Best controller keyboard for DP

[prjacobs]

Hi all,
Does anyone have any thoughts about what keyboard interfaces best with DP? As in... novation, m-audio, etc.
Thanks...

[FMiguelez]

Novation rocks!

I have the two and five octave SL keyboards, and they work great with DP to control VE Pro's CCs, and Waves' plugs,for example.

The one thing I HATE is the HUI protocol when trying to mix audio. I gave up on this long ago, since working with "movable" 8-track banks is ridiculous and unworkable when you have more than a few tracks. This, of course, has NOTHING to do with Novation. Their own protocol, Automap, is reallly great. I always create my own customized mappings, but you could use the default ones quite effectively too.

[daniel.sneed]

+1 on Novation!
I own the 25 and 49 SLmkII.

Novation Automap software is great when fiddling with VIs on stage, or in studio.
Key semi-weighted action is fine too.

In studio I also play the Studiologic vmk161+ which has the best hammer action I've ever laid my fingers on.

[mhschmieder]

My Arturia 61-key controller just arrived Friday and is the best synth-action controller I have ever owned. Lots of knobs, sliders, pads, and the (provably) best aftertouch of any keybed on the market (totally smooth and every value reachable). Very slim so it fits on a desktop easily, yet robust due to all-metal.

[kgdrum]

My Arturia 61-key controller just arrived Friday and is the best synth-action controller I have ever owned. Lots of knobs, sliders, pads, and the (provably) best aftertouch of any keybed on the market (totally smooth and every value reachable). Very slim so it fits on a desktop easily, yet robust due to all-metal.

Are any of these keyboards sold without software?

I have the v-collection v3,so I really don't need more Arturia software but a nice 2nd kb would be cool.

[Shooshie]

You may laugh, but I love the Behringer UMA25S USB controller. 11 quickly configured continuous controllers, plus lots of buttons. Just 25 keys, but I have the Kurzweil 2600-88 keyboard for serious keyboard work.

I was looking for small device, easy to use, USB, with quick-response CC's. Found it in the UMA25S. And cheap! Wear it like a guitar, and you can use it while you play your main keyboard. The 8 knobs are contoured in such a way as to make them really respond quickly to your fingers. You don't have to "twist" them. You just run your finger past them and they respond like a sensitive controller.

My Kurzweil also has 8 faders, quickly configurable, and I have a Roland pedal board, the FC-300. And of course, my trusty Yamaha WX5. I'm really pretty well fixed for MIDI control.

Another nice thing about the UMA25S is that when combined with the Apple iPad Camera Adapter, you can plug it directly into an iPad. From there you can record in Garageband and perhaps other DAWs that will do MIDI.

A great keyboard is essential, but if you want professional control over your VI's, you need lots of continuous controllers and switches. The UMA25S fills that bill in a way that practically no other keyboard in its category can even touch.

Shooshie
PS: you can read my full review at the Amazon site (link above).

[MIDI Life Crisis]

There are probably several ways to approach this. As a pianist it is critical that I have a great feeling controller at any expense. The Kurzweil PC series (I have a PC-88 and PC-2/Orch) are wonderful. I also have M-Audio ES-88 and a smaller 64 note version but they feel like mush. On my main desk I have an Edirol PCR-800 that also feels like mush, but is 1000 times more reliable than the M-Audio stuff.

What I find is that 75% of my note entry ends up on the Edirol board. This is particularly true when writing parts for solo, non-piano or organ parts, auditioning sounds, and sampling or audio manipulation tasks.

From purely a compatibility standpoint, I've found the M-Audio to be the worst as well with many dropped notes on both boards. The Edirol was a little tricky to get the transport keys to work and the Kurzweil stuff doesn't have built in transport control.

I also have a Trigger Finger but don't use it at all any longer. It was easy to integrate but clunky to edit, feeling a little like an old Mirage with its two digit display. There is a decent editor for it but again, I rarely use the beast. The Edirol, BTW, also can be edited via a Mac program and with its many controllers offers a lot of bang for the buck.

[HCMarkus]

If you're a keyboardist who plays piano, Rhodes, Wurli, synths, clav, and organ emulations via MIDI, you really want two controllers: weighted 88 for the piano variations, and organ/synth to avoid bleeding while playing organ.

I have always enjoyed the feel and durability of Yamaha keyboards, starting with the DX7. Currently happily using S90ES and Motif ES6 connected to my Mac via USB. I played a Kurzweil PC88 for quite a while, but key failure became an issue as it aged. That axe was played by many in a studio; I never broke a key myself, but had to have the unit serviced periodically.

I use a Trigger Finger, too, but find the pad sensitivity lacking. Looking at the Korg PadControl now...

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Kurzweil had a free key repair program. The board had a defective part with a very bad batch of plastic. Yes, keys would fail like crazy, clack loudly, etc. My authorized repair guy replaced my defective keyboard components for free sometime around 1992 as I recall.

Then the PC-88 was dropped in its hard she'll case and stopped working. That's when I bought the PC-2/Orch. I opened the PC-88 case, reset all micro processors and checked all connections I could, put it back together, turned it on and to this day it's still my road ax for all but the more elegant gigs. The sound isn't as pleasing as the PC-2, but it's a freakin' workhorse.

Having a fairly heavy touch, the weight never bothered me but sometimes the lighter keys if the synths can be problematic when trying to execute piano parts.

[HCMarkus]

Missed out on the repair program... paid for repairs! boo hoo.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Missed out on the repair program... paid for repairs! boo hoo.

I just happened to call my tech at the right time, otherwise I'd be in the same boat.

[Gravity Jim]

Very happy with my Yamaha CP33 for the 88-key piano action thing, and my baby 25-key Arturia for the spring-loaded desktop quick note entry thing.

[mikehalloran]

I'm using a Line 6 Mobile Keys 49 through its special cable to control GarageBand instruments on my iPad or iPhone; via USB into my Mac. Also has MIDI out.

Not the best feeling keys but I was never a pianist. Minimal controls don't bother me as I have no ability to modulate while playing except with a foot pedal. I like that it is bus powered (iPad battery rated 9 hours plugged in!) and weighs about five pounds.

Street price $149.95 for the 49; $99.95 for the 25 key version.
http://line6.com/mobilekeys/

My old Fatar gathers dust and is unlikely to be used again. I never used my M-Audio 66 as it was just too big and heavy for me to deal with anymore but my daughter likes it for Logic. No idea what I'll do with my other keyboards...

The only thing I don't like about it is that, live, when my iPad falls asleep, I have to unplug and reconnect the cable at the iPad for it to recognize the keyboard again - doing so at the keyboard doesn't work. Inconvenient but I manage. Not as issue with DP, of course.

When I gig, I play bass by tapping on the glass and using the Line 6 when I play organ. The GarageBand organ sounds aren't horrible for live and the basses are quite useable.

[mhschmieder]

It doesn't really matter that the Arturia is sold with software because the price and especially price/value ratio is super-competitive with anything else on the market. So you're essentially getting Analog Factory for free.

I thought Analog Factory would be redundant, but it isn't. Here's why: the individual synths are standalone. Analog Factory is set up for a simple keyboard split, enabling you to quickly and easily layer two Arturia synths just as you would with a standalone hardware synth. The presets are additional to what is in the individual synths (if you use presets; I typically make my own as well as editing factory presets but rarely use them as-is).

I am really digging this controller. There's a lot of flex to the edge of the keys, which may be why it's able to sense all MIDI values for aftertouch and do so smoothly with no missing values, no jumps, no inconsistencies.