Studiologic Numa Nero piano controller

"Controller" is short for "MIDI controller" or in this context keyboard MIDI controller, specifically "piano keyboard MIDI controller". The term "piano controller" rather than "digital piano" is used especially for a piano keyboard that has no on board sounds of its own and only generates MIDI output, e.g., Kawai VPC (Virtual Piano Controller) 1.

A MIDI keyboard controller is any keyboard instrument with a MIDI output. Your digital piano was always a MIDI controller. "Controller" is a broader category. My SL Numa Nero is a piano keyboard MIDI controller but it's not a digital piano. Your digital piano or any digital piano with MIDI output is also a piano keyboard MIDI controller. Something like: all potatoes are vegetables but not all vegetables are potatoes.

Most broadly a controller is anything that can send MIDI output and may only have one button, or several, or some knobs and sliders like this one I got recently:

MIDI is the only implicit term; others like keyboard or piano refer to more restricted types of controllers. To milk the vegetarian analogy:

controller -> vegetable;
keyboard controller -> root vegetable;
piano keyboard controller -> potato.

;-P

I used the Nero for a good while until I got my C3XSH, I think it's a very good controller for the price, the action is really quite precise and repetitions are just about ok, not terribly fast though. Some keys got uneven after a while, not sure why, but no biggie. The biggest drawback is the noise the action makes, the thumping is pretty loud and you also get some squeaks here and there, fixable perhaps. I tried the Kawai controller, the VPC1, and preferred my Nero.
No tips to give really, just set up the velocity curve to your taste as you would with any kb, with the "normal' weight on the Nero. i never really liked the 'auto curve option' or whatever it's called on the Nero, it didn't work for me and I lost patience, anyway it's not necessary with Pianoteq.
I will be getting an Acuna 73 for travel, it's a pity the Nero is so heavy...(and 88 keys is too big anyway for travelling).

Thanks johnrule.

I did try out the aftertouch but it was not to my liking: needed a lot of pressure before it triggered and the lack of any movement/feedback makes it difficult to control. But I am not used to playing KBs with aftertouch (except a real acoustic clavichord), so maybe I'll learn how to make use of it.

I have one continuous pedal, a Yamaha FC3, and I agree it makes a big difference. On/off sustain is annoying on a piano. My other pedals are just switches though.

I'll look at the velocity profile setup - I was not going to; and just use Pianoteq to handle that, but I'll heed the advice, thanks. Thanks for the MIDI-in tip too. I'll be using it with Linux. (I did try it with Linux before I bought it and it worked fine.)

Cheers S

First time I had a chance to set up and play the Numa Nero properly was last night. I will have to see how it can be better set up (the user manual is very convoluted), but first impressions are

* great keybed, much better than Casio PX-160 or Yamaha P-140 with GH (not GHS) action. These are KBs I have for direct comparison. From memory only, it's also better than Roland's PHA4-standard and perhaps even better or at least on a par with Kawai's ES8 and MP7 (as long as I can sort out the velocity issue, see below).
* repetition rate is fantastic, all this talk about 3-sensor vs 2-sensor keyboards seems to be purely academic. This KB is much better in that regard than the triple-sensor Casio PX or even our Kawai 6.5 ft acoustic grand.
* the KB is very solid and instils confidence: the keys move up and down but nowhere else and they quickly settle down after being struck, without bouncing.
* the keys seem to have a longer throw than the acoustic piano standard, though I have not measured it.
* velocity response is poor: #1 lowest MIDI out is at level 12 and no matter how slowly you press a key; #2 it's too easy to reach max level 127: usual forte and fortissimo playing are no different (I'll have to play around with the settings to see if this can be improved)

So in brief, I'm very happy with the mechanical action but not so pleased with the default out-of-the-box MIDI-out velocity curve. Hopefully that can be tweaked via the cryptic menu system.

All in all, it seems promising for what is a 6-7 y.o. KB. Makes me think that for new piano controller buyers the SL88 Grand is at least worth considering (which is an updated version of the Numa Nero for a much better price; I have not had the chance to try one).

Thanks John! I have tried using it and it does help, but I also found the soft/med/hard velocity settings: on "hard" it's good enough to fine tune in Pianoteq (and I prefer to use something already built in so that when the instrument is moved, it won't forget its settings). The velocity fine-tuning in Pianoteq is a must because even with the most extreme fortissimo playing the lowest "velocity" "You Play" produces is still midi level 8 (out of 127) and it's a threshold trigger (even with zero velocity you get a response, which is not realistic). But that can be fixed with Pianoteq's velocity curve, which means you get just 119 distinct velocities instead of 127. (Actually on "hard" setting 10 is the minimum, so we get just 117 levels.)

The different velocity curve for the black keys does seem effective; I get very even response between black and white keys.

The menu system and UI in general is pretty bad but whatever. I don't really care. All I want is a dumb MIDI KB controller anyway. There are some annoying bugs though (e.g., my sustain pedal occasionally jumps from controller #7 to #2 after I access the menu, and it does not register as a sustain pedal in the first place - but Pianoteq can sort that out).

The keys do travel about 2mm deeper than our Kawai grand, so I was not imagining that. It's a bit too much. I've never played a piano with the action that high. It's still a very playable and pretty fast KB but that is a flaw IMO.

Still I cannot complain for the $US400 / $AU600 I paid for it it was a steal and it's a fabulous KB to use with Pianoteq: Casio PX-160, Yamaha P140 (GH action) and Kawai AHA-III piano KBs that I have used extensively do not even come close. Like I wrote earier, the Numa Nero is up there with some of the better controllers (Kawai ES8, MP7, but not VPC1 or MP11).