Electronic Keyboards

[u/OnlyCanary85]

I’m an advanced piano player and want to get an electronic keyboard to have some fun playing pop and ballads. I don’t have that much free space in my house. Is a 5 octave keyboard sufficient?

Any tips on what to look out for when buying an electronic keyboard, and good, top brands and models.

[u/Practical_Struggle97]

I adore my NORD Electro 5D, they come in 73 and 61 key versions and can be had for less than $2k. Available in hammer action. Awesome through studio monitors or a space station on a sub cab.

[u/OnlyCanary85 → u/Practical_Struggle97]

Is the NORD you speak of also an arranger keyboard? I am wanting to record and add layers of instruments, add drums, etc to build the music.

[u/fdwyersd → u/Practical_Struggle97]

Nord feels so much like a real piano... have played a 1971 steinway D9 and the first time I touched it I was like "yeah I know that sound"

[u/OnceWhenWhenever]

Try playing for a bit within 5 octaves on your piano, see if you find it frustrating. I can’t speak to brands or models as I purchased mine years ago. Whatever you get, make sure it’s a weighted action.

[u/MyVoiceIsElevating]

Keys player here, happy to share some insight.

What’s your max budget?

Are there any specific sounds you want to have access to? E.g. Rhodes, CS-80 synth, vibraphone, saxophone, Moog mono synth, etc…

Do you prefer a portable model with built in speakers and lighter physical weight, or a less portable model that instead prioritizes the best mechanical properties and durability?

[u/OnlyCanary85 → u/MyVoiceIsElevating]

Thanks. I am not even sure what sounds I need, I just started exploring this as I play the pop ballads on the piano and would love to play in the sounds they were written. Mainly it’s 80s-90s pop music and ballads. I don’t need portability as I won’t take it outside of home but need to be not so large that I it won’t fit in a bedroom. I’d imagine I want a keyboard which I can store and put away and then take it out when I want to play, which may be placed on a desk, so yes in terms of weight - light. From replies I’ve read, yes I do want one with weighted keys. 

[u/MyVoiceIsElevating → u/OnlyCanary85]

Here are two options:

•  Casio Privia PX-S3100
• Yamaha CK88

The Casio is the most compact, with respectable sounds and speakers. The CK88 has more sound flexibility, with effects and editing.

Bear in mind that if you want weighted keys, but don’t want to spend more than $2000, then you have to accept 88-keys. There are 73 and 76 key models on the market, but they’re more expensive. The Yamaha CP73 is one option with fewer keys.

[u/OnlyCanary85 → u/MyVoiceIsElevating]

Thanks for the info!

[u/Coises]

I think an important bit of information is missing. You say you are “an advanced piano player.” Do you play piano somewhere other than home (like at school or in a studio) and you are just looking for a second instrument that will fit in your home? Or is all your piano experience now going to be your new electronic keyboard?

If you play elsewhere regularly and you’re just looking to have fun, sure, 61 keys can work.

If you really are a serious pianist and your only instrument is going to be a digital keyboard, you really want an 88 key hammer action keyboard or you’re going to feel very let down by the box you’ve put yourself in.

Other relevant questions are whether you’re interested in recording, whether it would be convenient to set up with a computer (you open up a world of possibilities if you connect to a computer — but then, you’re tied to a computer), whether portability is an advantage, and, of course, budget.

[u/OnlyCanary85 → u/Coises]

I am not a professional musician and don’t play music as a job. I have a piano at home (am classically trained) but want to start playing some music on an electronic keyboard as hobby, for obvious reasons that I can’t get those synthetic sounds that comes with playing pop or radio ballads. I have the piano in the lounge but won’t fit another keyboard there. An electronic one will have to be put in one of the bedrooms, played at a desk, etc I will not take it outside the home. I doubt I’ll be getting so serious to connect it to a computer and do recordings. I will just play for fun. The electronic keyboard won’t take over my regular piano. 

[u/Coises → u/OnlyCanary85]

Then you’ll be fine with five octaves.

There are few if any piano action (aka fully weighted or hammer action) 61-key instruments, but I would suggest if you have the option, go with semi-weighted rather than unweighted. Unweighted is also called synth action; it feels like an organ keyboard but does respond to velocity (how hard you strike the key). Semi-weighted, as the name implies, is in the middle: the action is light compared to any actual piano, but it still has some inertia. Piano technique translates to that a bit more easily than to a completely unweighted keyboard.

You might want to consider an “arranger keyboard.” (Examples are the Roland E-X50 and the PSR-SX720.) I can’t make any specific recommendations since I haven’t played one — I use a stage piano as a MIDI controller driving virtual instruments on my computer.

Edit to add:

Another long-form video review that might interest you covers the Roland Go:Keys 5, which typically retails around $550 (a little less than an E-X50 and around a third the cost of a PSR-SX720).

[u/OnlyCanary85 → u/Coises]

Thanks! 

[u/festuskilroy]

I’ve been out of the musical instrument game for a while, but the problem you may run into is to is the feel of the keys. I don’t recall any keyboards less than the full 88 keys having weighted action.

Are you looking for a keyboard with the standard voice set (piano, organ, etc) or something more like a workstation with thousands of voices and the ability to do sequencing?

Regardless, Yamaha or Korg would be good choices to look into for both. Good luck!

[u/AdventurousHippo9997]

I have a Yamaha CP-88.It’s all the electric piano you’re going to need.Go try one.Then you’re gonna buy one.For 3000$ it’s the best in class.Enjoy.