What's the cheapest 88-key MIDI controller that actually feels like a Piano?

[Gordon]

I'm a bass player who dabbles in keys and currently have a decent 61-key controller with "keyboard" action. i was recording some MIDI piano last night with a very good piano player and we were both kinda amused that some runs which are very easy for him on his Roland were giving him problems on non-weighted keys. Then we got to one part where we ran out of notes (one of those Muse-ish big arpeggios . . .) and had to record it in 2 separate takes . . .

Anyway, I'm look for something with 88 keys, decent fully-weighted piano keys, no other Bells or whistles needed, it doesn't even need USB though it would be nice. i don't need knob, levers, turn-tables, vibrators, or any of that other crap, just need decent piano action and not a lot of money.

Thanks!

[theblue1]

Do not buy a hammer action weighted piano style controller without playing all the available units in your price range!

The range in action is extraordinary. And -- and this is important -- not everyone likes the same kind of action.

Just as acoustic pianos can have wildly varying action, so, too, can MIDI controllers. What works for you, may not work for me, and vice versa.

[jcschild]

+1
however look at the Yamaha KX8

Scott

[djdunamis]

yeah, try them out if you can.

this one is only one i can think of that would be inexpensive with weighted 88 keys.
M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 MIDI Controller



If you can find it used, its a full keyboard, but I love my Alesis QS8.1. I'm not a keyboard player, try to learn here and there. A veteran piano/keyboard player that played in our band picked this out since he's use to normal full pianos.

Vintage Synth Explorer - Alesis QS8.1 / QS8.2

[theblue1]

djdunamis' post exemplifies the different strokes angle... I had a QS6 (same keyboard weighting) and though they called it 'semi-weighted' it felt like your basic plastic keyboard to me. When it died I went looking for a fully piano weighted 'board. (I have a 105 year old piano that I was used to playing but it's in storage now and that was also what brought push to shove.)

I tried the M-Audio and hated it. I felt like it was spongey, mushy. The resistance/weighting/ballistics were unpiano-like to my hands. For the same money or a little less, I picked up a CME 88 key fully weighted. The CME stuff was just out. They now have a bad rap for support and software/drivers/etc -- but I use this as straight MIDI, don't use the USB or any of the built-in controllers.

A lot of folks do not like the CME action, feeling it's too heavy. Some have called it sluggish. For me, I like it better than the other 'boards I tried in that range at the time. And I'm still happy with its basic functionality, which is all I was really interested in. (And the controllers do work, seems like, but, frankly, though I came from the analog world, I've been working on a screen so long that having sliders and 'real knobs' -- that are not really 'real knobs' to my thinking, they're just up down controllers that spin freely -- doesn't really mean much to me.)

Anyhow, your mileage wll vary. Try 'em before you buy one...

Nowadays, though, there are some Yamaha piano 'boards that, I think, would really bear looking at. Er... playing.

[Gordon]

How's this? ZSC MIDI Keyboards controller - CME Product

Anyone know any vendors in the Northern NJ area that carry these?

The M-audio is NOT piano action, even my shaved-ape bass-playing hands can tell something is wrong.

[code 10]

I'd seriously avoid any CME product, they have such a poor reputation. Here's a post from a user on the >>CME forums<<

<snip>

Dear CME,
There is a lot of frustration among a group of your faithful customers who supported you by means of purchasing one of your initial products - the UF series keyboard. For well over one year(!), there has been talk of upgrading the mainboard of the UF with a UFv2 mainboard. This would be extremely helpful to the UF owners. We have been dragged along for over one year hearing about beta testing, being told that a solution should be released shortly, etc. We have never gotten any resolution......and we keep hoping.......and time keeps ticking.

I would sincerely appreciate that you simply be honest with us regarding the propects for upgrading the mainboard on the UF. I believe we would rather know one way or the other instead of agonizing with possibly a fruitless wait.....hoping for some good news. The information determines whether I continue being a CME customer or seek a replacement keyboard with another manufacturer.

Please show us a small amount of respect by simply communicating with us what the realistic plans are with a UF upgrade. I believe this is the least you could do for some of your first customers who trusted in CME.

I look forward to your reply. Thank you.

[code 10]

Like theblue1 said, try out as many different keyboards as you can, even try out the expensive ones, could be worth a look on ebay/craigs list to see if you could pick one up second hand.

I bought a Kawai MP 9000 from a guy on ebay for £600, it's a stunning keyboard, the best buy I've made in a long time, they do have a very good reputation, I have seen the MP 8 mkII go for £900 on ebay which is a steal.

In my opinion Kawai has the best action I've played on so far, these things are very subjective but like the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

[Jake]

Just to reiterate what everyone else has said, the action on 88-key controllers varies wildly so you really do have to try before you buy. Plus it's a very subjective issue as different players have very different preferences.

Generally I have found that digital pianos tend to have a much better feel than most dedicated 88-key controllers.

I agree with the previous poster that Kawai's MP range of digital pianos have fantastic piano action -- although a bit on the heavy side for some players. For me, and I'm not a very good player, I actually prefer a heavier feel as it forces me to play with better control.

Supposedly, yamaha's new kx-8 has the same keyboard action as some of its CP series digital pianos, so that may be worth checking out as the Yamaha's also have a nice solid feel to me.

I personally found both CME and M-Audio controllers to have a very artificial and clunky feel.

Again this is all 100% subjective -- make sure to try a bunch out. You may find that what you prefer is different from what folks are recommending.

[code 10]

If you're in the U.K this might be worth a look....... >>MP4 on ebay<<

[Gordon]

I'll definitely try before I buy, I'm near NYC so I should have trouble finding a store . . .

[Nowak]

You want something that's heavier down low and light up top, Roland does this in there pianos, just a shame they sound like shight.

Not sure if it's available in any "dumb" controllers, might be worth asking.

Stef

[theblue1]

Onboard sounds... another good reason to look at the Yamahas, seems to me. When I bought my CME, the Yammies were still over a thou and the CME was a measly $550 out the door.

But one of the first things I started lusting for was a good virtual piano instrument. It would have been kind of nice to have some decent if not necessarily fantastic sounds built in, and it seems that Yamaha does that pretty OK.


And, to reiterate my own comments and reinforce what others have said: though I like my CME for its basic operation -- in light of the troubles that others have had with them, I really wouldn't recommend them, even for those who like the heavy feel.

[Patrick B.]

Studio logic VMK-88 $50 used (I haggled) . . . look around for a tmk-88 might find either from $100 to $150 used.

[timmcallister]

Don't forget low cost "synths".

I bought an 88 weighted key Alesis QS8.1 for about $200. I really like the feel.

And as a bonus the onboard sounds are decent enough for jam sessions or gigs depending on needs.

YMMV

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by Nowak

You want something that's heavier down low and light up top, Roland does this in there pianos, just a shame they sound like shight.

Not sure if it's available in any "dumb" controllers, might be worth asking.

Stef

You're not kidding, my friend has an 88-key Roland, cost about $1500 and sounds okay live. He hurt his back and couldn't carry his keyboard up my stairs which is why we were using the non-weightd controller . . .

On a previous session we compared the piano to the one in the Roland TTS-1 softsynth that comes with Sonar and the sounds were identical once we took all effects off. The thing plays like a dream but doesn't cut it soundwise.

[Rob C]

I might just be picky but I've never played a MIDI controller that I've thought feels anything like a piano. I generally stick to semi-weighted keys so it's more comfortable when playing organ patches, and it doesn't trigger my "I can't believe they call this realistic piano action!" response.

[code 10]

Originally Posted by Rob C

I might just be picky but I've never played a MIDI controller that I've thought feels anything like a piano. I generally stick to semi-weighted keys so it's more comfortable when playing organ patches, and it doesn't trigger my "I can't believe they call this realistic piano action!" response.

My feeling exactly, I've gone through quite a few different controller keyboards which have always felt synthetic to say the least, I would have been wiser to go and buy a decent stage piano in the first place and save a huge amount of cash in the long run, you lives and learns.