Roland Go Keys: Fun as f...

[Sundown]

...firecrackers.

 

I recently bought a ReFace CP, and for what I wanted to do, it fell a bit short in terms of key count and versatility.

 

I picked up a Roland Go Keys and it's a blast. It's a much better fit for exploring jazz harmony/melody, and the Bluetooth audio/MIDI connection works well for listening and playing along to tutorials.

 

I don't have much time to play right now, and being able to throw a battery powered, speaker-enabled keyboard on my lap is a godsend. The action is springy, but it's a lot better than most in the $300-range. The keys have a nice texture as well. The sounds are very usable, and I've had a blast with the EPs, organs, bass, and lead synth sounds. It doesn't have a pitch/mod wheel (just a membrane-based ribbon-like controller), but that's a very minor quibble. About the only thing I really wish it had was dedicated octave +/- buttons (you have to menu dive a bit). Holes for an optional music stand would also be helpful.

 

I haven't decided if I'm going to keep my ReFace or not. Right now I call it my shower board, as I power it up on my way to the bathroom to lay down a few licks. I don't know if I can justify $300-400 for that.

 

My twins love the Go Keys...

 

[Gretel]

Thanks for the update and the oic, it really looks like the Go:Keys is small enough for reasonably comfortable playing on your lap. My NP12 is quite a bit wider and reallly not that good for that purpose. Seems like the Go:Keys is the way to go here.

[ElmerJFudd]

Thinking of one of these to carry around when I do vocal rehearsals and coaching. Just something tiny with speaker that can run on batteries. Lots of cheap keyboards with speakers around. But these are tiny. How do you like the action? Feels ok for banging out parts?

 

Congrats on these beautiful babies. Youre blessed, and quite tired Im certain.

[Josh Paxton]

Hadn't heard of this. Might be the solution I've been looking for for laptop note entry. Thanks for the heads-up!

[Kawai James]

Congrats on the twins!

[Groove On]

About the only thing I really wish it had was dedicated octave +/- buttons (you have to menu dive a bit).[/url]

Congrats! The Go keyboards are fun pieces of kit, I hope Roland continues to develop them further.

 

Interesting about the octave buttons - Roland gave the Go Piano dedicated octave buttons; so another difference between the Go Piano and Go Keys. FWIW on the Go Piano, theyre really easy to accidentally brush against while playing because theyre so near the keys. But theyre are one of the features that I use the most (even if its accidental).

 

Re: Reface CP

Perhaps replace it with an older iPhone (with the headphone jack). There are many apps that might provide interesting sounds and features. Ive got an older dedicated iPhone velcrod to mine.

[RandyFF]

Cool, it looks fun! And what a handful- twins!!! You'll need a portable board to get any practicing in!

 

Turns out there's a Go Piano as well, for a few more dollars, and it does have a music stand. Thanks for sharing, these little boards may be more fun and accessible than many of the under $300 arranger boards.

[Losendoskeys]

You all missed this thread then!

 

https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2980005/Travel_piano_best_action_under#Post2980005

[Tusker]

Nevermind the keyboard. Twins! Congratulations brother Sundown.

 

 

[TechEverlasting]

So do the sounds in the Go Keys work well with stereo babies?

[Adan]

I made this recommendation in your Reface CP thread. Glad you came to your senses!

 

With small children, you need something you can pick up and put down quickly, that can be played on your lap, and that isn't tethered to an electrical outlet. GoKeys meets these criteria better than anything else at the moment. 8 lbs so it's feather light. Runs a long time on rechargeable batteries. The sounds and feel are not offensive. Of course it doesn't feel like a piano but you can't have everything.

 

Another benefit is that your kids will have it in front of them much of the time, so they'll get used to seeing and playing a keyboard. That must be a good thing. When my son was in his 4's (he's 6 now), he discovered the groove functions and started playing DJ with it. Amusing and annoying all at the same time.

[Joe P]

What a great picture! I wish you much Joy!

 

Joe

[Tonysounds]

That picture made my day. Thanks!

[El Lobo]

So do the sounds in the Go Keys work well with stereo babies?

"Stereo babies." Yes! Twice as good as mono.

[RandyFF]

So, this got me thinking. There's quite a few battery powered boards on the market under $400. Going thru SW's site, here are some that catch my eye.

 

Seems obvious that the criteria is that it's very lap friendly, which the Go keyboards manage by being light, 8 pounds 10 oz., and shallow, a little under 11" in depth. None of these other boards 'measure up'.

 

The below are noteworthy because of things like much more powerful speakers, better sound quality, possibly better keybed. In other words, not just a lightweight lap board but possibly full featured enough to be considered for other duties. I suspect that the Go keyboards get a lot of their appeal precisely because they DON'T have many features, they look very accessible, and are super small. And yes, I understand that watts don't determine volume and quality of sound, but they're a good indication, esp with boards that have so little to work with.

 

Roland Go Keyboards

+++ Under 9 pounds, under 11" deep, BT, 2 models to choose from, music stand available with one model

--- 2 x 2.5 Watt speakers, headphone output only

->>>> My conclusion- excellent lap board! And the red colored one looks way more fun than black!

 

Korg EK-50 This is a new board, costs $400

+++ 2 x 10 watt using 4.7" speakers, PB and Mod joystick, 1/4" outs plus headphone,

--- 16 pounds, 15.43" depth,

->>>>> My take: Powerful board, could be more suited for taking to family gatherings with its powerful speakers, overall has more pro features like 1/4" outs, but twice as heavy and really deep

 

Casio CT-X3000 New board, costs $300

+++ Possibly the best sounds of any of these boards?, 2 x 6 watts with 4" speakers, sustain and expression pedal, PB wheel,

--- Headphone output only, 15 pounds, 15" deep,

->>>>>> My take: if the sounds are as good as reported, this is not much of a lap keyboard because of size and weight, but a heck of a value

 

Yamaha PSR E463 Probably most sold, costs $279

+++ Keybed feels surprisingly good, 2 x 6 watt 4.7" speakers, PB wheel, 2 assignable knobs (cutoff, eq, etc., these are great), music stand

--- 14.5 pounds, almost 16" deep, only headphone out

->>>>> My take, stupid deep but super fun and playable board with assignable knobs

 

Casio LK-265 $149

+++ Lighted keyboard to show students what to play, only 8 pounds and 12" deep, 2 x 2 watts with 3.9" speakers, low cost, microphone input

--- Heaphone output only,

->>>>>>>> Lighted output can be a teaching aid if you're into that, almost as light and shallow as the Go Keyboards, mic input and super inexpensive

[ElmerJFudd]

With the Go models - if you need a little more oomph than the included amp and speakers give, there is an 1/8 stereo out. Anyone have ideas for a bluetooth type rechargeable portable powered speaker with 1/8 analog in?

 

This one does 80htz - 20khtz

https://www.fishman.com/products/series/loudbox/loudbox-mini-charge/

[Adan]

Above a certain weight, playing a keyboard on your lap becomes tiring/uncomfortable due to pressure on the legs. This is going to vary from person to person -- how you're built, etc. I draw the line at around 12 lbs.

 

You can play anything on your lap for a few minutes. For "real practicing," the weight becomes a crucial factor.

[RandyFF]

With the Go models - if you need a little more oomph than the included amp and speakers give, there is an 1/8 stereo out. Anyone have ideas for a bluetooth type rechargeable portable powered speaker with 1/8 analog in?

 

This one does 80htz - 20khtz

https://www.fishman.com/products/series/loudbox/loudbox-mini-charge/

 

Looks like a nice amp, $499, and besides BT it has an instrument and mic in with eq and fx.

 

The BT speaker with an 1/8" analog in I'd recommend for this is the Klipsch KMC3. . It has 2 x 2" speakers along with a 5 1/4" woofer with 2 x 15 watts rms for the small speakers, and 35 watts rms for the woofer. When not using AC power it runs off of 8 D cell batteries.

 

It's like a supercharged boom box, Another Scott turned me on to it, about the only BT speaker I've encountered that can do a reasonable job with the bass, and piano sounds gorgeous on it, hifi. I paid $180 new, I believe they've been discontinued but have heard of people picking them up used on ebay. The above link is for a used one on Amazon.

 

The other BT speaker that I'd love to get is the Bose S1 Pro, $599. This little guy is super small, has 2 channels of instrument/mic with eq and reverb, BT/analog 1/8" in, 3 x 2 1/4" tweeters and a 6" woofer, weighs a little under 16 pounds, has a built in lithium ion battery, and gets absolutely rave reviews for the volume and sound quality this little guy puts out.

[ElmerJFudd]

With the Go models - if you need a little more oomph than the included amp and speakers give, there is an 1/8 stereo out. Anyone have ideas for a bluetooth type rechargeable portable powered speaker with 1/8 analog in?

 

This one does 80htz - 20khtz

https://www.fishman.com/products/series/loudbox/loudbox-mini-charge/

 

Looks like a nice amp, $499, and besides BT it has an instrument and mic in with eq and fx.

 

The BT speaker with an 1/8" analog in I'd recommend for this is the Klipsch KMC3. . It has 2 x 2" speakers along with a 5 1/4" woofer with 2 x 15 watts rms for the small speakers, and 35 watts rms for the woofer. When not using AC power it runs off of 8 D cell batteries.

 

It's like a supercharged boom box, Another Scott turned me on to it, about the only BT speaker I've encountered that can do a reasonable job with the bass, and piano sounds gorgeous on it, hifi. I paid $180 new, I believe they've been discontinued but have heard of people picking them up used on ebay. The above link is for a used one on Amazon.

 

The other BT speaker that I'd love to get is the Bose S1 Pro, $599. This little guy is super small, has 2 channels of instrument/mic with eq and reverb, BT/analog 1/8" in, 3 x 2 1/4" tweeters and a 6" woofer, weighs a little under 16 pounds, has a built in lithium ion battery, and gets absolutely rave reviews for the volume and sound quality this little guy puts out.

 

Great tip, thank you!

[Sundown]

Thanks everyone for the congratulatory words. They were born a bit premature, but they're doing great (no significant health side effects). They seem to be hitting all their milestones.

 

They are our first and only kids, so in terms of workload, we really don't know any differently. We have a lot of family around and we tag team everything as a husband/wife, so it's pretty manageable right now. It will get more challenging when they are mobile.

 

Another benefit is that your kids will have it in front of them much of the time, so they'll get used to seeing and playing a keyboard. That must be a good thing. When my son was in his 4's (he's 6 now), he discovered the groove functions and started playing DJ with it. Amusing and annoying all at the same time.

 

That was my thought as well. It was one reason why I liked the mini keys on the ReFace, thinking it would be easier for them to play with.

[Sundown]

Thanks for the update and the pic, it really looks like the Go:Keys is small enough for reasonably comfortable playing on your lap. My NP12 is quite a bit wider and reallly not that good for that purpose. Seems like the Go:Keys is the way to go here.

 

A lot of it depends on what you're sitting on. With the depth and width, some chairs or couches don't work. It would definitely work as a 49-key instrument, but the 61 is manageable.

 

Adan raised a good point about the weight and posture. Having it on your lap definitely doesn't put you in a position where you would want to play for hours. It works well for me for 20-30 minute jaunts and noodling around. It wouldn't encourage proper technique or posture. And if you use a damper pedal, the right side of the board will raise and lower as you actuate it.

 

But it's a really fun board, and the sounds can be quite expressive. There is an EP with some great velocity-driven timbre. I love the Green Onion-ish organ too (preset #10 in the Organ collection). There are some really great mono bass patches, and the mono leads can be fun. I'm happy that they didn't just recycle more JV/XV content (unless they drew it from expansion boards that I'm not familiar with).

 

The Bluetooth connection is handy for audio inputs, but I've found Bluetooth MIDI to be useless (too much latency with an iPad, etc). It does have a USB connection for a direct shot.

 

Overall, I think it's a great instrument for ~$300. It's better than I expected for sure.

[Sundown]

How do you like the action? Feels ok for banging out parts?

 

The action is different from my other boards, but I do like it. It's really springy, but it doesn't feel cheap or plasticky like a lot of the low-priced USB controllers. It has a faux ivory texture on the keys that gives it a bit of class. It's a good action for fast leads, but I don't know how I would feel playing it as a primary board, or for hours on end. For what I'm doing it's great.

[Tito85]

Hi, does anyone have experience bringing this keyboard on the overhead compartment on an air plane?

 

 

[Sundown]

Here are a couple of better pics of the kids. About three months old...

 

 

 

[ElmerJFudd]

Welcome, dear children, into this world of ours. May your lives be filled with love and music.

[Fleer]

Welcome indeed. Lovely duo. Congrats.

[Adan]

The resemblance of babies to father is astounding, though I think that may say more about your youthful preservation than their advanced maturity.

 

There really should be support groups for musician-fathers of young children. It poses a unique set of challenges and opportunities, some technical (like this thread), some lifestyle-oriented, some emotional . . ..

 

There probably are such groups, I just haven't had the time to look for one. Those precious moments of freedom need to be spent playing, not browsing.

[Sundown]

The only other thing I wish the Go Keys had was a built in metronome. It's a handy, easy-to-implement feature. You can of course use your phone, but having it onboard would be great. My MP11 has one and if you're practicing it's a godsend.

[Sam Mullins]

Poking around the web, I see conflicting information about whether the piano samples on the Go:Piano are different/better than the Go:Keys. Anyone have definitive information on that point?

[Gretel]

I tried them side by side and there was no obvious difference. My headphones were cheap and it was pretty noisy in the room, but I think they were identical.