Keyboard Question

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DesertEase

Notorious
I'm lookin into getting a new keyboard but my question is this. Why would i want to buy a 77 key or 88 key over a 61 key? wut can the other 2 do that i can't do with a 61 key and why is the price of the other 2 drastically higher than a 61 key? the board i'm referring to is the roland fantomx series. is the reason the 61 key is cheaper than the other 2 by a lot is due to some features are missing on this one that the other 2 have or whats the deal with it? i can understand that the 88 key is more due to weighted keys but the 77 looks almost the same as the 61 and is much more expensive. so is there things on the bigger models that the 61 is lacking or wuts good wit that?
 
I can see a pianist/live player wanting an 88 key for performance purposes, he/she wouldn't have to shift octaves. I'm not a keyboard player so for studio and hip-hop purposes 61 key is just fine for me, plus it takes up less room. I feel you on the price differences though.

I know with the Fantom-S the 88 key has a "piano mode" that my 61 key doesn't have.
 
The main reason for the price difference between the 6 and 7 is the type of action the keys use. The 61 uses synth action, the 76 uses semiweighted.

IMO, synth action is the easiest to play because there’s no resistance on the keys.
 
ok so it is just the key difference and nothing to do with the features of the board then? if thats the case i'mma go with the 61 key cuz it's all i'll need
 
go to a music store and play all 3 versions and you will see for yourself. The weighted keys feel amazing compared to the lower end versions. Especially on the fantom
 
Gotta agree with X, I went and played one with the weighted keys, and they totally kick ass
 
our church has a Triton full keyboard, with the weighted keys, and it feels like our piano. I am a guitar player, so I don't "need" the feel, so to speak. I have found that on some patches, it is nice to have that octave lower than the 61 keyboard, while still having those "high" notes, but 61 keys for this guitar player (with my personal keyboards) with "no action" works just great for over 95% of the time. Our keyboard player would have nothing less, however on the other end of the spectrum and felt the money was well spent.
 
I'll take an 88 key any day over a 61, that's only because I love music.... kinda scary of how much.... Reason is, is because for me, I got more control because well.. I have 88 keys' instead of 61 basically when it boils down to it. Music can be expressed more. Can you imagine Betoven (spelling..) pounding away on a 49 key piano? I mean it's actually preferences, I like to be able to add everything to a beat, without having to manually shift to another octave. Weighted keys are great. Again it depends on preferences.. But when your playing a piano piece, or any instrument for that matter, would you like all your notes sounding the same volume? That wouldn't give a feeling of the music (don't know how to word it). When your playing something deep, and it's suppose to grab the listener, and bring you there to that 'moment' you can't really do that with all key's playing at the same volume.. as much..
 
^^^That’s velocity sensitivity…has nothing to do with key action.

Forget about pianos for a sec…REAL organs and REAL synths don’t use weighted keyboards and typically have 61 keys or less. They aren’t pianos and aren’t played like a piano...so it makes no sense to use a weighted (piano-style) keyboard to play them.

True, a synth action board is less than ideal for realistic piano performances. But weighted action is less than ideal on organ and synth sounds…and really anything else that requires fast/repetitive playing. That’s why most keyboard players usually use both.

IMO, if you can only afford one, the synth action is far more versatile…especially if you’re not a piano player. But you should definitely try them for yourself. Just don’t be under the impression that weighted keys are higher end…they’re not.
 
Well, I think it all depends on the music you do and how big your composition gets. If you do big compositions and use the whole keyboard like in R&B and need to play the whole song at once without over dubing octaves. You need more keys. That's all it is...
 
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