Can anyone give me advise on which 88 key MIDI keyboard controllers out there are best suited for controlling Vienna Instruments? I would assume issues like velocity sensitivity, layering, etc. are important factors. Are there certain specs I should be on the look out for? I'm leaning towards the M-Audio Oxygen 88, but I'd love informed opinions. I'm only using the controller for studio use. Thanks a lot.
Christian
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Which 88 Key MIDI Keyboard Controller?
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Chammer,
This is perhaps the most personal choice you'll make.
I'm partial to Heavy Weighted, Hammer Action (Velocity) Keys.
If memory serves me right, the Oxygen 88 fits that bill.
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Thanks Mike. Yeah the weighted keys and hammer action of the Oxygen 88 attracted me as well, but I was hoping there something on the market at the same quality level (or above) the Oxygen without all the control surface elements (knobs, buttons, sliders, faders, etc.). I already own a Novation Zero Sl-Mk2, so I'm really just interested in a dedicated keyboard (I looked at the M-Audio Keystation 86ES MIDI keyboard, but I felt the specs weren't up to par with the demands of detailed classical music MIDI production work). Any thoughts? Thanks.
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Yeah,
Hammer action controllers tend to be deeper (front to back) and manufacturers see this as available space for bells and whistles.
The KeyStation 88ES is nice and sleek but as you've discovered, it's a toy.
May I ask why you lean toward M-Audio controllers? With Avid imploding and selling several divisions, who knows what support will be like for
M-Audio products.
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A good question. Perhaps "leaning" was the wrong word. I have no allegiance to anything Avid, and if they do implode they only have themselves to blame. The 88-key controllers that appeared to fit my needs (I own an antique 7'2" Bechstein Grand and am a pianist by training, so weighted action and velocity sensitivity in a controller were important features for me to have) were the Akai MPK88, the Studiologic SL-990 Pro88, and the M-Audio Oxygen 88. All three had loads of onboard controls and triggers I wasn't interested in and frankly, the M-Audio I felt was most pleasant of the three to look at for long periods of time, which is part of the purchasing equation for me. Lastly, the M-Audio was less expensive than the Studiologic, and significantly less expensive than the Akai while offering (on paper at least) the same quality features I was looking for. However, and this is the reason why I'm posting about this here is, I hope there are more choices out there for hammer action, weighted keys, and excellent velocity sensitivity without all the bells. Thanks a lot for your previous responses.
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Akai MPK88 gets my vote but it is VERY heavy and if you have no use for it's Pads it's a waste of space and money.
Did I mention how heavy it is? [:O] Ugly sucker too.
If only Yamaha's digital pianos were controllers.
Your first choice is probably best.
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"I wanted to make sure I wasn't unaware of an excellent boutique choice out there."
For what it's worth, I go on an annual Internet pilgrimage to find a new 88 key MIDI controller, and I come away with the same paucity of choices. "This can't be all that's available," I think to myself. So you are not alone in your lack of enthusiasm for the current models. Either I am innundated with controllers I don't need or forced to accept an aestethically pleasing but functionally barren piece of gear.
Though I haven't explored this in detail, the two keyboard option seems to be popular in the demos I watch. That companions a big, sleek piano-action 88 key model with a button-laden two-octave controller sitting on top of it.
Also, though it's a bit cheesy, consider the Nano controllers from Korg as a way to augment a larger, simpler keyboard. I bought a Nanopad just to change tracks on Logic.
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Dominique,
I forgot about those, I mentioned Yamaha digital long enough to complain they are not controllers.
But Casio Privia is a very good idea...
Sleek, minimal, and it's a piano first and foremost..
