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Did you mean Fantom? Not to be mixed (*) with phantom (48V power source for some condenser microphones) in the context of this thread.

(*) No pun intended, at first, but I changed my mind afterwards.

My son uses the ct1 (an alternative to the Cloudlifter) with his sm7b. works a treat, and online user reviews were consistently good last i checked (about 6 months ago)

you are correct - my bad

Micah, as the OP to this thread that has gone where it has thus far, it may be constructive for you to review, perhaps further clarify or even reconsider or correct your priorities/goals, starting with the title “best keyboard for home music production”.

For instance, breaking down the title to 3 components “ keyboard - for home - casual or professional? music production “ might best help PW help you get whatever you really want.

Objectively, there is no best keyboard, at any price point, for any main use be it on any kind of stage or in any type of home environment no matter what any member says and no matter how loud they state what they say. Subjectively, there are numerous best keyboards that will meet your not-so-clearly-defined music-production wants & needs. You already have at least one - ydp240 which you possibly are not in love with - but you are already leaning towards a fairly high price range (4k) & well respected model (mp11se). Yes, MP11SE has a reputation as a fine, multi-use instrument and might serve your particular needs, but there is nothing unique to it’s capabilities that makes it best / better than any of many potential makes/models at or below or well below your budget.

It appears you already have some computer system/OS running one or more VSTs and this same system might be or already is your intended DAW running one or more DAW programs sounding locally on the computer’s sound system. Do you see yourself ultimately being a regular guy with a suitably small, home made production system with occasional karaoke sessions, or do you intend to be a Wakeman-like home producer with all manner of studio-grade gear littering your man cave? Others have insinuated you need to have studio-grade vocal accommodations …. maybe you intend to have Jon Anderson or the like gigging in your home on occasion. If you are leaning more towards occasional, simple vocal needs, there are fairly common, lower-end DPs with a built-in mic input not requiring 48VDC phantoms. Either way, the keyboard best for you must support MIDI , either conventional or USB or bluetooth, any one method of which will likely add connectivity requirements if/when you want the DAW to send the resultant midi/audio to somewhere outside your computer/OS/VST/DAW system …. over lineout or internal USB or external USB or bluetooth.

I suspect there are lots of gear options you can throw at this that have not yet been suggested that can equip you with a keyboard that has its own speakers or external monitors and has enough built-in sounds to satisfy you when not in a VST mood but also has connectivity features to satisfy whatever pro or amateur VST / DAW-based music production capabilities.

Hi all, I ordered my MP11SE today. I now need to get some speakers and other things, though for the moment I have some cheaper ones I can use. The biggest priority is a stand. I'm really stuck on a price to spend on a stand, some are really ugly and won't work well in a bedroom. I want one that I can sit down at where my legs won't hit the stand (so one with the support on the sides and or back, not the middle like x-stands) and I want it to not wobble whatsoever. Thanks guys.

On the matter of a stand that might fit your preference, see the recent thread here -

http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2971688/1/stand-for-kawai-mp11se.html

- in which member dhts provides a photo of a nice-looking setup.

Caveat - stands in general tend to lend to some wobbling 🙁

Thank you, but unfortunately this isn't available in Australia.

Unless you make your own stand - to your own specs/requirements - stands, in general, lend to some wobbling.

The room / floor, plays a part; carpeting especially contributes to wobbling.

Another option is to just head down to a furniture store, and getting a table of suitable dimension (such as Serrano Wood Computer Desk from Harvey Norman --- or pop down to OfficeWorks to see what they have - such as Contour Home Office Study 1400mm High Gloss Desk) - where you can just put the keyboard on top of the table, and then pull up an adjustable height chair or music stool.

So I've decided I'm gonna go with the konig and Meyer 18950. It won't get here til next week and the only other stand I have is an old x-stand, so I'm just gonna be looking at my Kawai for the next week without being able to open it, what a tease.

I currently have a HIFI system that plugs into my pc/audio interface via AUX cable. Is it possible them into the MP11SE, or am I just gonna need to use headphones until my HS5's arrive? Cheers

Do you know the make and model of your audio interface (AI)? The answer will likely determine if this AI has line-in ports that you can connect to the MP11 line-outs.

It will also help for you to clarify - the HiFi that is attached to the AI with an aux cable. Does it connect to a port on the AI that is labeled “aux” or is it a port on the HiFi labeled AUX that has some cable connected to an output of the AI? If you are already able to get sound out of your HiFi that originates somewhere in your PC/DAW/VST system, it may not be important to answer.

It's a cheap nanoface, I believe brand is something like Alva and name is nanoface. I don't quite understand the HIFI question. The HIFI has a red and white cord that goes into the HIFI box and the red and white cord then connect into one cord which is an AUX. Which I then plug into my audio interface and get sound from my computer. Sorry if that didn't make sense.

According to a on-line manual, the Nanoface does support multiple input and output devices, to include microphones as well as standard line-level gear, through the use of a proprietary breakout cable that may also require extension cables to reach between your devices and the breakout cable, as needed.

During those times you want to play the MP11’s sounds through the HiFi rather than playing VST sounds, you will need cables that connect to the MP11’s 1/4 inch outputs jacks on one end, and the other end must have the correct RCA plugs to mate with the line-input receptacles within the breakout cable.

I have HS5's on the way. Will I be able to switch between my VST and the MP11 built in sounds fairly quickly?

Can I just plug my AUX cord into the MP11SE headphone jack? I have the needed connector.

Based upon an earlier piece of information -


- the important details of this AUX cable were not clear to me , but now that a little more info has leaked out, it is apparent you have somehow been using the AUX cable plugged into one or two (red & white) of the RCA receptacles on your AI breakout cable, with the other end, also red & white, plugged into your HiFi and this was or is sufficient for you to hear your PC/sound system through the HiFi …. yes?

Based on all of your posts to this project, the thought occurred to me that maybe you are not very experienced or comfortable with setting up , then rearranging, and subsequently using these kinds of audio connections/gear. If there is some truth to this, and if i were you, i would probably leave your cabling connections as they are while trying to be patient with listening to your new MP11 by way of a typical headphone connection, and leave this AUX cable arrangement the way it is. Once your new monitors arrive, you can plug them directly into your MP11 without the need to disturb the PC/AI/AUX cable arrangement, and you can quickly play the MP11 sounds. If and when you are ready to get the MP11 playing VSTs, you will be able to do that relatively quickly by pressing the Local Off button on the MP11 AND determining how to connect/cable MIDI from your MP11 into your PC …. which might (operative word) might be as simple as plugging the USB “to host” port of the MP11 to a port on your USB Host which is also known as PC.

How do I plug my speakers (HS5) into my keyboard and my PC at the same time? So that I can switch over quickly. Im guessing this requires some kind of AI that is a notch higher than mine, but im upgrading soon anyway so this shouldnt be a problem then.

Maybe a 'audio selector' box having suitable sockets ----- (or audio adaptor connectors could be used to connect to the audio selector box if the plugs aren't immediately compatible).

I managed to get a stand for my MP11SE, I am loving everything about it, for sure the best keyboard ive ever played. My one issue is that it gets covered in fingerprints so easy. I find myself cleaning it every 5 minutes.