Anyone play an M-Audio Keystation 88?

[Teo]

This is not a plug or ad. I'm just so glad to have found a fully weighted 88 key keyboard for under $500!

The one I bought doesn't have any sounds, but I have an old Yamaha PSR-510 that has speakers and its piano sounds are great even the lowest and highest notes!

I use a volume pedal to try and get really ppp quiet, notice the end of this Eb Major Prelude: http://webpageexperience.com/mid/200...EbPrelude1.mid

It's action seems great to me! My fingers get sore after some hard songs, which I'm saying is good.. ? hah!

There is another M-Audio Keystation available with sounds, but it's only "half-weighted" so forget it! Get a cheap Yamaha PSR-200 or something for $100-200 and you'll have great sounds (of course every silly electronic guitar, shakahuchi, syn-tom and drum you could ever want!), all with a reasonable price tag.

I still play the real Petrov piano downstairs, but I can play this one at any time, record MIDI effortlessly, and there are other advantages..

Thanks for this opportunity to share my views and ideas.

Love and LIGHTNESS,
Teo

[Mat]

As a matter of fact, I use this keyboard. You can read more here.

[Krummhorn]

Nice looking keyboard, Teo ...

And a rightly price, too. Congrats on your purchase.
If you do any recording of your playing on this, we would love to hear it.

[wljmrbill]

I have a casio priva px-100 that has wei9ghted action and I really like it also as well as great sound: but was more than $500.00 -- $ 595.00 on sale. I like the looks of your keyboard and I know it will give many hours of pleasure. NICE JOB on the prelude.. this is one of my favorites too..

[Dom Stone]

I have had this keyboard, and it is a pleasure to play, as realistic as something you can get under $1000, and flawless for some systems.

Beware using it in a 64bit environment though as M-Audio aren't up to date with 64bit drivers, but I've made some convincing pieces with this keyboard, so look forward to hearing something from another user!

[Teo]

Mat, thanks for the link.. it just makes me more glad I got this one!

Krumm, be careful what you wish for!

http://webpageexperience.com/mid/2008Album/auto01.htm

http://webpageexperience.com/mid/200...thSymphony.mid

http://webpageexperience.com/mid/200...9thAllegro.mid

http://webpageexperience.com/mid/200...romptu90-3.mid

I had better hold back.. another topic I want to start is .. should one share MIDIs if they are planning to sell the finished audio CD for dollar$? For now, enjoy, Krummhorn!

Hey WillyJay!

I have a casio priva px-100 that has wei9ghted action and I really like it also as well as great sound: but was more than $500.00 -- $ 595.00 on sale. I like the looks of your keyboard and I know it will give many hours of pleasure.

Ahhhh to the point. Instead of asking you, I googled it:

http://www.casio.com/products/archiv...chnical_Specs/

Wow it's nice and thin! 27 lbs, a dream! You could almost literally put it in your back pocket.. he he.. I happen to have old keyboards and MIDI cables so it was simple for me to get the sounds from MIDI. On Mac OS 9 I had to set my huge MIDI interface of 8 ins and 4 outs to a special patch so that the keyboard would play the Yamaha PSR-510 and MIDI into the computer.. I got it all working including having StudioVision send click while recording / playback.. since then I'm having trouble with this.. I'll continue on my MIDI interfacing issues a little later..

NICE JOB on the prelude.. this is one of my favorites too..

Isn't he just the sweeeetest!!

I should just humbly, and proudly say thank you for the compliment! In particular, I use a volume pedal and while recording, using the sustain pedal obviously, I used the volume pedal near the end, the fast b-bb-c-a phrase, to get as quiet as possible. I believe some sound units (computers, rack-mounted synthesizers, keyboards playing MIDI) won't recognize the volume pedal - expression or MIDI controller 11 I believe. Have you worked with the expression pedal in recording?

Like you said, it gives me many hours of pleasure! At first I wasn't interested in any knobs, sliders or anything! I soon realized that volume is the far left slider, handy! Reverb is slider 3... for some reason they've reversed, now I have to slide up to turn down reverb / volume? The other knobs.. sometimes a score or something on the keyboard turns a knob and mid song the sounds went into outer-space! Overall, the highest and lowest sounds from my PSR-510 are really quality! Are the highs and lows of the PX-100 good?

Dom, I appreciate your comments! Flawless for my system, so far. Firstly, be careful asking to hear something! I am a sharaholic (certified, caught red-handed, pathologically overnice guy) who looooves to let you in on my secrets, like for example.. I can also play that Eb Major Prelude in Mambo! Yes, 4/4! I know I shouldn't, and definitely shouldn't admit it.. but well, Latin Jazz is my favorite of New World musics.. I just can't help myself!

One of my techie glitches is this: I have now put my huge Opcode Studio 64 plus in the basement, and this guys USB port is all I use. It's MIDI out goes to my PSR, fine. When I'm having the computer play the PSR, I have to put the Keystation in USB->MIDI mode. When I do this, the keyboard doesn't play, unless I put KEYBOARD-THROUGH turned ON in my software (StudioVision or Finale).

Here's the silliest thing: Finale, which is just for scoring, but I take the time to have the repeats all play as written so that I can listen to the MIDI files.. (Finale's repeats are strange to set up!) Finale plays click on Channel 10, and piano and whatever other sounds, just fine!

http://webpageexperience.com/doc/ChopinMadeAWay7.mid

http://webpageexperience.com/doc/ChopinMadeAWay.pdf

StudioVisionPro4.5 though.. in only sees the Keystation as channel 1, period! I can't seem to set up an instrument that is on channel 10, well, unless I set the Keystation to channel 10 and then I can't play piano! If you tell me to upgrade I'll dislike you so don't!!!

The last "album" I made, I used a click - not because I like it, but because it's one of the skills I have, down. As it is, I can let's say, put the click on C#5 for a song in C#, sure, it'll be out of tune for some sections, but I miss the standard rim-shot or clave click I got used to! Here's the glitch in short:

Using USB->MIDI on the Keystation with StudioVisionPro4.5 it only sees one channel for the instrument "Keystation." I can't seem to get any other instruments so that it's multi-channel - yet anyway.

I use Leopard - OSX 10.5.7 I think, and have only used GarageBand to record something, and am now dissapointed because GB won't export MIDI! I'm sure I'll find the plug-in and be right as rain. I want to use a current, popular sequencer - of course where I can have a rim shot click - on OSX so that's another question I have for you all!

I'm sorry to go on and on, but hey, I haven't had anyone to talk to about this keyboard, and especially my issues with classical piano.. which are a long list! I know I should have come to Magle forums eons ago to share these thoughts.. well, I'm here now, and so totally thankful for you all for replying so thoughtfully!

Love and *LIGHT* *BEING*, Teo