Casio LK-230 Lighted Personal Keyboard, 61 Keys, with New Voice Pad Feature Review

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(More customer reviews)After a recommendation from a 'musical' person, we purchased this for our two-year old granddaughter. It is perfect now, and will continue to provide good sound quality in the future. Apparently, the advertised claim that this is "The epitome of music education and entertainment." is also true. The playback feature fascinates our granddaughter when she is not trying to play the keyboard.

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Casio CTK-2100 61 Key Personal Keyboard with New Voice Pad Feature Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm a piano teacher, specializing in teaching very young beginners. I sympathize with parents who ask me if they really have to invest in a traditional piano for a 5- or 6-year-old who might not really like the instrument after a few lessons. So I am willing to teach on an electronic keyboard, and for several years, I've recommended the CTK-700, which for around $100 at Target or Walmart offered full-size keys and a reasonable "touch".
I do warn parents that a beginner will NOT advance as quickly on a keyboard as they do on an acoustic piano, and I encourage parents to find even a terrible upright as soon as possible if their children maintains interest in the instrument. However, remember that traditional pianos require tuning twice yearly, and around $200 moving fee when you buy or sell...if you are the average parent struggling to make ends meet, I can understand the reluctance to make this kind of investment on top of weekly piano lessons.
To my knowledge, Casio doesn't make the CTK-700 anymore. Apparently the 2100 is the replacement. I find that the touch is not quite as good as the 700, the keys are a little too "springy" for my taste; when you pressed a key on the 700 there was a slight resistance that was better for my students.
However, for the price, this is a good keyboard. It's relatively durable (I've seen it fall from a stand all the way to the floor--some keys were pushed out of place, but could be pushed back and the keyboard functioned as before with no lasting problems). There is a headphone jack, which might be helpful in a family with small children. The default grand piano sound is acceptable and kids have fun playing with the other sounds.
In addition to price, another advantage to keyboards for young beginners is that the keyboard (with an "X" type stand) can be adjusted to the proper height for the child. You get a headstart on good technique by making the piano fit the child: in fact this is a prime tenet of Suzuki piano instruction, where instructors use an adjustable chair (retail: $600) and adjustable stool (minimum of $60 retail). (The concept is to make the height of the keys so that the forearm is parallel to the ground and the wrist straight with the body relaxed.) With a keyboard, as the child grows, you can adjust the stand and the chair you use to keep the forearm at the right height and the feet flat on the floor or on some type of footstool (for instance, those risers that people use for kids to reach the sink, or a couple phonebooks). A little care in setting up the keyboard at the proper height will lead the beginning student to good technique automatically.
Still, remember that the tactile feedback from a true piano along with the physical sensation of piano strings vibrating has an impact on the performer's enjoyment. You won't get that from a beginner keyboard from any manufacturer. But I believe that this is a decent product for a reasonable price.
I don't recommend the higher priced "touch-sensitive" keyboards such as the Privia. What I've experienced is that something about the ways those keys work leads to disastrous technique in my students--very bad habits that have proved difficult to correct. And professional keyboards contain features (MIDI input, sampled sounds etc.) that are not necessary for beginning students--don't waste your money on these items. If money is an issue, try this keyboard or an equivalent from Yamaha, and then upgrade to a used upright when the child has demonstrated a lasting interest.

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Yamaha YPG-235 76-key Portable Grand Graded-Action USB Keyboard Review

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(More customer reviews)After having played the Yamaha YPG-535 88-key Portable Grand Piano Keyboard in a showroom and loving it, I was torn, wondering what all I would be missing out on if I went with the more economically priced YPG-235. I now own the 235 and it appears as if I am missing out on twelve keys. That is, I am not experiencing even an ounce of buyer's remorse after opting for the cheaper 235. This is a lovely keyboard with more beautiful voices than I will ever know what to do with and extremely user friendly functionality. Of course, my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt as I will be the first to admit that my experience with other products of this variety is extremely limited. As such, it might be best to say that, for a novice, one could not ask for a better instrument for the price.
So what is the difference between the 235 and the 535? Based on my previous comparative shopping, I have come up with a few differences. First is the obvious fact that the 535 possesses 88 keys, while the 235 has 76. The 535 also includes a stand, sustain pedal, and power adapter, which must be purchased separately for the 235. While I am unaware of the specifics, the 535 also has greater storage capacity and capability as well as a few more voices. Beyond these definitive differences, having now played both models, the 535 also wins out with regard to aesthetics in that it looks and feels to be of a slightly higher quality, from its display to the apparent craftsmanship in assembly.
Why buy the YPG-235? If price is not an issue, go ahead and get he 535, it is a beautiful instrument. However, for those on a budget or for those who simply do not need 88 keys, purchase the 235. Like the 535, the 235 possesses piano style Graded Soft Touch (GST) keys, which are not exactly weighted but occupy that perfect gap between pure synth keys and weighted. The feel is perfect for one who is used to standard synth-style keyboard keys yet longs for a little more control without sacrificing playability. The 235, like the 535, also features USB connectivity and general MIDI compatibility, as well as almost all of the same high quality voices, which separate both the 535 and the 235 from many other models in their price brackets (besides the pianos, the multitude of stringed instrument voices are amazingly realistic). While it is unfortunate that Yamaha decided to not include a power adapter with the 235, the Yamaha Survival Kit D - Accessory Kit for Yamaha YPG-235 & YPG-235 Keyboards which includes a power adaptor, extended warranty, and a couple of other low quality extras can be purchased relatively cheaply. In my opinion, the YPG-235 offers the buyer more bang for their comparative buck. Again, the 235 sounds great, feels great and is hard to beat for the price!


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Casio CTK-3000 61 Key Digital Keyboard Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a very nice keyboard for home use, even more so as the price is right. The digital readout is easy to see, with nice big black letters and numbers for the important information. The sound is crisp and clear. There are many voices and rhythms to choose from. I especially like the "teach yourself to play" system with so many playalong tunes and a nice fat songbook. The folk and classical rhythms and accompaniments are WONDERFUL and not found on other keyboards. I like the piano voices in my CT640 better though. Maybe one day I will have this set up as a MIDI and can download those better voices from the Casio website into this keyboard. It's really a very nice instrument, with a headphone jack that works well, putting out a similar sound to what comes through the speakers. Because the piano voices are not the greatest, I recommend adding a sustain pedal when ordering as well as the power adapter, and, if your earphones have the little pin plugs, you will need a stereo phone plug to stereo pin plug adapter.

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M-Audio AXIOM 49 Advanced 49-Key Semi-Weighted USB MIDI Controller Review

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(More customer reviews)First things first, I'm no pianist. I purchased this controller to work with DAWs and soft synths. So far I'm really pleased with the purchase. The faders feel a bit dry but function nicely. The rotary encoders support absolute and relative CCs, keeping parameters from jumping when changing presets. The keyboard keys feel solid and aren't springy like the Keystation line. The blue display is informational and easy to read in light and dark environments. It's also nice the keyboard is powered off the USB bus. No need for a wall-wart adapter.
The reasons I'm giving it a 4 out of 5 instead of a 5 are the following:
1. the keyboard advertises aftertouch. This is not polyphonic aftertouch, but the less expressive channel aftertouch. Say you play a C3 and hold the note, then hit a C5 and add aftertouch only to the C5. Aftertouch is not applied to only C5 but to both C3 and C5. This can be a bit surprising the first time you try it.
2. No printed manual. A paper manual is something I like getting with hardware.
3. Pitch bend only sends coarse adjustments. This makes the pitch bend knob a bit sensitive to expressive play.
4. Customizing the layout of the instrument requires M-Audio's Enigma software. Personally I don't really like it and wish the Axiom's didn't have a black box sysex format. It'd be nice to customize the layout of the keyboard w/o using this clunky app.
I still really like this keyboard. It feels solid, plays well and is a good mid-entry midi keyboard/controller.

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If you need total MIDI control and playability in a compact package, check out the Axiom 49. This advanced 49-key USB mobile MIDI controller delivers semi-weighted action plus assignable aftertouch, along with eight rubberized trigger pads that are perfect for hands-on drum programming and performance. Nine sliders complement eight endless rotary encoder knobs to control just about any software studio parameter you can think of. 15 MIDI-assignable buttons--including six transport controls--and assignable wheels and foot pedals round out total control. The dedicated front-panel keypad and backlit LCD screen provide intuitive setup. There's room for 20 non-volatile memory locations for instant access to setups, plus compatibility with our free Enigma editor/librarian software for managing a virtually infinite library via Mac or PC.



Total MIDI Control and Playability in a Compact Package

Get Into the Action The Axiom series of mobile USB MIDI controllers has everything it takes to get the most from your MIDI software and hardware. Semi-weighted action complete with aftertouch gives you great feel and expression for both synth parts and pianistic passages. Eight rubberized trigger pads put your drums at your fingertips for programming with feel--or easy fire samples or visual effects.
Total MIDI Control Assign the eight rotary encoders to mixer controls like panning and effects sends, or to any synth parameters you want to control. Map the nine sliders to software mixer faders or drawbars on your virtual organ. 15 buttons, pitch and mod wheels, and sustain and expression pedal jacks round out a tour de force of MIDI domination. Assigning controllers is simple, yet has the power to let you delve as deep as you want. Each controller can map to just about any applicable parameter in the MIDI spec, including independent channel addressing for each. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.
Intuitive Front-Panel Programming M-Audio Axiom MIDI controllers all feature a large backlit LCD screen for visual feedback--and the 61-key and 49-key models also place a 10-key pad right on the front panel for direct, intuitive programming. You'll also find 9 dedicated front-panel function buttons to easily access common operations like preset / program change or MIDI channel +/-, octave +/-, and transpose +/-. Use the Controller Mute button to prevent parameters from jumping when you change them, for example, then press Snapshot to transmit all current settings. 20 non-volatile memory locations instantly save and recall your favorite presets--and you can manage an entire preset library on your computer via SysEx dumps and our free Enigma software editor/librarian for PC and Mac.
Mobile Operation The Axiom series is extremely compact and lightweight and all models are powered directly from your computer's USB bus. Choose the size that's best for your needs, then take your music anywhere you want to go.

Axiom 49 Specs
MIDI Data from variable controllers:
MIDI Controller Number
RPN/NRPN
Program, Bank LSB, Bank MSB
Pitch Bend
GM/GM2/XG SysEx Messages

MIDI Data from buttons/switches:
MIDI Controller Number
Note On
Note On/Off toggle
RPN/NRPN
MIDI CC On/Off toggle
Program, Bank LSB, Bank MSB presets
MIDI Machine Control
GM/GM2/XG SysEx messages

Size: 31.9 x 11.2 x 2.6 inches; 81 x 28.5 x 6.6 (cm)
Weight: 10 lbs.; 4.5 kg

What's in the Box Axiom 49 Advanced 49-Key Semi-Weighted USB MIDI Controller, User's Manual, Ableton Live Lite Software

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