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Comments
For quality key action I can recommend Novation's remote SL series MK I or MK II. They use Fatar keybeds that are just awesome. You can find them second hand for a good price now, especially the first generation (with two displays).
I had a Roland A-800 Pro. One of the best keyboard I ever used until I bought the Native Instruments Kontrol S61.👍
Love the NI Keyboard and I had never any problem with NI at all. My own experiences with the support where always superb! If I have NI related questions I always phone them here in Berlin... 😊
@tja the Korg has mini keys, but of good quality as I read. A plus is Bluetooth connection.
If it means something to you, there's a video on YT (made by Roland) where Depeche Mode's live rig is presented which features several Roland A-500 Pro keyboards.
IK Multimedia - iRig Keys Pro very nice keyboard and works well with an iPad. iRig Keys PRO gives you the best of both worlds. It's a super-compact, bus-powered, “plug and play” MIDI controller that you can use anytime and anywhere.
@tja
No need to buy the flagship S49 MK II if you don’t use a lot of NI Software.
I would go for the A Series (A49) which is much cheaper because no big displays, keylights...
I think the keyboard (feel) is the same.
Very new is the M series. I will checkout the new M32 because I like the small footprint (Minikeys). If the keyboard quality is as good the A/S series... 😊
I really loved my Roland A while I owned this but I don’t miss it now, because of the NI...
Edit/
My recommendation for the Yamaha really only makes sense if you will sometimes want to play a full-size 88-key piano. There are cheaper “velocity sensitive” keyboards that are totally fine for note input and general music production but they just don’t feel right if you are wanting to play or learn piano as an instrument (not just entering notes for a track).
So if you want to play piano, I would disagree with those that don’t recommend weighted keys. And that’s why I recommend the Yamaha P-series. It is one of the cheapest options for a Key-bed that plays like a piano (decently so. Of course the extremely pricey options will feel even better but as you don’t consider yourself a piano virtuoso then the Yamahas would be fine.)
These Yamahas are all 88-key pianos and named p-45 p-85 p-105 p-115, etc. The older ones might be cheaper if you find used. The newer ones will have USB for MIDI instead of 5-pin MIDI.
Of course, if piano playing is low priority for you, then go with one of the other controllers with 49 or 61 keys.
Personally I love the AKAI MPK 49. It has been rock solid as a synth controller
I didn’t watch it yet but, I think it’s awesome the AquaMan plays keys!
Looks like there is more info there: https://www.dodekamusic.com/dodeka-stellar-kickstarter-b/
Interesting
Just to confirm if you want something that plays like a piano and to play piano none of those synth action keyboards are better than toys, and all synth keyboards and midi controllers are absolutely useless. I really can’t put this strongly enough - it’s not only synth action but anything described as semi weighted, or marketed as some kind of half piano ish thing; they are all useless for playing piano. Even the Roland go thing which someone mentioned, it is a load of springs and feels awful, actually it’s the worst of both worlds as too stiff for synth. Semi weighted again is not much better than non weighted. For piano you need a fully weighted digital piano. I have been round all the choices when I wanted there to be a compromise.
I don’t mean this as a criticism of synth keyboards as I like them for playing synth stuff but as a piano player, but they are not ‘instruments’, they are controllers, and only a nice fully weighted keyboard is worth anything for piano playing. You just can’t get any expression or play piano in a synth keyboard, it will sound and feel dreadful - believe me, I spent ages as a young idiot trying to attach pieces of sponge and stuff to my old Roland xp to make it feel and play like an instrument rather than a toy when it came to piano sounds.
Someone has already mentioned the Yamaha p series. There is the Roland .. I forget r60 or something, which is a slightly less than 88 key weighted keyboard.
If you can spend around 500 - 600 I would go for the kawaii es100. The model number may be slightly different maybe 110 which would be the newer version. I have one and it plays really nicely and connects to my iPad. I spent ages searching around as all I wanted was a nice feeling playing keybed. The piano sound on it is nice too for practicing.
This is all of course if you want to play piano. If I absolutely had to get a non weighted keyboard there is a Yamaha which has a nice feeling keybed and is very portable. It is better than most in terms of feel for piano but not in same universe as a digital piano. I don’t know if it hooks up to iPad though it has usb,
Novation X-Stations can be found 2nd hand within your budget. Best midi keyboards ever. Feature rich and midi-tastic.
I know you like your links, so here’s the original Sound on Sound review. Ignore those prices and their age.
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/novation-x-station-25
THIS!!!!!
You may not play or know what you want, but we ALL know when something just feels good. It's an intangible quality you can't account for when shopping on the Interwebs. Even if you don't find "the one" in the store, you'll have a much better idea of what you want and can get more feedback here.
Appreciated the detailed and useful info you provided. Got myself a Roland RD-600 and super happy about it. Thank you for guidance, kind sir.
Rock band 3 wireless keyboard. Used from Amazon for less than $25. Two octaves. full size keys. Velocity ... not sure, but it does have a MIDI port.
@tja don't know if you ever got around to buying a controller - but I'd like to throw the StudioLogic SL73 Studio in to the mix as well:
https://www.studiologic-music.com/products/sl-studio/
Excellent build quality, great keys and "just the basics" - which is all you need if you already have a MPK249 as "partner".
I have the more expensive SL88 Grand and absolutely love it.
My vote for Roland a49 or Komplete new ones...
Komplete is best feeling one for me.
If you really just want a nice keyboard that you can use to play apps, definitely consider the used route and look for the sort of 'home' keyboard suggested earlier in this thread. They wont give you knobs and whatnot for controlling parameters but often have good keyboard action for very little scratch. Craigslist is full of unrealized Casio/Yamaha pianolessondreams.
You make that sound so abandoned-puppy-lonesome....
I suggest checking any Midi keyboard speed response with MIDI OX. If they fail to produce 127 full of quick and hard attacks then they won't give you all the sounds in some of the sounds from your VSTi plugins, both soft and sample synth.
I have tried several M Audio keyboards that have only shockingly got 105-109 with hard jokes. As a result many VSTs actually lead to normal constant noise (soft attacks only), missing speed layers, activated samples lost. Very poor. It is absurd to discover that plugins may sound different to different MIDI controls because of this it could not achieve the standard since 1982!
https://www.playpianotips.com/best-25-key-midi-controller/
I will not use any MIDI keyboards that can get a smooth response of 0-127 speeds.
LaunchKey 61 MK3: Chord and Strum Modes, nice pads, DAW control.
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