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I'm getting a keyboard soon, but I'm having a bit of a problem.
I want an 88 key keyboard with weighted keys. I write music - Piano and band, so a work station would be nice. Is there a piece of software out there (I know I saw it on a Yamaha keyboard some where) that will write the music as you play it? Like, the notes on a piece of paper...

There's a guitar center doing a sell out about 100 miles away from me. They have a Roland G8 that I've been researching for about two hours. I don't know if it has that "Sheet Music" software built in or if it exists.. it's bound to though.

They also have a Motif 8. I haven't looked that one up yet, but I will start.


Are there any other keyboards someone would suggest? I really need help :P

Thanks,

-Q

Oh, and I also wanted something that could connect to my computer and do this stuff

Alright, that's what I figured. I don't know what he was talking about... that G8 is 3500$.... I'm just going to go tomorrow and play it by ear. If anyone has suggestions for a keyboard please post.

Just an 88 key with weighted keys and can hook up to a computer to use that software

I see that nobody has replied yet...

My keyboard workstation is a Yamaha Motif XS8. That said, I personally think that the most important consideration that is not often discussed in these kinds of threads is workflow. Does the overall logic of the design work for you? I think the only way to know is to spend time with a given keyboard workstation. For reasons I can't really put my finger on, I really like the workflow of the Motif XS better than any keyboard I have owned. It certainly doesn't hurt that it sounds great too, but these days, they all do. I think that overall, Yamaha and Roland are built more sturdy than some of the others, which may or may not be important, depending on whether you intend to leave it in one place or move it around a lot.

If you read users' reviews of these workstations, you are really reading what appeals to that writer, which may or may not be valid for you. Obviously, if the keyboard develops problems or is just "buggy" overall, then that is one thing. But whether a person likes the fact that you push these buttons to accomplish a task, rather than these buttons, that is a matter of "workflow" and one size doesn't fit all. Somebody in the Yamaha Motif forums once said that one problem people have with new keyboards is that they expect them to work like their old one did, when in fact, it is a NEW keyboard that has different features and ways of interacting with it. So often, that is a factor when somebody does or does not like a given keyboard - does it work like the last one that person became comfortable with.

The bottom line is to try it for a while, maybe even on several occasions, before actually buying it.

The primary names in keyboard workstations are Roland, Yamaha, Korg, and Kurzweil. Guitar Centers generally have everything but the Kurzweil. When I asked why they dropped that line some years ago, they said it was a customer support nightmare because of the all the quality problems they were having. I know that Kurzweil has had its ups and downs, but from what I have heard, they are doing really well. I would take a look there if you get the opportunity too.

Tony

Definitely check Motif XS8 or korg M3 88 - both are superior to fantom G in terms of sounds. With workflow one may argue which is better. I have Motif XS and for me it's the only keyboard with all great sounds I'd possibly need.

There is no built in software for scoring but you can buy one for your computer. When you buy a keyboard you'll get usually free version of software with some limited scoring options I guess like Cubase etc. But for more you have to pay.
http://www.sibelius.com/home/index_flash.html

I guess the Motif XS8 is pretty popular around here because that's been my main keyboard for a while, too. The quality and variety of sounds are hard to beat although the interface of the Fantom X8 looks pretty nice to me. I don't know enough about the Korg to even comment.

Definitely try all 3 (Korg, Roland and Yamaha) before you settle on one. I don't think you could go wrong with any of them but eventually one will stand out to you based on you own work flow sound preferences. Good luck.