the best keyboard controller for GOS?

**antho9** · 04-16-2002, 11:18 PM

jsaras

This is very interesting because I\'m one step from buying a Yamaha p200. I\'ll have to double check on the velocity issue. I was unaware of such a cocern.

Thanks for the input.

**michael88s** · 05-01-2002, 09:30 PM

Hi Antho9,

Two weeks later but full of wonderful info am I!

The top models of the Fatar do, in fact, have a lot more going for them than the 800 or 1100. I\'ve got the Studio/Studiologic 2001 and the amount of control is tremendous- more than I ever need. 4 midi ins, 4 midi outs, pedal inputs/wheels/sliders to control virtually any midi controller number, velocity tweaks etc etc on the fly...The easiest way is to check them out on the web and look at a product manual. As far as the keyboard feel, I believe Kurzweil still uses the Fatar action in their fully weighted boards, since you can\'t find a Fatar demo. Good luck!

michael88s

**mitchb2** · 05-02-2002, 06:14 AM

Checking out the StudioLogic SL-2001, it looks great. What a shame it doesn\'t have breath control input!

**antho9** · 05-02-2002, 09:19 AM

michael88

I decided on the Yamaha p200 in the end. I had a long hard look at the Studio logic gear but in the end, two things factored against it. First, I kept reading reviews about keys dying on the Fatar units and hearing stories about the same. Secondly, an more importantly, the company has no Canadian distribution, so it if anything went wrong, support would be harder to get. This is frustrating because the Fatars are half the price of the Yamaha and many people swear by them but, in the end, I had to go with the Yamaha. Hopefully, one day Fatar will have Canadian distro and then I\'d seriously consider them. Anyway, thanks for your input. It\'s good to know the studiologic is performing well for you.

**csduke** · 05-03-2002, 06:04 AM

Originally posted by jsaras:
[QB]I love my Yamaha P-80 for it action and its internal sounds. However, Yamaha keyboards do not send velocity values above 100 for some odd reason. QB]

<font size=\"2\" face=\"Verdana, Arial\">I have a P-80 (best action for me) and it outputs plus 100 velocities. This capability must be configured though. I believe you set to the fixed velocity mode (a mode where only one velocity is output - no soft, med, hard lights are lit) and set the velocity to 127 (see your manual). This procedure sets the max velocity for the other velocity. Since I did this, I get the big numbers when the V curve is set to \"soft\" (no sure about med or hard). Again, check your manual (also available in PDF from the Yamaha site.

**peter269** · 05-03-2002, 09:27 AM

Regarding Halion...

I think one issue we forget about is how does it sound? Each of the samplers has a distinct sound driven by both its programming and the audio card you use. Except for SampleTank, we\'ve tested all the virtual samplers, and for the money, I honestly feel that GigaStudio is still the best option.

**antho9** · 05-03-2002, 06:44 PM

Peter
Peter

Interesting input.

At this point, I plan to buy Halion for its versatily in accepting various sample formats BUT I also plan to buy a Gigastudio several months down the road when I invest in the Garritan library. It seems that since GOS is really designed for Giga and, since I\'ll be investing alot of money in it, I should really go the extra distance and invest in the gigastudio as well - so that I can get the most out of GOS.

Peter, do I take it from your statement that you\'ve tried Halion and would not recommend it? Or is it simply not up to the same standard as Giga? Should I consider passing on Halion and just going with giga?

Anthony

**michael88s** · 05-03-2002, 07:38 PM

hi mitchb2,

very few keyboards offer breath controller capabilities. a company named \'anatek\' offered a breath controller box if i\'m not mistaken (you can check it out on the web). the box went from any keyboard or module\'s midi in, to the box (small and midi powered) to the breath controller.

the company, as far as i know, no longer exists, but you can find their products on eBay and elsewhere. i\'ve got two of their little boxes and they\'re top notch.

i hope this helps by giving you another option.

michael88s

**michael88s** · 05-03-2002, 08:53 PM

Hi antho9,

Congrats on buying the P200, Yamaha makes great stuff.

I owned the P150 for a while- the sound I think is very similar to your P200, and my P150\'s piano sounds recorded very well and sounded quite good.

I\'ve not heard the negative comments you mentioned about Fatar keyboard actions and I\'d be grateful if you\'d point me towards some sources, so I can evaluate what they\'re saying.

My keyboard tech of many years has steered me towards keyboards with \'precious metal contacts\'and my Fatar Studio 2001 has pmc\'s and has never had a problem in over 8 years.
My Yamaha PF85 had membrane contacts which became brittle after a year or so and caused intermittent note ons. That would have been an expensive repair so I sold the keyboard.

With that in mind, I\'d suggest finding out what type of key contacts your P200 has, and I\'d consider whether or not it\'s advisable to buy an extended warranty.

Regarding Fatar, if you express an interest, and others do, I imagine they\'ll respond.

I hope this is helpful.

michael88s

**antho9** · 05-03-2002, 10:41 PM

michael88s

This is certainly useful info regarding the precious metal contacts. I\'d not yet heard of this consideration (so much to learn!).

As far as the action on the Fatar instruments, I\'ve heard nothing but good news. When it comes to reliability, though, I read some mixed reviews. One spot you could check is:

www.harmony-central.com/Synth/Data/Fatar/StudioLogic-SL-880-Controller-01.html

Several owners listed concerns there.

Aside from that, I\'ve heard rumours here in Calgary and one of the stores had more second hand units than new gear.

In the end, as I said before, alot of my decision revolves around the fact that Fatar doesn\'t have Canadian distro. (Maybe I\'d never have a problem but, if I did, I couldn\'t see paying for international shipping on an 88 key controller!)I did contact them via email in the U.S. but after several emails back and forth, they stopped communicating.

I will most definitely take your advise on an extended warranty to heart, as I want the Yamaha to be with me for a few years. (also I had a recent bad experience with a Sony DVD player that died on me only a few months after the warranty expired - wish I\'d bought an extended warranty!)

With any luck my Yamaha should be here to pick up next week and I can finally get on with the music!

So, thanks again for the input!