If buying a keyboard which will only be used for Pianoteq, there seems little point in buying a highly-specified digital piano when most of its functions aren't going to be used. On the other hand, you do want a keyboard with the best possible touch sensitivity and pedals with the greatest possible half-pedalling etc sensitivity. Unfortunately it seems difficult to find the latter without the former. What's the best way of resolving this dilemma?
Kawai VPC
Numa Black
Kawai MP11
Kawai VPC
This.
Kawai MP11
That'll work too.
Cheers,
James
x
I was able to buy a used Fatar Studiologic SL-990 88-key MIDI controller on eBay for $200, and it works *beautifully* with Pianoteq. With that, my ATH-M50 headphones, my favorite FXP (a variant of the Dynamic Jazz 3-Mic), and my closed eyes, I am alone in the concert hall with a Steinway... :-)
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
I am alone in the concert hall with a Steinway... :-)
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.
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.
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.
KX-88 - - the ORIGINAL
Hello!
I am using M-audio 88ES. Cheap, but working fine, usb, 169 euros for 88 keys. I am not a pianist, but with that said, in my opinion it may not be a good idea to take anyones words on a forum as buying advice - you owe it to yourself to go to a store and try out a few. For me, trying many in shops, this was good for me – I am happy.
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
Hi guys,
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?
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.
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!
As a cheap alternative the Casio Cdp100 has served me well for years... Decent key action and light to carry around
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.
As a cheap alternative the Casio Cdp100 has served me well for years... Decent key action and light to carry around
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.
The standard (and good) answer is to try different ones if you have opportunity. Ideally, you want to play for a period of time and check for hand fatigue.
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 spent several months visiting Rose Morris in London's Soho to try and retry their keyboards. They very sweetly allowed me to plug my laptop in and run PTQ so that I could get a really good idea of how they performed. I can't recommend this approach highly enough. This is a very personal thing, but I found the Kawais they stocked too heavy for my taste, and heavier than most Grands I've had access to over the years (I was bought up on a prewar Bechstein and my school had a full size Bosendorfer). In the end I settled on a Roland HP302 and I've never regretted it. I have to say they looked amazed when I actually bought it from them rather than saving £150 and buying it from Thomann! One point I should make; if you're a classical pianist, make sure the keyboard you buy has three pedals.
The problem with weighted keyboards is that unless the pivot point is a little back from the back end of the keys, the action feels uneven and some of the notes played with your longer fingers will jump out at you. A keyboard with a properly weighted action and nice long leverage is expensive and a beast to carry around.
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.