Best sub-£100 25 keys MIDI controller out there?

[Armadillo]

Damn, there's quite a few these days.

These are some of the options I've noticed:

- Korg K25
- Behringer UMX25
- Emu Xboard 25
- Novation Remote LE25
- Alesis Photon X25
- Edirol PCR-M1 / PCR-M30
- Evolution MK425C
- M-Audio O2 / Oxygen 2

I was considering the Alesis Photon x25 particularly as I've seen it b-stocked down to prices like £70, but the reviews are very mixed I'm not even sure that xyz controller is any good.

Ideally I'd go as cheap as possible to I won't go anywhere near Evolution Ekeys. A few rotary knobs is a requirement and not too lousy keys. 30-32 keys would actually be ideal but the only one I've found with that is the Edirol PCR-M30.

Any ideas?

[m0j0byrd]

cme uf5 for about £80: knobs, sliders, 49 nice semi-weighted keys, expandable, solid construction

[Armadillo]

I tried the UF5 when it just came out. A lot for the price. Thought the sliders were a bit "fisher price" though, but more importantly, I'm really looking for a 2 octave controller keyboard....UF2 would be nice

[vurt]

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=183733


dunno if thats still available...

[GreyLion]

I did a lot of research and obsessing on this subject late last year, Armadillo. Most of the others didn't have semi-weighted keys or aftertouch. I ended up with the Korg Axiom 25, and haven't regretted it at all. It feels really sturdy, and I love the keys.

[Armadillo]

thanks.
I put in an offer on that one Vurt

Greylion: I did notice the Axiom25 in my research and it does look rather tasty with all the drumpads, large display and semi weighted keys, but it's at least £105 and looking at my bank account I think I'm more looking at £50-70 now

Actually, it's such a long time ago I've used semi-weighted (or weighted for that matter) that I'm not sure I want that. Isn't it pretty hard playing eg. a 16th hihat on a key with semi-weighted, using two fingers?

[Barbed Wire Kiss]

I would say DON'T get the Edirol PCR-M30. I, like many, have had problems with keys, sliders and knobs refusing to work on the PCR range. I had my PCR-30 replaced by Edirol with a PCR-30M but that has a slider that doesn't work now. And it's less than a year since it was replaced.

I'm looking at CME UF5 now, which I've seen listed around the £100 mark though.

[GreyLion]

thanks.
I put in an offer on that one Vurt

Greylion: I did notice the Axiom25 in my research and it does look rather tasty with all the drumpads, large display and semi weighted keys, but it's at least £105 and looking at my bank account I think I'm more looking at £50-70 now

Actually, it's such a long time ago I've used semi-weighted (or weighted for that matter) that I'm not sure I want that. Isn't it pretty hard playing eg. a 16th hihat on a key with semi-weighted, using two fingers?

For what it's worth, I've started waiting until I have the money to buy certain kinds of gear. I found that when I don't save up and get the best of class, I usually end up feeling ripped off sooner or later. This means I have to put off some purchases, which I hate.

I'm not much of a keyboard player, but I much prefer semi-weighted keys over 'synth-action' ones. They just feel so much more solid. If you're doing drums, remember that the A25 has 8 drum pads on it. They feel pretty responsive to me, though, again, I'm not highly proficient with them. I do have a Korg padKontrol, too, and love it. I can't imagine anything better for doing drums.

[tomg]

JIC someone is still looking..

I just bought a Edirol PCR-M30 because my Mk-225c quit working. (The processor shorted out ) The reviews here and there around the net say a lot of good things about the m30 but that the keys get spotty after a year or so. This has been a common Roland problem for a long time. It's not that hard to clean the key contacts if you need to do it. In my experience regular use will take care of the contact problem anyway.

List's for $199.00, on the street for about $170.

At $100 bucks it's a bargain but there's only a few left.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... &rd=1&rd=1

Sweetwater still has them in stock for $129
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PCRM30/

[Armadillo]

thanks.
I put in an offer on that one Vurt

Greylion: I did notice the Axiom25 in my research and it does look rather tasty with all the drumpads, large display and semi weighted keys, but it's at least £105 and looking at my bank account I think I'm more looking at £50-70 now

Actually, it's such a long time ago I've used semi-weighted (or weighted for that matter) that I'm not sure I want that. Isn't it pretty hard playing eg. a 16th hihat on a key with semi-weighted, using two fingers?

For what it's worth, I've started waiting until I have the money to buy certain kinds of gear. I found that when I don't save up and get the best of class, I usually end up feeling ripped off sooner or later. This means I have to put off some purchases, which I hate.

I'm not much of a keyboard player, but I much prefer semi-weighted keys over 'synth-action' ones. They just feel so much more solid. If you're doing drums, remember that the A25 has 8 drum pads on it. They feel pretty responsive to me, though, again, I'm not highly proficient with them. I do have a Korg padKontrol, too, and love it. I can't imagine anything better for doing drums.

I know what you mean about saving for quality instead of buying the cheap stuff. That's what I've done the last 1 1/2 year software wise. I've only bought Melodyne plugin, QL RA and Jamstix during that time.

Anyway....

I went to Turnkey today, which is the largest music instrument store in London AFAIK.
I tried:
M-audio Oxygen 2 - good but basic.
M-audio O2 - don't like that. The flatness makes it very toy-ish imo.
Edirol PCR-M30 - seems a bit cheap build wise, but it certainly has a lot of options eg. faders. And I really like that extra 1/2 octave. I wish there was more 2 1/2 octave controllers around. I mean play in B and you can only go 1 octave up on a 25 key controller.
Edirol PCR1 - same story as M-audio O2- flatness= toy-ish for me.
Alesis Photon x25 - looks and feels good but due the bad reviews on the internet I'm not getting that.
Novation Remote 25 LE - solid build, love the X-Y pad, good knobs, quality keys. The pitchbend/modulation joystick thingy sucked a bit though.
M-Audio Axiom 25 - Quality build - nice big display, great keys actually and the drum pads might come in handy. However, I wasn't that keen on the knobs as they have limited positions; they "click" into the next position and I'm not sure you'll get 128 different positions that way
Evolution MK225 - Not sure what the price was but it felt cheap. At £30 it would be worth considering. At £50 the Oxygen2 is much better.

Didn't buy anything but I got a good idea of what not to get now

tomg: seems like a good offer but once they add postage to UK and customs and VAT, it's not quite that cheap anymore. I'm not 100% sold on that controller either.

[GreyLion]

Hey, Armadillo, I just replied to your PM. You might want to check out this thread I started before I got my A25:

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... highlight=

I got lots of good advice and discussion from the kind folks here.