wondered into Best Buy to look at some of the New Consumer keyboards on the Market. Like Casio's new digital piano and Yamaha's DGX-500 and a smaller 76 note portable grand. I am amazed by how far consumer keyboards have come with in the last 10 years. Even as to use a famous pop artist's song for a demo. One of the Yamaha's I looked at had a demo of Nora Jones song "Don't Know". That was a pleasent suprise, becuase most demos on those keyboards are usually by lesser known or even unknow composers.

I went to Guitar Center and spent 4 hours or so trying out all the "cheapie keyboards" below $500.

There was really none better that would encourage me to play than the CASIO WK3000 or the WK3500. And I am a longtime owner of professional arrangers costing $1000 and up from Technics, Roland, Yamahas and KORGS. The WK can still give me joy. Great sounds for little dough!

I have just acquired a Yamaha DGX 505 88 note keyboard and it really is a remarkable bit of kit for the money. It is mainly a piano but still has many of the Tyros styles and sweet voices. I bought it mainly for practice at home to save setting up the Tyros but I shall be sorely tempted to use it on some gigs as well.

Trevor

Hi Trevor,
I've been thinking of getting an inexpensive psr type keyboard as a controller. Though I'm more inclined to go for the 76 note of the dgx for slightly more portability. Unfortunately I need a USB connection to my laptop and psr450/550 don't have that so that leaves them out.

Just out of interest how does it stack up against your Tyros soundwise? ie if you listened to it through the same set of speakers. Also from what I've read, the styles only have 1 intro/ending plus 2 variations & fills ( not a problem for me)

I actually sold all my expensive arrangers and decided to go the software route like (Frank, flr). So I've been using OMB software with the xg sounds in my Yamaha CLP170 Piano . Now I'm swapping my sound source for the styles to the Edirol Hypercanvas softsynth.

I've been thinking if I actually got something like the dgx, I may be able to use it for triggering the styles and use the
laptop/hypercanvas as a sound module.

best wishes
Rikki






[This message has been edited by rikkisbears (edited 10-12-2004).]

The DGX505 has great keys(better than CASIO) but I still think the voices pale compares to the CASIO WK3000 series. Right, George Kaye who is a respected dealer that sells and knows all those home keyboards quite well ?

Not only that but the CASIO can download NEW samples of voice. Totally new samples from the websites. You can basically create anything you wanted.

Before you buy it, play the casio for a good 20 minutes and compare the DGX and more than likely you will find the CASIO better by far. Especially the pianos, ep's and almost in every categories.

I have to agree with Lukitoh. I have a Casio WK-3500 myself. While the DGX will give you better keys, the Casio will still give you 76 keys and great voices. Plus the Casio gives you more control over voice parameters, and as Lukitoh stated you can download completely new samples (huge plus!) I also like that the WK-3500 has both floppy and Smart Media Card. If you like organs you also get digital drawbars with the Casio. Both models will have their good and bad sounds too. Oh yeah the Casio also has a digital EQ with preset and user settings as well. If you compare the WK-3500/3000 with the 76 key DGX I'd say the Casio is the winner there... Oh don't forget the Casio allows you to load new styles, and even though it does not record styles you can use the Casio software to convert SMF's into styles.

Squeak

Thank you Lukitoh,
no doubt the casio's sound great, but I'm a style nut, and what I'm actually after is an inexepensive keyboard that loads and plays psr styles.
Strange thing to say, but the sounds are actually irrelavent to me. If they're good, then great, if not, doesn't matter either.
The one thing I do need is for it to be able to load a psr style.
I'm not sure if what I'm planning to do will actually work but,
I want the keyboard to be able to load and play the style, but for the sound source I'll actually be using my laptop & Hypercanvas softsynth instead of the keyboards sounds ie keyboard will be midied to laptop.

I used to do this back in the early 90's when most of the arranger keyboards had pretty poor sounds, I used to midi keyboard up to an array of synthesizer & sampler sound modules. But this time round instead of sound modules, I'm hoping I can do it with my laptop and softsynths.

Reason for a psr style instead of korg or roland etc is that there are a number of freebie programs online to help with psr style creation, plus Jos's One Man Band program is really great for editing and creating psr styles from midifile etc, I'm even using it as my realtime arranger at the moment. So it doesn't really matter whether I can do any style editing in the keyboard itself.

I just enjoy experimenting (haa haa)

thanks guys

best wishes
Rikki


[This message has been edited by rikkisbears (edited 10-12-2004).]

Hi Squeak,
no, I didn't realize Casio allowed one to create styles from midifiles. That's something I was totally unaware of. Is there somewhere I can get a bit more info on the software and how it works.


Must admit that's one reason I wouldn't have considered a casio, I always thought that one was stuck with the onboard styles, or the styles casio supplied online on their website.

Thanks for pointing that out.

best wishes
Rikki

Hi Rikki
As I said I bought the DGX primarily to use for practice at home as a piano so the limited style endings and variations are not a problem.
The keyboard has USB connection but not a standard midi connector. Certainly one can download from the laptop into the Smart Media card.
The sounds, to me, through my system are virtually indistinguishable from those of the Tyros but I have only tried it at "domestic" volume for obvious reasons.
Sounds, as we all know are subjective and I can only say that IMHO the Pianos on the DGX
knock the Casios into a cocked hat as we old Limeys say.
All the best
Trevor

Hi Trevor,
my stuff is all only for home use.
Actually the "no midi" might cause a problem. There again, if I can record a song to an external software sequencer, then it won't be a problem either.
I've downloaded the manual, so hopefully that will tell me.
Interesting that the sounds appear to be such good quality.
Must admit I'm a Yamaha piano fan. My CLP170 piano, sounds fantastic ( not terribly portable though (haahaa)
Can't personally compare Yamaha piano sound with the Casio as I've never heard one.

If I get the opportunity I'll check both, I know I can get the DGX at a really good price through my regular dealer, he's offered to get me one in, but he doesn't stock casio so that makes it a bit more difficult..

Ahh, you're from England, my son's favourite place in the world.

Thanks Trevor

best wishes
Rikki

[QUOTE]Originally posted by trevorjohn:
[B]Hi Rikki