Hi Guys
I'm looking at a Samson Graphite 49 priced at £85 (UK)
Does any one have one?
Is it a good deal and is it a reasonable controller keyboard for the cheap price?
My requirements are Velocity, Aftertouch, Pitch bend and Mod wheels, ability to select programs (0-127), a few
knobs + sliders to map to my VSTs and USB powered. Any extra functionality is not really needed but a nice bonus.
I would appreciate your comments on its good and bad points to help me choose before I buy.
Thanks Kirsty
http://xsrdo.net16.net/
Samson Graphite 49 - USB MIDI Keyboard
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 486 posts since 21 Nov, 2012 from Sitting in front of my PC
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- KVRAF
- 1836 posts since 29 Mar, 2013
Hi, did you eventually get one of these and was it any good ? looking at this myself also looking at the Nektar Impact lx49
Beauty is only skin deep,
Ugliness, however, goes right the way through
Ugliness, however, goes right the way through
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 486 posts since 21 Nov, 2012 from Sitting in front of my PC
Yes I bought one 
I posted this answer in a similar thread earlier.
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 9#p6242079
I posted this answer in a similar thread earlier.
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 9#p6242079
KirstyI bought a Samson Graphite 49 last month for £85 GBP
Pros.
It's good solid construction and quite heavy. Exactly what defines a semi-weighted keybed seem to differ slightly with each manufacturer.
To me the Samson feels quite light and spongy, it's synth action with a bit of weight. But I like that. I play synths not piano.
Key velocity and aftertouch are good with different curves to choose from, I've had no issues whatsoever.
All buttons are solid with a good positive feel, the sliders are very nice, smooth and just the right amount of
travel for me, giving accurate MIDI cc 0-127 range. Pitch bend and Mod wheels are solid and responsive with
+/- transpose and +/- octave just above them within easy 'finger' reach. I have small hands.
The LCD screen is big, bright and useful. It shows just what is needed and nothing more.
It is wall wart or USB bus powered. Mine is Laptop USB3.0->(USB3.0 hub)->(USB2.0 Hub)->Samson.
Everything that moves on this controller can be mapped to any MIDI CC with selectable ranges
to choose from. That's ideal for controlling any DAW or VST. It has full preset mapping for Cubase and
many other DAWs and you can even define your own map to one of several locations.
Cons.
The LCD screen shows patch numbers and not patch names. There's no facility to enter alpha text.
The knobs are continious with 'notches'. They allow 'very' precise control of values but to make big jumps
I need to twist them very fast. Not really to my taste but for the price I can't complain.
Only 4 physical pads but the A-B pad bank switch gives you more.
Why didn't they put the dedicated pad bank switch next to the pads instead of on the other side of the keyboard!
However they are velocity and aftertouch sensitive. I program my drums with the PC mouse so
don't use them but only 4 might be an issus for you.
Overall, for the £85 quid I paid I think it's an absolute bargain. It feels more like a £150 controller to me.
Would I buy another one if it got nicked. Yes.
Hope that helps
Kirsty
