Best Keyboard For Gigging Musician 2022
- marshallsoundz
- Dec 28, 2018
- 4 min read
The best keyboard for a gigging musician is going to be a keyboard that allows for a lot of different sounds and is relatively light-weight. The quality of the keyboard is going to be based on how often you perform and what style of music you are performing.
It is my opinion that the best keyboards for gigging musicians are MIDI controller keyboards. However, I will highlight a couple of different keyboards as not every musician likes MIDI keyboards. I want to focus on affordable, yet quality instruments for the touring musician.
Table of Contents
Best Gigging Keyboards – My Top Picks
IMAGE PRODUCT DETAILS Editor’s Pick
Best For Synth Heavy Musicians
Great Key-Action
Durable
Free Bundled Software
Check Latest Price Bar/Coffe Gigs
640 Sounds
600 Drum Grooves
Built-In Recording Studio
Great Electric Pianos
Perfect For Cover Bands
Check Latest Price Organ/Electric Pianos
Best Organs/Electric Pianos
Perfect For Worship
Incredible Key-Action
128 Note Polyphony
Check Latest Price Budget Pick
Inexpensive
600 Sounds
Beautiful Tones For The Price
Lightweight
Let’s take a look at all the various types of keyboards currently being used for gigging.
1) Arturia Keylab MKII 61 Key – Great Controller
The Arturia Keylab MKII is a fantastic MIDI controller keyboard that can basically do anything you will want it to do. A lot of old-school musicians are hesitant to use MIDI controllers, but that’s just because they’re not familiar with them. You can be extremely expressive with this product as it has aftertouch.
The Keylab MKII comes with 61 or 49 keys. Yes, I know it doesn’t have your full 88 keys, but you can always use a cheap digital piano that has 88 keys if you are just looking for a piano sound. This is meant more so for synth players and not just classic rock band sounds.
This is a brand new keyboard and it has some incredible features. You can read more about the Arturia Keylab MKII here.
2) Novation 61SL MkIII
This is one of my favorite keyboards available right now. The MIDI technology is phenomenal and it is really a product that can do everything that you will desire to do. It has aftertouch and it has 16 RGB lit pads that you can use as trigger pads.
Novation keyboards have been used for gigging immensely over the last few years. They are exceptional when it comes to durability and road life. They are also usually very light in weight, making them easy to travel with.
The SL MKIII is currently one of the best 61 key MIDI controllers that I frequently recommend.
I did a full review on the Novation 61SL MKIII here. This breaks down everything you will want to know about this product.
3) Akai Professional MPK249
The Akai Professional MPK249 is a perfect keyboard for gigging musicians. I see this keyboard used more than most for live performance. It is made for the road and it really gets the job done. Pretty much every band that I have performed with has one of these.
You have so many options with this keyboard including the 16 different back-lit pads.
4) Roland JUNO-DS88
The Roland JUNO-DS88 is a great synthesizer keyboard that gives you some amazing sounding pads and synths. It is light-weight and not super expensive, which is a big plus. I don’t recommend buying a super cheap keyboard for gigging, as they’re just not going to sound quality.
This is a keyboard that has pretty much everything you need on it and it competes with the best keyboards available. It is a staple of Roland keyboards.
5) Yamaha MX61
The Yamaha MX61 is a great option for playing live and it is fairly cheap. This keyboard only has 61 keys, but it is a workstation that is loaded with a bunch of different sounds that you can use live. You can also use this keyboard as a MIDI controller. You will just need to a USB cable to do so.
6) Roland FA 08
This is an extremely light-weight workstation that can handle any sounds you are looking for. I have used this for two years now in extensive touring. The way I use it though is as a MIDI controller. I am obsessed with Roland keyboard beds as I feel their keys feel super real.
I also like to have 88 keys when I perform live. The best part is this keyboard works as a MIDI controller flawlessly. I get the best of all worlds with this as it instantly connects with Ableton live and is read as a controller.
It has 16 pads that I used to switch between my different sounds on my laptop. You can read more on the FA 08 here.
If you’re looking for a keyboard that you can tour with and lay down demos on, this is truly one of the best keyboard workstations available, and it’s on the cheaper end.
7) Casio CT-X700 – Budget Pick
There are only 76 keys on the Casio CT-X700, but this is a budget option. If you don’t want to break the bank, yet want to perform live, this is a good pick. It has surprisingly decent sounds and it is extremely cheap.
By no means, do I think this an amazing keyboard for advanced players, but it is a keyboard with a ton of different sounds that is light-weight and affordable.
You will be able to find sounds for most types of songs on this keyboard.
I did a full review on this keyboard and you can read about the Casio CT-X700 here.
Conclusion
There are a lot of different keyboards you can use for gigging. I don’t recommend to use a cheap keyboard since you are going to be playing for people every night. If you found this helpful, let me know in the comment section below.
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