Keyboards and MPE controllers to keep an eye on - my list...

Anything about hardware musical instruments.
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I have this list of controller devices that I'm really interested in. Not in any order. Some are here. Some aren't yet. I can wait, but one day, I'll pick one or two up. Have I missed any?

1) Roli Seaboard RISE
2) Madona Labs Soundplane
3) Linnstrument (due to quality and precision, not sure if I'm ready for the learning curve on it)
4) McMillen K-board Pro 4 (due to seems to have it all and is a good amalgam of multiple capabilities)
5) VaxMIDI (due to superb quality keys)
6) Komplete Kontrol S-series S61 or S88 (due to software integration)

Kinda want the VaxMIDI now (available Oct. 2016)

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Honestly even if you don't have guitar experience and having basic keyboard knowledge. Learning the Linnstrument isn't that hard. Sure it will take a little time to get the feel of chords and scales but it's easier then one thinks. And as picking/strumming isn't required it save time on working out technique in those areas.

I've had my linnstrument for a time now and... I won't even bother with other midi controllers. Not even the Ztar which I was the biggest fan of.
Synapse Audio Dune 3 I'm in love

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tapper mike wrote:Honestly even if you don't have guitar experience and having basic keyboard knowledge. Learning the Linnstrument isn't that hard. Sure it will take a little time to get the feel of chords and scales but it's easier then one thinks. And as picking/strumming isn't required it save time on working out technique in those areas.

I've had my linnstrument for a time now and... I won't even bother with other midi controllers. Not even the Ztar which I was the biggest fan of.
wow, thanks for the response!

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killmaster wrote:Have I missed any?
yes... the Haken Continuum, and also (though you'll find them hard to find) the Eigenharps.

Ive a Soundplane and an Eigenharp Alpha, love them both - very different.
Id like to add a Continuum one day, its a fantastic surface, and the Eagen Matrix is still unmatched.

your list though is comparing apples and oranges, it really depends what your looking for, and if you want to transfer keyboard experience... and of course budget.

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thetechnobear wrote:
killmaster wrote:Have I missed any?
yes... the Haken Continuum, and also (though you'll find them hard to find) the Eigenharps.

Ive a Soundplane and an Eigenharp Alpha, love them both - very different.
Id like to add a Continuum one day, its a fantastic surface, and the Eagen Matrix is still unmatched.

your list though is comparing apples and oranges, it really depends what your looking for, and if you want to transfer keyboard experience... and of course budget.
Thanks! I took a look and these others are outside my budget. I wonder how the Linnstrument compares with the Soundplane and Eagen Matrix for expressive playing? I do like the the pitch gliding on the Eagen Matrix is SO incredibly smooth. I wonder if its like that on the Linnstrument as well... That would be a huge plus for me.

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Gaz Williams has a review of the LinnStrument here.
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I wonder how good the tactile feedback is (if there is any) on the Linnstrument.

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I lusted after a Continuum for years, but they were always too expensive for my liking. I also lusted after a Soundplane for years, but being on Windows I grew impatient waiting for a version of the software which I could have actually used.

I absolutely love my Seaboard Rise 49. No complaints at all. I spent a lot of time waffling between the Seaboard and the Linnstrument, but I don't regret my choice in the least. To be honest, I'd still like to pick up a Linnstrument as well someday, but I'm not in an hurry. Of course, there are a couple of longevity questions... Roger Linn isn't exactly getting any younger, and I wonder if his product line has a future beyond the man himself. On the other hand, at least the Linnstrument has an open code base and doesn't rely on configuration software like the Seaboard. And then there's Roli, a heavily funded startup, which I suppose could get its plug pulled if the investors aren't satisfied with sales figures. Just a few thinks to think about.
Incomplete list of my gear: 1/8" audio input jack.

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deastman wrote:I lusted after a Continuum for years, but they were always too expensive for my liking. I also lusted after a Soundplane for years, but being on Windows I grew impatient waiting for a version of the software which I could have actually used.

I absolutely love my Seaboard Rise 49. No complaints at all. I spent a lot of time waffling between the Seaboard and the Linnstrument, but I don't regret my choice in the least. To be honest, I'd still like to pick up a Linnstrument as well someday, but I'm not in an hurry. Of course, there are a couple of longevity questions... Roger Linn isn't exactly getting any younger, and I wonder if his product line has a future beyond the man himself. On the other hand, at least the Linnstrument has an open code base and doesn't rely on configuration software like the Seaboard. And then there's Roli, a heavily funded startup, which I suppose could get its plug pulled if the investors aren't satisfied with sales figures. Just a few thinks to think about.
good points. though the Linnstrument to me seems like it could be more solid hardwarewise. I looked at a Seaboard RISE and loves it but the material is a rubbery skin like material that looks like it may not hold up over time and I don't know what it would be like to have to repair that.

I am waffling over these as well! Its so hard when technology is changing things so rapidly...

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killmaster wrote:
deastman wrote:I lusted after a Continuum for years, but they were always too expensive for my liking. I also lusted after a Soundplane for years, but being on Windows I grew impatient waiting for a version of the software which I could have actually used.

I absolutely love my Seaboard Rise 49. No complaints at all. I spent a lot of time waffling between the Seaboard and the Linnstrument, but I don't regret my choice in the least. To be honest, I'd still like to pick up a Linnstrument as well someday, but I'm not in an hurry. Of course, there are a couple of longevity questions... Roger Linn isn't exactly getting any younger, and I wonder if his product line has a future beyond the man himself. On the other hand, at least the Linnstrument has an open code base and doesn't rely on configuration software like the Seaboard. And then there's Roli, a heavily funded startup, which I suppose could get its plug pulled if the investors aren't satisfied with sales figures. Just a few thinks to think about.
good points. though the Linnstrument to me seems like it could be more solid hardwarewise. I looked at a Seaboard RISE and loves it but the material is a rubbery skin like material that looks like it may not hold up over time and I don't know what it would be like to have to repair that.

I am waffling over these as well! Its so hard when technology is changing things so rapidly...
Twentyish years ago, I worried about the longevity of the new synths which were coming out. I mean, my Virus A is full of custom chips which will someday be much more difficult to replace than the capacitors in an old analog synth. For the record, it is still going strong. But in that time, I've seen a lot of life changes for myself and the friends and family in my life. Life is fleeting, and any of us could be hit by a car tomorrow. I'm not going to hold off on buying a Seaboard just because someday the silicone rubber surface might need replacing and I don't know if Roli will be around to do that. It's a fairly pointless argument. If anything, the fact that I might outlive Roger Linn only makes me want to hurry up and buy a Linnstrument too while I still can. (No offense to Roger. I've met him before, and he's a very nice guy!)
Incomplete list of my gear: 1/8" audio input jack.

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I also like my Seaboard, especially with the Equator synth (there was indeed an update a few days ago with 180+ new patches and a bit more).
I'm also not so sure about Roli but they are a while on the market now.
If things get worse maybe Apple could buy them :D.
I choose the Seaboard because it's more keyboard rather than a flat mult-touch screen (dramatized) like the others.
I could play the Seboard blind but not sure if that would be possible with the others mentioned.
For those things which needs more visual feedback i still prefer a large multi-touch screen (like iPad Pro) as controller because they are much more versatile (for me).
The Seaboard of course has also some limitations i don't like (which could be solved via Software).
But since i think it has the best tactile feedback from these mpe controllers and this is the only big plus above a multi-touch screen it's the only i would buy again yet.
The silicon surface feels great for me and i think it will live for a few years if you are not Freddy Kruger :)

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deastman wrote:
killmaster wrote:
Twentyish years ago, I worried about the longevity of the new synths which were coming out. I mean, my Virus A is full of custom chips which will someday be much more difficult to replace than the capacitors in an old analog synth. For the record, it is still going strong. But in that time, I've seen a lot of life changes for myself and the friends and family in my life. Life is fleeting, and any of us could be hit by a car tomorrow. I'm not going to hold off on buying a Seaboard just because someday the silicone rubber surface might need replacing and I don't know if Roli will be around to do that. It's a fairly pointless argument. If anything, the fact that I might outlive Roger Linn only makes me want to hurry up and buy a Linnstrument too while I still can. (No offense to Roger. I've met him before, and he's a very nice guy!)
You are SO right! Funny how we get caught up in things! Appreciate the reminder...

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Any comments on the Sensel Morph?
https://sensel.com/products/the-sensel-morph

VaxMidi
https://www.vaxmidi.com/
bad link?

Any other new MPE midi controllers?

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killmaster wrote: 3) Linnstrument (due to quality and precision, not sure if I'm ready for the learning curve on it)
The Linnstrument was the easiest instrument to learn I ever touched! And the most expressive as well. I did try the Seaboard and the continuum...
The small one has only 6 notes less than the big, one octave more than a Seaboard 49 and is even cheaper than that...
Yes, I am a big fan, normal keyboards even expressive ones like a Seaboard are boring compared.
I guess the soundplane is pretty similar, but is bound to a computer or their upcoming eurorack device. The Linnstrument can play an iPad with its collection of expressive synths directly...

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Tj Shredder wrote:
killmaster wrote: 3) Linnstrument (due to quality and precision, not sure if I'm ready for the learning curve on it)
The Linnstrument was the easiest instrument to learn I ever touched! And the most expressive as well. I did try the Seaboard and the continuum...
The small one has only 6 notes less than the big, one octave more than a Seaboard 49 and is even cheaper than that...
Yes, I am a big fan, normal keyboards even expressive ones like a Seaboard are boring compared.
I guess the soundplane is pretty similar, but is bound to a computer or their upcoming eurorack device. The Linnstrument can play an iPad with its collection of expressive synths directly...
Agreed.

A funny discussion I got into with Roger Linn as being an early adopter was that although it was work via stacking midi channels in a reasonable host environment one could attain mpe on most daws in the windows realm. It just takes a lot of set up to have multiple instrument tracks assigned to varying midi channels and then clone your plugin across all of them.

All the same when I get my next linnstrument (because the last one died on me) I'm going to invest in Bitwig as it supports mpe and comes with a few mpe synths built in.
Synapse Audio Dune 3 I'm in love

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