a keyboard for school music

[abidicus]

I am a school teacher with a brief to take over the job of teaching music. Can anybody guide me towards a (not too Big) multi timbral midi keyboard that will serve us well in the classroom. The budget is not really the issue - the issue is usability and compatibility with Cubase SX. I want the students to be working on film scores (fx etc) and using samples drawn from an Akai or Emu sampler. Any good ideas on the right keyboard?

[Byrdman]

Are you going to be using the samplers or are you wanting something that can load the samples into the instrument itself?

 

Do you want something that can integrate into Cubase so that you can use it as an external processor or are you just after MIDI.

 

When you say budget is not really an issue, how much of an issue is it really? Same thing on size - does it have to be small and if so how small?

[abidicus]

Yes,I'd like to load the samples onto the instrument. I'm just after MIDI, although integrating with Cubase and using as a processor (away from Cubase?) sounds useful (and more expensive?). Budget not a major issue, but I think more than 500 dollars per keyboard would be excessive!Size - 64 notes, not 88.

[Clavinovaguyusa]

If you have various workstations set up for doing this process I would consider this possibility: Some keyboard workstations be set up as keyboard controllers using on computer sound sets. These keyboards will not need sounds in them. You can pick some up in the $300 or lower range. For the money you saved from those keyboards, invest in a few boards like the Roland Juno G/Fantom X6, a Korg (with Karma), Kurzweil K2600®S, and you may also consider a few sound shaping and modelling desktop boxes, and a Theramin.