History Of The Piano

5/18/2012

Casio CT-K651 61-Note Touch-Sensitive Portable Electronic Keyboard Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)My son owns this keyboard and it has been a dream for him. When he is sent to bed he plays the keyboard and has taught himself several songs. The keybard has allowed him to teach himself from the easy learning instructions he is 10 and has learned to play like a true pianist. We are enrolling him in a school for music and we receive a partial scholarship to learn.
I have 5 children and they have had different keyboards but they have elected this TOP RATED. They are all finding it extremely pleasing and of good use for all of them even if its for the one son they have all found it to be the best.
The keyboard has easy instructions,easy to learn, and best of all THE BEAUTIFUL PRICE. Which since I have been shopping at amazon.com I will honestly say the prices have been the best and the products are the best. I am appreciative for amazon.com.

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Casio's CTK651 features 61 full-size keys with a touch-sensitivekeyboard that spans five octaves, letting you create or play music withfull-size piano sound. Its useful onscreen keyboard with music staff and finger iconsdisplays notes and chords played, while a built-in metronome with six drum padskeeps the beat.
The CTK651 enables connectivity with MIDI instruments and musically equippedcomputers for recording, editing, and scripting. A mixer function allows forcontrol over each MIDI channel and musical accompaniment. Its 24-note polyphonickeyboard offers more than 200 tones with 128 general MIDI, 32 presets, 32 usersynth tones, and eight drum set tones. Other proprietary sounds and play modesfeature room, stage, and concert hall presets and 100 discrete rhythmpatterns.
You can record your own compositions (5,200 notes) directly onto the keyboardusing a two-song/six-track memory in real time or editable stereo time. A usefulsynthesizer function lets you create and store your own sounds. Its backlit LCDdisplays music selections, along with tone, rhythm, mixer, tempo, and keyboardfunction. Built-in two-way speakers deliver a 5-watt output and include bassreflex sound.
The Casio CTK651 offers a 0.25-inch stereo line-out/headphone jack. It uses anAD-5 AC adapter or becomes portable with just six D batteries, neither included.

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5/17/2012

Casio MIDI Cable for Musical Keyboards Review

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(More customer reviews)Neither this listing nor Casio's web site mention if this cable includes an opto-isolator. Without it, you could have problems communicating between MIDI gear and your PC.
Look around for MIDI-to-PC cables that have an opto-isolator. They aren't any more expensive, and they could save you a lot of time and headache.

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Connect to your PC to compose, print music, or just learn how to play keyboard Connects your sound card to external MIDI devices through the card's 15-pin joystick/MIDI port 15-pin sound card port; 15-pin joystick port 5-pin MIDI out, 5-pin MIDI in Works with most Casio keyboards

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Native Instruments KOMPLETE-6 Software Bundle Review

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(More customer reviews)if you're a multi-instrumentalist you'll love Komplete6, if you only play guitar/bass buy guitar rig 4 only, all the softwares are easy to use except for Reaktor 5 its a complex and requires alot of time, battery 3 (for drummers) is amazing i connected it by midi with my electronic roland drum kit (TD12), also it can be connected with midi keyboard, and there's updates for all the programs that you can download with the service center

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KOMPLETE 6brings together seven cutting-edge products that no studio should be without. Containing groundbreaking and multi-awarding samplers, synths, guitar/bass amps and creative effects, this collection represents Native Instruments' most powerful software tools.From hip-hop to film scores, pop to techno, rock to classical and beyond – KOMPLETE 6’s 7,000 presets and 60 GB of samples have it all covered. Everything from dirty synths to heavenly choirs, pounding drums to full orchestras, subtle pads to screaming leads – it’s all ready to play in premium quality.KONTAKT 4'THE INDUSTRY STANDARD SAMPLER'More powerful than ever, KONTAKT 4 comes with seven huge Instrument Collections forming a library of over 44 GB. An unrivaled feature range allows everything from pristine playback and extra-ordinary tweaking potential, to absolute creative freedom.ABSYNTH 5'ADDICTED TO SOUND'The legendary synthesizer with over 1,700 presets for evolving atmospheres, delicate pads, and complex soundscapes. Combining multiple synthesis and sampling techniques with the revolutionary Sound Mutation Technology.GUITAR RIG 4 PRO'PERFECT CUSTOM TONE'GUITAR RIG 4 PRO is the ultimate all-in-one guitar and bass solution. Now featuring more amazing amps, cabinets, microphones and effects than ever before – GUITAR RIG 4 PRO sets the tone for excellence. More infoBATTERY 3'CHARGE YOUR DRUMS'BATTERY 3 is a dedicated drum sampler with a vast library of premium drum kits.

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5/16/2012

SmartScore X Pro Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)As a choir director and pianist, I use SmartScore almost every day in my work, mostly for transposing to accommodate the range of my singers. It has become sort of indispensable to me like my car or dishwasher. At first I was intimidated and met with some frustrations early on, but it didn't take long to get the swing of it. It does everything I need it to do and I am still discovering clever editing features. The other day I came across the "Auto format" feature which cleans up note spacing and centers the music so when I print out the final score, it looks even better than the original music I scanned in. I am grateful for the continued improvements the company has made with this software. Earlier versions were not as accurate and had bugs. This latest version is extremely accurate fast and, for the most part, trouble free. I love it.

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Scan, Play, Transpose & Print! There is no faster way to get printed sheet music into your computer and there is no simpler way to capture, transpose, play back, edit, transform and export music back out. SmartScore's SmartScan interface operates almost any scanner and adjusts each setting automatically. No guesswork or expertise required. SmartScore X recognizes more musical symbols more accurately and more quickly than any other music-scanning software. Songbooks, band arrangements, lead sheets, operas, hymnals, musicals, orchestral parts and conductor's scores appear on-screen in editable and playable form within seconds after scanning. Nuances written into scores are accurately captured resulting in astonishing playback realism. Output to Finale, Sibelius, MusicXML PDF, MIDI and audio (.WAV) file formats. Nearly any PDF file is accurately recognized, including those optimized for the web. Used by students, hobbyists, arrangers, copyists, music ministers and educators worldwide, SmartScore is a complete music software solution, not just half of it. From scanning, recognition and playback to editing, scoring, layout and print control, SmartScore X stands apart as the only fully integrated music-processing tool.

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Finale SongWriter Review

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(More customer reviews)...in his head! (Well actually he probably had the several hundred dollar professional version of Finale). This is fantastic software, perfect for the beginner or amateur songwriter or arranger. The only drawback for me is the limit of 8 staves, but that would not be a problem for your typical band, only if you want to try orchestral composition and arranging (you would need the professional version). The Human Playback feature is great, it truly sounds realistic, not like MIDI. I cannot recommend this software enough!

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While Finale SongWriter makes it easy to create great sheet music at an affordable price, that's just the beginning. Finale SongWriter allows you to enter notes from a mouse, computer keyboard, or midi keyboard. You can add chord symbols, fretboard diagrams, and multiple verses of lyrics. Finale SongWriter can automatically add two and three voice harmony to your melodies and instantly add a drum part. The music you create sounds great through your computer's speakers thanks to Human Playback and 128 professional sounds. You can import and export MIDI files, create MP3 files, and save your work as a standard Finale file which can also be shared with users of Finale Notepad (a free download). If getting music on the printed page is part of your songwriting project, Finale SongWriter is the perfect collaborator.

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5/15/2012

Olympus 64 MB SmartMedia Card Review

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(More customer reviews)SmartMedia is sold under several brands. Olympus branded SmartMedia allows you to take "panorama" shots. Essentially, you take multiple shots while making sure to overlap edges. You then reassemble these multiple shots using the "Camedia" software that came with your Olympus camera. The difference is that when an Olympus brand SmartMedia card is used, your digital camera keeps exposure settings constant across these multiple shots; which makes for a consistent panorama when you reassemble the individual shots via your computer.
This is a nice feature, but not a feature most of us use often; for example, on a recent two week trip, I took 220 shots of which only 12 were panorama. If you are going to purchase multiple SmartMedia cards, you might be able to do with just one or two Olympus brand cards - especially since they cost more than other brands. I use two other brand SmartMedia cards, and save my Olympus brand cards for when panorama shots present (since you can switch the cards out at anytime - unlike traditional camera film).
Also to realistically determine what the price premium is, check prices for Olympus and other brand SmartMedia not only here, but also at other popular commercial sites.

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Stop juggling multiple SmartMedia cards, and replace them all with a high-capacity 64 MB SmartMedia memory card. Olympus SmartMedia cards are compatible with any product that uses SmartMedia (3.3V). Olympus SmartMedia memory cards also make panorama pictures a snap by taking advantage of the panorama function in Olympus digital cameras.

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EastWest Ministry of Rock Virtual Instruments Collection Review

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(More customer reviews)In the past, I would spend hours trying to make other guitar sample sets sound realistic. I tried some that sounded decent, but they were lacking the "oomph" of today's rock, and I still had to fight to keep them from sounding synthesized. Enter Ministry of Rock. Rythmn guitar? Instantly realistic chords that flow together almost seamlessly, with meaty muted chunks. Solos? Great sounding ones can be pieced together with minimal effort. It's like a dream.
Drums (especially the Ludwig set) are powerful and deep. And as for the basses... well, if there's anything that MoR has taught me, it's that there's a HUGE difference between a recorded bass, and a bass that's been recorded (and played!) properly. The basses offer nearly as much flexibility as the solo guitars, and have more than enough energy to hold their own.
I haven't gotten too much into the included acoustic, but from fooling around with it on the keyboard, it seems extremely playable, with an absolutely massive number of chord variations (flats, sharps, etc). It's chords only, but Gypsy has a plucked version that matches up nicely, if you find it necessary.
If there's one thing I have to complain about (and it's more of a minor quibble), it's that the guitar chords are limited to a single range of tuning on the guitar. I would have liked to have had some extra samples with the guitar detuned a bit, for some lower-range sounds.
As the reviewer below mentioned, it does require a seperately purchased iLok key (which can store a hundred or so registration codes), but that comes with benefits of it's own, such a license portability. So it's either a pro, or a con, depending on how you look at it. I run it at home as well as work, so it's a great bonus for me.
All that aside though, Ministry of Rock is definitely my new sample set of choice.

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Ministry of Rock is a huge collection of rock drums, basses, and guitars recorded in EastWest Studio 2. This virtual instrument collection is a modern day rock toolkit that covers a myriad of styles. Songwriters, film, TV, and game composers as well as drummers and guitarists will find this library fun and useful. It features great sound quality and playability.The Ministry of Rock collection features sounds used in today's popular music and the entire library was created with one goal in mind: to create a virtual instrument capable of producing sounds that could actually produce a hit record or film score without any live drum, bass, or guitar overdubs. Articulations and programming was all reverse engineered from actual performances.PLAYPowered by EastWest's PLAY 64-bit (and 32-bit) Advanced Sample Engine with built-in Network Control (plug-in or standalone), this virtual instrument combines intuitive handling with excellent sound quality, and functions as a plug-in instrument, without the need for a sampler. It includes impulses from the same hall the producers used to record Symphonic Orchestra and Symphonic Choirs so the pianos can blend smoothly with those collections.Load more thanks to 64-bit support64-bit support allows you to load many more instruments and voices, limited only by your system RAM (32-bit support is included also)While most high-end computers will support 16GB, a very small set of high-performance enterprise computers (with Microsoft Vista Ultimate) can already use 128GB of RAM. As hardware develops, the theoretical limit is 17,179,869,184 gigabytes = 16 exabytes, or 17 billion gigabytes.Networking SupportIf you still need more power, the built-in NETWORK CONTROL allows you to load instruments on other machines controlled from your host computer. This means no more trips back and forth between computers, or KVM switching when loading projects. This also means there's no need to buy additional software. The PLAY system is a professional, full

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