Hi:

I currently own a Tyros 3 with its FSX keyboard. It would be considered a semi-weighted balanced keyboard. It has a very nice feel. Now I am considering adding a Workstation. I've tried out the Full-sized Weighted-balanced keyboard on the Motif and the S90/70XS. The full weighted feels even nicer but since I only audition them in the store I was wondering if I might find them fatiguing to play over the long haul. So putting aside the addition of the extra keys and octaves what are the pluses and minuses of playing weighted balanced keyboards vs semi-weighted from your personal experiences.

Thanks,

joe

I cut my keyboard teeth on a Rhodes, back in the day. As synths became the rage, the actions got softer and softer that now, I hate playing real piano actions. I've been playing LH bass for 30 years on synth actions, and it just feels awkward with all that resistance of weighted keys.
I like a firm action, but I prefer organ type keys over piano style. Just me.

Key feel is important to me...I have always used the first touch of a keyboard in determining if I want to look farther into the board ..

If you are trained on a piano..piano action usually is the only comfortable keybed for you..
If you were not trained on piano, most likely ..any feel will work for you, but will find piano action, tiresome for a while..

The quality and resistance of the keybed is most important to me..it interacts with the sound I hear directly from the key response...Even my accordion days..I realized I only wanted to play a quality key bed..even to the extent ...I had custom keybeds on my accordions...I hated to play cheap action accordions..still today..

Today, I am more enclined to pass over an instrument ..just because of the keys...the perfect example ..the undersize, light action of the PSR line..

I prefer the semi weighted action..full size, and quality keys..my current keyboards are just that...the MediaStation (Fatar 76 keybed), Roland G70 and A-33..Even my old accordion (has that quality keybed).....coming in last is my Korg PA800 (although better than the Prelude, and considerably better than the PSR keys)..

I quess you can say ..my pet peave..is the keyfeel...My friends will tell you..when I check out a "new" keyboard..before it is even powered on..I check the under side of the keys first...then the action second..before it is powered on....If the first and second don't work for me..I walk away..and let someone else play...

Are you considering adding the WS for regular gigging, or for at home and in the studio?

There ARE advantages to a fully weighted action, mostly to do with dynamics control, that mostly benefit piano-like patches, and if you were trained as a pianist, can help reconnect you with long familiar technique. But as a general controller for MOST patches, and especially organ type patches and fast synth stuff, it can work a bit against you, depending on how strong your technique is.

If you are thinking of adding it to the T3 as a stage rig, you then have to deal with the issue of two completely different 'touches' right next to each other, and will probably find that the wooden action tends to be best, once again, just doing piano/Rhodes patches. Fran is right in that, if you are doing a whole bunch of LH bass, you have the issue of hand fatigue, as keeping a strong but even touch is essential to bass patches (unless you basically turn off the velocity response), and the wooden action will exacerbate that.

And, to be fair, as good as the T3 is, I am kind of wondering just exactly WHAT you need the wood WS on a gig for? OTOH, if your goal is to have something like this at home for studio, composing, just general mucking around, then yes, you can't have TOO many different action keyboards, as each sound has one particular touch that it works best with, and a WS offers you sounds and techniques that an arranger doesn't.

But, especially in a forum that glorifies lack of weight sometimes over even SOUND, I think you are a pretty brave chap even suggesting this! Even the lightest of the wooden action WS's makes my G70 feel like a PSR!

If you are looking to add a second keyboard for your live gig, unless you ARE primarily a pianist, and your hands are in good condition and you play at least an hour or so a day on a real piano, I'd suggest a good 76 plastic, like the MoXF7, or maybe wait for the Kronos, or an M3 76, or just a good 76 controller and a BK-7m (to add the Roland 'flava').

Hope this helps.

Hi Joe,

First of all, in my opinion, key feel and response are very personal and subjective.

I agree with you totally that the Yamaha FSX has a "very nice feel"...in my opinion, it is the best semi-weighted action available today, on any arranger or workstation, and although I really liked the
light and nicely balanced feel of the mid-range Yamaha PSR line, after spending some quality time on the Tyros4, I have changed my mind, and I now prefer the semi-weighted FSX.

For me, weighted, hammer action keys are only really necessary if I am playing solo piano, and, let me add, I want 88 of them...not 76, although, I suppose I could work around the latter if necessary. Playing sounds other than piano is not a problem, for me, as working with weighted action builds up hand/finger strength and speed.

Since you are considering "adding" a workstation, it might be in your favor to go with 76/88 weighted, as you already have a great feeling 61 note semi-weighted instrument, and with MIDI you can enjoy the benefits of both actions.

Regarding finding the weighted action " fatiguing to play over the long haul", it would really depend on how much time you spent on the instrument. For occasional use, you might find it a bit wearing, but if it's more your primary instrument, your hands and fingers will become used to it.

Nothing beats a weighted action for piano work, in my opinion and experience, but, if you're not a piano player who now plays synths and arranger/workstations, but more of a general "keyboard" player, semi-weighted might be the best overall choice.

Ian

Thanks for the input.

I am not trained as a piano player. My first instrument was Tenor Sax and I only converted to keyboard three years ago. I consider myself a keyboard player and not a pianist. Also I don't gig, at least not at the present, but rather I play for my own enjoyment and to compose and record my own work. So my interest in a WS is to add additional sounds and capabilities for creative purposes.

Yes, Diki, I can see where the weighted key bed would have advantages primarily for key related voices, so maybe a semi-weighted might be best.

Of course my other alternative, since I really like the T3 FSX Keyboard, is to just add a Motif Rack and use the T3 as a Master Keyboard when I want to play Motif sounds.

The T3 makes a poor master controller, unfortunately... Most arrangers are built as 'one keyboard' solutions for players. Probably the Korg's are the best in this regard.

And, in all fairness, as you already HAVE a Yamaha, I would recommend something ELSE as a second keyboard. There is too much in common between Yamaha products (or those of any other manufacturer), an overall sort of 'sound' that adding another one would not give you the range of sounds that adding something by a different manufacturer gives you.

In all fairness, although Ian loves it NOW (mind you, he didn't while he had the PSR... Ian always thinks whatever he currently has is the best possible thing!), but I don't think the FSX keybed of the Yamaha's is noticeably better or worse than any other TOTL WS's keybed. It's VERY similar to Korg keybeds, Roland keybeds (on the Fantom line), Lionstracs keybeds (from what Fran says), and many others. Even my old Triton feels VERY similar.

The only plastic that is radically different is my G70, which is a little heavier and smoother, with more full size keys.

If you can wait long enough, and save up just a bit more money than a MoXF, I'd wait until the Kronos drops. That's going to be either 61 plastic, or 76 and 88 wood (and far less than an arranger costs) and seems to up the bar in a BIG way over anything else currently out. I think, unless your needs are immediate, that waiting until we get a chance to see this in action might be the best move.

Yes, we are the same in that regard!

Ian

Great idea, Joe...if all you want is to play Motif sounds from the T3's keyboard.

You can even record the Motif Rack's sounds in the Tyros3's audio recorder.

Since you are primarily a "keyboard" player rather than a pianist, the Yamaha FSX semi-weighted action should work just fine....in my opinion, you'd hard pressed to find anything with a better touch/response/feel.

Ian

Speaking of weighted actions and piano playing....I thought this was pretty darn cool.