Looking to buy new or second hand Behringer Truths. These things are better for dance production than anything under US$2000 I’ve tried and I can’t do day-to-day mixing without them.
I had a look in ATB Music off Heping rd. and saw a pair of B2031As for a rather outrageous NT$25,000. Now come on… I know this stuff is going to be a little more expensive in Taiwan but I can buy a pair for ~NT$11,000 in the UK and that’s with 17.5% VAT.
Nothing on ebay or the usual Taiwan classifieds… any other high-tech music shops or online stores that might have them? I also want a good 88 key MIDI keyboard like the M-Audio Pro88.
[quote=“llary”]Looking to buy new or second hand Behringer Truths. These things are better for dance production than anything under US$2000 I’ve tried and I can’t do day-to-day mixing without them.
I had a look in ATB Music off Heping Rd. and saw a pair of B2031As for a rather outrageous NT$25,000. Now come on… I know this stuff is going to be a little more expensive in Taiwan but I can buy a pair for ~NT$11,000 in the UK and that’s with 17.5% VAT.
Nothing on ebay or the usual Taiwan classifieds… any other high-tech music shops or online stores that might have them? I also want a good 88 key MIDI keyboard like the M-Audio Pro88.[/quote]
I was also looking for the M-Audio Pro88. A lot of the Apple Centres sell M-Audio; none seem to be able to get the 88. I just asked last weekend at the dunhua store. I think I checked the site a while ago and they have a Taiwan reseller. Maybe that place.
You can probably negociate with the smaller stores for your monitors…
ooo… Have you heard about the ProKeys 88? I just checked their site.
You seem to know a lot about music. Maybe you can recommend something. I just want a digital piano with midi. I’d probably be happy with just about anything used.
A friend of a friend said it’s easy to get used digital pianos. I can ask him and see about the M-Audio.
You can get the M-Audio Pro-keys 88 from Paul at midimall. http://www.midimall.com.tw- They are on ChungHsiao section 4. He has monitors there but I haven’t seen any Behringers. Mostly Genelecs and Mackies. He speaks English if you need it.
Just to give you a heads up before buying something you can’t use… MIDI controllers don’t actually have any built-in sounds - so you can’t use it as a standalone piano. These things are for digital music producers or people with other sound synthesis hardware. To make an actual piano sound you will either have to plug it into your computer with some kind of sampled piano module, or hook it up to a piano synth (I recommend a second hand Korg N1R).
But… if you know this then the pro88 is about the best 88 key controller keyboard in its price range. There are a lot of complaints that it ‘doesn’t play like a real piano’ but what do you expect for about NT$17,000? If you want to play very complex piano parts you will be disappointed at the lack of sensitivity in velocity (loudness) but for that kind of quality hammer action, either buy a real piano or spend US$3000+ on a real weighted keyboard.
BTW, another option is the es88… same company, sprung instead of weighted keys (so feels more like an organ than a piano), missing the extra controllers which you wouldn’t use and cheaper.
[quote=“gary”]ooo… Have you heard about the ProKeys 88? I just checked their site.
You seem to know a lot about music. Maybe you can recommend something. I just want a digital piano with midi. I’d probably be happy with just about anything used.
A friend of a friend said it’s easy to get used digital pianos. I can ask him and see about the M-Audio.
NT$14,000 difference is some negotiating! I will probably go back to ATB Music for the 88 off He-ping E. road.
[quote=“gary”][quote=“llary”]Looking to buy new or second hand Behringer Truths. These things are better for dance production than anything under US$2000 I’ve tried and I can’t do day-to-day mixing without them.
I had a look in ATB Music off Heping Rd. and saw a pair of B2031As for a rather outrageous NT$25,000. Now come on… I know this stuff is going to be a little more expensive in Taiwan but I can buy a pair for ~NT$11,000 in the UK and that’s with 17.5% VAT.
Nothing on ebay or the usual Taiwan classifieds… any other high-tech music shops or online stores that might have them? I also want a good 88 key MIDI keyboard like the M-Audio Pro88.[/quote]
I was also looking for the M-Audio Pro88. A lot of the Apple Centres sell M-Audio; none seem to be able to get the 88. I just asked last weekend at the Dunhua store. I think I checked the site a while ago and they have a Taiwan reseller. Maybe that place.
You can probably negociate with the smaller stores for your monitors…[/quote]
[quote=“llary”]Just to give you a heads up before buying something you can’t use… MIDI controllers don’t actually have any built-in sounds - so you can’t use it as a standalone piano. These things are for digital music producers or people with other sound synthesis hardware. To make an actual piano sound you will either have to plug it into your computer with some kind of sampled piano module, or hook it up to a piano synth (I recommend a second hand Korg N1R).
[/quote]
yes That’s why I’m not sure if I want a MIDI controller. It’d always have to be plugged into my Powerbook. I do want to record into Logic, Sibelius, or Finale. Though I want to just play piano. That’s all.
So a digital piano with a MIDI interface may be the best bet.
But am I gonna be happy with anything in that price range? I have played a friends Shigeru Kawai grand, a special Kawai that many people believe rival the best grands ever made.
Can’t get that experience again. But if I just want a cheap keyboard while I’m here in Taiwan, I could get a MIDI controller if it’s going to make me happer than a digital piano.
No, you’re not. M-Audio offering a sub-$499 MIDI-only 88-key controller at this price
A respectable digital piano will set you back what? $2000? More? You’re looking at the price of a real upright if not a lot more for the best hammer action and key-by-key samples. You will get results almost as good by sucking it up and using your laptop as a sound module. In the future you could always buy a second hand sampled piano sound module that will let you play as a standalone piano through MIDI.
You could always go for the hilarious roll-up toy keyboards they have at ATB
BTW, I finally decided to pick up ATB’s last ex-display pro88 for NT$15,000. Not a super great price but a lot cheaper than list and still good for Taiwan.
[quote=“gary”]
yes That’s why I’m not sure if I want a MIDI controller. It’d always have to be plugged into my Powerbook. I do want to record into Logic, Sibelius, or Finale. Though I want to just play piano. That’s all.
So a digital piano with a MIDI interface may be the best bet.
But am I gonna be happy with anything in that price range? I have played a friends Shigeru Kawai grand, a special Kawai that many people believe rival the best grands ever made.
Can’t get that experience again. But if I just want a cheap keyboard while I’m here in Taiwan, I could get a MIDI controller if it’s going to make me happer than a digital piano.[/quote]
Yeh, but there’s a limit when it comes to imported music gear Even though the Behringers are made in China they’re reexported from Germany. Plus due to reliability issues harming sales of those Truths, Behringer have slashed trade prices pretty recently which certainly won’t have filtered down into Taiwan dealers yet. On top of that I get the 17.5% UK VAT knocked off because I’m outside the EU and I still bargain with the UK suppliers. They would have to sell at lower than what I think they paid trade to make it cheaper than buying from England, even with hefty shipping.
[quote=“gary”] I have gotten 40%+ discounts on other things I’ve tried negociating, a watch I got a while go; the sunglasses I just got the other day.
Small stores will negociate quite a bit. if they seem to not, another place will.[/quote]
That’s why I’m not sure if I want a MIDI controller. It’d always have to be plugged into my Powerbook. I do want to record into Logic, Sibelius, or Finale. Though I want to just play piano. That’s all.