P85 Yamaha » Electronic Keyboards

Quiklok PS25 Dual Polarity Universal Sustain Pedal

Sat, 01 May 2010 23:58:14 +0000

Audio Systems: Quiklok PS25 Dual Polarity Universal Sustain Pedal

Dual Polarity Universal Sustain Pedal suitable for midi and electronic keyboards.
Price: GBP 11.99

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Quiklok PS25 Dual Polarity Universal Sustain Pedal Now

DR-30 Drum / Keyboard Monitor by Gear4music

Sat, 01 May 2010 06:12:34 +0000

Musical Instruments: DR-30 Drum / Keyboard Monitor by Gear4music

30W monitor ideal for electronic drum kits and keyboards.
Price: GBP 95.00

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DR-30 Drum / Keyboard Monitor by Gear4music Now

Z-Frame Keyboard Stand by Gear4music

Sat, 01 May 2010 02:47:23 +0000

Musical Instruments: Z-Frame Keyboard Stand by Gear4music

Robust yet economical keyboard stand suitable for most electronic keyboards.
Price: GBP 22.50

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Z-Frame Keyboard Stand by Gear4music Now

Yamaha FC-5 Sustain Pedal for Portable Electronic Keyboards

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:22:50 +0000

Amazon.com

This handy sustain pedal/FS controller hooks up to any synthesizer, tone module, or drum machine with a .25-inch phone jack sustain-pedal input. Specific compatible Yamaha devices include the PSR-D1, PSR-195, PSR-225, PSR-225, PSR-240, PSR-248, PSR-270, PSR-330, PSR-340, PSR-530, PSR-540. Its five-foot cable affords ample placement options. What’s in the Box Sustain pedal/FS controller and an instruction manual.

The FC5 can be utilized as a sustain foot pedal or footswitch controller in synthesizers, tone modules and drum machines equipped with 1/4′ phone plug. Works with any keyboard utilizing a sustain pedal with 1/4′ connector.Yamaha FC4 and FC5For those electronic keyboards with an input jack labeled ‘SUSTAIN,’ the FC4 model is used in the same manner the sustain pedal on an acoustic piano is used. After pressing down a key, the note will continue to sound utilizing the technology of the FC5 until the sustain pedal is released. The FC (more…)

Even Beginners Can Make Great Music With a Synthesizer

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:09:34 +0000

Synthesizers are electronic, keyboard-based instruments that produce artificial, or synthesized, sounds. Many frequently mistake synthesizers for simply portable, electronic pianos, but the differences are extremely vast. While synthesizers can definitely produce a piano sound, their main purpose, usually, is to create sounds not specifically found on any other instrument.
The process of creating these sounds is sometimes very difficult; while some synthesizers come with pre-created sounds, or patches, many come with a clean slate. The synthesizers produce sounds by a series of dials and knobs dedicated to a variety of aspects: oscillation, modulation, sustain, delay and attack, just to name a few. Some synthesizers even create sounds based on a patch bay.
Remember old telephone operators that patched calls through based on cords and inputs? Some synthesizers use the same principle (and are generally used by those with an extremely advanced knowledge of their workings). And what’s more, many older synthesizers don’t offer the option of saving the sounds created; instead, the user has to keep detailed records of dial and knob placement, being careful to catch every nuance. To recreate a sound on these synthesizers is to keep very meticulous notes.
Synthesizers made their break into popular music during the 1970s and 80s when numerous progressive rock bands began using them to create cosmic, unfamiliar sounds. However, devices from different manufacturers were generally not compatible with each other and could not be interconnected, so eventually a digital standard for musical instruments called “midi” was born. Midi is an acronym for musical instrument digital interface.
Midi allowed synthesizers made by different companies to communicate with each other, which was a huge breakthrough and was responsible for the explosion of synthesizer use. One of the first synthesizers was a “Moog”. I remember meeting Bob Moog back in the 70’s at NAMN – a trade show in Anaheim across the street from Disneyland. More than any other person, Moog had created the first useable and affordable synthesizer. Soon companies such as Roland and Yamaha with deeper pockets came out with more affordable models. I think I bought my first synth in about 1980 – a Roland that I used for probably 10 years before moving on to something more current.
The use of synthesizers quickly developed into an entirely new genre of music, electronic music, headed by such veterans as Kraftwerk (who, by the way, are still massively popular). They eventually found their way into almost every branch of 1980s popular music — which is probably why they fell so far out of favor. Synthesizers in the mainstream music industry quickly became associated with 1980s bubblegum pop, the very thing that new rock and punk bands were railing against. And even while an electronic music scene thrived (and even revolutionized), synthesizers became known as the outdated kiss of death for popular, mass-audience intended music.
The late 90s, however, saw a resurgence in the use of synthesizers among underground rock and punk bands (ironically enough) and have quickly become re-embraced by the popular music industry.

Casio Keyboards – Favorite with Beginners!

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:46:39 +0000

Looking for your first keyboard musical instrument? In all likelihood you may end up with a Casio keyboard. Casio keyboards have been a favorite with first-timers because of their value for money musical keyboards. You can hope to find a lot of features at a lower price compared to its competitors. If you want to start learning the electronic keyboard, you may want to consider a Casio Keyboards. What are the benefits of owning a Casio electronic keyboard?Aggressive pricing – Lot of entry level keyboards at lower prices. More features – Expect to find a whole lot of features. The Full-fingered mode is provided in almost all the electronic keyboards Mini-Keyboards – Casio also has models with smaller key sizes and less than 61 keys, making it ideal for young kids. So are there any disadvantages of owning a Casio Keyboard? Not really! It is just that the perception that Casio keyboards are meant for learners and amateurs. They are not much used for stage performances and professional music production. Yamaha also produces a lot of electronic keyboards for beginners but they tend to be slightly expensive than Casio. Reason being their sound is slight better than that of Casio. Something that can be ignored if you are on a tight budget and are going to start learning to play electronic keyboards. What are the various keyboard models that Casio offers? Here is a list of what they offer.Mini-Keyboards for Kids – smaller size keys and less than 61 keysLighted keyboards – 61 keys keyboard for grown-up kids and adult beginnersCTK series – Casio’s Standard 61 key keyboardsWK series – Includes keyboards with more than more than 61 keys. Meant for the advanced learner!Casio Privia PX series – Elegant digital pianos from CasioGrea t deals on Casio Keyboards

Types of Keyboards and Synthesizers

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:16:17 +0000

There are a number of different types of keyboards available in the market. If you are some one who wants to make a complete orchestra single handedly, then a portable electronic keyboard can be a good choice. You can not only carry them along anywhere and everywhere, they also have features like multi instrument sounds, built in speakers and different kind of rhythms. Some of the more advanced keyboards also have something called sampling capabilities which gives you a feature to record your music and playback for a sample. However, if you really are more seriously into making your music then there are much advanced and robustly featured electronic keyboards that must be considered. Apart from electronic keyboards there are also synthesizers that are more technologically advanced than the regular keyboards. A sampler with digital sound recording capabilities is almost a must with them. Then there are something known as a workstation that are like a complete studio packed in one device. The workstations come with highly advanced features like samplers, rhythms and percussion etc. You really would not need even a single additional instrument if you are on a work station to create any kind of music. Some electronic keyboards also have MIDI or Musical Instrument Digital Interface capability that lets them get connected and communicate with other computers or any kind of electronic instrument. If you are a piano lover and can not indulge in the real thing, you can always go for a digital piano which is lower at costs and highly portable too. It can be used by professional musicians because of it quite advanced features and technology. Features to Consider The standard that you will get from most of the electronic keyboards is 128 of acoustic and electronic instruments and at least 47 prerecorded sounds. These prerecorded sounds are the basic rhythms that you get for different types of music. More advanced keyboards will naturally come with much advanced music features. You can also use the many digital effects featured to really jazz up your music through chorus, delay or increased or decreased pitch. With so much of basic knowledge on selecting a Computer Keyboards, you are sure to find a right music maker for yourself and start getting constructive and creative with it!

10 Things You Might Not Know About the Electric Keyboard

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:24:57 +0000

1. Some of you may think of someone playing the electronic keyboard as a “pianist”. Well you’d be wrong. They would actually be referred to (by someone who knows what they are talking about) as a “keyboardist”. Sounds clumsy, but it’s true.
2. The term “electronic keyboard” is used to mainly describe the cheap end portable home sequencing keyboards, but is also commonly used to include many variants such as the digital piano, the synthesizer, the electric organ and the arranger keyboard.
3. Many electronic keyboards commonly use MIDI signals to send and receive musical data. MIDI is essentially a sequence of instructions that identify the sound used, the note pressed, the duration of that press, although the complexity of the MIDI system will vary with each keyboard. Some cheaper end models of electric keyboard (such as keyboard toys) simply will not output that data.
4. Many keyboards have the ability to add a “foot switch” or “sustain pedal” as it is commonly referred to. The application of the foot switch enables a pressed note to “ring” for longer and better replicate the sounds of many keyboard based instruments including the organ and the piano.
5. Electronic keyboards across the world have been commonly built by instrument manufacturers such as Alesis, Casio, Ensoniq, E-mu, Kawai, Ketron, Korg, Kurzweil Music Systems, M-Audio, Moog Music, Ne-Ko, Roland, Technics, Yamaha and Sonic to name but a few!
6. Features that keyboardists would be interested in when choosing a keyboard include touch response, after touch, polyphony (the number of notes that can be played at the same time), multi-timbre (playing more than one instrument at the same time), tempo, split point (the ability to split the playing area into different instruments), style, synchronisation, auto harmony, wheels and knobs (to control and vary different features on the keyboard) and response (weighted or spring loaded).
7. Synthesizers are actually slightly different from the standard electronic keyboard in that they can produce a variety of sounds by generating, combining and distorting signals of different frequencies. Unlike the keyboard, the synthesizer produces an electric signal (rather than an acoustic signal) which can then be played through an amplifier of some kind. Synthesizers are most commonly controlled by a keyboard device, although this is often integrated into the machinery.
8. Perhaps the most infamous synthesizer is the Moog Synthesizer, famous for its role in many 1970s and 1980s pop hits and popularly used by artists such as Jean Michelle Jarre and Duran Duran.
9. The earliest incarnations of the non-electric keyboard are the pipe organ, the hurdy gurdy and the harpsichord. The organ is the oldest of these from perhaps as early as the third century AD.
10. The first keyboard to be powered by electricity is said to be the “Ondes Martenot” which appeared in the early 20th century (approx. 1928). It is actually still played today in some French conservatoires thanks to some compositions written specifically for the Ondes Martenot. It produces eerie wavering notes and was produced by “varying the frequency of oscillation in thermionic valves”. Whatever than means…

Bobâs Pianos for Less Announces Pianos at Discounted Prices Online

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:20:55 +0000

Even in the midst of a shaky economy, people will find solace in beautiful piano music. Thus, there remains a demand for quality pianos and organs. However, buyers are always on the lookout for a great bargain. Excellent bargains can be found at a new website, http://www.bobspianosforless.com. Find great deals on grand, baby grand, upright and digital pianos, organs and electronic keyboards.

Although todayâs economy is in a slump and many people believe a recession is on the way, there is still a strong demand for music to brighten our mood. Of course, savvy buyers continue to look for great bargains when they purchase their pianos, which is where the new website, http://www.bobspianosforless.com comes in.

Online sites are increasing in popularity, since consumers are always looking for the best deal in todayâs economy. Customers that visit this new site find low prices on grand, baby grand, upright and digital pianos from famous makers of quality instruments such as Steinway, Baldwin, Knabe, Bosendorfer, and Bechstein.Â In addition to pianos, Bobâs Pianos also features organs by Hammond, Leslie and others. Electronic keyboard are available from top manufacturers including Casio, Ensoniq, Korg, Kurzweil, Roland and Yamaha, making this site an attractive one to those looking for a great deal.

Today many consumers are no longer willing to pay the high prices that high end pianos used to command, although discounted high end pianos still have quite a market. For this reason, many consumers are finding this new site to be an excellent place to purchase the piano they want for prices that truly are affordable, even in todayâs economy.

In addition to pianos and organs, Bobâs Pianos also offers for piano and organ parts, piano rolls, and more. Bobâs Pianos for Less is a site that is specifically devoted to keyboard instruments, and it is partnered up with eBay to offer customers an easy way to find great deals.

To find out more about the excellent prices available for quality keyboards, visit http://www.bobspianosforless.com for more information.

The Age of the Electronic Keyboard

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:06:24 +0000

In the world of music the latest entry has been the electronic keyboard. There are global manufacturers of connected software. Electronic technology has been incorporated in synthesizers, portable keyboards, digital pianos, home organs, sound modules, sequencers, drum machines and the like. There are keyboard controllers for classical and theatre organs as well as keyboard communications systems.

Whether in the classroom or home it is fun and easy to churn out music with the help of electronic keyboards. The electronic keyboard can be any one of many things – organ, piano, synthesizer or sampler. Most the electronic keyboards can be linked to the computer for experiencing the feel of real multimedia.

The digital piano combines in it the sound of acoustic piano with the fine control and expediency of an electronic device. This is done by playing reverse digital recordings or samples letting out different sounds as the player presses various notes. Like the ordinary piano this electronic model responds to the touch of the musician increasing or decreasing in volume. There is also a sustain pedal.

Some electronic keyboards are weighted so that player gets the same feel as that of an acoustic piano. The bonus point is that digital pianos are incredibly cheaper when compared to their senior cousins. These occupy less space and is minus the botheration of tuning. By using headphones it is possible to practice late at night without bothering the family and neighbours. Some sophisticated models include disk drives that allow for orchestral accompaniments and even recordings.

Electronic keyboards in organs imitate the sounds of the conventional pipe, reed and tone-wheel organs. Here again the size is fraction that of the senior organ and the price is modest – to say the least.

Electronic keyboards reach their crescendo of success in synthesizers and samplers. There are many types of synthesizers – facilities for playing back, recordings and creating exotic sounds with fine sensitive controls. There are voluminous libraries of pre-programmed sounds for the asking. Most of the synthesizers and samplers are termed multiimbral. This means playing back of many sounds simultaneously.

Another name to be acquainted with in the modern age of electronic music is MIDI or Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It is a kind of standard language in the music world that allows electronic keyboards to be inter-connected and also to be linked to the computer. Music softwares are a must for students of harmony and composition.

Portable electronic keyboards are compact, light and easy to carry. Possessing one is real cool fun. The speakers are built in and thus no external ones are required. These are chameleons of the music world and can change its character bringing out sounds of a dozen instruments at the wish of the player – piano, organ and even drums.

The market of electronic keyboards is growing very fast. Manufacturers have responded with a mixture of keyboard products. The primary has been promotion of electronic keyboard through publication and advertising enabling the public to know about it. A target has been set for introducing this new contrivance amongst music educators of music technology in major universities across US. Setting up websites for this purpose of enlightening people about electronic keyboards has also been a major step forward.

An important part of music education is music technology as can be seen the world over in television and film productions as well as the Internet. The learning and application of electronic keyboards has become relatively easy and the impact is more powerful than before. In the age of electronics changes on the musical front too are happening overnight. Thus updating is an important part of publications.