Petrides P.P Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 What's your opinion? Which controller has the best keybed? And built quality? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 That's a very nebulous question, but the answer is probably Infinite Response VAX77. Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSS Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 That's a very nebulous question, but the answer is probably Infinite Response VAX77. I agree about the vagueness of the OP's question and about the VAX77 probably having the best action for a controller, if you have the big bucks to spend on it. But for bang for the buck, my all all time favorite controller for multi-purpose action was the old Kurz SP76. IMHO it had absolutely the best semi-weighted action of any board I ever played, and it's Midi capabilities weren't too shabby either, even by today's standards. It had a couple of independent zones and two good assignable ribbon controllers. I wish Kurz would have used the SP76's action on their SP4-7, which I now have . I had a love affair with the SP76 for 12 years before I finally sold it about a year ago, and now I have a little bit of lovers' regret. You can still occasionally find decent SP76's on Ebay or CL for $250 - $350. Gigs: Nord 5D 73, Kurz PC4-7 & SP4-7, Hammond SK1, Yamaha MX88 & P121, Numa Compact 2x, Casio CGP700, QSC K12, Yamaha DBR10, JBL515xt(2). Alto TS310(2) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammondDave Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 As I recently mentioned in other posts, I always loved the old Roland A90ex. Great weighted keyboard with incredible midi controllers... But it weighed a ton! http://i1232.photobucket.com/albums/ff374/hammonddave/image_zpsf3ea03d1.jpg '55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSS Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 As I recently mentioned in other posts, I always loved the old Roland A90ex. Great weighted keyboard with incredible midi controllers... But it weighed a ton! Yeah the A90 was a backbreaker but it probably had nearly as good a weighted action for piano as anything out there even now. The Kurz SP76 I mentioned above only weighed 28 pounds (heavy by today's standards!) but it was built like a tank and was capable of withstanding a serious beating. Gigs: Nord 5D 73, Kurz PC4-7 & SP4-7, Hammond SK1, Yamaha MX88 & P121, Numa Compact 2x, Casio CGP700, QSC K12, Yamaha DBR10, JBL515xt(2). Alto TS310(2) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnalogGuy1 Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Petrides, Tell us a bit more about what you want for good recommendations. Tell us the answers to each of the questions below, and how much you value each one. (There is no "best" in every category, but there is in each!) 1) Action: Do you want a hammer-weighted action (ie are you piano-heavy), synth-weighted (ie EP or synth-oriented), or organ-oriented (unweighted with waterfall keys for low-blood glisses)? 2) Setup: Do you want recommendations for a single, double, or triple stand scenario? 3) Keys/portability: Do you want 88 keys, 76, or 61? What's your concern about weight? I use a Roland 700GX as my lower tier for primarily piano (yeah, as a midi controller), but it is bloody heavy. 4) Price. It's not necessarily that you're fine with a cheap controller because you are price-sensitive; I use an M-Audio Axiom for $300 because it is cheap enough I can bring two so when shipping damages one (yeah, even in a TSA-approved case) I'm going again right away (too much down pressure on a slider broke the underlying PCB.) 5) Programmability. Do you want 9 sliders for Hammond registration? Continuous turn knobs for synth or limited turn (my favorite)? Rubber drum pads to trigger backing tracks? MIDI-overe-usb or 5pin DIN midi? Powered by USB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Keyboard and build quality? Any Yamaha or Korg dp. Casio PX dps "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petrides P.P Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 61 semi weighted keyboard, with nice keybed.! I was thinking edirol pcr800 or maudio axiom advanced Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 61 semi weighted keyboard, with nice keybed.! I was thinking edirol pcr800 or maudio axiom advanced If by Axiom advanced you mean Axiom Pro, the PCR800 and Axiom Pro have entirely different feeling keyboards. I really disliked the Axiom Pro, but others like it. You'll have to try them for yourself. Though also, I don't think the PCR800 is semi-weighted, I think it's synth action. You might also want to look at Novation and Arturia. I think the best action in a low-cost 61 is probably in the Casio XW-P1. It happens to have a full synth in it, but you can ignore that if you want. ;-) The advantages of the dedicated controllers, though, are aftertouch and more knobs/sliders/buttons that can be assigned to soft synth functions. Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan_evett Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I used an Edirol PCR-800 for several years. Definitely the best, dedicated 61-key controller I've owned. Did the job exactly as described; keybed, knobs, buttons and sliders all felt pro and well made. As I understand it the newer, Roland A-800 is very similar, with a slightly better action. Has a few less pads/buttons, and doesn't have the cross fade slider; but sounds like it, too, will cover the OP's needs. 'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo. We need a barfing cat emoticon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marzzz Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 As I recently mentioned in other posts, I always loved the old Roland A90ex. Great weighted keyboard with incredible midi controllers... But it weighed a ton! As good as the Roland A90 was, I thought the A-80 that proceeded it was even better, except it weighed a ton-and-a-half! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammondDave Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 As I recently mentioned in other posts, I always loved the old Roland A90ex. Great weighted keyboard with incredible midi controllers... But it weighed a ton! As good as the Roland A90 was, I thought the A-80 that proceeded it was even better, except it weighed a ton-and-a-half! I can't imagine any "portable" keyboard that weighs more than an A90.... Oy! '55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Åslund Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I can't imagine any "portable" keyboard that weighs more than an A90.... Oy! There's always the Kawai MP-9000/9500/8/8II/10... weighs in at 70-77 lbs - the 60 lbs A90 is a lightweight in comparison! Too much stuff, too little time, too few gigs, should spend more time practicing...! 🙄 main instruments: Nord Stage 3 compact, Yamaha CP88, Kurzweil PC4, Viscount KeyB Legend Live Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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