Because of this, I just use M-Audio's very lightly weighted keyboards.  I have two of them.  One for my studio and one for live playing.  Keep in mind that in both cases, piano is just one of the things I do.  I also do plenty of strings, synth leads, pads and orchestral parts.  For these I also need the pitch and modulation wheels.  It also has to be wheels, not a joystick.  Most orchestral voices have their volumes controlled by the modulation wheel which works well because it has more precision than 127 values, and is not spring loaded.

Anyway, here are my two M-Audio keyboards:

I have this one in my studio:

    http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/K...n88es.html

It also comes in black now:

    http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/K...88New.html

I use this one live:

    http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_ca/P...ono88.html

What I like about it is that it's as small and light as an 88 note keyboard can be and the USB audio interface is built in.  To use as a Midi keyboard / USB audio interface, there is a button and key sequence that turns off local control and silences the built in voices.  Another cool thing is that you can also mix in another stereo audio source which means that you don't need a mixer if you use a second keyboard (mine is a Roland VR-09).  You can also quickly go to the internal sounds if your PC crashes which can save the day if you are in a group setting.

As far as the action goes, it is ever so slightly heavier than an organ keyboard, but nothing to brag about.  Once you set up a proper Pianoteq curve and play with it for a while, it's fine though.  Light but solid.

Both of these keyboards are really inexpensive.  The midi only one is about $200, and the one with the built in audio interface is about the same price as if you bought that keyboard plus a separate interface.  Not for everybody here I know, but I really like them.

I carry around a Casio. It's bad for fatigue, but great for portability and bang-for-the-buck. At home I have a Kawai MP9000. It gives me no fatigue whatsoever. I think their current VPC/MP-11 type actions are about the best (short of a real piano action).

I recently tried a Roland RD800. It's not a bad feeling action and it gave me some fatigue, but not as much as their lower-end models. However at least one reviewer said he found no fatigue with the RD800.

Chris.

I'm really curious about the upcoming Arturia Keylab 88:

http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/pro...intro.html

On paper it seems to be a pretty formidable controller for the price (US$999 MSRP).

To be brutally honest... I am not that impressed by the Fatar actions. They are decent, but the Kawai RH and especially the RM3 action are running circles around all of them. Yes, a VPC comes at almost twice the price, but then again, a thousand bucks is a lot of money to throw at a compromise. And if you want a lot of controls and knobs, just use an external controller like the Korg NanoKONTROL.

I have a PX-3 myself which I got at half price through a clearance sale. My suggestion would be a PX-150. It's not much more than the current CDP-130, and the Privias' action is actually quite decent. A bit on the light side, but very usable.

So, to cut a long story short: if bang for the buck is what you are looking for, a PX-150 is IMHO the way to go. If a really superiour piano action is what you want, go for the VPC. The Arturia is just a bit too expensive for just a bit too little value. Just my $0.02.

Groovy: I have those (I'd rather open headphones, but my studio area is stuck between my air conditioner and my heater), and I love them.  I can report, unfortunately, that my laptop won't drive them properly.  I use a Scarlett 2i2 to drive mine (and my BX8s), which works fine.

Thank you, Andurian!

I'm really curious about the upcoming Arturia Keylab 88:

http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/pro...intro.html

On paper it seems to be a pretty formidable controller for the price (US$999 MSRP).

Anyone had a chance to try one at a show?

duggadugdug wrote:

my ATH-M50 headphones

Hey, i have those exact same headphones, and they sound awesome, i really love them! + they isolate very well from neighbouring noises which is great too

Hello,
a bit off-topic, sorry, but may I ask you as an owner of ATH-M50, if this model works well directly connected to a notebook? I am looking for a headphone, which has a low enough impedance to be driven from standard laptop-outputs (ATH-M50 has 38 Ohm) , is closed to reduce key-noise and is neither bass-boomy nor bright and fatigue causing. Some would say more on the boring, unspectacular side .

So I am quite happy with a light and cheap Beyerdynamic DT 235  (32 Ohm) at the moment, which is nicely balanced for Piano-Sounds (and not so bright and over-present as my AKG K520 (32 Ohm) with Pianoteq for example). But I guess an upgrade to slightly more clearness and transparency should be possible, even with a cheap laptop output (ALC283). I once had an old ATH-M40fs, but I found it was always to "midrangey", nasal and "cheap" sounding for piano (but also for music). - Should I even consider of testing the Audio-Technica 'ATH-M50 X'?

Kind regards

If you want just midi controller with realistic action as close as possible to grand piano, Kawai VPC is clear winner.
I tried few Fatar actions on Nord pianos and they were really bad.

...probably right!

When it comes to portability, I'd recommend Roland A-88 which is not as authentic as vpc1 but to me clearly the best action under 20 Kilos in the present market.

my ATH-M50 headphones

Hey, i have those exact same headphones, and they sound awesome, i really love them! + they isolate very well from neighbouring noises which is great too

haha, same feeling i get, using my m-audio oxygen88!! Except i need my eyes open to look at what i'm playing, i'm not good enough yet to play without looking at the keyboard.