Anyone play an M-Audio Keystation 88?

Teo

Teo

Member
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! :clap:

I use a volume pedal to try and get really ppp quiet, notice the end of this Eb Major Prelude: http://webpageexperience.com/mid/2008Album/05TVChopinEbPrelude1.mid

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

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

Mat

Sr. Regulator
Staff member
Sr. Regulator
Regulator
As a matter of fact, I use this keyboard. You can read more here.
 
Krummhorn

Krummhorn

Administrator
Staff member
ADMINISTRATOR
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

wljmrbill

Member
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

New member
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

Teo

Member
Really glad for so many thoughtful replies! :)

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/2008Album/10Beethoven7thSymphony.mid

http://webpageexperience.com/mid/2008Album/15TVBeethoven9thAllegro.mid

http://webpageexperience.com/mid/2008Album/30TVSchubertImpromptu90-3.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!
wljmrbill said:
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.
Click to expand...

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

http://www.casio.com/products/archi...igital_Pianos/PX-100/content/Technical_Specs/

Wow it's nice and thin! 27 lbs, a dream! You could almost literally put it in your back pocket.. he he.. :p 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..

wljmrbill said:
NICE JOB on the prelude.. this is one of my favorites too..
Click to expand...
Isn't he just the sweeeetest!!:angel:

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! :rolleyes: 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! :crazy:

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! :cry: 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!:eek: 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 ;);)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top