"iRig Keys 2 Pro" as a Travel Keyboard

[Old No7]

There have been postings about using various Casio units as travel keyboards, but I wonder if anyone is using the iRig Keys 2 Pro as one.

 

The advantage of the Pro model versus the "non Pro" iRig Keys 2 is the 37 keys are full size, for only slight increases in size or weight. The specs are 3" high, 8.4" deep and 23.8" wide, with a weight of 4 pounds.

 

It has no on-board speakers or amp but there's a headphone jack, and as I'm thinking about this board for practice in the hotel room while traveling on the road (national account sales), this could work out pretty well -- I think.

 

It is much smaller and lighter than the Casio S300 and costs about the same, but it does lack the range of keys the Casio offers. Then again, it comes bundled with free software giving one 100's' if not 1000's of sound options via iOS devices, with the ability to add even more -- plus with all the built-in Midi options, one could also use it when back in the home studio as a controller for other larger boards. I guess I view this board as more of a serious offering than as "just a toy", if you know what I mean (I have never taking a liking to mini keys...).

 

* Is anyone using this small board for travel?

 

* Any thoughts on this board overall?

 

Thanks!

 

Old No7

[Baldwin Funster]

I got a couple. There is NO HEADPHONE JACK. Keys feel good and fast . The pedal input does expression so that's good. Get 2 and a passive usb hub for a 74 keys travel setup.

[RandyFF]

I have the iRig Keys I/O 49. Looks like they fixed a lot of glaring problems I had with mine, I like this new design better. However, definitely try before you buy. The keybed on mine is shit, fairly hard to press the keys as you get near the fallboard. And, they have a PROPRIETARY cable for interfacing with USB or lightning port. The proprietary cable really pissed me off, they give you relatively short cables to work with and charge $30 for a new one.

 

3 octaves is pretty limiting. Having the 49 keys on my iRig made me think, no, 61 notes is the minimum I like playing with.

 

If you're willing to setup with a laptop or iOS, this is a nice lightweight rig, and I doubt you'd get one of the Casiotones in an overhead compartment for flying. But I would choose the Casiotone for the 61 keys, built-in speakers and immediate access if given the choice, and I hear the action is pretty good. I plan on getting one myself for playing while watching tv.

[RandyFF]

I got a couple. There is NO HEADPHONE JACK. Keys feel good and fast . The pedal input does expression so that's good. Get 2 and a passive usb hub for a 74 keys travel setup.

Good to hear the action is good- all the way to the fallboard?

 

Cool idea for using two at once! Do you have pics?

 

Not sure why you say there's no headphone jack- it shows in the pics and is featured as a key feature.

 

Does it have the audio/midi over usb? That was a great feature on the iRig Keys i/o 49 I had.

 

Are the cables it uses proprietary or standard issue usb cables?

 

Does it only receive power over USB, or does it also have a wall wart? That was another cool feature on the iRig Keys 49, the power supply also charged the iOS device, otherwise you're screwed 'cause the lighting port is engaged while hooked up to the iRig.

[Noah DC]

I bought the iRig Keys 2 Pro for exactly the same reason as the OP is suggesting - something to throw into a bag for work trips. The thing works great - comes with a variety of cables that plug directly into your phone (i.e. you don't need a Korg Plugkey and can use whatever tone apps you have downloaded) and it's got an 1/8 inch output jack that you can connect to speakers or headphones. I would recommend it for travel purposes. But it's also a regular midi controller and fits nicely on the top of my Mojo 61 so I could gig with it if I wanted.

 

For what it's worth, the iRig Keys 2 Pro fits the gig bag they made for the first iRig Keys Pro (a little tightly) so you can just throw that over your shoulder on the way out.

[Baldwin Funster]

My bad. I guess mine is the pro not the pro2. Mine has no headphone.

[Adan]

I got the iRig 49 for travel because I wanted 4 octaves. 3 is pretty restrictive for getting 2 hands involved, usually on 3 octaves I'm playing one finger of the left hand, I find it not very satisfying. 5 octaves is more than I need for a travel keyboard. There aren't a lot of 4 octave keyboards to choose from.

 

It's easy to say the key action could be better, but I think those compromises are inherent in a board this slim. Portability comes at the expense of quality of action, so choose which you want to emphasize. That said, I find the action is useable and I'd say it's a significant step up from some of the cheaper actions you find in $99 controllers. I also like that the action is very quiet, which can make a difference in some travel situations. For instance, if you've got it on your lap in an airplane (remember those?), it's nice not to be annoying your neighbors with a lot of clacking.

[Rusty Mike]

I have the original iRig Keys Pro that I've taken on several trips. I find it incredibly unsatisfying overall.

 

There is a lot of fuss to set things up. Find a suitable location in the hotel room/B&B. Connect the keys to the iPad, connect the sustain pedal and connect headphones or a speaker. I've always felt like I was drowning in wires.

 

37 is not enough. The action is disappointing at best. Not inspiring enough to want to play stuff.

 

I just bought the CT-S300 to replace it on road trips. Action is much better than the iRig. Stick in the batteries, plug in the sustain pedal and you're done. Headphone and iPad are optional.

[Adan]

We all have our own idea of what's small enough to travel with. For me, 5 octaves is too big. You may be able to fit in an overhead bin, but I've been on lots of flights where I'm getting on a plane already packed to the gills and overhead space is gone. My perfect travel keyboard doesn't exist. The closest I can get is a controller triggering IOS sounds.

[MoodyBluesKeys]

I have a iRig Keys Pro 37 (not a 2 model, maybe that is recent). I bought it expressly for the times that I have to setup somewhere besides my usual 2 Kurzweil + iPads rig at church; when it is adequate. Great for choir sings, where I need to accompany choir for 1 or 2 songs. Walk in like a horn player, ready to go in 5 minutes.

First, the 1/4" jack on the back of it is not for headphones, it is for a sustain pedal. The USB cable looks like a standard micro-usb to usb cable, not sure if it is special wired or not. I also bought the gig bag for it. It fits in the bottom snugly, the side pocket carries the following: a small square sustain pedal (used mostly to switch Leslie speed on Hammond patches), an Apple iPad charger, Apple's USB3 version of the Camera Connection Kit, which allows me to charge everything while it is running, an extension USB cable, a small thin cable with the slim 1/8" stereo plug that plugs into the iPad (slim so it fits without having to remove the iPad case) on each end, a 1/8" to 1/4" stereo phone plug/jack adapter, a 1/8" jack to dual RCA connector adapter, Apple USB to Lightning cable (the one they include for charging); a short power cord for the Roland small amplifier, a 6' AC extension cord with 3 outputs. and either an iPad mini2 or an iPhone 6 that I have repurposed to run Korg Module and iFretless Bass. ALL of these fit in the case, which has a shoulder strap.

I might just connect to a venue's sound system; I might carry the little Roland CM-30 amplifier that has a 6.5" speaker, or I might carry one QSC K10. I have a K&M 18810 stand that only weighs about 4 pounds, and I can carry all of this in in one trip.

I have an iPad 3 that runs OnSong, and all of the music sheets needed are on that.

 

There are enough knobs and buttons on it to control volume (although an expression pedal connection would be nice), to transpose key and octave as needed. As far as playability, the full size 37 keys are not great, but they are quite adequate.

 

I bought it factory reconditioned from IK on eBay. Came in with a key on each octave not working. Had to pay for shipping, they sent me another one that works. They wouldn't pay my shipping, but offered me any one of their VSTs, and I chose SampleTank, so I got it with a bunch of the add-ins. I don't really use it, but I didn't have to spend $$ for it, so I'm satisfied. Also have a 61key Samson MIDI controller that is lightweight.

 

Last Sunday afternoon, I spent 2.5 hours tearing down my Kurzweil/JBL rig at church, packing it up, and getting help to move it out of the sanctuary, because they started carpet replacement Monday. Even if they finish this week, I don't plan to try to set it all up again and tie down all the cabling for the 2 Kurzweils, the little Tapco mixer, and the two JBL EON 15G2 amp/speaker. Just went to the shop and got the little Roland amp, a short 1/4" cable, and a DI; put them in the car, and plan to use this rig this Sunday (and maybe the next if for any reason my regular rig isn't setup. Is it ideal? No, but it will keep me playing and do the job.

[Dr Mike Metlay]

I didn't like the original at all, for personal ergonomic reasons. I haven't tried the 2. The one thing to be very careful about if you plan to use it with iOS is whether or not you can keep your iGizmo charged while hooked up to it. This is absolutely not a slam dunk where IK products are concerned: the iRig Pro I/O will do it, but the more expensive and feature-rich iRig Pro DUO will not.

 

Personally I recommend the following for portable iOS keyboard playing:

 

Get an Apple Lightning to USB3 Camera Kit. Connect it to the iOS device, then plug your usual Lightning charging cable into the Kit's Lightning port and into the wall via a suitable charger. Now your iOS device has reliable power.

 

Then plug ANY USB controller or interface into the USB port on the Kit. I don't think the iRig Pro 2 is the only keyboard USB controller out there that has a headphone output. Am I wrong? Oh for the days of the M-Audio Ozonic...

[Old No7]

...I wonder if anyone is using the iRig Keys 2 Pro as one.

 

The advantage of the Pro model versus the "non Pro" iRig Keys 2 is the 37 keys are full size, for only slight increases in size or weight. The specs are 3" high, 8.4" deep and 23.8" wide, with a weight of 4 pounds.

 

It has no on-board speakers or amp but there's a headphone jack, and as I'm thinking about this board for practice in the hotel room while traveling on the road (national account sales), this could work out pretty well -- I think.

 

It is much smaller and lighter than the Casio S300 and costs about the same, but it does lack the range of keys the Casio offers.

UPDATE

 

I've given up on using the iRig Keys 2 37 Pro as a travel keyboard..........

 

Folks were right -- 37 keys are too few, and it's just not going to fit into a carry-on bag as I had thought (unless I had it in a separate case).

 

So I will continue my search for a viable traveling keyboard.

 

Ideally, I'd like a FOLDABLE 61-key board with a decent keybed and 50 quality sounds -- instead of 300+ half decent ones.

 

Old No7

[Marzzz]

Ideally, I'd like a FOLDABLE 61-key board with a decent keybed and 50 quality sounds

Hmmm...folding keyboard, where have I heard of that before....?

 

 

I have been looking at a few things for a small, portable keyboard to drive my MacBook Pro.

 

CME XKey - Small, light, not exactly real keys. You can make do by getting a 37 and 25 key and running them together for 5 octaves. Very short key depression, and I have heard previously the (poly!) aftertouch is on/off, but supposedly they addressed that with software updates.

 

McMillen K-Board Pro-4 - 4 octaves, small and light, not real keys but the pads are playable and it looks durable. PolyAT and one of the few MPE controllers out there. Pricy! Like $895 pricy...

 

Roli Lumi - neat idea, easily transportable two octave modules that connect together for 4, 6 or even 8 octaves. Keyboard is a bit smaller than standard, but again polyAT! Don't need the light show, but I guess you can turn it off? Reading reports that the QC and durability is sub-par.

[AnotherScott]

CME XKey - Small, light, not exactly real keys. You can make do by getting a 37 and 25 key and running them together for 5 octaves.

...if you don't mind two C notes next to each other in the middle of your keyboard.

 

Maybe this is worth a look?

 

https://duopiano.ca/