DragonRage

Whoops. We used a Yamaha once, but I found that our keyboard is actually a Korg SP-500. I've mainly used a piano sample, w/ a few applications of a choir voice, but I haven't had the chance to explore much. It's not dead yet, but the random disconnections seem to indicate that it'll be going out soon. For some reason, the sound & pedal came through today. After playing around w/ it, I was rather disappointed w/ the synthetic brass & strings on our SP-500, so I'm not sure if this is indicative of overall quality across digital pianos. W/ the tips you've given me, I'll be testing models @ a music store soon. The laptop idea would be interesting save for the fact that I won't be the only user. After speaking w/ our leader, it seems our budget's also more flexible than I thought, which could net us a workstation, should repair not be an option. Do you usually buy from sweetwater, or was that from a search? It'd be great if there was a Newegg equivalent where we could search for specific features.

Thanks for the quick response. I wasn't expecting an older thread to get feedback so soon. I've looked @ these models, and as you said, they're out of our tentative price range ($2500 for the M3). But, some of these also seem to be too much keyboard for us. The M3 sounded nice in their video, but we already have a dedicated EQ board. We also have the drum set & electric guitar/bass covered. Any editing I do will be done on a computer, so built-in software is unnecessary (I don't see any other reasons for software, so please correct me if I'm wrong here). In Yamaha's MO video, controls seemed to be a bit convoluted, but I'd have to confirm that in person. Should I be looking @ workstations? I'm looking for something w/ great pre-packaged orchestral samples, but I don't see a need for portable mixing/editing. Are there any digital pianos that fit the bill? On an unrelated note, do any manufacturers offer > 3 yr warranty?

My band's Yamaha has been dying over the past few months, so I've been trying to look around for comprehensive reviews w/ little success. Though I've played on keyboards before, this is my first purchase, so I'm not too familiar w/ the field. I've seen the Korg & M-Audio brands tossed around in this thread, but aside from the Yamaha MM8, I didn't see any models that seemed to fit my criteria: Live performance is a priority. Portability isn't, since I might be moving it ~ 5x/yr. B/c it'll mostly be used live, it shouldn't depend upon a computer, but PC audio/USB input would be great when working w/ Logic or Pro Tools. A headphone port would be nice too. W/ my classical background, standard piano features (ie realistic piano sound library, 88 keys, weighted keys, velocity, pedal support) are a must. Yasunori Mitsuda, Joe Hisaishi, Reuben Kee, and Harry Gregson-Williams are some of my inspirations. Realistic orchestral/world instruments (ie choir, organ, string quartet, erhu) are a big plus. I don't need too many instruments, but the few I use have to sound good w/o software tweaking. Preset orchestral mixes have always been great (eg brass, strings, & choir on 1 voice setting). We already have amps + sound system, so speakers aren't necessary. Reliability: We plan on keeping this keyboard for > 5 yrs, so durability and component quality are important. Our current Yamaha's ports have degraded to the point where sound will randomly cut out w/ tested working cables. The pedal port has recently suffered from this mysterious error as well. Budget: If I had to list a price, maybe < $1000. It'd be great if I could be pointed towards good review sites or specific models.