davinwv Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 I found 4 user videos of the Z-Key last night on YouTube. Here is the first of the 4: The action sounds very noisy in these videos. I hope the Impulse's action won't be this loud! Also, the availability date has slipped again to mid-October! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Also, the availability date has slipped again to mid-October! Apparently only the 61. I saw the 49 in Guitar Center last week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davinwv Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Also, the availability date has slipped again to mid-October! Apparently only the 61. I saw the 49 in Guitar Center last week. You saw the Z-Key 49, or the Impulse 49? Either way, what were your impressions? If it is the Impulse, you may want to post over there to keep this thread on topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 You saw the Z-Key 49, or the Impulse 49? Either way, what were your impressions? Impulse. It wasn't clear which product's availability date you were referring to. If it is the Impulse, you may want to post over there to keep this thread on topic. Since you mentioned the Impulse, I don't see how it's OT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davinwv Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 You saw the Z-Key 49, or the Impulse 49? Either way, what were your impressions? Impulse. It wasn't clear which product's availability date you were referring to. If it is the Impulse, you may want to post over there to keep this thread on topic. Since you mentioned the Impulse, I don't see how it's OT. Sorry that I was unclear. Anyways, what did you think of the Impulse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 Sorry that I was unclear. Anyways, what did you think of the Impulse? No prob. They wouldn't unbox it for me unless I agreed to buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky2 Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 They wouldn't unbox it for me unless I agreed to buy it. That is absolutely rediculous! Why bother having a physical store, anyway? Mark "Think Pink Floyd are whiny old men? No Problem. Turn em off and enjoy the Miley Cyrus remix featuring Pitbull." - Cygnus64 Life is shorter than you think...make it count. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offnote Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 The action sounds very noisy in these videos. I hope the Impulse's action won't be this loud! very noisy indeed. The Impulse has fatar action very quite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 very noisy indeed. The Impulse has fatar action very quite. How do you know the action is Fatar? I haven't seen this confirmed in any specs or discussion on the web. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offnote Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 very noisy indeed. The Impulse has fatar action very quite. How do you know the action is Fatar? I haven't seen this confirmed in any specs or discussion on the web. I am exchanging emails with novation support about keybed since this is the most important for me. They told me keys are exactly same as SL MKII, nocturn, ultranova but shaped piano like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 I am exchanging emails with novation support about keybed since this is the most important for me. They told me keys are exactly same as SL MKII, nocturn, ultranova but shaped piano like. Intruiging. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davinwv Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Now that my Impulse 61 is going back to Sweetwater, and I've ordered the new Steinberg CMC-CH and CMC-TP controllers, I'm back on the Z-Key watch to replace my E-Mu Xboard61 which is feeling worse by the day. MF says these will ship 10/14/2011. Will it actually ship, or continue as vapor? CME should have called this the Duke Nukkem-Key! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 I wouldn't even bother with the Z-Key at this point. I don't know what your needs are, but it seems that you're going to have to compromise. In the controller war right now, everyone is losing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davinwv Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 In the controller war right now, everyone is losing. Truer words were never spoken! Yamaha could do something really nice with the XF semi-weighted action and the tech from the Steinberg CMC series; however, they are still smarting from the failure of the KX series a few years back. Unless someone comes out of left field with something (Infinite Response non-folding, entry-level series), I think we can stop talking about this stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Unless someone comes out of left field with something (Infinite Response non-folding, entry-level series), I think we can stop talking about this stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offnote Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I was surprised when I read that arturia analog laboratory 49 keyboard hardware was made by CME. The action and feel of the keybed plus build quality is nice on arturia. p.s. Steve Nathan is endorser for CME??? http://www.cme-pro.com/en/artist-detail.php?artist_id=28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davinwv Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Just closing the loop here. I got my Z-Key 61 last Friday, and it is on its way back today. The build quality of the chasis is excellent. The aluminum body feels very sturdy, and the plastic controls and endcaps are very solid. The action felt surprisingly good. It reminded me a lot of my Fantom X6, but not quite as nice (a bit more bouncy). The Z-Key's downfall is documented in the comments to the YouTube videos linked above. No matter which velocity curve you select, the velocity values transmitted by the Z-Key are simply too high. It is nearly impossible to play softly / expressively. Back to the XBoard61, and the search continues . . . Hopefully, something new will be released at Winter NAMM. I've been chosen by Avid's Marketing Department to participate in an Expert Customer's Forum on MIDI Controllers. Maybe they'll listen . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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