Keyboard with or without speaker for social media videos?

[kristinaxo]

Hi, I'm a long time pianist and singer and want to start making videos for social media on platforms like twitch, tiktok etc, doing cover songs and am thinking I'll buy a keyboard  as it will be more visual given that it's less obtusive.

 

However as I'm shopping, I'm wondering if I should buy a keyboard with built-in speakers and that would be sufficient? Or should I buy one without them and rely on hooking it up to a speaker?  I could do either I guess as I already have a small Penvey speaker for my microphone (although I'm not sure if I can hook up both my microphone and keyboard to the same speaker?) but buying a keyboard with built-in speakers would just be one less thing to hassle with. Any strong opinions either way?

[stoken6]

Welcome to the forum,

 

I'm a fan of starting by making the most of what you've got. Which Peavey speaker do you have (what's the model number)? We'll tell you if it can amplify your keyboard as well as a mic.

 

If you want to do it properly, you'll want a mixer (that combines the sound of your microphone and your keyboard) and an audio interface (that digitises the sound and sends it to your computer) and headphones (so you can hear the mixed sound without it being picked back up into the microphone).. But that's for another post...

 

I would think most keyboards with built-in speakers would be sufficient for unamplified voice, but if you want to amplify your voice for social media (why would you? Reverb/effects?) then it might depend on how much amplification you like to hear.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Thethirdapple]

Greetings and welcome,

 

Sounds like an “arranger” keyboard might fit. These generally include a mic/line in, mixer capabilities, builtin speakers and also line out to an amp.

 

Here is but one “entry level” option, I don't have one of these and there are many many many brands and models to choose from to fit budget and expressive needs.

 

Roland e-x50

 

 

 

 

PEACE

_
_
_

[cphollis]

17 hours ago, kristinaxo said:

Hi, I'm a long time pianist and singer and want to start making videos for social media on platforms like twitch, tiktok etc, doing cover songs and am thinking I'll buy a keyboard  as it will be more visual given that it's less obtusive.

 

However as I'm shopping, I'm wondering if I should buy a keyboard with built-in speakers and that would be sufficient? Or should I buy one without them and rely on hooking it up to a speaker?  I could do either I guess as I already have a small Penvey speaker for my microphone (although I'm not sure if I can hook up both my microphone and keyboard to the same speaker?) but buying a keyboard with built-in speakers would just be one less thing to hassle with. Any strong opinions either way?

Your videos will sound best if you record your keyboards directly -- without speakers and without a microphone.

 

If you don't know how to do direct recordings of you playing and singing -- that's an excellent place to start.

 

A typical setup would be running the keyboard's outputs to a small audio interface, and then a DAW -- along with your microphone. 

 

You definitely don't need a new keyboard for this.

[Stokely]

"sound best" is very much an understatement    If you record direct, you get rid of the room sound and get the most out of stereo, which most keyboards have and use in their patches.   Vocals will also sound much better.   Even for my work on zoom calls, you can hear a big difference in clarity between the people with headset microphones and people using mics in the room (typically the one on a laptop).  

All that said, I've thought about doing this myself (not for streaming but just to make vids) and my challenge is the video part.  I just haven't done much at all with video, other than replace the audio on a video a couple times with a pre-mixed, and even that was a big challenge.    For audio, I'd use my DAW (currently that is Logic pro) to record both my vocal and keyboard(s) on different tracks.   If this isn't live streaming, then I could clean up the audio if need be, add compression/clean noise/ balance the vocals with keys etc.  Again my challenge is how to take that resulting mix and combine it with the video and then create a resulting video file.  Just something I'd have to really do more of to learn the tricks.

[kristinaxo]

Thanks for all the input. Correction on the speaker type - it's an Ion Tailgater, not a Penvey. Think it's this one : 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ion-audio-tailgater-portable-bluetooth-speaker-black/5059400.p?skuId=5059400

 

I found this keyboard near me in LA 

 https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/msg/d/santa-fe-springs-yamaha-mx88-keyboard/7774893658.html

 

I think that would be a good option ? I'd like one with 88 weighted keys. Could also go the built in speaker route, which this doesn't have evidently. 

 

Regarding a mixer and an audio interface, are there examples anyone could recommend?

 

I'm in my 30s but doing this digitally is all very new to me. Been in the stone age with just my piano and mic the last 20 years

[stoken6]

15 hours ago, kristinaxo said:

Thanks for all the input. Correction on the speaker type - it's an Ion Tailgater, not a Penvey. Think it's this one : 

You could plug your mic into the MIC socket and the keyboard into the AUX socket. You'll need a cable that links your keyboard to a 18/inch stereo ("TRS") connector. That would almost certainly work. Your speaker is a long, long way from anything that would be considered "hi-fi" or "quality", but that's fine for the moment - the built-in speakers on almost every keyboard won't be much better, so choosing with/without built-in speakers is not necessarily an important issue.

 

15 hours ago, kristinaxo said:

I found this keyboard near me in LA 

 https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/msg/d/santa-fe-springs-yamaha-mx88-keyboard/7774893658.html

The MX88 is not a bad board for what it is (a budget keyboard with 88 weighted keys and a wide range of sampled sounds). But before I recommend it, I'd like to know what kind of music you play:

1. Singer/songwriter/piano player?

2. Synth supremo?

3. Richly orchestrated layers?

4. Hammond Organ cat?

5. Other?

And what your budget is.

 

15 hours ago, kristinaxo said:

Regarding a mixer and an audio interface, are there examples anyone could recommend?

I'm going to hold off this discussion until we establish the other stuff. This one is very much step 2.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[stoken6]

17 hours ago, stoken6 said:

I'd like to know what kind of music you play:

1. Singer/songwriter/piano player?

2. Synth supremo?

3. Richly orchestrated layers?

4. Hammond Organ cat?

5. Other?

 

Apologies @kristinaxo I missed that you said:

On 8/14/2024 at 6:33 PM, kristinaxo said:

I'm a long time pianist and singer

If you want "just a piano" then the Yamaha MX88 wouldn't be my first choice - it does a lot more than that, and if you feel you're "behind the curve" on today's technology I would recommend something simpler. Casio PX-S1100, Kawai ES120, Korg B2 spring to mind. Don't dismiss secondhand either, of course - you might find a bargain Yamaha P45 or P35 that does everything you need. My one golden rule would be: stick to a well-known brand. Yamaha, Kawai, Roland, Casio, Korg...

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

 

[kristinaxo]

On 8/16/2024 at 4:38 PM, kristinaxo said:

My style is singer/songwriter to answer your question.

[stoken6]

My advice: get yourself a digital piano (not a synth, not a workstation, not an arranger) that you like, that's in your budget. If it doesn't have built-in speakers, get the right kind of cable to connect to the 1/8in TRS socket on your ION speaker (we can advise if necessary). Try that and see how you like it.

 

Good luck,

 

Cheers, Mike.