Members les_rokr Posted December 15, 2008 Members Share Posted December 15, 2008 okay, so casio doesn't really make the greatest gear. we all know that. but i fooled around with this keyboard for a few minutes at a local target store and was a bit impressed. http://keyboards-midi.musiciansfriend.com/product/Casio-WK500-76Key-Digital-Keyboard-Workstation?sku=500592 it has over 600 sounds, many of which are decent. its got an arpeggiator, (which i couldn't figure out how to activate) and 76 piano style keys, which are also quite nice. at $300, i was kind of thinking about buying it. i got home and tried looking for more info on it, maybe some in depth reviews or youtube videos. i couldn't really find anything besides the brief description on the casio site. can anyone offer any insight? thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members born2die75 Posted December 15, 2008 Members Share Posted December 15, 2008 There are ok I use a cheap yamaha arranger as a scratchpad sometimes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xmlguy Posted December 15, 2008 Members Share Posted December 15, 2008 You don't believe your own ears and fingers? The WK-500 has only been out for a couple months, so you aren't going to find many reviews for it. The WK-500 is a great value. Just don't use the built-in speakers. Use pro headphones or a decent set of powered speakers. The Logitech Z-2300 are a great value for the WK-500, as they are 200W THX rated speakers that are much better than typical powered computer speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members les_rokr Posted December 15, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 15, 2008 The WK-500 has only been out for a couple months, so you aren't going to find many reviews for it. The WK-500 is a great value. Just don't use the built-in speakers. Use pro headphones or a decent set of powered speakers. The Logitech Z-2300 are a great value for the WK-500, as they are 200W THX rated speakers that are much better than typical powered computer speakers. i dont intend on ever using built in speakers i figured it was new. couldn't find a damned thing about it. any owners on here? i would really like to see if the arpeggiator is any good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kurdy Posted December 15, 2008 Members Share Posted December 15, 2008 I have a Casio Privia digital piano, and it's actually a really decent instrument. Of course, it's designed more for the gigging musician, and costs a little bit more than something you'd find at Target. I will say this about today's home "consumer" keyboards--they definitely aren't like the old ones. Most of the new ones sound great. Soundwise, they're often just as good as the "pro" ones. However, they are usually made out of cheap flimsy material, and for that reason, I wouldn't recommend gigging with them. I learned that the hard way. For a while I had a 76 key (non-weighted) Yamaha that I got for $300 at Best Buy. Lasted for about three years, until one day when it started leaking some kind of acidic substance, and died on me right in the middle of a gig. I do kinda miss that thing, because it did have some great sounds. If you just need something for recording purposes, or home use, than it really isn't much of an issue. But if you're gonna be carting it around to a lot of gigs, and are planning on keeping the thing for a while, you're probably better off coughing up the extra dough for something a little more "pro". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xmlguy Posted December 16, 2008 Members Share Posted December 16, 2008 I have the WK-110 that I use to beat around. As you found, the portable Casios have a lot of good, usable sounds, depending on the audience. The WK-500 has a newer ROMpler engine than what I have. I haven't used the Arp on the WK-500, sorry. The weaknesses of the WK are that most of them don't have a pitch and mod wheel, and you can sometimes hear the sample switching between velocities. This is all acceptable for consumer gear, but pros usually need to spend a lot more on the tools of their trade. If the recording is just a hobby then the Casio should be fine. If you intend to get paid for your studio work, you'd be much better off using your money to buy a high-standard midi controller, then use softsynth, softROMplers, or hardware sound modules for recording. The Casio will become more of hinderance than help in that scenario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members les_rokr Posted December 16, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 16, 2008 The weaknesses of the WK are that most of them don't have a pitch and mod wheel, and you can sometimes hear the sample switching between velocities. ah, yes, i forgot to add. the wk 500 has a pitch wheel. its a good size and feels a lot nicer than other casio pitch wheels i've used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sevensinner Posted December 17, 2008 Members Share Posted December 17, 2008 Actually, if you don't need the extra keys, the CTK-5000 looks to be nearly identical, except with 61 keys, for a hundred bucks less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members les_rokr Posted December 17, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2008 Actually, if you don't need the extra keys, the CTK-5000 looks to be nearly identical, except with 61 keys, for a hundred bucks less. good call! i compared the specs side by side and found no difference. would casio really put a $100 price difference for twelve keys? i mean, 76 would be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OPEN OCEAN Posted December 18, 2008 Members Share Posted December 18, 2008 alathough a casio fun never heard of this one ...maybe its a newer model and i am stuck with the 80s models so far... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sevensinner Posted December 18, 2008 Members Share Posted December 18, 2008 good call! i compared the specs side by side and found no difference. would casio really put a $100 price difference for twelve keys?i mean, 76 would be nice. It's never stopped Roland, Yamaha, and Korg from charging $300+ to go from the jump from 61 to 76 on pro workstations, so I'd say yes. BTW that CTK-5000 is $150 today at MF. (Click on "Stupid Deal of the Day")... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members elyk Posted December 29, 2008 Members Share Posted December 29, 2008 I've been wanting to get a keyboard for a bit now as I would like to learn to play the piano. I have gone to a few music stores and read quite a bit about the entry level synths and being a noob, I really couldn't feel a difference between the keys on the wk-500 and say the MM6 or JUNO-D and G. The voices are also really decent. I also thought the keys feel better than the X50, but apparently that is a common complaint about that board. All brand name bias aside, I couldn't resist ordering a CTK-5000 last night to take its place as my first board (caught a good deal on MF - looks like it's gone up $30 today). Take my opinion with a grain of salt as I'm a complete piano beginner. I have been involved with music for quite some time (school band, guitar, bass), though. Anywho, I have a nice Peavy Combo 115 bass amp that I'll be sending this puppy through. I can share my impressions of it if anyone is interested once it arrives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members strat2 Posted January 8, 2009 Members Share Posted January 8, 2009 Actually, if you don't need the extra keys, the CTK-5000 looks to be nearly identical, except with 61 keys, for a hundred bucks less. Looks like the WK-500 comes with line in and mic inputs, CTK-5000 has mp3 line in.... I would prefer 61 keys myself so I could save weight space and money , but would want the line and mic ins, that comes with the WK-500. Not sure how the song expansion works , going to 10 songs from the 5 max , on a sound card ? And if so why can't it go to 100 songs.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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