Check out these threads:

http://community.vsl.co.at/viewtopic.php?t=5455">http://community.vsl.co.at/viewtopic.php?t=5455

http://community.vsl.co.at/viewtopic.php?t=7961

The folks at VSL use Doepfer (at least in their demos), which is the best keyboard I've ever come across.

Cheers
Pitt

The answer has to be that Bosendorfer digital piano with the grand action and VSL samples built in. [:)]

I still have the Doepfer: yummy [H]

(but expensive, I know)

Mmmmmm....Bosendorfer. [:D] Wish I could place some appropriate umlauts!

For all those in the Vienna area, I highly recommend going to the factory.

I finally replaced my old korg T1 with yamaha S90ES. I am very pleased with the key action and how it performs the VI samples.
Regards,
Stephen W. Beatty

S90 here too (not ES, but action is probably the same).

I haven't played on a real piano in a long time, but if memory serves me, it's fairly authentic.

How funny I just read the link to the thread to see it was me that started it! Guess what I never did sell my K2600. I don't use the onboard sounds anymore but I use it as a master keyboard, with lots of controllers / faders etc it's good for that too, but most of all, after going around a trying many new cheap, to mid priced, to very expensive keyboards, I felt like the K2600 had the best and most accurate translation of any, and it's 8 years old. So I didn't sell it after all, it's just too good and I couldn't find any better. I believe they actually use the doepher internals.

Also, Kurzweil just released a 24bit ADAT interface for 24bit 44.1 IO with the keyboard and onboard effects unit. Nice update I thought, with cubase's hardware feature it may make it more useable one again.

Miklos.

How's THIS for a flashback: I still use the Korg T1 that I bought back in 1990.

I'm suddenly feeling realllllllllllllllly old.

- Kerry

There really isn't a great combination of both action and control features in a single keyboard. In fact Kurzweil may still offer the most (as mentioned above: do they still make the 2600?)

You hear about Yamaha because they have the most authentic action and feel with Roland a close second. But running something like the VSL VI player you really need a number of controls at your fingertips. The solution is probably a keyboard with great action and an additional small controller close by or on the keyboard or whatever works best.

1990.

I'm suddenly feeling realllllllllllllllly old.

@Another User said:

You're kidding, right?

[:)] [8-)] [[;)]]

Dave, I think they're up to the K2661 now.

I have a K2500X that's fine as a controller. It has a lot of physical controls, and the keyboard feels okay.

I don't love it, but it's very competent. And I like it more than I used to, because it's worn in - and because unlike the K250 (still my favorite controller) it just works. No fuss.

The Kurzweils still use Fatar mechanisms as far as I know. Doepfer uses them too, but they have a different one.

I hear you Nick. I'm still using my Roland A-80 although the action is not what it once was. Nonetheless it has assignable switches and faders so it's still getting the job done just like your K2500X is.

When is someone gonna figure out that we need both quality action and good control? We're having to rely on older technology to stay with the current technology!

Some important Virtual Instruments (type) Magazine is going to have to bring this issue up.

Nick: that's right Fatar now I remember... The 2661 is an unweighted 61 note version of the K2600 with a couple of different io options, different rom presets, and a spiced up audio engine, but basically the same keyboard. It does sound extremely good, and better than the K2600. But they are still making the K2600 keyboards, and by the way I have to say, as I said I tried out the yamaha and roland, and I found that the K2600 had better action and feel. I think I tried one expensive ugly roland, and in the end I thought wow that much money for so little difference, and I didn't go with it - just not worth it.

Miklos.

Or you could say the 2661 is a K2000 (ca. 1991) with more power and memory. [:)]

Dave, so far it's been the opposite for me: the keyboard is better now that it's been played in.

Or maybe it's just that I'm used to it...

You know, as a synth just purely for synth sounds, the K2000 is still a hot sounding keyboard, I mean it just fits into mixes so well. You can use it for so many things and it's just invaluable to have in a studio. If I had the money I would have one in the studio just to throw in a synth line now and then or whatever - it's really still a very good sounding keyboard in combination with other devices. They were way ahead of their time. The K2600 holds it's own as a controller, and the synth engine is of course the hugely suped up version of the K2000, so that's awesome, mostly the effects and some of the reverbs again were ahead of their time and so easily stand up to any software synthetic reverbs (not altiverb though), so that is fantastic for many production purposes, I stopped using mine because it did not have a good digital IO, it sounded awful, but the new add on seems to address that issue and makes the K2600 a viable hardware add on to Cubase as an effects unit (up to 4 X stereo sends), and with the modular processing plus effects through the live mode, since Cubase can detect the latency and everything, very cool.... Some of the reverbs on there are really fantastic I haven't heard better in software - again, not as good as altiverb for realism but for synthetic effects, really smooth long tails and excellent resolution.

Miklos.

Again, I used Kurzweils for years and years. I have two broken K250s in my garage, a working 250RMX rack that I haven't turned on for about four years, a 1000PX+ I haven't turned on in way more than that, and the K2500X that I use for a controller.

The K2500X does have lots of good synth sounds, in fact some of its sampled sounds are good too. But I haven't used its audio outs for a long time. Too many softsynths are right there ready to go, and they're more convenient and easier to deal with.

The only hardware synth I still use is the Yamaha VL1, which I play from an EWI.