I use the Roland A-800 Pro (Midi Keyboard Controller).

 

Do you have/use it?

 

And? What are it's advantages, defaults?

 

I use the Roland A-800 Pro (Midi Keyboard Controller).

The advantages are: The keyboard is a bit shorter. Japanese hands are a bit smaller, so the keyboard is a bit tighter and rattles less.
The case is very stiff and stable. The ports for the cables are located on the side.
I could not find any disadvantages - however, Roland has unfortunately stopped production.

 

I use a miditech i2-mini 32 for quick chord and melody sketching, but it has not enough keys for much more... I'm one of the few who likes mini keys, and my desk is too small for a 49-61 full size keyboard, so maybe I buy https://www.thomann.de/de/midiplus_x6_mini.htm this soon. Both brands are rather cheap, so the keybed isn't really great, but it's enough for me, because for serious playing I use other stuff...

For piano practise I use a Studiologic SL88 Grand. It's a fantastic keyboard for the price (it even has wooden keys), I think it's the best for under 1000€, but I hate the 3 joysticks... 2 of them are used for pitch and modulation, but a classic pitch and modulation wheel feels much better for me.

I have a M-Audio Keystation 61 too, but I don't really use it that much anymore. Sometimes it's really nice for playing synths and organs because I don't like the hammer weighted SL88 for this. In the future I really want a better quality 61 keyboard, or even an organ keyboard for controlling synths and organs... But the M-Audio is still really ok, the half weighted keys feel nice, but there a better (much more expensive) options.

 

Thank you for the details. I was interested in this keyboard. But the Roland "No mod wheel " policy is so obsolete that I cant see how to use a synth where you cant properly dosify mod wheel message, which can be used for literally thousands of parameters nowadays.

 

I can understand the criticism with the PitchWheel.

However, I have only had good experiences with the pitchwheel/modwheel combo. For me this is very practical. You actually only press up or forward for pitching and only left and right for the negative and positive ModWheel. Of course, you can also do very oblique things with it in that you pull something oblique and upwards at the same time.

 

Yes, I've been using it since September and I'm quite satisfied with the keyboard. Obviously, it's not a real piano but the semi-weighted keys give it a good feel, if a little noisy...but for the price, you can't ask for more.
Used with Ableton Live it's the perfect marriage. You almost don't need the mouse.

 

My second hand bought Novation SL 61 has been chugging along for me for the last 12 years and the 4 years before even me owning it. It has a very good half weighted keybed, the knobs and sliders working like on day one and I'm at one with the modwheel/pitchbend joystick apparatus thingy and now prefer it over dedicated wheels for the both. The only thing that has happened to it over these last 12 years is that I've worn down the finish where I place my computer mouse, but jeez, it gotten a real workout over the years. I'm officially a Novation guy after all this time.

 

I have painted keys on my wall (life size) but I don’t have the knowledge how to make it work with cables and so on. For now I am making the sounds I want to hear with my mouth while pointing on the correct keys on the wall.

 

KORG Micro KEY )

 

Yes, I know how it works, I had a Roland keyboard. It's imprecise.

 

IMHO there is no right or wrong here. For instance, I played Roland keyboards for years and I can't live without the combo controller. Like playing fast, guitar-like passages and having the same stick to control pitch bends and e.g. add vibrato. Can't do that with separate controls.

Also Oly, you are right - that's not for entering precise data. When adding mod-wheel automation to say orchestra libraries, I use a separate controller.

I'm in the process of buying a new keyboard too. I'd say, if you are a piano player it's great to have 88-keys weighted KB. It's about orientation. I don't have to look at the keys to 'feel' where the mid C is.. If not, other options are OK.

My latest idea is to buy a 'digital piano' style, simplistic main controller and mount a smaller Roland A series keyboard above it for synth duties and the (in)famous pitch/modwheel combo controller.. ;)

 

Forum user whannah built a nifty MIDI joystick so that he could control a synthesizer from his organ.
www.pjrc.com/midi-joystick/

Roland style pitch/mod lever? https://audiosex.pro/threads/roland-style-pitch-mod-lever.65018/

 

CME UF80 here. Oldie, goldie, but very very very heavy. Discontinued

 

Obviously I spoke for myself in term of practice.
But if you analyze the data sent by a Roland you'll see how imprecise it is. This may not matter for some, but this is a technical real information, nothing subjective.

 

So Olymoon the case is clearing up - here is new evidence to support your thesis. So here is the quote from another user:

" I have an A-500. It has one major fault for me: pitch bend is 7-bit.
I confirmed with Roland tech support that this is the case, and they have no plans to fix it.

I did put some effort into reverse-engineering the firmware and found the code path which is responsible for this -- it stems from the fact that pitch bend is an assignable control, and thus follows the same path as all other 7-bit controls -- but I haven't figured out a patch yet, as it's a Hitachi H8S architecture that I don't have any good tool support for. "

Source: https://gearspace.com/board/electro...eyboard-controller-opinions.html#post15700679

 

I use a Korg Kronos 2

 

I use an Akai MPK88 for a little over 10 years now. At first I found the keybed a little stif but you get used to it pretty quickly.
Eventhough it has a robust built, it rattles a lot. The worst con is the weak potentiometers. Out of 8 rotary, 4 sends ghost midi messages. I even had to replace the mod wheel pot for the same reason. I would not recommand this controller.

 

Please, state why and how do you use it, op is not asking for a list, but for advice / information, as he is planing to buy a new keyboard.