CasioCT-S200BK 61-Key Premium Keyboard Pack with Stand, Headphones & Power Supply, Black (CAS CTS200BK PPK)

I have been involved in professional music production for years, but recently wanted to get serious about learning how to play piano. I selected an app (I am using SimplyPiano) that I thought would be helpful, then set about looking for an appropriate keyboard. I will also be using this to input scores into PreSonus Studio One via MIDI, so obviously a MIDI output was essential. As great as this is, I also have young kids, so I know my time is limited. That said, I didn't want to spend too much on this setup in case my plans just didn't work out. This keyboard fit the bill very nicely for me. I understood what I was getting...this is a $100-and-change unit, not a Nord Stage 3. The sounds aren't winning any awards, but they aren't terrible either, and some are very playable. There should be plenty of decent variety to suit your needs. The keys don't feel "cheap" and play well. Again, they aren't weighted or anything like that, but perfectly fine for my purposes. The biggest two issues I see are this: the internal speaker quality and the MIDI port, as others have noted. When playing some of the bass patches, you literally can't hear the lowest notes at all. I solved this issues easily by using headphones and/or plugging into an external speaker (in my case, a mixer/amp/floor monitor setup, but any decent external powered speaker would do). Once I did that, the sound quality was actually pretty darn good. The other issue was the micro-USB port for the MIDI output. I could see what others are saying...it's not the most "robust" connection. I've seen this type of thing on other equipment before and there was a very simple solution for me - I plugged in my cable, made a stress loop and taped it off with a piece of gaffers tape - problem solved. Granted, I will be unplugging that cable very infrequently, so this works in my situation. Barring that as an option, I would just be careful and gentle with it, and you should be fine with reasonable use. All said - this is a very good option for anyone looking to start out, especially for kids just getting into lessons, or anyone in need of a very portable unit. It was 100% plug-and-play into my iPad for SimplyPiano to recognize it for MIDI input. It also work with absolutely no issues as MIDI input on my Windows 10 PC. $120 well spent.

I live in a 300 sq ft studio and do not have enough room for the bigass standing keyboard I had in my childhood bedroom. LOVE this keyboard, great value for money, graphics are good, keys are sensitive but not loud (meaning pressing the key doesn’t make a loud thunk, you really just hear the note), and there’s a great sturdy handle on the keyboard for easy transportation. I’m so happy with this purchase!! of course the bright red color is a bonus :^) basically no assembly required, only putting the music rest into the keyboard. the power cord is a bit short but it works just fine for me and there are always extension cords!

The media could not be loaded. My four year old is taking piano lessons, and practices every day. We have a fully weighted 88 key digital piano at home, but she spends a night or two every week at grandma's house, and she needed something compact that she could use over there. I'm giving this keyboard five stars for what it is, because comparing it to a higher end digital piano (or an actual piano) is unfair to the product. It promotes itself as a portable keyboard, and that's exactly what it is. It's slim, so it will stash easily behind or under furniture, it runs on six AA batteries (also comes with a plug) so it can be used anywhere, and it's only 61 keys, so most beginner and intermediate music can be played on it, yet it isn't too long or unwieldy. And it's lightweight with a built in handle. The music stand sits right in the hole of the handle, and unlike some other reviewers, we've had no issues with the stand. My daughter easily transitions from the spring action keys of the Casio back to the weighted keys of the digital piano, though she plays better on the weighted keys. Her hands are little and the Casio keys are more sensitive to being pressed.If you're serious about your child (or yourself) taking lessons, this is probably NOT the product for you. We purchased a Donner 88 key fully weighted keyboard from Amazon, which is an entry level digital keyboard suitable for beginning and intermediate players. It costs a bit more than double the cost of this Casio keyboard, but so worth it. The touch sensitive (plays louder the harder you press) fully weighted keys feel like playing an actual piano, and the sound quality is so much better than this Casio keyboard. But like I already said, it's unfair to compare the Casio to anything better, since it doesn't promise to be anything more than what it is. I'm just mentioning the Donner for anyone shopping for a beginning student. I know how hard keyboard shopping can be!