88 key controllers

[Michael Canavan]

I'm headed to the local GC to look at 88 key controllers. Curious as to what the peeps here like?
I can't fit a real piano in my house BTW. I have a Novation Remote SL for synth stuff so...

So far the Yamaha P105 looks like it would do as a USB controller for DP8.

[mhschmieder]

What kind of functionality are you looking for? Akai canceled the MPK88, but Arturia now has an 88-key controller, with mega-functionality. Can't remember if it has aftertouch like the smaller synth-action models in the series. Best MIDI spec implementation amongst current keyboards; older Kurzweil MIDIboard and Oberheim controllers might have a bit of an edge but are HEAVY.

Hard-to-come-by Roland A80's, and 80's Yamaha KX88's, are also great, but rare and heavy. Otherwise Studiologic, but you'll need to be specific about how many splits you need, Omni Mode support, etc., as most of the Studiologic models are VERY sparse in their MIDI implementation and also "jumpy" in MIDI values for velocity, aftertouch, etc. They have great keybed action though.

[Michael Canavan]

Didn't know AKAI discontinued the MPK88? There's one for $350 online used, and I might be able to talk the guy at GC down to that price for the floor model here.

Played around with a Yamaha P105 which felt really good too. Built in sounds etc are a bonus for quick noodling without turing on the computer.

[mhschmieder]

I didn't know myself, until one of the editors of Keyboard Magazine announced it in the context of the NEW series of Akai controllers that appear to be aimed squarely at competing against Native Instruments Maschine.

Apparently, the MPK lineup was replaced quite recently, except for dropping the 88-key model entirely, and this new series is more for the loop-based musicians. Lots of flashing lights.

Try Hello Music for steeper discounts on discontinued stuff and overstock items. That's one of the best things to visit that site for. I think they're the same people as Austin Bazaar.

[frankf]

I used a Kurz PC88 mx for a number of years, but now use a Casio Privia 5s. It is very light, 35 lbs., with a weighted action that, for me, feels great. Plus it has a nice onboard piano patch and the programming is deep. The only drawback is that there is no controller pedal input beside a sustain pedal and I must use a MIDI controller pedal for expression. I haven't touched the PC88 mx in at least 6 months. You should at least check it out at a local retailer.
(Full disclosure here: I am a Casio Artist, but this axe was the reason I became one)


Frank Ferrucci

[cowtothesky]

I'm hoping there will be something new at NAMM. Sadly, the P105 doesn't have a mod wheel, which is a deal breaker for me. Currently, there is nothing in the 88-key market that appeals to DAW users.

[bkshepard]

I just got the Arturia KeyLab88 and am, thus far, quite pleased. I'm not a "real" pianist, so I'm perhaps a bit less finicky about the action than many of you, but the weighted action feels pretty nice. I can confirm that it does transmit Aftertouch (channel pressure) and has a slew of controls that can be mapped all over the place. It's built like a tank and weighs about 50 pounds.

I bought an Oxygen88 last summer and had nothing but problems with the keybed and had to return it twice. On the second time, they told me that it couldn't be repaired and that there was a hold on all the 88-key weighted controllers due to a quality control issue with Fatar. Arturia seems to be the first one out of the starting blocks with the (hopefully) improved keybed and as I mentioned, so far, I'm quite happy with it.

[oldecuriosity]

I recently upgraded to the Kawai MP7 and have been extremely happy with it - as a stage piano and controller. Worth checking out . . . .

[HCMarkus]

Love my Yamaha S90ES. Sweet action, multiple Pedals and BC in, Mod and Pitch wheels, and some pretty great sounds (for live or scratch).

[Prime Mover]

I get really depressed every time I pop my head up looking for an 88key controller to replace my QS8. I'm always shocked by how few options there are. In an age where you'd expect dumb controllers would be taking over, they seem to be dying, and 88keys in particular. I'm a one-board guy: map a number of program changes and splits over an 88 key bed and get it on! I'm thinking this is really unpopular, since more-and-more, everything seems to be aimed at 76key or less, and the idea that you just rack multiple controllers. With my workflow, that would be a horrible headache and add even more setup time!

I want a board with 88 keys, channel pressure, pitch wheel, 3+ pedal INs (really important!), some sliders (though I don't need a huge bank, I'm usually too busy playing with both hands), and some buttons for doing program changes. I'm always shocked to find that this wish list narrows my options down to about 2, maybe 3 boards at any given time. Usually they're chincey keybeds, have too many features, or not designed with easy gigging in mind (too heavy). And every 6 months one of them goes belly up!

Damn, you'd think that with Jordan Rudess being at center of the keyboard universe, his single-board setup would be more popular. It made sense to me, and it's pretty much the ONLY thing I like about his playing. Yet everyone wants to copy his stupid noodling while breaking their backs on overly-complex rack setups.

Maybe most keyboardists love the idea of having their own separate zip code on stage.

[stoecklem]

Yep, I'm a one controller guy too, which is why I have two Kurzweil Midiboards that I hope last forever. Simply the best 88 key controller evermade IMO... but its weight doesn't make it very practical for live use.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

That depends. I used a Kurz PC88 for many years and when it started to show its age, bought a PC2/x which is my road board (the PC88 still works great as a controller in the studio - pretty much...). I think the Kurz kbds have the best action for my fingers and they have a great sounds. They're a bit bulky, but in a good case with wheels, I only need to actually pick the thing up to put it on the stand and take it off again. Still, that's like 50 pounds.

True workhorses!

[mhschmieder]

The MIDIboard was a LOT heavier though. I turned one down in Sacramento a few years back; it was almost free aside from gas money. I didn't have room at home at the time, and it's WAY too heavy for gigging.

Also, when it came out in the mid-80's, it threw me because I didn't yet have a background on church organ. This was either to try to simultaneously please both organ and piano players, or was part and parcel of implementing polyphonic aftertouch, but the keys had a "wiggle" to them that really put me off at the time. They did explain to me that it was intentional, and why, but at that point I still mostly was a pianist.

[HCMarkus]

I use a second (Motif ES6) keyboard to allow bloodless organ smears.

[Shooshie]

I get really depressed every time I pop my head up looking for an 88key controller to replace my QS8. I'm always shocked by how few options there are. In an age where you'd expect dumb controllers would be taking over, they seem to be dying, and 88keys in particular. I'm a one-board guy: map a number of program changes and splits over an 88 key bed and get it on! I'm thinking this is really unpopular, since more-and-more, everything seems to be aimed at 76key or less, and the idea that you just rack multiple controllers. With my workflow, that would be a horrible headache and add even more setup time!

I want a board with 88 keys, channel pressure, pitch wheel, 3+ pedal INs (really important!), some sliders (though I don't need a huge bank, I'm usually too busy playing with both hands), and some buttons for doing program changes. I'm always shocked to find that this wish list narrows my options down to about 2, maybe 3 boards at any given time. Usually they're chincey keybeds, have too many features, or not designed with easy gigging in mind (too heavy). And every 6 months one of them goes belly up!

Damn, you'd think that with Jordan Rudess being at center of the keyboard universe, his single-board setup would be more popular. It made sense to me, and it's pretty much the ONLY thing I like about his playing. Yet everyone wants to copy his stupid noodling while breaking their backs on overly-complex rack setups.

Maybe most keyboardists love the idea of having their own separate zip code on stage.

I still use my Kurzweil 2600, which has held up beautifully... so far. It's 13 years old now. Not looking forward to replacing it, as I'll probably have to modify my desk when I do. It's mounted as an integral part of a rolling suspension system, underneath a folding desktop that becomes a full-length music lyre when opened. I keep the keyboard rolled in when playing, rolled out when programming on the Kurz. The thing is, since about 2009 I've hardly used the K2600's internal sounds. It's just become an expensive 88-key "local-off" keyboard. Once in a while, when I don't want to search for sounds in various synths and sample libraries, I'll just got to some of the Kurzweil's internal sounds, which still blow me away (except for the acoustic emulations), but that happens about once or twice a year.

I've looked at 88-key controllers at Guitar Center when i have had to go there for some reason, but I haven't found much that I like. There was a Yamaha keyboard that wasn't too bad, but I forgot what it was, and then the Kurzweil keyboards, which I tend to like. I like anything that feels like a grand piano.

I need to get a Yamaha Disklavier. That's what i really prefer.

As for everyone else out there, I would never expect a big market for 88-key controllers. Most people really don't play keyboards, even if they play them in a band or something. They know some chords. They know a few lines. They can keep up while playing bass and chords. That's not playing "piano," and it rarely requires more than a 64 key instrument.

There was a brief period in the 60s and 70s when technique, ability, and talent mattered. It carried over into the 1980s, but by 1985, it had waned a lot. I'm sure there are pockets of it around music schools, but I just don't see pyro-technique instrumental groups anymore. The instrumentalists who recorded hits in the 60s through mid-80s are now considered "your grandpa's music," and I don't really know if groups like Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Weather Report, and such are even on the radar of people under 30. The rare instrumental group I hear about now seems targeted at what we used to call the "Mantovani market." Basically, that's a less-ancient version of Lawrence Welk.

So, it's no surprise that people aren't buying 88-key controllers, which are mostly used by people who actually play.

Shoosh