A88 MK2

[Nicky]

Anyone able to share their experience using/playing the new A88? Thanks!

[EscapeRocks]

I have one.

 

I've only used it on two gigs so far. It is solidly built, and I like the keybed. It feels just a slight bit better than my old FA-08

 

Whether you like the controls all over on the left side instead of up top is a very subjective thing. As it is, it is only 1/2 wider than my FA-08.

Using the software to assign the led colors to the knobs and sliders is a nice touch. Also assign what each knobs function and CC# is

 

It is great with Mainstage, and my Keyscape pianos really mesh well.

 

it is heavy.

 

Here it is controlling the sounds on my MODX6 on our streaming 4th of July show. The feel lets you get really nuanced with your playing.

 

[video:youtube]

[carter_]

Wow - that was great , I enjoyed that !

[davinwv]

I picked one up back in April. I'm coming from a Studiologic SL88 Studio, and the action of the A-88MKII is a huge improvement (as it should be for twice the cost of the SL88 Studio). I also was evaluating an M-Audio Hammer 88 at the same time, and while I had liked the Hammer 88 when I test drove it at a gig a year earlier, the A-88MKII feels better (again, at twice the cost). The action is fairly light, quick feeling, and has a definitive bottoming out point (no spongyness at all). I find that I can play with a wider array of dynamics on it versus the SL88 Studio and the Hammer 88, especially in softer passages.

 

I do wish the A-88MKII wasn't as long as it is, had pitch and mod wheels versus the lever, and that the controls were above the keys. The length makes fitting a case difficult (I went with the Gator XL, but narrow, hard case). If anyone knows of any other cases that fit, please let me know.

 

I've been using the A-88MKII in my home studio and on a few in-person sessions, but I haven't had it on a gig yet (for obvious reasons). I'm playing mostly VILabs Ravenscroft, Scarbee EP-88S, and AcousticSamples V-Reeds on it, and all of them are responding great without any monkeying around with velocity curves in the software, etc.

 

If anyone has any specific questions, I'm happy to try to answer them.

[confidence]

The length is certainly what puts me off. It's just such an ungainly way of designing it. An 88-note keyboard is long already - long enough to need considerable wall space in studio, to need a long flightcase, to be hard to get into the back of some cars. The width that you combine that with doesn't really make any difference, within reason. It's not particularly harder to accommodate and transport a keyboard that's 130 x 40 cm, than it is one that's 130 x 30 cm. But you start adding to the length and you're just asking for trouble. I'm actually in process of looking for a 73 or 76-note fully weighted board, partly for the convenience of shorter length as one hardly ever uses those extreme ends anyway.

 

If anyone has any specific questions, I'm happy to try to answer them.

 

I think I saw that this has MIDI 2.0 capability. Is that something you've used at all?

[davinwv]

The length is certainly what puts me off. It's just such an ungainly way of designing it. An 88-note keyboard is long already - long enough to need considerable wall space in studio, to need a long flightcase, to be hard to get into the back of some cars. The width that you combine that with doesn't really make any difference, within reason. It's not particularly harder to accommodate and transport a keyboard that's 130 x 40 cm, than it is one that's 130 x 30 cm. But you start adding to the length and you're just asking for trouble. I'm actually in process of looking for a 73 or 76-note fully weighted board, partly for the convenience of shorter length as one hardly ever uses those extreme ends anyway.

 

If anyone has any specific questions, I'm happy to try to answer them.

 

I think I saw that this has MIDI 2.0 capability. Is that something you've used at all?

 

I haven't used any MIDI 2.0 features. I don't think that I have any plugins that support it yet.

[EscapeRocks]

In my case, I like all the knobs and buttons on the left. It makes it so easy and natural when performing live. I bring my top board down as close as I can to the top of the A88.

 

Controls up top are uncomfortable for me on a bottom board.

[AnotherScott]

In my case, I like all the knobs and buttons on the left. It makes it so easy and natural when performing live. I bring my top board down as close as I can to the top of the A88.

 

Controls up top are uncomfortable for me on a bottom board.

I like to keep the boards close, too. I don't think I've ever had a bottom board with controls on the left, but being able to keep the boards close is a benefit of at least some of the Privias where you only need access to about two inches behind the keys, or the SV1/SV2 with their vertical control panel (though that does cost you some height between the "manuals").

 

One possible complication to controls on the left could be for doing patch changes. I'm thinking particularly if you're doing a LH bass gig, where you pretty much always have to keep your LH going, and will want to use your right hand to do mid-song patch changes or other adjustments. Having to cross your RH over to a left-end control panel could be a bit less convenient.

[pinkfloydcramer]

Guy's got a hell of a voice! Nice playing, too!