Choosing The Right Keyboard
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Today's array of electronic keyboards can be overwhelming! With over 200 models from 8 popular makes in our country, choosing the right keyboard can be more than intimidating. What's worse, making the wrong purchase can be excruciating since electronic keyboards do not have good second hand value. Whether you are a parent purchasing for your child, a student looking for the best buy, or a church ministry, use our checklist for a purchase without headache or regret.
Which would you buy?
For X ringgit you could purchase a home electronic piano with a chair. In addition it comes along with built in speakers, rhythm machine and hundreds of other sounds. All of this beautifully concealed within a wooden cabinet.
On the other hand for X ringgit you could purchase a professional electronic piano that has only 64 sounds, no built in speakers, and no wooden cabinet. In fact it doesn't even come with a chair or a stand!
Which would you or your church buy?
If good realistic sound is what you are looking for, the second option would be correct. In fact if you tested them side by side, it is actually a world of difference in terms of sound quality even though they cost the same. In the first option your money is spent on the built in speakers, rhythm machine and hundreds of other sounds. Hundreds of other sounds does not necessarily mean hundreds of other good useable sounds.
Features
You are paying for features. Determine the crucial features.
-Do you require weighted keyboard? Weighted keyboards feel like acoustic piano keyboards. They are heavier than organ or non weighted keyboard. In short pianist would want weighted keyboards while organist would prefer non weighted keyboards.
-Are you primarily using the keyboard as a piano? If your answer is yes then you should be shopping for an electronic piano. They all come with weighted keyboard. If your answer is no , then you would be looking at synthesizers. Synthesizers come in weighted and non weighted keyboards.
-Synthesizers are able to produce and store an array of sounds. They are able to produce woodwinds, strings, percussions, organs, pianos, brass, and electronic sounds. In addition you may edit and combine sounds to synthesize new sounds.
-Non weighted synthesizers come in 61 or 76 keys. How many do you need?
-Once you have determined the 2 streams in electronic keyboard (synthesizers and electronic piano), there are hosts of important features to consider. Among them the sequencer. A sequencer gives you the ability to record the notes that you have played. You could be record all the parts in the song on your sequencer keyboard and sack the band! But remember you are only performing pre-recorded stuff.
-Do you need automatic accompaniment? In point 5 your song is pre-recorded. In a live situation the worship leader may want to repeat the chorus a few more times. Your pre-recorded sequences won't do. The automatic accompaniment plays the song in the style and tempo you specify from the live chordal input. That means it plays along with you while you are pressing the chords. This is extremely useful when the band doesn't show up during prayer meeting and the pastor only knows 3 chords.
-Do you need sampling capabilities? Sampling allows you to record a particular sound and then use your keyboard to play a song BUT with the recorded sound. I could sample your voice and when I play the keyboard, your voice is the instrument! I could also sample your motorbike but that won't sound good now, would it?
-Do you need mobility? There are keyboards which you can sling on like a guitar and dance around the stage.
-Would you be traveling a lot? Most professional keyboards do not come with built in speakers and cabinet because they were built for easy carrying. Incidentally the best sounds also come from professional keyboards.
-Once you have decided on the features that you need, your next step would be to try out the models that fit your criteria. You will be comparing price, playability, ease of operation, quality of sound and other preferences between the models.
Home keyboards
I usually do not recommend what I call ‘home keyboards' even when the brand is reputable. These are keyboards that may have some or all of the features listed in the checklist, PLUS the built in speakers and are priced well below the professional keyboards. They are meant for the home and for children's music lesson. They sound terrible when you plug it to a church sound system. The only time I recommend them is when the need is for the home or when budget is the constraint. These ‘home keyboards' are NOT a bargain for church use even when they are of popular brands.
Warranty/After sales service
Some popular and good brands in Malaysia have terrible after sales service. Beware! Below are my personal experiences with authorized service centers in Malaysia :
-A well known branded keyboard that my church bought gave the church numerous headaches. Repairs took months, literally.
-I used to own a branded sequencer and warranty was REFUSED after a 2 months wait. They claimed they had to send it to Japan to claim warranty. As a professional musician, or a church that uses the instrument every Sunday, it can be excruciating!
-I bought a second hand branded keyboard and after using it for a year had to send it for repair. I was told that the repair would cost RM600 if I had bought it from the authorized sole agent of that brand. Since my unit was a parallel import, I had to foot out RM2,000.
A tip to save your church money
Most churches own older but functioning keyboards. However they are not satisfied with it's sound. If yours do, check if it has MIDI capability. Click here if you need assistance. If yours do, you could upgrade your sound by purchasing a sound module. A sound module is a synthesizer without the keys! You play on your existing keyboard but the sound will come from the sound module. This way you can have the best sound at a fraction of the cost!
I hope that this has been helpful. If someone had told me about these things when I bought my first few keyboards, I would have had less headache and would be more satisfied with my purchases.
© 2004 Timothy Lee
Email : author@gsus.biz
http://www.gsus.biz
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