I wanted & needed a keyboard that would be a crossover between an instrument that would allow me to experiment & create demos of songs and tracks for use in film-making, as well as being a keyboard that would act as a 'substitute' for a real Piano so I could get back into traditional Piano practice which I have not been able to do for decades. The key factors were that the Piano sounds should be very good and the keys should have some resistance and sensitivity if not fully hammer action. And all of this had to be available for me at a very low budget (400 euros or less) The Casio CTX5000 ticked all the boxes and I'm delighted with my purchace so far.
Piano sounds are great, and I'm finally able to open a book of sheet music and start practicing again after many, many years. The keys feel really good and I'm super impressed with the AIX sound engine (Acoustic Intelligent Expression) The AIX system means that the playing experience can be more expressive and sensitive. Only 61 keys as opposed to the full 88, but as an all rounder I can't complain. My feeling is that if my traditional Piano practice continues well, then in the future I will invest in a dedicated Digital Piano. Meanwhile I have an instrument that covers lots of bases. Usually I find on board Keyboard sound pretty terrible, but the CTX5000 has some exceptional sounds, and the big difference again is the AIX sound system. Have a listen to some of the sounds via online review videos...the realistic, breathy quality that you will hear for tones like saxophone/trumpet/accordian/guitar etc are extremely accurate. Coming in at just under 400 euros, It's also a big bonus to have a wide range of ports including Line Out/Line In - Microphone - Pedal and Expression Pedal - Phones - Usb etc. While I'm looking forward to getting down to some creative song writing using this instrument, I'm a bit put off by the complexity of the actual process involved with the on-board 16 track recorder & Mixer. The biggest downside to this keyboard is that it's definitely not very intuitive when it comes to some functions. Again, at this price, with patience and focus I hope to master some of the features in time. Super happy using this as a substitute-bridge instrument for a real Piano or higher end Digital Piano....and since it does so much more at a great price, I totally recommend it for anyone with similar requirements.
