M-Audio Key Station: need to upgrade to weighted-action keyboard - suggestions, please

[fan]

A 15-yr-old friend has an M-Audio Key Station
(http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Keystation49e-main.html) but is
now ready to get a better USB MIDI controller keyboard to connect to
his WinXP computer for sequencing purposes.

Ideally, it should have:

88 weighted keys
USB
contains good sounds
not expensive ($700 - 1500)

I would greatly appreciate all suggestions.

[A Fourforty]

Post by fan
A 15-yr-old friend has an M-Audio Key Station
(http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Keystation49e-main.html) but is
now ready to get a better USB MIDI controller keyboard to connect to
his WinXP computer for sequencing purposes.
88 weighted keys
USB
contains good sounds
not expensive ($700 - 1500)
I would greatly appreciate all suggestions.

The M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 would work. The keys feel pretty close to
a real piano and it has USB connectivity. Also the street price is
around $450 to $500...less than the price range you have listed above.

[tb]

No sounds though. ANd you need a PHd to work the freaking thing.

[A Fourforty]

Post by tb
No sounds though. ANd you need a PHd to work the freaking thing.

You either have USB connectivity or sounds. I don't know of any
keyboard which gives you both.

[tb]

I own the keystation pro 88, and find it very un intuitive. I am sw
engineer by trade and am not usually technically baffled. The manual
is abysmal.

You may be correct about USB and sound, but I was just highlighting the
fact this unit doe not have any sounds.

[Sambodidley]

Post by tb
You may be correct about USB and sound, but I was just highlighting the
fact this unit doe not have any sounds.

That device is a midi *controller*. Midi controllers are not designed to
produce their own sounds. You should have known that when you bought it.
They are used to control other midi sound devices. If you wanted sounds you
should have bought a keyboard work station. People who use midi controllers
usually have all the sounds they need.

[tb]

relax man. I knew it didn't have sounds. The original poster asked for
advice on a

"Ideally, it should have:


88 weighted keys
USB
contains good sounds
not expensive ($700 - 1500)"

whoever mentioned the pro-88, gave misguided information as it doesn't
have sounds. All I was doing was mentioning that whoever is reading
the post doesn't rush off to buy the pro-88 or even order it online w/o
seeing it thinking it has sounds.

[Sambodidley]

Ok. Peace. I miss read your post. It sounded to me as if *you* were
disappointed that your device didn't have sounds. Mea culpa.<g>

Post by tb
relax man. I knew it didn't have sounds. The original poster asked for
advice on a
88 weighted keys
USB
contains good sounds
not expensive ($700 - 1500)"
whoever mentioned the pro-88, gave misguided information as it doesn't
have sounds. All I was doing was mentioning that whoever is reading
the post doesn't rush off to buy the pro-88 or even order it online w/o
seeing it thinking it has sounds.