KingKORG vs Roland 61 keybed

[marczellm]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone played both the KingKORG and one of the cheaper Roland 61 key synths? I'd like to know how the keybed compares. People say bad things about the KK keybed. I have the JUNO-G but to my knowledge, the newer JUNOs (Di, Gi, DS) as well as the FA-06 has the same keybed as mine.

[Mighty Motif Max]

Yep, I have! The KingKorg (which I only played briefly) has the same action as the Krome 61 I believe, which I own. Both that action and the Juno DS61/FA06/VR09 have problems with the pivot point being hinged outside the chassis. Basically it gets harder and harder to press the keys down the further back on the keys you go (toward the panel on the board). The DS/VR/FA 61 action is significantly worse than the Krome/KingKorg in my opinion, because Roland has made the keys shorter than standard synth-action keys. The result is that not only do you have a dead area for depressing the keys toward the back, but the keys are stubby as well which means you have even less usable playing surface than the Krome would.

[AnotherScott]

What MMM said. Both quickly get stiff as you move toward the rear of the keys,

 

Those low-end Roland white keys are about 5", which is on the short side, but not so uncommon... all the TP/8O based clonewheels are the same (though are more even front to back). Most non-hammer actions are about 5.5" (including the Korgs). Hammer action keys are typically about 6". (Also, some SW, like the Artis 7.)

[CowboyNQ]

I own a Roland Juno-Gi, KingKorg and Krome 61 and can affirm the above statements as well.

 

Personally I don't find the poor keybed too limiting on the KK, simply because as a VA synth I'm never using it to play piano.

 

An anecdote - I was recording a blues cover in Eb at home the other day and had to switch out my Krome for the Juno-Gi as I couldn't articulate the licks to a sufficient level of accuracy due to the hinge point issues when I played the Krome's black keys. Although the Juno-Gi also suffers from this issue (and I find the short keys annoying) it's not as pronounced so I was able to get through the song better.

 

These things are highly subjective but I slightly favour the Roland keybed overall.

 

I always say this about the Krome - the keybed is about the only thing I don't like about it. I've had it so long now the keybed doesn't really bother me any more.

[Baldwin Funster]

I'm pretty far from being the most skilled player around here but I haven't had a problem getting around on my ds61 including playing on the narrow parts of the keys. I've seen some pretty fast players ripping riffs pretty good on them too. If I dont have a problem I doubt anyone else would.

About the only thing I'm unsure of is if I can do that fast trill thing emerson does, on this keybed. The keybed isn't super springy but I may not be able to do it fast because I just cant do it. Time will tell on that.

[Mighty Motif Max]

I"m pretty happy with my Krome, partially because I use it as a secondary board on a second tier, so I"m rarely playing the backs of the keys due to ergonomics. I HAVE actually done a solo piano gig with just the Krome 61 (due to extreme space constraints). As long as I consciously kept track of where my hands were on the keys, it actually was okay overall. Those dedicated octave shift buttons are placed just right!

[marczellm]

Thanks all for the input. The KK sounds so good to my ears, I keep going back to listen to its YouTube demos. I wish Korg had made a 'Pro version' with a high-end keybed, as the one thing really lacking from my upper tier right now is aftertouch.