always included in the box, at least in America. In other countries I think the power adapter usually is included in the box, but I'm not sure about that.

Here in aus . . I have had a couple of incidents over the years wherein the salesman told me the power cord is extra.
Just a way to make extra bucks.
Same as batteries not included.

 

[Neutron]

Gary, Gruff: Thanks again for great advice. I will take a look on what I need and perhaps return with a few questions. Fortunately I found that an adapter was indeed included.

Let us know how it works out for you. Include baby pictures.

I will! Looking forward to it. It'll be about a week before it arrives though, if everything goes well.

 

[Rayblewit]

Got myself a new Keyboard today.

 

[Fred Coulter]

I'm very excited to try out the model when it arrives

I can't speak on all the various lines of Yamaha keyboards, but in the case of the PSR-E models the power adapter is not always included in the box, at least in America. In other countries I think the power adapter usually is included in the box, but I'm not sure about that. The Owner's Manual for a given model generally says what's included in the box, and for the PSR-E keyboards it says the following (taken from the Owner's Manual for the PSR-E453/PSR-EW400, but those for the other PSR-E/YPT models are similar):
View attachment 662
You can often see online user reviews on sites like Amazon where people who bought a Yamaha PSR-E keyboard leave a remark criticizing the fact that a power adapter wasn't included in the box.

Where's the Unlike button when you need it.

 

[Fred Coulter]

Not only you
Just the usual suspects (chuckle)
Are f.paul wilson novels science fiction?

The Secret History of the World novels are more horror than science fiction, but F. Paul Wilson is also a science fiction author.

 

[Neutron]

This is the standard USB cable I need to transport MIDI data through USB to my computer, right? And I will be able to then play the EW instruments with no other cables needed, right?
http://www.gear4music.com/G4M/USB-A-to-USB-B-Cable-1m/109C
Should have shipped it together with the keyboard... maybe it's not too late for that.

 

[Neutron]

Dang it, two hours too late... Shipment costs exact same as the cable itself Gotta find a nearby store then.

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Neutron:

Yes, that's the correct type of USB cable. They're sold all over, so it should be easy to find someplace local where you can buy one. If you were in the USA I'd say go to a Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Staples, etc., but I don't know what stores are in your area of Europe.

Fred:

Why do you want to unlike me? (Bawl!) Don't shoot the messenger! (Sob!) Just kidding... Now it's time to talk about being paranoid! Anyway, I agree that not including a power adapter with the keyboard is irksome, but it's not a big deal to me, because I think the Survival Kit actually makes a good must-have additional purchase.

 

[Neutron]

Neutron:

Yes, that's the correct type of USB cable. They're sold all over, so it should be easy to find someplace local where you can buy one. If you were in the USA I'd say go to a Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Staples, etc., but I don't know what stores are in your area of Europe.

Indeed you are right, I'll pay 4sound a little visit again soon.

Fred:

Why do you want to unlike me? (Bawl!) Don't shoot the messenger! (Sob!) Just kidding... Now it's time to talk about being paranoid! Anyway, I agree that not including a power adapter with the keyboard is irksome, but it's not a big deal to me, because I think the Survival Kit actually makes a good must-have additional purchase.

Well at least unliking your post makes a little sense, what about mine? Something's wrong about being excited hah?

 

[Rayblewit]

Neutron . . .
I found this vid for your interest.
As well this guy has other vids on the px-350. Check them out.

 

[Rayblewit]

Anorher one . .

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I found this vid for your interest.

Read the comment by Benjamin Holzman in which he suggests that it's the file system (NTFS, FAT32, ExFAT, etc.) that the drive is formatted for. I wonder that explains why some people have problems with certain USB thumb drives on their Yamaha keyboards, too? I guess the thing to do is to try out a thumb drive after you buy it, and if it isn't recognized by your keyboard then try reformatting the thumb drive with your computer and seeing if that resolves the issue.

 

[Neutron]

Read the comment by Benjamin Holzman in which he suggests that it's the file system (NTFS, FAT32, ExFAT, etc.) that the drive is formatted for. I wonder that explains why some people have problems with certain USB thumb drives on their Yamaha keyboards, too? I guess the thing to do is to try out a thumb drive after you buy it, and if it isn't recognized by your keyboard then try reformatting the thumb drive with your computer and seeing if that resolves the issue.

This is probably true. The drive may be formatted as ExFAT, which would be my guess, because that's the preferable format (as it allows for larger than 4GB storage for both Mac computers (that is, Linux - which usually uses FAT) and regular PCs (that use NTFS)). The thing with ExFAT, however, is that it is only recognized by 'newer' systems (that is, not totally old systems), but usually this isn't a problem. It may be with the PX-350, however, though I don't know much about that end.
I had a 2TB external hard drive which would only be recognized by Macs, because it was FAT-formatted, so I had to re-format it. Unfortunately, when I was about to do so, the drive's spindler got stuck, and as you may know, fixing hard drives yourself is basically out of the question. Having it fixed was pretty expensive, so I bought a new 1TB last week and managed to format it.... Anyway, point is, I should know enough by now to not run into the same problem as described in the video, at least if it's the formatting that's the cause of it

 

[happyrat1]

Actually his problem there was the capacity of the thumb drive. 128 Gigs is a HUUUGE thumb drive.

Depending on the age of the keyboard, they can only recognize up to a max of 4 gigs or 16 gigs or 32 gigs or 64 gigs tops.

With the PX-350 anything up to 32 gigs should be OK and it may even be mentioned in the manual (which I'm too lazy to look up )

Personally I use 8 Gig Sandisk Cruzer Minis in my Kurzweil and even with tons of samples loaded on I haven't even come close to filling one up.

They're nice tiny little drives which you can leave plugged in even if you are stowing away your keyboard in a case.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FYNSUA

Also, a lot of thumb drive manufacturers load up their drives with secret partitions loaded with crapware, so as a precaution I always repartition and reformat the drive to Fat32 using gparted.

Basically for musical applications I honestly can't see anybody collecting more than 8 gigs of samples/patches/songs in a lifetime with most modern keyboards.

Gary

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Actually his problem there was the capacity of the thumb drive. 128 Gigs is a HUUUGE thumb drive.

Depending on the age of the keyboard, they can only recognize up to a max of 4 gigs or 16 gigs or 32 gigs or 64 gigs tops.

With the PX-350 anything up to 32 gigs should be OK and it may even be mentioned in the manual (which I'm too lazy to look up )

That's what he thought it was. But in the comments there were people who said they were successfully using thumb drives of 128 GB, and there were other people who said they had thumb drives of 32 GB and less that wouldn't work. The guy who suggested that it might be the file system format looked like he had one of the most recent posts, so I figured he was responding to the posts that seemed to blow the size theory out of the water.

As for the 32 GB figure, I haven't looked to see what the manual says either, but someone said that a Casio Support rep did mention that figure as the limit. I wonder if this means that if you use anything over that-- say, 64 GB-- and the PX-350 recognizes it, it will nevertheless be able to access only 32 GB?

 

[happyrat1]

Well the PX-350 is roughly the same vintage as my Casio XW-P1 and except for the fact that it uses secure digital cards instead of a thumb drive it also maxes out at 32 Gigs. This is clearly noted in the manual.

Formatting FAT32 allows you to access that much at least and I'm willing to bet if you use anything larger that's electrically compatible with the PX-350 and format it in the keyboard it will probably format to 32 Gig capacity and leave the rest unused.

Don't forget these machines were both introduced about 5 years ago and the 350 is currently being phased out in favor of the 360 and 560.

Gary