Anyone recommend a 88 note weighted midi controller please?

[Ojustaboo]

Hi all

Had a rethink about finances and decided to sell my M3. While I do love it, I do really want a full length weighted piano style keyboard and I simply cant afford a Kronos in the foreseeable future (although am still saving for one).

I've brought Native Instruments Komplete 8 and while only owned it for a day, have decided that for my use (entirely home use, with cubase), that will more than do me until I finally get the Kronos.

So I'm selling the M3 and hoping to get enough to cover the cost of the Komplete 8 and a half decent 88 key weighted midi controller (plus a few other bits and pieces).

Ideally I want to spend around £500 to £700 on the MIDI controller.

Any suggestions please? As is usual with the internet, there's a lot of differing opinions.

I like the look of the Akai MPK88 as it has things like the pads which will replace nicely the pads I'll miss from my M3, although not really essential as I can of course always lay down a drum track using the keys.

However, opinion seems very divided, some say the finish of the keybed is poor with sharp bits of plastic left on the keys from the mold/manufacture process. Others say it's superb.

I was also looking at the Studiologic Fatar VMK-188

Ideally it would be useful if the controller had sliders that controlled DAWs etc.

The others I have come across so far which are more expensive than I want to spend are the Yamaha P155 or the Kurzweil sp2x. I suspect these two will have much better keybeds but being stage pianos I'm not so sure how well they will act as controllers for my DAWs

I realise for the money I'm not going to get a top end weighted keyboard, just wondered if any of you use anything that you can recommend?

Thanks

Joe

[drama1]

http://www.icon-global.com/ShowPro.aspx?ID=15

[billbaker]

An older and very under-rated option would be an Alesis QS-8. They're very much orphaned now, out of warrantee and unsupported by the "new" Alesis (the company's gone through a couple of reorganizations). Also getting hard to find. UK?- got no clue as to how many made it over there.

Typically, if you can find one, the QS-8's go for around $300 (in US) - for an 88 key controller that's great, and the action is weighted but pretty smooth. The build quality of the QS-8 and QS-8.1 are great... 8.2 version not so much - I toured mine weekly for 10 years without a breakdown.

The combis on the QS can address multiple midi channels with (note) zone assignments and (pretty sure) velocity curve/fade in, other controller functions (4 sliders) are assignable. Even if you only use 2 or 3 internal channels (typical for a QS combi) all of the midi channels can be assigned(prog) and zoned.

BB

[Ojustaboo]

Thanks Bill

Currently cant find any in the UK on the likes of EBay etc.

Will keep my eye out for one.

Best

Joe

[Ojustaboo]

http://www.icon-global.com/ShowPro.aspx?ID=15

Hehe, have you got shares in this company, this is the 3rd thread I've seen you put that link into in the last 24 hrs


As only 1 retailer appears to sell it in the UK, its a very long drive to try it out

While it looks good from the spec, I cannot find 1 single review, comment on build quality or comparison against the competition. If I'd found a few reviews saying how good it was, I may well consider travelling to try it out, but when I can find nothing, I'm very reluctant.

[Ojustaboo]

Anyone got anything good or bad to say about a 2nd hand Roland A90?

It looks far better than anything I can get new but is also a discontinued product.

It's in the 2nd hand section of a music store that's a couple of hundred miles away for £499 including flight case. That means it's probably been out and about a fair bit, but from the photos it looks very good.

The spec is also far better than anything I can get new.


88-note PA-4 hammer-action keyboard with aftertouch

Powerful digital piano/synthesizer when expanded with the VE-RD1

64-voice polyphony, 128 tones, onboard effects with the VE-RD1

True stereo piano samples with the VE-RD1

Four MIDI Outs for 64 MIDI channels; 8 zones

Built-in patch names for Roland sound modules and SR-JV80 Series expansion boards

Also expandable with VE-JV1 or VE-GS1 voice expansion boards

Bender; pitch wheel; modulation wheel; 20 assignable controllers o 64 user patch locations; 64 additional patches using an M-512E RAM card

Note that this product is no longer in production. Similar capabilities can be found in the RD-700 Expandable Keyboard.

[EXer]

I was also looking at the Studiologic Fatar VMK-188

The Studiologic VMK-188 Plus has indeed a very playable piano type action. If you're a pianist I bet you'll love it. Imo it's second to none except the PHA III of the RD-700.

[billbaker]

Joe,

The A90 sounds like a pretty good solution - I had a D-50 for a long time, which I mention as an indication of very good build quality from that era. That's always a consideration where older instruments/actions are concerned. I would definitely check it out tho', up to and including taking a module of yours into the shop to check it with.

I wouldn't count on finding any of the expansion options. Rare doesn't begin to describe them. So unless one is in there already I wouldn't even count that option as part of my deliberation. Also, the quality of the sounds, even if they are included, may be a disappointment given the much better quality of piano and even GM sounds you may have come to expect from more recent synths.

I don't know that the bare bones A90 is worth the money they're asking (500 BP = ~$750+ US). It came out in '96 (per Sound-On-Sound review). That's makes the A90 a true dinosaur in electronic years. I'd offer no more than 300 BP - I think at the 500 BP price point you could do better, or at least a bit more recent/reliable/playable - say a Motif 8 that's only 8 to 10 years old.


BB

[Sina172]

...

[Ojustaboo]

Thanks, I will probably give the A90 a miss if its that old. Thing is, I need a whole day for a 400 mile round trip and with the price of petrol/gas in the UK, that will add about another £70 to the cost.

Chances are it could well need a service also adding to the cost.

I really really like the look of the Icon Inspire 8PS AIR, there's one major UK retailer selling them, but I cant find one single review good or bad on the internet.

It seems that the Studiologic VMK-188 is now a discontinued product. Their later models appear to use a different keybed.

Maybe its time I found a UK retailer that has a few different models on display for me to try out, something that seems remarkably hard to find for some reason.

I'm doing well

Thanks for all your advice, sorry for wasting your time with the A90, but 16 years old, if I want something that's going to last for quite a few years, I think it could end up costing me a lot more than they are asking (and even if I managed to knock them down a bit, I can still see problems down the line with lack of parts etc).

Joe

[Ojustaboo]

To show what I mean, I've contacted a very large UK music store, which is 90 miles away

--------------
Hi

I wondered if you had a selection of 88 note weighted midi controllers
on display please?

For example

M-Audio Oxygen 88
Icon Inspire 8PS Air 88
Akai MPK88

many thanks
----------------

Their response

-----------------
Unfortunately I don't have any 88 note controller keyboards on display
in store, got plenty of digital & stage pianos but the controllers don't
get out of their boxes to often.

Out of the list you've requested we only have stock on the company of
the Akai model.

I could get one of these across from my warehouse for you to have a look
at if you'd like but I won't be able to get it here until mid-next
week.
------------------

There's a store 20 miles away with a MPK88 in stock. Think I'll try it out and if I like it, go that route, as it seems like I'll be buying totally blind otherwise

[EXer]

It seems that the Studiologic VMK-188 is now a discontinued product.

It's still available at Thomann.

[Ojustaboo]

Thanks, but I've now brought the MPK88

I went into a digital piano shop and I tried a lot of digital pianos there and none under about £1500 felt any better to me than the Akai, infact a lot seemed worse.

In the music shop while they were fetching the Akai for me to try, I also tried out various DPs in there, same thing (Did get to try out the Kronos while I was waiting, superb, I want one now).

But I am no expert, bit like asking an amateur to tell the difference between hifi speakers, someone that's an expert will tell the difference a mile away, someone whose not, probably wont.

Anyway, I've made my decision I'm very very happy at the moment, whether I will still be in a years time remains to be seen

Thanks for all your help.

Joe

[Bachus]

Thanks, but I've now brought the MPK88

I went into a digital piano shop and I tried a lot of digital pianos there and none under about £1500 felt any better to me than the Akai, infact a lot seemed worse.

In the music shop while they were fetching the Akai for me to try, I also tried out various DPs in there, same thing (Did get to try out the Kronos while I was waiting, superb, I want one now).

But I am no expert, bit like asking an amateur to tell the difference between hifi speakers, someone that's an expert will tell the difference a mile away, someone whose not, probably wont.

Anyway, I've made my decision I'm very very happy at the moment, whether I will still be in a years time remains to be seen

Thanks for all your help.

Joe

I tested this one myself a few weeks ago. The only thing i did not like was the actuall key nois, you can hear them very well. But when you play with a headset on thats not really a problem, same as in a live situation. Only in a silent room it will bother you.

Akai is superb for integration intoo your DAW... works perfect together with ableton live, espescially with those 16 pads...

[billbaker]

Joe,

Did you get the bundled software (w/ new purchase) or buy used?

BB