Anyone play keyboard?

[DAngerer09]

Okay, at my house I have a Triton LE 88 key model that I love and use almost everyday. I use it just to play on through our speakers and also use it as a midi controller when I record things in GarageBand.

 

But, the problem is, as I go away to college each fall, my dad won't let me take this thing with me because he plays it all the time too. And I am going to need something for when I am at school, because I play so much and some friends want to get together and work on some songs, and it is nice just to have one so I can play whenever.

 

So, I'm looking for recommendations on keyboards that would appeal to a college student (who has some money, but tends to be tight when parting with it). I need something with weighted keys and something that can act as a midi controller with a computer, as well as play out loud through speakers like a normal keyboard. Any suggestions? I have looked at the M-Audio keyboard workstations, but I'm not sure if those are used ONLY for playing through your computer (does those things emit any sound through speakers if you aren't running it through some type of computer?). I've seen some used Kurzweils on ebays, also and the PC88MX looks quite intriguing. Thanks for any suggestions you may have...

[cmackey34]

There is the Yamaha S03 Music Synthesizer (64 keys) that you can get for anywhere between $425 and $510. As far as the M-Audio stations go, they are exclusively MIDI controllers and will not work through speakers... I've tried myself.