88 key midi controller

[runamuck]

My son is going off to music school and needs a controller with the best possible REAL piano action available. Fatar SL-990XP? SL-880Pro? He doesnt need a synth or built in sounds - just a controller with MIDI I/O to practice on in his dorm.

Can anyone recommend.

Thanks,

Jim

[tobyond]

Hey Jim, I use the sl880, and I really like it. I\'m no concert pianist, so can\'t comment about the action, but it feels nice to me.

Toby.

[Frederick]

SL880 works for me. It\'s programmable about as deep as you want and the two midi outs are a Godsend. The action feels great btw.

[peter269]

[ QUOTE ]
My son is going off to music school and needs a controller with the best possible REAL piano action available. Fatar SL-990XP? SL-880Pro? He doesnt need a synth or built in sounds - just a controller with MIDI I/O to practice on in his dorm.

Can anyone recommend.

Thanks,

Jim

[/ QUOTE ]

The Kawai 9500 is now considered the best.

[fisheye]

Yep, the Kawai MP9500 is the best available.
But be warned: it weighs 50% more than a Fatar.

Read this (\"http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Feb03/articles/kawaimp9500.asp\") review from Sound on Sound magazine.

[SWL]

i second the sl880 --- granted no controller i;ve played lets you \'dig in\' like a real piano, but this is the best feeling one i\'ve played yet. and lite enough action to jam out some electric piano/organ stuff, as well.

[Alexcremers]

I just played on a Roland Fantom-X8 with weighted keys. It\'s a real joy to play on this keyboard. The feel is good and the action is incredibly fast. The new onboard piano isn\'t too shabby either. It\'s not Worra but hey...(drum flam)


-----------------
Alex Cremers

[Trinitor]

The Roland Fantom-X8 is indeed really a joy to play /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
But due to budget reason I\'m going for the SL-880 Pro /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Tobias Erichsen]

When I was at Musikmesse in Frankfurt, I got to play both,
the new Fantom X8 and the Kawai MP9500. Both have
really nice keyboards. Couldn\'t say which I\'d prefer.
I\'d probably go for the Fantom, as it\'s other features
are much better than the Kawai and it\'s only about
600 Euro more expensive.

Also had a try on the new M-Audio weighted USB-
keyboard. Didn\'t like it\'s feeling that much. I really
do prefer the feeling of my old Yamaha KX88. On
the other hand it\'s got really nice controls and is
pretty inexpensive...

Tobias

[Brady]

All I know is I love my SL-1100 (Fatar). And you can get \'em at a good price.

[Alexcremers]

[ QUOTE ]
When I was at Musikmesse in Frankfurt, I got to play both,
the new Fantom X8 and the Kawai MP9500. Both have
really nice keyboards. Couldn\'t say which I\'d prefer.
I\'d probably go for the Fantom, as it\'s other features
are much better than the Kawai and it\'s only about
600 Euro more expensive.


[/ QUOTE ]

I don\'t think I ever played on a MP9500 but judging from the demos I\'m not really impressed with its acoustic piano sound. If I had not already bought the Yamaha Motif ES8 I would also go for the Roland Fantom-X8 . But it\'s not polite to own two starships.

----------------
Alex Cremers

[T Parks]

The MP9500 is a wonderful keyboard to play. The presets?. Well, the actual numero uno grand piano sound I don\'t like much at all, or indeed the jazz grand and especially not the honky-tonk!. But the mellow grand feels great and sounds just right for practise. I wouldn\'t necessarily try and palm it off as the real thing on a solo recording, but the engineers worked well to get it to respond as well as it does. I\'ve yet to play any other digital or sampled piano that just feels so good to play.

I own a steinway model B which is possibly my favourite acoustic piano, but I\'m more than happy with the Kawai when its session time or the lights go out around the neighbourhood after 11pm.

I\'ll have to confess here to a bit of a hatred for the Fatar keyboards. They feel awful by comparison, although they\'re fine as studio keyboards. The MP9500 is a far better engineered and capable product for piano playing.

[T Parks]

Actually, I just remember there was a good review of it in Sound on Sound a few years back:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb03/articles/kawaimp9500.asp (\"http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb03/articles/kawaimp9500.asp\")

[Trinitor]

Why is non of these companies thinking of making a 88-key master keyboard (just the basics + mod/pitch) with the feel of for example the Fantom or Kawai.
These keyboards are too expensive to buy just to have that special piano feel /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[dkrz]

IMO the A-90ex by Roland is the best I\'ve demoed (I tried I think just about everything out there) when I was shopping for my ultimate 88 key hammer action controller. They no longer make these though.
The action on it is AMAZING. You can find them on e-bay once in a while. But most people that have these won\'t be selling them...

It is very heavy though so maybe not the right choice if you plan on moving it around a lot. However, as a dedicated controller, I believe it to be the best in every way. Btw, the (ex) has a module that comes with some very convincing and expressive piano samples.

dk

[Alexcremers]

[ QUOTE ]
IMO the A-90ex by Roland is the best I\'ve demoed (I tried I think just about everything out there) when I was shopping for my ultimate 88 key hammer action controller.


[/ QUOTE ]

I was very interested in a A-90EX but then I found out too many people were having problems breaking the keys (hammer mechanism) while they weren\'t even trying. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

[dkrz]

hmm.. I\'ve had mine 4 years now and I\'m pretty heavy handed. Never heard of that one. The thing is built like a tank. Really.

dk

[damoy]

Any feedback on the feel of the SL-990? I really like the design because I can put my keyboards (computer) on the large smooth surfaces of the SL-990. I have an A-90 now and love the feel, but it\'s getting old and I would like to update my controller soon.

[Crispin]

Gotta jump in and second the praise for the A90ex. Best controller I\'ve ever laid hands on. Aside from brilliant hammer action (no broken keys here either - in 8 years - built like a tank indeed), the controller features are unmatched.

Super fast and intuitive mapping of any controller to anything. Sliders, wheels, pitch/mod lever and, best of all, a built in breath control input. Takes a variety of pedals (continuous and switch) and also acts as a 2 in 4 out midi patch bay.

My only (and I do mean only) dislike on this entire controller is that the 4 assignable faders can be a little zippery with the midi data.

Actually, I seriously thing this thing would be the ultimate studio controller if it had 8 motorized faders with bank switching, 8 assignable knobs and LED based scribble strips. Transport control would be nice too - although it kind of already has that.

Anyone want to build me one?

:-)

Crispin

[Alexcremers]

Fatar makes a lot of the keybeds for Roland, Kurzweil, Alesis, etc. Except for their very cheapest models, Fatar doesn\'t make \'m that cheap! But Fatar is also not included in the building of the top range models like Fantom 8 or Motif 8 which are supposedly \"Made in Japan\". It\'s one of the main reasons why these models are so expensive. So if you want THEIR feel and touch you might end up spending a little bit more (yes, make that a whole lot more).
According to another NS thread all models of the Fatar SL-880 and SL-990 have minor midi leaking issues with one of their modulation wheels. But owners don\'t seem to find it too troublesome.
According to threads all over the net the vast majority of Fatar users is very happy with their purchase.
I would either go with Fater SL-880, or a second-hand top range model with weighted keys from a major brand like the ones already mentioned in this topic. A second-hand Roland RD-700 (digital stage piano) could also be very interesting.

---------------
Alex cremers

[runamuck]

Thanks everyone for your input.

Jim

[HiRez]

[ QUOTE ]
Any feedback on the feel of the SL-990? I really like the design because I can put my keyboards (computer) on the large smooth surfaces of the SL-990. I have an A-90 now and love the feel, but it\'s getting old and I would like to update my controller soon.

[/ QUOTE ]I really love mine. If you aren\'t on any kind of budget the 9500 may be better, but I got my 990 new at Guitar Center for $295. That\'s hard to beat, or even get close to, for a fully-weighted 88-key controller. Minor complaints are that it has only one MIDI out, the interface for changing settings is really kludgy and non-intuitive, there are no inputs for Sustenuto/Una Corda pedal, and I wish they had integrated the power supply into the body instead of putting it on an external brick. But, it\'s marketed as a barebones controller, and that\'s what you get. I don\'t use aftertouch (it has none) or the mod wheels so I don\'t care about those. It seems very sturdy and well-constructed to me, however I do not gig with it, it stays at home in the same place. As far as the key feel, I like it quite a bit, however I would question that\'s it really feels like a *fully*-weighted grand piano. To me, the feel is a bit lighter than that but still feels nice. It\'s actually ok with me since playing a grand piano really starts hurting my fingers after an hour or so. Anyway, I highly recommend the Studiologic 990 Pro if you are on a budget. Just get a good (dual-X-brace) stand for it so it doesn\'t shake when you play.