MIDI keyboard controller

[Junkie]

Can anyone suggest a quality keyboard MIDI controller which has the response and feel of a real piano (at least 88 keys)? there are a few but not convinced completely.... need other opinions. also any suggestions for pro piano sampled instrument packages?

Seeing as i cant afford a Steinway old layd or bosendorfer emporer grand piano, this will have to do!!

[Kawriver]

R U looking for an exclusivly midi or something with its own sounds? and a price range would be good.

[audioalchemy]

Try out the M-Audio stuff. Great price and reliabliity, They make 2 88 Key versions. One called the Keystation which is like 200 or so and the 88 Pro which feels a little better and has way more MIDI options mainly geared to live performance and it's like 400 bucks.

I use M-Audio controllers all the time and have found them to work great.

Peace,
AudioAlchemy

[Curtis Franklin]

dont get m-audio!! the ones that i played felt terrible.

i am very satisfied with my studiologic sl-880 pro. You can get them new for $400.
It feels convincingly like a real piano.

[Greg B]

I have a Yamaha P90, which I found to have the best feel of any keyboard I tried under $1000.

Also the M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 and Pro Keys 88 Keyboards are very nice for the price.

The Keystation Pro 88 has more MIDI controls, but does not have built in sounds. The Pro Keys 88 has onboard sounds, but less MIDI controls.

[Junkie]

The roland and keystation models do appeal to me, need to get a piano player along with me as i dont really play, built-in sounds aren't a necessity but if it does have genuinely good hammond, grand, synthclavier sounds then im all for it! most important is the feel of a real piano. are expression/dynamics pedals included with these?

Thanks

[Greg B]

Originally Posted by Junkie

are expression/dynamics pedals included with these?

Both M-Audio models and the Yamaha P90 come with a sustain pedal.

[Kawriver]

The M-Audio's while very popular have a problem with their polyphany and sustain. Several we have tested cut out when more than 6 keys are depressed at any one time. For pure key feel the guys are right Yamaha's are the way to go. Korg has great sound generators and kurzwiels have lots of features for the price. But the best deal I've seen on a keyboard with sounds (good, even great sounds) is the Roland Juno-D. The MicroKorg has great sounds but small keys. Its pretty much a trade off with anything you get. Yamaha at the highend doesn't provide a lot of sounds but the sounds are the best I've ever heard and all the major food group sounds are represented in excellence. Just my 2 cents.

[Junkie]

how about the Kurzweil PC2? any good?

[amuro73]

Originally Posted by Junkie

Can anyone suggest a quality keyboard MIDI controller which has the response and feel of a real piano (at least 88 keys)? there are a few but not convinced completely.... need other opinions. also any suggestions for pro piano sampled instrument packages?

Seeing as i cant afford a Steinway old layd or bosendorfer emporer grand piano, this will have to do!!

Well, this really is a personal preferece in the end. One controller that feels good someone may not appeal to the next player.

When I was looking for my first serious MIDI workstation, I went around town trying practically every 88-key synths, and went with Korg N1. That was like 7-8 years ago. I don't know what is hot in the current market myself, but if feel is what you're looking for it's hard to rely on opinions of someone else.

ari

[JohnnyRockU]

how sad
I love that board.. Its weighted keys feels like a real piano
but i cant use it now in my rig since i have windows 7

[JohnnyRockU]

What I like about it too is it doesnt have a bunch of other buttons, its very simple and carrys out the job of being a midi controller
I guess I will be selling it to someone who uses Windows XP..
one more time im gonna try to use it before i give up but M audio doesnt have Windows 7 drivers for it..
Seems all the new ones are expensive and have a lot of other complicated buttons I DONT NEED!!!

[jeremytheboring]

I tested a -ton- of 88 key controllers in the search for a fairly authentic Piano feel with a decent pricepoint. I have to say that in my opinion the M-Audio action was horrible in comparison to most acoustic pianos I've used in my lifetime.

I ended up settling on this:
Studiologic SL-990 PRO 88-Key Keyboard Controller and more MIDI Controllers at GuitarCenter.com.

The action is a little (my musical partner would say a lot) heavy, but the grading from low to high and general feel is pretty damn close to my Steinway.

However, it does almost nothing beyond serving as a good action note controller, very few buttons at all which in turn means very few CC sending buttons. It's also built like a tank for what its worth.

[Frisbieinstein]

Originally Posted by Junkie

Can anyone suggest a quality keyboard MIDI controller which has the response and feel of a real piano (at least 88 keys)? there are a few but not convinced completely.... need other opinions. also any suggestions for pro piano sampled instrument packages?

Seeing as i cant afford a Steinway old layd or bosendorfer emporer grand piano, this will have to do!!

All I can do is repeat what I've been told.

With controller you get what you pay for. It's mechanical, and if lightly built it may break. A $200 job is likely to be more trouble than it is worth. It is a matter of luck: an M-Audio might work out fine, then again it might not. If you must go cheap, then StudioLogic is probably your best bet, but even here people say things like "Pick it up, don't have it shipped" and "don't drop it."

If you want to go deluxe then Yamaha sells a pure controller for about $800 that has aftertouch. That would be nice. It doesn't have much in the way of knobs and stuff. If you want that, you are probably better off buying a 2nd controller that is nothing but knobs and no keys.

[karp47]

I ordered a M-audio keystation pro 88 about 2 months ago... I would tell you how it plays although I haven't received it, as far as I know the Yamaha ones feel pretty real and are a bit better than the M-audio ones but also a little bit more expensive.

It depends how set you are on getting a real feeling controller.

[Clark Griswold]

hey all, first post! any updates on newer midi keyboards? looking to pick one up but not sure what to get.

[ha1o42]

Hi, new here.
I am in the same boat as you, but my school has the Arturia Laboratory. Arturia - Musical Instruments | Intro

It comes with Arturia plugin's and a 49 key midi keyboard controller. A lot of people say the controller itself is worth the price and those in similar price ranges aren't build as good as this. It is also pretty heavy.

I currently have a M-Audio Oxygen 49 which doesn't feel too good compared to the Arturia. I plan on heading over to a store to check out some equipment.